Region Steering Committee Election

The joy of receiving a congratulatory email, knowing colleagues see your hard work, and being recognized by peers and leaders – this what I aspire to foster as the Awards Chair. Within Region 5, I partook in the mentorship program (2021, 2024) and as a regional conference volunteer (2022) and attendee (2022, 2024). My attention to detail, keen organizational skills, and passion for recognizing others are a few of my many strengths. I oversee my department’s budget, execute weekly events, and recruit, train, and supervise student workers. These duties prepared me to determine award offerings, follow evaluation procedures, lead the awards ceremony, and work with and recruit volunteers by highlighting the professional benefits of being an awards evaluator. My goal is to reach a record number of nominations for a Region 5 conference. Given the historic turnout of 2025 Region 5 conference proposal submissions, there is evidence that advisors are doing meaningful work. My intentional outreach to conference presenters and testimonials from past awardees will solicit meaningful nominations. I will work with key administrators to partake in trainings, liaison information, and select final awardees to recognize deserving NACADA members.

My name is Brandyn Jordan, and I want to be the next Awards Chair for Region 5. I was an academic advisor for 4.5 years in Region 2, and one of the things I knew I wanted to do was be involved in NACADA in some way. I want to bring my serving spirit and relentless work ethic to this role. For the last two years I was a part of the DC Urban League Association – Thursday Network. We connected people to resources provided by the urban league and served our communities. During my time I was awarded multiple awards with the Urban league such as, Select Distinguished Young Professional and as a Member of the Month. Those honor might have been small, but it allowed me to feel how being recognized could make a world of difference for people who gives their time and effort and hardly gets noticed by their peers. I plan to ensure that Region 5 members understand how to nominate their fellow peers and understand why it is important to give flowers to those who do this selfless work, day in and day out. I will use the information I have gain from being a part of scholarship committees, elections, and award nominations to ensure we run and award nominations to ensure we run a successful nomination process. 

I have worked within academic advising for 13 years. In that time I have collaborated with a variety of offices and participated in multiple projects. One of the most rewarding things that I've been honored to do is to provide support for academic advisors through training and professional development. In that capacity I presented at the Region 5/6 conference this past spring, and I have presented a poster and three additional conference sessions at the NACADA national conferences between 2022-2024. I would welcome the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of advisors in our region who have demonstrated excellence in their work and commitment to students. I am organized and detail oriented and I take steps to be transparent, to remain impartial, and to protect private information I've been trusted with. 

With several years of experience on the conference committee, I have had the opportunity to engage directly with the development, review, and selection of conference proposals that reflect the interests and needs of advisors in our region. This experience has deepened my understanding of the topics advisors find most impactful, and I have built connections with many knowledgeable individuals who are eager to share their expertise.
Additionally, I am serving as the Indiana Liaison, where I have collaborated with INACADA over the past year to lead a rebranding and revitalization effort for our state association. This role has allowed me to connect closely with advisors across Indiana and gain deeper insight into the professional development needs within our region.

At Manchester University, where I help to develop advisor training, I work to create relevant and impactful development opportunities. This experience will enable me to support our region’s goals as I work to organize and promote events that foster meaningful growth and collaboration.

If elected as Professional Development Chair, I am committed to delivering a diverse range of accessible, high-quality programs that are tailored to our advisors' evolving needs.

I have been serving on the MIACADA Board for 7 years and have held the following positions: Member at Large, Secretary, Conference Co-Chair, President-Elect, and, I am currently the President. I have presented at NACADA, NACADA Region 5, and MIACADA Conferences and really enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with others. The strengths I would bring to this role include: diversity of positions held in higher education, leadership experience, and strategic thinking. I have worked at both two year and four year institutions and truly understand the unique needs of advisors at two year institutions. I have held positions as a support professional, advising center director, academic and career advisor and an administrator and have a well rounded perspective of how all of these roles work together to support student development and success. My top strength on my Clifton Strengths finder is Strategic, which allows me to see patterns and offer quick solutions, evaluate and overcome obstacles, and finding the most efficient way to do something which greatly increases the productivity of a team. I hope to connect advisors across our region in this role. I want to expand and strengthen our network with advisors from across our region.

Cameron is an Academic Advisor at Oakton College in Skokie, IL. He has worked in Academic Advising at various institutions over the past 8 years, including Columbia College Chicago and the Chicago School for Professional Psychology. In his current role, Cameron is the Lead for the Orientation Working Group, charged with developing and coordinating new student orientation programming for the campus. He is also a member of the Diversity Council and Co-Chair of the LGBTQIA2+ Advisory Council. This past year Cameron served as a member of the ACPA Commission for 2 Year Colleges Directorate Board, and is currently serving as the Commission Award Coordinator and Chair of the Commission for 2025-2027. Cameron has a passion for the community college landscape and wants to continue building connections with other community college professionals at NACADA. Additionally, he wants to develop and bolster more community college programming at NACADA Region V. Community college professionals are often jacks of all trades, with their hands in many different pots. Cameron believes community college expertise is underrepresented and needs to be showcased, which he hopes to accomplish in taking on the Two-Year Institution Liaison role. 

As the Two-Year Institution Liaison with NACADA I would pursue: 1) advocate for tailored professional development opportunities that reflect the realities of advising in these environments; 2) enhance the visibility and recognition of the specific needs and challenges that two-year institutions face in academic advising; 3) foster a community of practice within NACADA, that encourages discussions and collaborations that promote innovative advising strategies specific to student retention, engagement, and success; 4) facilitate the sharing of resources and best practices among two-year advisors, through the development of a network of representatives across NACADA's broader network and; 5) ultimately develop stronger advising practices that promote equitable outcomes for students and create a more inclusive and supportive advising environment for all.

I am relatively new to Michigan advising, joining Henry Ford College (HFC) as the Director of Academic Advising two years ago. Since arriving, I have actively sought to engage with NACADA and the Region 5 community. Recently, I served as a volunteer reader for program proposals for the upcoming conference, gaining valuable insights into our region’s commitment to student success and professional excellence.

For this role, I offer strategic leadership and a proven track record of implementing impactful advising leadership. At HFC, I transformed our advising services to a caseload-based system, improved technology and processes, and secured grant funding for advisor development. My dedication to professionalizing advising and promoting continuous learning aligns with NACADA's mission. Additionally, my experience fostering collaboration positions me well to support and connect two-year institution advisors across the Region.

As Two-Year Institution Liaison, I will aim to strengthen communication between NACADA and two-year institutions, advocate for our unique needs, and promote professional development through tailored opportunities that foster connection and growth.

Thank you for considering my candidacy!

I was the Illinois Liaison from May 2022 to May 2023. I also presented once at the 2022 Region 5 Annual Conference (Indianapolis) and twice at the 2024 Region 5 Annual Conference (Milwaukee). Additionally, I served on the 2023 Region 5 Annual Conference (Windsor) Committee but was unable to attend due to recovery from a foot surgery.

A strength I would bring to this role is strong communication between Region 5 and the Illinois Academic Advising Association (ILACADA). This is because I have been heavily involved in ILACADA for a few years now. In addition to being the state's Liaison, I was the ILACADA Professional Development Chair from October 2022 to October 2023. Currently, I am the ILACADA Treasurer.

These pieces of involvement have exposed me to numerous Region 5 steering committee meetings, ILACADA executive board meetings, and conferences within both associations. I am confident in my networking skills and capabilities to have information flow efficiently between the two associations. Lastly, it would be remiss of me if I did not mention that I am a member of the NACADA Emerging Leaders class of 2024-2026. These experience has been amazing thus far. I look forward to continuing to serve these associations. 

With a deep commitment to our community and a passion for driving meaningful change, I am eager to bring fresh perspectives & dedicated leadership to the organization as an Indiana Liaison candidate. I am building relationships with advisors across the state to better understand advising structures and community needs. For example, I partnered with Indiana State University to develop a multi-campus book club with Purdue University campuses. I am committed to driving positive change and am not afraid to take bold steps when it is in the best interest of our community. Progress often requires us to step out of our comfort zones & embrace new ideas and strategies. As chair of PACADA from 2022-2023, we successfully passed over a dozen bylaw changes to make our organization more productive and impactful. My involvement in NACADA includes being on the Steering Committee for the Advisor Training and Development Advising Community, the Region 5 mentor program, and the Region 5 conference planning committee. I’m passionate about helping Indiana advisors build a stronger, more connected community that meets today’s needs & paves the way for future success. I am honored to have your support and look forward to serving Indiana & the Region.

Serving on this committee will be my first involvement in the Region. For the past 6 years, I have been serving at the University of Cincinnati in leadership roles through our on-campus advising association including Advising Community Steering Committee Member, Vice-President, and I have served as co-chair for our on-campus advising conference. Prior to my time in Cincinnati, I served as a graduate student liaison for SCCPA and was part of the steering committee for multiple conferences. I have been a NACADA member and presenter (regionally and nationally) for over 10 years and I'm excited for the opportunity to represent the state of Ohio. Having diverse experiences in coordinating large-scale programs locally, regionally, and nationally through higher education and non-profits allows me to bring multiple perspectives and ideas to this steering committee. Through this role, I hope this is the beginning of my involvement in NACADA at the regional and global levels.

I have only been able to attend Annual Conference in 2021, 2022, and 2024. Unfortunately, I have not been able to attend a Region Conference yet. I was briefly on the steering committee for the Appreciative Advising Community in 2022-2023 but I was not able to be as active as I wanted to due to not being able to attend the conference in Orlando.

Academic Advising is something that I am extremely passionate about and, at my previous institution, I would yell out "Academic Advising is Fun" to all of the passing tours as they went by my office. I believe that my ability to make conversations fun can make people feel at ease, even when we are having hard conversations. I am an outspoken individual when it comes to topics that I am passionate about. We are currently going through a transition in advising practices at CSU and I have been one of the more outspoken advocates for our advising community.

My main values when it comes to almost every facet of my life has been "Everything is Figureoutable" and "Embrace the Stupid". Life is already so serious so people should not be afraid to embrace the joy in life. Also, every problem has a solution and it is only a matter of finding it. I feel like these are important values I would bring.