Beth Odahlen

President

Director of Community
Engagement & Solutions
StrenghthenND

Beth Odahlen, a founding board member of Strengthen ND, has over 22 years of experience in higher education, focusing on leadership development, internships, student support, and grant management. She created several impactful programs for student success before joining Strengthen ND. Currently, she coordinates the Launching Leadership Program and the Strengthen ND AmeriCorps program, emphasizing rural leadership and internships for North Dakota youth. Beth is also a long-standing member of the Society for Experiential Education, having served on its board for seven years.

Edwin Blanton

President Elect

Assistant Vice Provost for Corporate
Initiatives & Business Development
The University of Texas at San Antonio

Jennifer Dobbs-Oates

Vice President

Clinical Associate Professor, Dept. of Human
Development & Family Services
Purdue University

Dr. Jennifer Dobbs-Oates is a clinical associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at Purdue University. Her research and teaching interests focus on experiential education in higher education, especially internships, service-learning, and reflection. Dr. Dobbs-Oates jointly coordinates the HDFS capstone internship program and serves as the Provost’s Fellow for Experiential Education at Purdue. She was the 2019 winner of NSEE’s Experiential Education Rising Leader Award.

Kristina Phillips

Treasurer

Executive Director of QEP
Jackson State University

Dr. Kristina Phillips is the Executive Director of QEP at the Jackson State University. Her research, teaching, and practice focuses on experiential education in higher education, specifically for domestic travel programs, internships and career development. Dr. Phillips coordinates institutional committees and initiatives that advance equity and access for experiential learning opportunities.  She was the 2019 winner of NSEE’s Dissertation of the Year Award and co-chaired the 50^th Annual NSEE Conference in Orlando, FL in 2021. 

Martha (Marti) Snyder

Secretary

Professor & Director of Faculty Professional Development at Nova Southeastern University

Marti Snyder is a professor at Nova Southeastern University, where she also serves as Director of Faculty Professional Development. She collaborates across disciplines to enhance learning and performance through technology and design. With a background in corporate organizational development, she has experience in designing learning solutions for various industries. Marti has been involved in online teaching for over 20 years and has chaired several conferences related to experiential education and online learning. Her research, published in numerous journals, focuses on cyber defense, knowledge management, and learning design. She teaches courses in instructional design, learning theory, and project management in various formats.

Marianna Savoca

Past President

Assistant Vice President for Career Development  & Experiential Education
Stony Brook University

Marianna, as Assistant Vice President for Career Development & Experiential Education at Stony Brook University, manages career readiness, internships, and student employment. She connects faculty with corporate partners for course-based projects and oversees campus-wide career development initiatives. Her role includes handling student employment, corporate recruitment, diversity programs, and alumni career services. Dr. Savoca also teaches graduate courses in career counseling and external relations and has published a book on campus employment. Additionally, she is known for her distinctive voice and skill in pronouncing foreign names at Commencement.

Jennifer Dobbs-Oates

Director, Office of Experiential Education

Clinical Associate Professor, Dept. of Human
Development & Family Services at Purdue University

Dr. Jennifer Dobbs-Oates is a clinical associate professor of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) at Purdue University. Her research and teaching interests focus on experiential education in higher education, especially internships, service-learning, and reflection. Dr. Dobbs-Oates jointly coordinates the HDFS capstone internship program and serves as the Provost’s Fellow for Experiential Education at Purdue. She was the 2019 winner of NSEE’s Experiential Education Rising Leader Award.

Shara Lee

Director, Engaged Learning

Valencia College

Dr. Shara Lee is the Campus Director for Faculty & Instructional Development at Valencia College, where she focuses on experiential education faculty development. She joined Valencia in 2013 after five years at the University of Central Florida. Her doctoral research in experiential learning received the National Society for Experiential Education’s Outstanding Education Research Award in 2013. Dr. Lee teaches at multiple institutions and is a board member and instructor with NSEE's Experiential Education Academy. She holds a bachelor's degree in interpersonal and organizational communications, an MBA, and a doctorate in educational leadership. Fun fact: She rides a Harley.

Paul Gaszak

Dean of Student Support and Equity at  Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Paul Gaszak, the Dean of Student Support and Equity at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, specializes in integrating active and experiential learning into course design, classroom design, and faculty development. He previously served as Dean at the Robert Morris Experiential College of Roosevelt University and has extensive experience at Robert Morris University Illinois, where he was English Faculty, Dean of Academic Engagement, and Provost/CAO. Paul holds a BA in English, an MA in Writing, and is pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership. He has been involved in the Experiential Education Academy since 2018 and on the NSEE Board since 2019. He also writes humorous nonfiction and fiction.

Vivienne Felix

Associate Dean of Students at
Washington & Jefferson College

Chase Lesane-Brown

Director of Experiential Learning School of Social Sciences at Rice University

Andrew Potter

Director, Office of University Experiential Learning, Leadership Team, Innovation District at University of Georgia

Andrew, the Director of University Experiential Learning at the University of Georgia, advocates for experiential learning and communicates its vision to university stakeholders and external partners. He is involved in the University’s Innovation District Launch Team, where he applies his expertise in private equity to advance innovation and experiential learning statewide. Andrew teaches cross-disciplinary courses in business strategy, innovation, and human-centered design. With over a decade of experience in executive roles, he has been pivotal in developing experiential programming at K12 and post-secondary levels. He has held leadership positions with the NCSS, the Coalition for Career Development, and the Georgia Association of Colleges and Employers. Aiming to become an Alpine Ski Patroller, Andrew values SEE for its role in advancing experiential education and societal impact.

Patrick Green

Executive Director, The Center for Engaged
Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS), Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Education at Loyola University Chicago

Patrick M. Green, EdD, is the Executive Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship (CELTS) and a Clinical Assistant Professor at Loyola University Chicago. He teaches courses on experiential learning, including community-based learning and global service-learning, and contributes to the Higher Education Program. He has coedited several influential works on service-learning and community engagement and has guest-edited special journal issues. His recent publications include frameworks and theories on community engagement and justice in experiential learning. Dr. Green is also an Engaged Scholar with the NSEE, the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), and National Campus Compact.

Urszula Zalewski

Director, Experiential Education
Stony Brook University

Urszula Zalewski oversees experiential education initiatives, including internships, student employment, and community outreach programs. She specializes in career readiness, employer relations, and assessment, and has successfully raised over $1 million in grants for experiential education and community engagement. A member of NSEE for 15 years and a graduate of its Experiential Education Academy, she also teaches service-learning courses in STEM programs and custom graduate courses for industry partners. Urszula holds an M.S. in Management & Policy from Stony Brook University and a B.S./MBA from the University of Economics in Krakow, Poland.

Ken O'Donnell

ELTHE Representative

Vice Provost & Professor of Communication at CSU Dominguez Hills