Congratulations to ELP and Ed.D. alumus, Dr. Alan Addley on earning Connecticut’s Superintendent of the Year, 2019. CAPSS recognizes him for his hard work and dedication.
Our Alumni
HESA Alumus Earns Latino in Higher Education Lifetime Achievement Award
HESA alumus, Walter Diaz, who currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Eastern Connecticut State University, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Connecticut Association of Latinos in Higher Education – The Middletown Press
Staying in Storrs: Ed.D. Alumna, Dana Ziter
The University of Connecticut’s Department of Educational Leadership (EDLR) is fortunate to have well-connected alumni who continue to work with the university, post-graduation or some who have returned after years of work in diverse professional settings. The “Staying in Storrs” highlights our talented EDLR program alumni and the work they are currently doing with UConn. This feature focuses on the Ed.D. Educational Leadership Program.
Dana Ziter is an academic advisor in the UConn School of Engineering for the Computer Science & Engineering department. She is not only an alumna who has “Stayed in Storrs” upon completing her degree, but she concurrently held a full-time position at the University during her tenure in the Ed.D. Educational Leadership Program.
Ziter began her professional career at UConn in June of 2014 as a Program Assistant with the School of Engineering. In 2015, she began her academic career with the university– entering into the Ed.D. Program. Approximately a year into the program, she moved into her current role as an advisor after she got to know the advising team through their use of the Computer Lab during orientation sessions. One of the previous advisors, who was leaving, recognized Ziter’s potential and encouraged her to apply for the position. After the successful defense of her capstone in 2018 and completion of the Ed.D. program, she was prepared for increased responsibility, and received a promotion to an Academic Advisor II status. She is confident that her doctoral degree has prepared her to take on larger leadership roles and continue an upward career trajectory.
Balancing student life with a professional career at the University was not always an easy feat, but through the support of her program cohort and the Educational Leadership faculty, she excelled in her coursework and research. She specifically credits Dr. Jennie Weiner, who was a consistent source of reassurance that she could be successful in both the program and her research. She also thanks her direct supervisors, George Assard, who supervised her during her role as a Program Assistant, as well as her current supervisor, Whitney Losapio, for supporting her career growth in every way possible. Additionally, her current advising teammates were critical supporters– allowing her to interview them for specific projects and use some of their day-to-day situations as part of her coursework and research.
“Both working in an institution and experiencing life as a student has provided me with priceless experiences as a leader, team member, student, facilitator, and most importantly as a listener. Many of our students just need to be heard and it has taken some diligent work on my part to be patient in listening– not just immediately jumping to possible solutions.” -Dana Ziter
Ziter was able to integrate her professional career with her capstone research as part of the Ed.D. Program, focusing on revising the University Academic Probation protocol and completing a research project on student grade outcomes in correlation with the revision. For this project, she used a regression discontinuity model to analyze the data– a complex model that she never imagined she was capable of. During her time in the program, she also got multiple opportunities to present her work on advising struggling students. She presented at the Region 1 NACADA CT Drive-In conference and annual UConn faculty advisor conference.
She is extremely thankful for the opportunities that her research provided as it allowed her to build connections with advisors and faculty members throughout the university. In working with the University Director of Advising, Dr. Katrina Higgins, on her capstone research she has been able to take on additional projects for the department, bringing insight from her professional and academic career to solve a diverse array of problems.
Overall, Ziter’s experiences both as a student and a professional have been extremely valuable, and she looks forward to the growth opportunities at UConn that her Ed.D. degree has made available.
HESA Alum Advises Olympic Athlete, Donn Cabral
UConn Today highlights Olympic athlete, Donn Cabral, in his goal of obtaining dual degrees at UConn while simultaneously training for the next Olympics.
HESA alumni, Ryan Baldassario, is Cabral’s adviser in his role as UConn’s administrator to the full-time master’s of business administration program.
New JRA Executive Director is HESA Alumna
Congratulations to HESA Alumna, Jodi Roth-Saks, who recently was appointed Executive Director at the Jewish Relief Agency in Philadelphia. Coverage from The Jewish Exponent.
SPM Alumna Caroline Doty Inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame
Congratulations to Germantown Academy graduate and Sport Management alumna, Caroline Doty, who was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on November 8, 2018.
Neag School Hosts 4th Annual Educational Leadership Forum in Hartford
The fourth annual Educational Leadership Forum, created by Richard Gonzales, the director of the Neag School’s educational leadership preparation programs, and Robert Villanova, program director for its Executive Leadership Program (ELP), highlighted the theme of leadership for equity, as covered by the Neag School of Education.
Sport Management’s 5th Annual Career Night in Sport
The saying goes, “it’s all about who you know” and this fall, UConn’s Sport Management Program successfully facilitated an incredible night of networking with sport professionals, at their annual Career Night in Sport Event, for its fifth year.
Although the idea of networking comes hand-in-hand with any profession, the event strategically hosted 22 sport management program alumni including current graduate students, who are now working in the field as sport professionals. Through various breakout sessions in addition to the keynote speaker, alumna Jamelle Elliott, the event focused on diversifying the networking experience by exposing its students to recent graduates and current graduate students in the Sport Management program.
This year featured a new approach which included six break-out forums, in the following areas:
- Broadcasting and Journalism
- Finding a Career in Sport
- Graduation to Graduate School
- Navigating the Field
- Sport in Education and Community
- Women in Sport
Students were invited to participate in two forums that appealed to their professional interests. Allowing students to choose these sessions exposed them to working professionals who shared real life experiences, their roadblocks and lessons, while simultaneously connecting them with local alumni as a means to hone in on their networking skills.
Department of Educational Leadership’s Program Specialist, Danielle DeRosa alluded to these changes and how these forums made the night’s more intimate and informative.
“This year we decided to reformat the event and change the structure to reflect one that was used a few years back. This allowed students and alumni to interact with each other in smaller groups that more directly aligned expertise and interests. In looking at the event feedback, it seems like both students and alumni really enjoyed it!”
The event also included valuable lessons shared by Jamelle Elliot, UConn’s newly appointed Associate Athletic Director. Elliot spoke about the ups and downs that relate to sport stating,
“A career in sport is never guaranteed, but with a combination of hard work, dedication, and proper goal setting, you will get to where you want to be.”
It is events like these that help UConn’s students realize their true potential and further prepare them for a competitive industry. The program continues to strive to provide opportunities like this throughout the year and appreciates everyone who contributed in making this a successful event.
Please visit the Neag School of Education's Facebook page for photos from the event.
EDLR Alumna Appointed as Assistant Superintendent in Norwich
The Bulletin. (Nikitoula Menounos, former Norwich Tech Principal and UCAPP alumna, is now the assistant superintendent of the Connecticut Technical High School System)
Two New Career Consultants Join CLAS
Congratulations to HESA alumna, Lisa Famularo (’18), who recently joined University of Connecticut’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) as a career consultant, in an article by CLAS.