COTA CONFERENCE 2024
Speakers

Associate University Registrar, University of Kansas

Casey Fraites-Chapes began her higher education career in 2008 at Northwest Missouri State University in the Housing department. In 2012, Casey transitioned to Metropolitan Community College, where she worked with students in a variety of capacities to create structural supports for student success. In 2017, Casey transitioned to the University of Kansas and continued pursuing her passion for reducing administrative barriers and streamlining structural supports for students within the Office of Admissions and, as of 2023, as the Associate University Registrar. In 2019, Casey began serving on the Kansas Board of Regents Transfer and Articulation Council (TAAC) and Credit for Prior Learning committee to connect campus level experiences with state initiatives, becoming the TAAC Co-Chair from 2020 to 2023. Casey grew up as an “Army brat” but considers Cincinnati to be home. She graduated from Hanover College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 2008. In 2011, she completed a Master of Science of Recreation in Recreational Therapy from Northwest Missouri State University, and earned her Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Kansas in 2018. Casey is passionate about higher education and the transfer-student experience. She has been honored to have the opportunity to work with students in the many phases of their lives and academic careers and strives every day to ensure that a student’s success is never hindered by administrative barriers. When not working, Casey spends her time with her partner, two children and five dogs. She enjoys listening to audiobooks, gardening, and volunteering with animal rescue organizations as a hospice foster home.

Coordinator of Transfer Initiatives, Missouri State University

Campbell Keele serves as the Coordinator, Transfer Initiatives at Missouri State University. Campbell was a transfer student at Missouri State, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Finance and a master’s degree in Business Administration. Campbell has been in the field of academic advising for five years. In her current role, she advises transfer students in the Bachelor of General Studies program, as well as Pre-Law students and students with an Undeclared major. Campbell also serves as a per-course faculty member for Missouri State University’s College of Business and the chair of the Transfer Advising Committee. She administers programming for transfer students and professional development for advisors at Missouri State. Campbell is passionate about her advocacy for transfer students and academic advising at both the University and state level, through her involvement with the MACADA Executive Board.

Interim Director of the Transfer Center, University of Missouri

Nadia Irsheidat is the Interim Director at the Transfer Center-University of Missouri. She earned a Master of Science in Management Information Systems, a Graduate Certificate in Multiculturalism, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration.

Nadia is interested in processes and student success; she explores each factor in a student’s journey at the university. Nadia has over ten years of experience in higher education; she started at the admissions office as an international and domestic transfer credit evaluator and moved up to add to her role evaluating admissions applications. Nadia moved to academic advising, where she set her mission to assist students in their growth and development by constructing meaningful educational plans compatible with their life goals. Nadia maintains strong communication and builds relationships with our partners at the community colleges to facilitate a seamless transfer process for all students interested in attending the University of Missouri. She is also interested in helping the university internationalize the campus’s culture and better understand diversity and inclusion. Nadia uses and creates new and old systems and applications to the best of their abilities, managing projects with high efficiency and quality outcomes.

College Registrar, Ozark Technical College

Scott has served as the both the College Director of Admissions and the College Registrar at Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) since 2016. In his current role as College Registrar, Scott works daily with students, navigators and admissions counselors on a wide range of issues, but is the go-to person on campus for any questions related to a student’s Grade Point Average (GPA). Scott also teaches OTC-101, the college’s Introduction to College course where he helps incoming students learn how to thrive in a college environment. Prior to his time at OTC, Scott served in several roles at Missouri State University over 20 years including work in Residence Life, TRIO – Student Support Services, Teacher Certification and Student Services. In addition to his work on college campuses, he has been active at the state level serving on state-wide committees and as a board member of two state organizations. 

Scott earned his Bachelor of Mass Communications and Sociology from Bemidji State University in Minnesota, and his Master of College Student Personnel from Western Illinois University. In his spare time, he and his wife Cindy love spending time with family and friends at the lake waterskiing and relaxing.

Director of Higher Education Policy, AP Higher Education Team, College Board

Janael Yowell serves as Director of Higher Education Policy within the AP Higher Education team at College Board. Her primary focus is on statewide and systemwide AP and CLEP credit policies, where she works to ensure that students are given the opportunity to receive credit for their successful AP exam scores. Prior to joining College Board Janael worked over a decade in Higher Education and college access. Most recently, she led Academic Advising and Transfer Student Services at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Janael holds a B.A. in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill, an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Louisiana State University and an Ed.S. in Higher Education from Appalachian State University with a concentration in University and Community College Leadership.

Moberly Area Community College

Dr. Becky Lee Blackaby is a distinguished professor of physical sciences at Moberly Area Community College. She has taught at MACC since 2011 and serves on the college’s General Education Assessment Panel. She is one of the original members of the Core Curriculum Advisory Committee for Core 42 and serves as the Faculty Discipline Co-Chair for Natural Sciences. Becky is also a certified group exercise instructor with the YMCA.

Senior Instructor of Statistics and General education Assessment Coordinator, University of Central Missouri

Paul Plummer has served as General Education Assessment Coordinator and UCM’s representative on the Core Curriculum Advisory Committee since July 1, 2022. He presently serves as the Chair of the Humanities and Fine Arts subcommittee. Paul also serves on the Missouri Mathematics Advisory Committee which oversees the Mathematics Pathways included in CORE 42. Paul has taught mathematics and statistics at the University of Central Missouri since 2001. He has served as lead faculty for the university’s general education statistics course since it’s conception. He also has led the efforts to provide underprepared students with a corequisite for statistics which has culminated in a Basic Statistics with Review which is open to any incoming student. He has also actively been involved with general education at UCM for the past decade through involvement in both the university’s general education committee and assessment council.

Vice President, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL)

Dr. Scott A. Campbell is the Vice President for Higher Education Partnerships at CAEL. He brings a well rounded background in academic and student affairs leadership as well as extensive experience in developing complex partnerships in the higher education arena. Scott rejoined CAEL after serving as the Vice President for Education & Adult Learning at Plectica where he spearheaded business development in higher education and corporate learning to help organizations become more effective and get better results through systems thinking, leadership, and mapping. Prior to Plectica, Scott was the Vice President for Higher Education at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), where he worked with higher education institutions to help them become more responsive to the unique and changing needs of learners. Campbell worked as the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Edgewood School. He also served as the Executive Director for Partnership Development at Regis University, New Ventures, and as the Director of Student Activities at Regis University.

Campbell completed his B.A. at the University of Oklahoma in 1991. He received his MA in Higher Education Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1996. In 2005, he completed his PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership at the University of Northern Colorado.

In his prior life, Campbell was drafted by the Montreal Expos. He currently ranks fifth all-time at the University of Oklahoma in career batting average (.384). More recently, Campbell was honored by the State of Wisconsin for his work supporting veterans at Edgewood College and served as a board member of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation.

Campbell lives in Arlington, TX with his wife of 30 years, Yvonne. They are empty-nesters.