Assessment Institute Faculty Bios

Jordan Berken

Jordan works as an academic advisor at the University of Wisconsin – Madison’s College of Letters & Science (L&S), where he advises pre-declared students who intend to pursue an L&S degree. After initially attending UW-Green Bay, Jordan completed his BA degree at UW-Madison, majoring in International Studies, Political Science, French, and German. He completed his MA in French Language and Literature at UW-Madison and, as a graduate student, spent a year teaching English at the University of Paris – Sorbonne Nouvelle. At UW-Madison, Jordan has worked with students in a variety of roles, including as a graduate instructor of French, a study abroad advisor, and an academic advisor. As a member of his advising department’s assessment team, he has been working on and thinking about assessing student learning in academic advising since attending his first NACADA Assessment Institute in 2020. He has since worked with colleagues to expand his department’s assessment practices, moving from simple data gathering and reporting to the comprehensive assessment of an intentional advising curriculum. Jordan is also involved with NACADA’s Liberal Arts Advising Community’s Steering Committee, presented on the Liberal Arts at the NACADA National Conference in 2018, has continued to attend NACADA’s Assessment Institute annually since 2020, served on the NACADA Assessment Institute Advisory Board, and presented on the assessment of student learning outcomes at the WACADA annual conference in 2023.

Bryan Bowerman

Bryan Bowerman is the Director of Undergraduate Student Affairs for the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. His primary responsibilities include overseeing advising for the school of engineering and evaluate advising outcomes. Bryan earned his BA in Theatre Arts from Brigham Young University, his MS in Academic Advising from Kansas State University, and is working toward an EdD in Higher Education Administration from University of Southern Indiana currently. His dissertation work involves assessing qualities that enable students to not only persist and endure, but thrive, specifically through advising outcomes. Bryan started his advising career in an assessment-centric role in 2013 and has embraced the transformative power of assessment ever since. He has attended the assessment institute twice, in 2016 and 2017, and will be serving as faculty this year for his third year in a row. Bryan has presented at the campus, state, regional, and national level on various advising related topics, with specific emphasis on outcome assessment topics.

Angela Bowlus

Angela Bowlus currently serves as the Director of Advising in the College of Management at Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. She has been a higher education professional in academic advising for more than 20 years, serving at both public and private institutions. She completed her doctorate in educational leadership from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2022. Her research is focused on the role of narrative theory in the reinstatement from suspension process.

Dan Chandler

Dan Chandler is currently adjunct faculty in the department of Student Development Services at Brigham Young University. In his more than twenty-year career with BYU, Dan has worked as the Associate Director of First Year Experience, an Academic & Career Advisor in the University Advisement Center, Assistant Manager in the Office of Residence Life, University Student Data Manager for Enrollment Services, and Technology Support Specialist for the Campus Accommodations Office. From the very beginning, staff training and advisor assessment, student learning outcomes assessment, and program evaluation have been part of what makes him jump out of bed to go to work each day.

Dan earned his BA from BYU and his MS in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. As mentioned above, he has worked with program evaluation his entire career, but it wasn’t until attending the Assessment Institute in 2013 that he learned that evaluation is deepened by incorporating learning outcomes assessment. Dan has presented on the campus, state, regional, and national levels on learning outcomes assessment topics.

Dan and his wife Amy are the parents of four outstanding teens who always keep them on their toes. They love to travel together. When Dan is not teaching classes or working on various assessment projects you can find him helping his wife run her non-profit.

Mary Etienne

Mary Carmel Etienne is the assistant dean and director of Advising in the School of Arts and Sciences at La Salle University. Spanning a 17-year career, she has served in various leadership roles in advising and program operations in higher education, including at Temple University, Trinity Washington University, and Hofstra University. Etienne has been an active member of NACADA since 2014; she participated in the 2018-2020 cohort of NACADA’s Emerging Leaders Program and has been an Assessment Institute faculty member since 2022. In 2023, Etienne published a chapter on socially just advising for Academic Advising Administration: Essential Knowledge and Skills for the 21st Century (2nd ed). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and economics from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s degree in geography and urban studies from Temple University. In addition to presenting and writing about advising, she has also presented on facilitating dialogue to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, and has co-authored articles on faculty development.

Stephanie Kraft-Terry

Dr. Stephanie Kraft-Terry is the Interim Director of Advising for the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where she supervises a team of professional advisors and collaborates with departmental faculty advisors. In addition, she served as a campus liaison for the Excellence in Academic Advising (EAA) project and is currently an EAA fellow. Stephanie has presented at advising conferences on the topics of advising assessment, curriculum development, facilitating collaborative change, and proactive advising; and has co-authored chapters and articles in the NACADA Clearinghouse, Journal, and NACADA-sponsored books.

Benjamin Norris

Benjamin Norris

Benjamin Norris is a tenured professor of chemistry at Frostburg State University, where he has been a faculty member and faculty advisor since 2010. Ben has extensive experience in using data in assessing and improving advising practice. Between 2018 and 2020 he co-led Frostburg State’s participation in the Excellence in Academic Advising charter cohort, and between 2021 and 2023, he served as Frostburg’s Interim Associate Provost charged with implementing the EAA action plan in addition to other duties in academic affairs and student success. As Interim Associate Provost, Ben was also a member of Frostburg State’s data analytics team involved in predictive modeling of student retention and using curricular analytics as a tool to identify barriers to student progress in academic programs. In 2022, his efforts led to gains in spring-to-fall reenrollment rates across all undergraduate student cohorts. He also served as the liaison from the Office of the Provost to Frostburg State University’s Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and he completed the National Coalition Building Institute’s train the trainer workshop. He was an EAA fellow for the 2023-2024 cohort and a faculty intern for the 2024 Assessment Institute where he co-presented on metrics and measures, process delivery outcomes, and data visualization. A NACADA member since 2018, Ben is a regular Annual Conference presenter on various topics, including advising transformation, Excellence in Academic Advising, the experience of faculty advisors, and data practices for advisors. He is an active peer reviewer for NACADA publications and conference proposals. He serves on the NACADA Journal Editorial Board, the Faculty Advising Community steering committee, and recently completed a term on the Assessment Institute Advisory Board.

Kyle Ross

Dr. Kyle Ross (he/him) is the Executive Director of NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. Kyle served in several leadership roles of the association since he became a member in 2012, including as Chair of the Undecided and Exploratory Students Advising Community, Division Representative on the Council, Board Member, and President of the Board of Directors. During his term on the Board of Directors, Kyle led strategic planning processes for the association and led a team through a comprehensive review of the association Bylaws. Kyle has 12 years of experience in academic advising and advising administration. Professional roles have included advising undecided and exploratory students and health profession students at Washington State University, advising first-generation students at Eastern Washington State University, and supervising a team of 15 academic advisors in the College of Business at Oregon State University. He has presented and published on parallel planning, alternative advising, social justice, advisor wellbeing, and solution-focused techniques in advising. He earned a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Washington, and a master’s in counseling and doctorate in educational leadership from Washington State University. His research focused on capacity-building, adult and organizational learning, and student attrition, using action research methods.

Becca Weidner

Becca Weidner (she/her) is an Academic Advisor for the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master in Public Administration from Brigham Young University, as well as a Master of Science in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. Becca shares her passion for advising and student development by being active in the advising profession. She contributes to advising literature, including co-authoring the book Motivational Interviewing In Higher Education, and she is a regular presenter at both regional and national advising conferences. She currently serves on the NACADA Assessment of Advising Community Steering Committee and oversees assessment in her advising role. Becca is a dedicated advocate for students and is committed to supporting students as they pursue their educational and professional goals. Outside of advising students, you can find Becca hiking, going to concerts, or browsing bookstores for her next great read. Her commitment to student success, coupled with her love of learning and adventure, makes her a dynamic advisor who is deeply invested in the growth and success of her students.

Kathy Zarges

Dr. Kathy Zarges (she/her) is the Assistant Dean of Advising, Student Success, and Licensure in the College of Education, Health and Human Services at Kent State University. She is a two-time graduate of Kent State University, including earning her Ed.D. in May 2024 in Interprofessional Leadership. For over 20 years, Kathy has dedicated her career to academic advising, advising administration/leadership, and supporting post-secondary students. In 2018, she was awarded the Outstanding Advising Administrator award through NACADA, The Global Community for Academic Advising, at the regional and global level. Kathy’s leadership with NACADA includes serving as faculty for the Assessment Institute for 13 years as well as former chair and member of the Assessment Institute Advisor Board. She is also a member of NACADA Consulting, presenting workshops and keynotes, and conducting program reviews. Kathy has presented, published, and consulted on various topics related to academic advising including assessment of advising, advising models, academic coaching, and flipped advising. She is co-author of the 2-part NACADA Assessment Pocket Guide series, Breaking down assessment of academic advising and book chapters, Assessing the Impact of Academic Advising: Current Issues and Future Trends in Academic Advising Re-examined, New Directions for Higher Education and Assessment of Advisor Training and Development in Comprehensive Advisor Training and Development.