Region Steering Committee Election

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to be running for a second term as Awards Chair. It's been extremely fulfilling to connect with you all from institutions across the region and celebrate the fabulous work of our advisors that may sometimes go unnoticed! That is exactly why I'm running to extend my term to continue to give back to the advising community. Since assuming this role, not only have our award application numbers increased by 4%, but we have become the region with the second highest number of overall applications.
 
If I were to continue in this role, I would welcome your feedback about current perceptions of the Region 2 awards program. All the current region awards chairs have discussed improving best practices for marketing the awards, recruiting and training readers, and scoring; ultimately we need to continue to be mindful of eliminating nomination barriers and increasing nomination accessibility. I want to make the process as smooth and easy as possible for everyone!
 
I have also been involved in NACADA through the following positions:
1. Region 2 Mentor (present, 2024-2025 cohort)
2. Assessment Coordinator, Virginia Drive-In (2023)
3. Awards Reader (2022, 2023)
4. Conference volunteer (2018, 2022, 2024)

I've been actively involved in NACADA Region II, currently serving as the Evaluation/Best Practices Coordinator for the upcoming Region 1/2 Conference in 2025. My responsibilities include evaluating professional development initiatives and implementing best practices to enhance the quality of regional activities. Additionally, I led the Advising Success Network (ASN) initiative for Morgan State University, securing over $50,000 in professional development resources and facilitating advising strategies that support holistic and equitable student success. My strengths lie in strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration, which are vital for coordinating and promoting professional development opportunities. I excel at organizing training and development sessions and have successfully led large teams in student success initiatives. I aim to enhance professional development by integrating holistic advising principles from NACADA. My plans include developing programs that address the diverse needs of our student populations, promoting equity, and fostering collaboration between academic and student affairs professionals. By facilitating interactive online events and research initiatives, I hope to create a empowering culture.

The main reason why I chose to advise students is because I wanted to have a role in helping them develop and achieve their goals. What I love about professional development is that I find ways to constantly improve my practice and build stronger connections with my students. Like how I work with my students, I want to give back to our region’s community by creating: 1) our region’s professional development goals and 2) resources for one to enhance their own advising practices and engage in scholarship. I intend to achieve these objectives through collaboration and open dialogue within our community.
Over the last couple of years, I read proposals for the regional and annual conferences and served as a mentee in our region’s mentoring program. I am also a member of NACADA’s Professional Development committee and Advising Student Athletes Community’s steering committee. Outside of NACADA, I am an academic adviser for industrial engineering students at Penn State and a Ph.D. student in the Leadership in Academic Advising program at Kansas State University. These experiences made me learn that my passion and excitement for advising are enormous! I look forward to serving as the Region 2 professional development chair if elected!

Hello Region 2 community. Thank you for the current opportunity to serve the region as New Jersey area liaison. It has been professionally satisfying to meet so many of you at our Maryland and Atlantic City regional conferences along with learning more about the impressive work you're doing to advance the academic advising profession at your institutions. Across ten years of advising practice, first-gen advising community (AC) roles and conference proposal review work, I've observed with pride the depth and breadth of advising topics and initiatives presented by our region colleagues. My interest in continuing my service as NJ area liaison is to contribute to supporting both new and established advisors navigate the shifting landscape of higher education, understanding as NACADA declares, "academic advising is the future." As we can see in varying degrees, these are challenging times in higher education. Collectively we have critically important work to do to ensure our students have everything they need to be successful, to support our institutions to be student ready, and to co-create a solid path forward for our profession in the years ahead. It will be an honor to represent NJ within our region as we work together. Thank you! 

As a candidate for the Pennsylvania State Representative to NACADA's Region 2, I am committed to ensuring that our state remains at the forefront of academic advising excellence. With the recent changes in the structure of the regional division, this is a pivotal moment for us to chart a path forward that benefits advisors and students alike. I value your input and ideas as we navigate this period of transformation, and I am optimistic that this coming year will be one of growth and renewed progress. Together, we can continue moving in the right direction to foster a stronger, more dynamic advising community in Pennsylvania.

My name is Jessica Ostrowski-Wright (she/her). I've been an Academic Advisor at George Mason University since 2022 working with Undeclared and Undecided students in the College of Engineering & Computing. I've been involved with NACADA since I began in my Academic Advising role. I am excited for the opportunity to become more involved with NACADA Region 2. NACADA programs and workshops have provided an opportunity to grow and expand my skills as an Advisor. I have greatly benefitted from NACADA programming and hope to assist in developing the goals and programs for the region. I hope to share my passion for Advising with others. I am very grateful to be considered for this role.