2024 NACA Now & Board of Directors Candidates
We hope to see you at NACA Live in Pittsburgh on Mon., Feb. 26 at 8:45 a.m. ET for NACA Now, our annual business meeting, as we will look back on the successes of 2023 and look out to the future of the Association for 2024. If you are unable to join in-person, a recording of the meeting will be available in the online Resource Library.
State of the Association
Shelly Mumma, Ph.D., Board of Directors Chair &
Amber Shaverdi Huston, CAE, Executive Director
Meet the Board of Directors Candidates: Presentations and Q&A
Moderated by Kendrick Durham, Ph.D., Immediate Past Chair
Cateatra Mallard
About Me
Cateatra D. Mallard (she/her/hers), serves as the Director of the Center for Student Engagement & Leadership at Jackson State University, an HBCU in Jackson, Mississippi. She oversees the Weeks of Welcome, Fraternity & Sorority Life, SGA, CAB, Royal Court, Leadership Programming and much more. She has dedicated ten (10) years to the field of student engagement and has volunteered with NACA for years in various national and regional roles. Cateatra is passionate about her students, programming, and being able to coach & mentor students in conceptualizing ideas to life in a dynamic, and innovative manner that enhances their collegiate experience.
In your opinion, what should be the most important items on the Board of Directors agenda that impact campus engagement over the next five years?
As the association approaches a new year and an opportunity to develop strategic goals, there should be a level of attentiveness to the retention of Mid-Level Managers. The association creates significant opportunities to retain entry level professionals. However, many individuals that are in roles that provide oversight to campus activities are departing from the field for better job opportunities that provide a different quality of life, less time commitments, better salaries, less burnout, and more personal time. If mid-level managers are not in positions to advocate for involvement in the association, the association in turn is also losing revenue, as institutions will not see the value. Looking towards the future assessing external partnerships and sponsorships would be of value. In the same lens, like many other professional organizations, I would also assess how to increase volunteer engagement. The association is experiencing a volunteer crisis, and there is opportunity to restructure.
Quantá Taylor, Ed.D.
Review my resume.
About Me
I currently serve as the Executive Director of Student Involvement at the University of Louisville. At UofL, I oversee a vast portfolio of areas including: campus programs, leadership programs, domestic and international service learning, community engagement, fraternity and sorority life, and the campus food pantry. As a practitioner scholar, I have taught courses in leadership theory, organizational development, and educational law through the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State and the College of Education and Human Development at UofL. In addition to my work with NACA I am affiliated with the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education where I just completed a ten year term with the National Advisory Council as Chair of Student Participation and Leadership. I received my undergraduate degrees in Cultural, Ethnic, and Racial Studies and Psychology from Transylvania University, earned a master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Ohio State and completed doctoral work in Educational Studies, with a concentration in Higher Education Administration, also from Ohio State.
In your opinion, what should be the most important items on the Board of Directors agenda that impact campus engagement over the next five years?
There are three ideas that come to mind that should be on the agenda for the Board of Directors for the association. First, focusing on the development of the professional staff that do the work of campus engagement and reclaiming the space as the premier destination for conversations, development, and programming to support the growth and development of the professionals who do this work. Second, with local and national legislation impacting how student form and build community on their campus, the association should prioritize, through data, research, and scholarship the role and contribution that programming and organizations have in promoting student success, retention, and career development. Lastly, I think the Board of Directors needs to be strategic in how we partner with and connect to other associations that contribute to the overall student experience and the work that is done through student involvement, engagement, and belonging.
Rigo Gutierrez
About Me
Hello, NACA! I currently serve as a Manager for Student Programs in the Center for Campus Involvement in the University of Michigan, a role which allows me to lead a wonderful team of staff and students dedicated to cultivating a vibrant and inclusive Wolverine community through campus activities and student organization events for a campus of over 51,000 students. My experience with the association spans over 10 years in a variety of volunteer positions, including the Chair positions for Huge Leadership Weekend, the Mid America Conference, and NACA Live. The Board of Directors feels like a natural next step in my leadership journey, and I look forward to continuing serving NACA through this position.
In your opinion, what should be the most important items on the Board of Directors agenda that impact campus engagement over the next five years?
Institutions across the country continue to adapt to new student populations from both post-pandemic and generational standpoint. The needs of student communities, professionals, and higher education as a whole have evolved tremendously over the three years; simultaneously, at NACA we were already well underway at re-imagining events such as NACA Live, institutes, and regional conferences prior to 2020.
Over the next five years, we will need to diligently focus on remaining on the cutting edge of serving as an education and development hub for student engagement professionals across the country. Keeping a close pulse on higher education issues and swiftly implementing an infrastructure to offer programming, social networks, and resources needs to continue being a focus. Second, we will need to continue evolving the relationship between school and associate members in successfully conducting business. We have a responsibility to create an environment where these relationships can flourish and also help agencies and schools alike maximize what they need from each other when engaging in purchasing and contracts.
NACA Now will feature presentations and Q&A with candidates seeking to serve on the NACA Board of Directors for a three-year term beginning in May 2024. Three candidates are running for one open position.
Candidates include:
- Rigo Gutierrez, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Cateatra Mallard, Jackson State University (MS)
- Quantá Taylor, Ed.D., University of Louisville (KY)
We encourage you to review the candidates’ information on the naca.org/vote website prior to attending NACA Now.
Candidates will present on this prompt: Higher education is facing challenges on multiple fronts – waning public trust, the impending enrollment cliff, and questions regarding the value of a college education to name a few. Each of these issues affects NACA members, and ultimately, the Association itself. How should NACA respond to these issues in support of its members?
Voting
Voting will open on Mon., Feb. 26 at Noon ET and will close on Mon., Mar. 4 at Noon ET.
Two important updates to the voting process for 2024:
- The voting period will be 1 week.
- The Association will utilize a new online voting platform, ElectionBuddy, to administer the election. School member primary contacts will receive credentials via email and cast their ballot online. More details on how this new election process will work is available on naca.org/vote.
Only school member institutions may vote for board of directors candidates. Primary contacts cast their votes on behalf of their member institution and only the primary contact can vote. If you are not your institution's primary contact, we encourage you to connect with your institution's primary contact to discuss the candidates and share your thoughts on how your institution should vote.
If you are unsure of your institution's primary contact or it has recently changed, please contact [email protected] by Mon., Feb. 12 so we can update your records in time to cast your vote.