Meet Our Wonderful Guests
We understand that one episode is not enough time to learn about our fabulous guests or their research. Below we have included short biographies, contact information, and additional dissertation content for you to checkout.
Season 1
Season 1: Episode 13: Ndeh Will Anyu, Ed.D.
Dr. Anyu is an educational researcher, investor, podcast host, and proud dad to the best baby in the world, Ashton Legend Anyu. As a first-generation low-income (FGLI) student himself, his research explores how FGLI students at the nation’s elite and highly selective institutions understand their experiences and how that experience informs their sense of belonging. In addition to his educational endeavors, Will is an avid investor and is passionate about financial literacy and educating disadvantaged people in the financial world.
Season 1: Episode 12: Lili Leonard, Ed.D.
On March 3, 2015, Sweet Briar College, a small women's college in rural Virginia, announced it was closing its doors after 114 years. The response from Sweet Briar's alumnae and supporters over the course of the next three months forever changed the landscape of higher education; after successfully suing the college's administration and raising more than $21 million, they were able to keep the doors of their beloved institution open. Lili Leonard's dissertation researched what made that effort so successful, and how Sweet Briar's blueprint of success might be replicated for other colleges facing enrollment and financial challenges.
Season 1: Episode 11: Nancy Stalowski, Ed.D.
Dr. Nancy Stalowski is an educator with a real passion for helping students who face additional barriers to success. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN), which focuses on preparing college women for leadership in public policy. Nancy has more than a decade of experience working in higher education and leadership development. For most of her career, she has worked with underrepresented students including women, first-generation, minority, and DACA students. Nancy received her doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration at The George Washington University. Her research focuses on higher education finance, specifically how different sources of funding impact higher education institutions and contribute to issues of access and equity. She also received an M.A. in History and B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland.
Season 1: Episode 10: Rachel Laribee Gresk, Ph.D.
Rachel Laribee Gresk is Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where she has been working since 2009. Rachel has extensive experience working in higher education administration and working in English language programs (ELP), having served as Director of the Academic Preparatory Program (APP) for the past ten years, before becoming Director of Academic Administration, and then moving into her role as the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Rachel earned her PhD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her dissertation was on social-cognitive factors and the impact of environmental influences on student satisfaction. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a master’s degree in international development; she has a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from St. Mary’s College in Maryland.
Rachel was the self-study coordinator for her ELP’s Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA) process, and is currently overseeing U.S. regional accreditation at AUIS. Rachel has presented at numerous Iraqi and international conferences, including ASHE and TESOL. She is a trained accreditation site reviewer with CEA.
Rachel Laribee Gresk is Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs at American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS), located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where she has been working since 2009. Rachel has extensive experience working in higher education administration and working in English language programs (ELP), having served as Director of the Academic Preparatory Program (APP) for the past ten years, before becoming Director of Academic Administration, and then moving into her role as the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Rachel earned her PhD in Higher Education Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her dissertation was on social-cognitive factors and the impact of environmental influences on student satisfaction. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a master’s degree in international development; she has a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from St. Mary’s College in Maryland.
Rachel was the self-study coordinator for her ELP’s Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA) process, and is currently overseeing U.S. regional accreditation at AUIS. Rachel has presented at numerous Iraqi and international conferences, including ASHE and TESOL. She is a trained accreditation site reviewer with CEA.
Season 1: Episode 9: Christopher Jacobsen, Ph.D.
Christopher Jacobsen is the Executive Director of Development for the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He received his Bachelor of Science with a double major in English and Theater from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a Master of Education from Harvard University. Dr. Jacobsen graduated with his Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from Boston College in 2021.
Read Christopher's Dissertation
Season 1: Episode 8: Todd Cimino-Johnson, Ph.D.
Todd Cimino-Johnson defended his dissertation in March 2021. His dissertation title was Narratives from Appalachia: The Current Stories of LGBTQ Community College Students. He was born and raised in Martinsburg, West Virginia. He is a graduate of Shepherd University with a B.S. in Economics/Accounting, an MBA from Shepherd University, an M.A. in History from American Public University, a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a Ph.D. from Old Dominion University. Todd’s current position is Program Coordinator of Business and Economics at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College in Martinsburg, WV. Todd lives in Leesburg, Virginia, with his husband, Tony, and Doberman, Sophie.
Season 1: Episode 7: Sarah Meiser, Ed.D
Sarah is a Student Affairs professional with experience in Residence Life, Housing Operations, Student Conduct, and Title IX. She currently serves as the Interim Title IX Coordinator at the University of Portland. Sarah recently completed a Doctor of Education in Leading and Learning with an emphasis in neuro-education from the University of Portland. She is especially proud of navigating work, family, and school simultaneously and for not allowing life to get in the way of her education, no matter how hard it tried. Since defending her dissertation, Sarah has been enjoying free time with her husband and children, reading for fun, and tackling some house and yard projects.
Season 1: Episode 6: Christine Reed Davis, Ed.D
A seasoned professional with 25 years in the field of Student Affairs, Christine has experience in the areas of academic integrity, bias response, budgeting, compliance, crisis management, demonstration response, diversity and inclusion, facility renovation, fraternity and sorority life, housing and residence life, organizational advising, student conduct, off campus outreach, orientation, parent and family programs, policy development, threat assessment, veterans programs, and volunteer services. In her current role she serves a student population of 30,000 students and leads 35 professional staff in the offices of Identity, Equity and Engagement; New Student and Family Services; Student Affairs Research and Assessment; Student Assistance and Support Services; Student Conduct and Academic Integrity; and Veteran Services, as well as acting as a Deputy TIX Coordinator and chairing the university Campus Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment teams. Christine is involved in professional associations including ACPA, ASCA, ATAP, ATIXA, NaBITA, and NASPA, and is a founding board member of the HUE Leadership Alliance. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University, M.Ed. in Student Personnel in Higher Education from the University of Georgia, and most recently earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from UNC Charlotte where she was awarded the Legacy of Leadership Dissertation Award. Christine is also a graduate of the Crisis Management in Higher Education certificate program at Harvard University and the Leadership Development program with the Center for Creative Leadership.
Season 1: Episode 5: Matt Nelson, Ph.D
Matt Nelson is a recent graduate of the Educational Leadership and Higher Education Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he also serves as an associate director in residence life. Grounded in Lent et al.'s social cognitive career theory, Matt utilized qualitative case study methodology in his dissertation, “The Role of Undergraduate Student Affairs Coursework in Aspiring Student Affairs Professionals’ Career Development.” Matt holds a master's degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University and a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Matt is enjoying post-dissertation life with his wife Megan and two children.
Season 1: Episode 4: Cody A. Sasek, Ph.D. MPAS, PA-C
Dr. Sasek is the Chief Clinical Director of the Creighton University Physician Assistant Program. He is a practicing emergency medicine physician assistant with CHI Health in Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Sasek holds a PhD in educational administration and a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree, both from the University of Nebraska.
Season 1: Episode 3: Heather Kropf, Ed.D.
Heather Kropf (she, her, hers) serves as the Associate Director of Residence Life at the University of Oregon. She is a California native and has worked professionally in Oregon over the past decade. She previously worked at Pacific University (in Forest Grove Oregon) and Azusa Pacific University (in Azusa California) where she received her Master’s degree in College Student Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Communication studies. Heather recently graduated from the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program from Portland State University. Her research focused on organizational cultures and structures that support a curricular approach. Her dissertation is titled: Residence Life as Learning Organizations: An Inquiry Into Organizational Elements that Support Integration of the Residential Curriculum. Heather views herself as a scholar-practitioner and is dedicated to support efforts that support student learning and success.
Season 1: Episode 2: Valerie Glassman, Ed.D.
Dr. Valerie Glassman (she/her/hers) is an award-winning scholar-practitioner and author whose research interests center on the lived experiences of student conduct administrators as they are impacted by federal legislation, public scrutiny, students' attorneys, mass media, and institutional policy. She earned her Doctor of Education from East Carolina University in 2021, and has been recognized by ACPA - College Student Educators International for both outstanding research and student impact. Valerie co-authored a chapter in the second edition of Reframing Campus Conflict, widely acknowledged as the authoritative source on inclusive conflict excellence for colleges and universities, and is currently working on a chapter on student conduct for a volume about religious, spiritual, and secular identities. She currently serves as the Associate Editor for Special Issues for the Journal of Trauma Studies in Education (https://www.ojed.org/index.php/JTSE/index) and consults regularly on adapting student conduct practices to be more inclusive, restorative, and transformative.
Season 1: Episode 1: Heidi Fischer, Ph.D.
Heidi was gracious enough to act as a test subject for our first podcast episode, where she shared insights from her dissertation titled, A narrative inquiry of long-term learning outcomes of community college education abroad.
Heidi is a qualitative researcher and scholar with more than a decade of professional experience in higher education, working in academic advising and education abroad in the university setting. Heidi began her higher education as an international student from Germany pursuing an associate’s degree at a community college in North Carolina. She has published work on senior international officers, the impact of COVID-19 on U.S. community colleges, as well as the impact of education abroad on community college students. Her research interests include community college internationalization, education abroad, and student success. She has presented her research at both regional and national conferences. She serves as the 2021 chair of NAFSA Region VIII.