The 2025 DigiCohort is now open. Secure your spot today!

Resources from

Authenticity Over Automation:

VPSAs on Student-Centered Digital Leadership

Resources from

Authenticity Over Automation:

VPSAs on Student-Centered Digital Leadership

Session Description

In a digital landscape crowded with automated, look-alike messages, students notice leaders who feel human.

This VPSA panel shares how purposeful, student-centered digital leadership fosters student belonging, wellness, and measurable success. Across diverse institution types, panelists show how authentic presence builds trust, amplifies student voice, and tells the story of student affairs that stakeholders value.

Leave with tactics and a framework to personalize executive communications and turn online visibility into student impact.

Resources

Slidedeck

Connect with the Panelists

Subscribe to my newsletter

For the latest on digital engagement and leadership and everywhere they intersect.

Meet the Presenters

Click the presenter image to learn more!
DrGWadePhoto - Gourjoine M. Wade, Ed.D.

Gourjoine Wade

Final leanna-2024-7 - Leanna Fenneberg

Leanna Fenneberg

IMG_2681 - Jon Duraj

Jon Duraj

IMG_5287

Khalilah Doss

Dr. Josie Ahlquist

Josie has over two decades working in higher education, with the last eight years focused on educating, researching, and writing about building digital communities and the empowerment of digital leadership. Learn more about Josie’s experience and passion, as well as her research, consulting, speaking, publications, and much more!

about josie
Linkedin Twitter Instagram Youtube Facebook

Learn more about how Josie supports campus executives

Work with Josie

Gourjoine M. Wade

Vice President for Student Success at San Antonio College

He/Him

Dr. Gourjoine M. Wade is a pioneering higher education loyalist, student success champion, first-generation advocate, and talent cultivator with over two decades of transformative and inspirational leadership shaping student access, achievement, and institutional excellence. As Vice President for Student Success at San Antonio College, Dr. Wade integrates strategy, innovation, and kind leadership to drive meaningful outcomes that have fueled enrollment and retention growth, advanced first-generation persistence, and cultivated inclusive campus cultures where all students thrive to build the life they want.

A proud first-generation college graduate from Monroe, Louisiana, now rooted in San Antonio, Texas, Dr. Wade is nationally recognized for his outcomes-driven, data-informed, and student-centered approach to leadership. His distinct digital voice and thought leadership in higher education inspire institutions and professionals to reimagine pathways for access, belonging, and success.

His career portfolio includes measurable impact: designing scalable first-generation student initiatives at public, private, four-year, and community colleges, including HBCUs and HSIs; mentoring emerging leaders nationwide; amplifying institutional narratives through innovative digital storytelling; and securing millions in grants and fundraising to enhance student success infrastructure and experiences. As a board member for ScholarMatch, he helps lead national efforts to close the college opportunity gap for first-generation students.

Dr. Wade holds a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership and a master’s in Higher Education Administration, both from Walden University, and a bachelor’s in Public Administration with a minor in Political Science from Grambling State University. At the core of his leadership philosophy is an ongoing dedication to authenticity, transparency, inclusive excellence, and evidence-based decision-making—with students and his team always at the center of the mission anchored by a steadfast belief in the life-changing power of education.

A lifelong believer in the transformational impact of learning, Dr. Wade shares this passion for education with his wife, Shara, a dedicated K-12 education leader. Together, they emphasize the importance of learning, leadership, and service in their family, raising two wonderful daughters who inspire their commitment to building a better future through education.”

Connect with Gourjoine
Linkedin

Leanna Fenneberg

Senior Vice President for Student Life at Duquesne University

Dr. Leanna Fenneberg serves as Senior Vice President for Student Life at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her 25-year service to higher education and student affairs has been in the 4-year, private school setting, including mission-centered, Catholic institutions, underscoring a commitment to transformational, holistic student learning and success that shapes leaders as servant leaders with a social justice conscience.

Her individual service has spanned local communities and professional volunteer service to NASPA and JASPA. She has been recognized as a NASPA Pillar of the Profession and Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate by the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. Her expertise is evidenced through peer-reviewed articles, countless national presentations, and instruction in master’s and doctoral programs in higher education administration.

A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Fenneberg holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration (Saint Louis University), an M.Ed. in Student Personnel Services (University of South Carolina), and a B.A. in Communication (Marquette University).

Outside of her professional life, she is a devoted wife, mom to two sons (and two cats), and finds joy in travel, reading, musical theater.

Connect with Leanna
Linkedin Instagram

Jon Duraj

Vice President for Student Success at San Antonio College

Dr. Jon Duraj is a champion for student success innovation through a lens of well-being and data-rich strategies. Jon serves as Vice President for Student Life at St. Lawrence University, a highly residential, liberal arts institution in The North Country of New York and has over 15 years experience as a senior leader in student affairs. Jon is driven by a deep commitment to well-being, creativity, student success, and for creating supportive and inclusive environments where every students can thrive.

Jon has led all aspects of the student lifecycle with a critical focus on strategic planning, pro-social culture building, and an outcomes-rich lens, empowering teams to create and sustain an educational experience that meets each student where they are and guide them forward. This has resulted in a seamless student experience guiding students with just-in-time interventions and support while sustaining improvements to retention and graduation rates.

Jon’s journey in higher education began with a B.A. in management, concentrating on international business, from Wittenberg University. He earned a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Dayton, followed by a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Ohio University. He has also taught courses on organizational change, emotional intelligence, and higher education administration.

Throughout his career, Jon has led with a student-first approach, ensuring that all students are equipped with the resources, care, and community support they need to succeed personally, academically, and socially. In addition to his work in higher education, Jon has also made an impact internationally. He co-founded an international non-profit focused on community empowerment in South Africa and Lesotho, driven by his commitment to service and a love for exploring different parts of the world.

Connect with Jon
Linkedin Instagram

Khalilah Doss

Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management at California State University, Fullerton

Dr. Doss has been in the field of student affairs for over 20 years and currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Management at California State University, Fullerton. In this capacity, Dr. Doss has oversight for a portfolio of units that are germane to the successful transition, support, and engagement of the students who call CSUF home.

Prior to this, she served as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). Dr. Doss has also served at the University of Southern Indiana as the Vice President for Student Affairs.

Throughout her career, Dr. Doss has been successful in developing and executing innovative programs, that are rooted in diversity and inclusion; and has been known to foster a culture of evidence-based decision making, that is tied to community and campus wide partnerships on the campuses she has served. She has presented at various regional and national conferences on issues related to diversity and inclusion, the experiences of women of color in higher education, access to higher education for historically served populations, and a myriad of other topics.

Dr. Doss is associated with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and other national organizations in the field of student affairs.

Dr. Doss received her bachelor’s degree in Economics, Finance and Marketing from McKendree University, her master’s degree is in Public Administration and Policy Analysis from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and she earned her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Higher Education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Connect with Kahlilah
Linkedin

Rebekah Tilley

Assistant Vice President, University of Iowa Center for Advancement

Rebekah Tilley is the assistant vice president of communication and marketing for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement (UICA). In that role she supports fundraising and alumni engagement efforts for the university, including its CASE Gold winning Iowa Magazine, and serves UICA in a variety of strategic communication efforts.

Previously she was the director of strategic communication for the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, and the director of communication for the University of Kentucky College of Law. She is a Kentucky native and a proud alum of the University of Kentucky.

Connect with Rebekah
Linkedin

Spark your mission on social media

Sign up for the Digital Leadership Download

The newsletter that brings the latest in digital engagement and leadership right to your inbox

Unsubscribe anytime. Read our Privacy Policy.

Sign up for the Digital Leadership Download

The newsletter that brings the latest in digital engagement and leadership right to your inbox

Unsubscribe anytime. Read our Privacy Policy.