Karen Sullivan-Vance, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR

Past Involvement in NACADA:

Years in NACADA: 5 years

National Offices Held and Accomplishments Achieved While in Office:

• Chair, Member Career Services Committee, 2005-current
• Chair, Liberal Arts Advisors Commission, 2004-2005

Regional Activities/Offices Held, including accomplishments achieved while in office:

• Co-Chair, Regions 8 & 9 Conference in Honolulu, HI, 2006
• Chair, Region 8 Conference in Portland, OR, 2005
• Co-Chair, first Oregon Drive-In Conference, 2002
• Presented at the past four regional conferences on topics ranging from professional development to non-traditional students to Liberal Arts.
• Received "Best in Region" presentation in 2002.

Committee/Task Force/Advisory Board Activities and Accomplishments:

• Member, Member Career Services Committee, 2003-2005 — Helped region to pilot a career workshop that will be replicated in other regions in the next few years.
• Member, Awards Selection Committee, 2003-present — Involved in helping to bring about a "New Advisor" award for members with less than three years in the field.

Commission/Interest Group Activities and Accomplishments:

• Co-Chair, Liberal Arts Advisors Interest Group, 2003-2004 — helped lay the groundwork to bring this group to commission status, which was achieved in fall 2004. Served as its first commission chair 2003-2004.
• Current member: Advising Administration Commission, Liberal Arts Advisors Commission
• Current member: Probation/Dismissal/Reinstatement Issues Interest Group, First-Generation College Student Advising Interest Group

Other:

• Presented at the past five national conferences on issues pertaining to Liberal Arts, advisor professional development and non-traditional student issues.  
• Present advising workshops on theory and development to my campus, along with working as an advising consultant on advisor training at other institutions.
• Involved with The National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and serve on their Membership Opportunities Committee.

Platform Statement:

• Highlight your involvement in this unit that will help you in leading this unit. What roles have you played in this unit thus far? 

I have been active at both the regional and national level of NACADA for the past five years.  My activities include the leadership program, the Liberal Arts Advisors Interest Group/Commission, Awards Committee and Member Career Services. At the regional level I worked on both the 2002 Oregon Drive in Conference, chaired the 2005 regional conference in Portland and I am currently serving as co-chair of the joint regions 8 & 9 conference in Hawaii.  My experiences, along with presenting at both regional and national conferences, gives me an understanding of the many layers of NACADA and how it can serve the advising community.

• What do you believe are the most important goals and initiatives for this unit in meeting the strategic plan for both the unit and the Association? 

Region 8 is the largest region by land mass, but has one of the smallest number of participants.  In the last few years, through intentional conference planning and outreach, we have seen our numbers grow.  This is a period of great change for the region.  As we continue our growth, we need to be sensitive to the needs of our members, who range from Alaska, the Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon.  I believe our most important goals are to:

1. Continue outreach to new and continuing members.  Since we are such a large region, we need to consider doing more state/province conferences to allow all members access to advising workshops and opportunities to connect with other advisors.
2. Develop a strong regional steering committee with membership from each state and province.  The steering committee, along with the region chair, will be responsible for determining the direction of the region over the next few years.  This way, all voices can be heard.
3. Develop and administer a survey to ascertain what services members most want from the region.  This will help to guide the steering committee, but most importantly make sure that we are meeting the needs of region 8 members.

• Why are you interested in serving in this leadership position or what influenced you to run for this leadership position? 

My desire to run for this position is based directly on my positive experiences with NACADA.  I believe that NACADA is a powerful resource and voice for academic advisors.  It is accessible and informative. The people involved in the organization are positive, supportive of one another and interested in helping each of us to do our jobs better.

Most importantly, I value my colleagues in Region 8 and want to serve them, as we strive to move the region forward.  I believe that great steps have been made over the last few years, and we now have a momentum that is unstoppable.  Our region is diverse and the needs of our members are also diverse.  I welcome the opportunity to serve the members of Region 8 and to be their voice at the national level, while working regionally to meet their advising needs.

• Provide any additional comments or information regarding your past experiences and qualifications that relate to your candidacy for this leadership position.