Meet Your Pillars of the Profession: Part II
January 25, 2018
Each year at the annual NASPA Conference, the NASPA Foundation recognizes a series of distinguished individuals who have served as leaders, teachers, and scholars in student affairs and higher education. Each individual is nominated and supported for designation as a Pillar by colleagues, students, friends, or others who find them deserving of this honor. If selected as a Pillar, the nominator and selected Foundation Board member will raise $2,500 in the name of the individual being nominated to further research and scholarship in student affairs.
The NASPA Foundation’s Pillar of the Profession Award honors members of the profession who:
Are individuals of sustained professional distinction in the higher education field, as defined by donors and supporters
Have served in leadership roles in NASPA, either regionally or nationally
Are being recognized or remembered by colleagues, friends, students, or student organizations for extraordinary service
Significant lifetime contributions to the higher education field
Celebrate your Pillars of the Profession at the 2018 NASPA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
March 5, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Liberty Ballroom A /B
Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown
Meet Your Pillars of the Profession
Paulette Dalpes, Vice President of Student Affairs, Community College of Aurora
Paulette Dalpes is the Vice President of Student Affairs at the Community College of Aurora. She has over 30 years of experience as a Student Affairs professional, including 18 years working at community colleges. Her career in student affairs includes senior level and systems administration; facilitating federally funded TRiO grant programs; training and development on issues of diversity and inclusion; and work in residential life at large universities. Last year, Dr. Dalpes was selected into the inaugural class of the Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence, a rigorous, ten-month executive leadership program for aspiring community college presidents, led by the Aspen Institute and the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative.
Dr. Dalpes is the co-editor of The Handbook for Student Affairs in Community Colleges and has authored several chapters and articles. Forthcoming publications include, a co-edited special issue of The Community College Journal of Research and Practice entitled, “Current Initiatives and Trends in Higher Education: The Role of Student Affairs in Advancing Community College Student Success;” and a co-authored chapter in Uncommon Bonds: Women Reflect on Race and Friendship.
Dr. Dalpes has held several volunteer roles within national organizations including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and ACPA - College Student Educators International. She has served on the NASPA Board of Directors as the director of the Community College Division. She has also functioned as faculty for several leadership institutes within NASPA. She currently serves on NASPA’s James E. Scott Academy Board, as well as, the editorial board for the Community College Journal of Research and Practice.
Dr. Dalpes is a member of the Education Leadership Committee of the National College Promise Campaign. Additional community service has included serving on school boards and opening two new K-6 schools in Holyoke, Massachusetts and Brooklyn, New York.
Originally from Colorado, Dr. Dalpes attended Colorado State University as a first-generation college student, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in college student personnel administration. She earned her doctorate in education at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Dalpes and her wife, Dr. Kathy Obear, recently relocated back to Colorado after 8 years in New York City and over 20 years in Massachusetts.
Brian McCoy, Professor of Psychology, Nichols College
Dr. Brian McCoy is a Professor of Psychology at Nichols College in Dudley, MA. Prior to this recent faculty appointment, he served as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Nichols for 15 years. He also serves as adjunct psychology professor at Assumption College and Fitchburg State University as well as in the higher education doctoral program at New England College. His former student affairs positions were in the residence life departments at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Assumption College. He also served as the Department Manager for the Division of Family Practice at the Fallon Clinic.
Brian earned his doctorate in Educational Policy, Research, and Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He also holds an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Assumption College, and B.A. in Psychology from Anna Maria College.
Brian’s writings include a co-authored chapter titled The Final Six Weeks which can be found in Ready for the Real World. He was also the co-author of Fallon 101 – A Longitudinal Orientation which appeared in the HMO Journal. His most recent co-authored publication, Decisions Matter: Using a Decision-Making Framework with Contemporary Student Affairs Case Studies was published in March 2013. Brian has also served as an academic reviewer for Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Human Sexuality and The Developing Person: Through the Life Span.
In the classroom, he teaches: Introduction to Psychology; Adolescence; Counseling; Psychology of Men; Psychology of Women, Abnormal Psychology; Sex Matters: Gender Awareness and the World of Work; Life Span Development; Psychology of Humor; Stories of Addiction; History and Cultural Impact of Reality TV; Psychology of Happiness; and, Profiles of Serial Killers and Mass Murders. He is currently designing a course that looks at psychopathology through perspective of Batman and his archenemies.
Brian resides in Dudley, MA along with his wife, Monique, and two sons, Andrew & Benjamin. He serves on accreditation teams for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, works as a consultant for Executive Management Services, Inc., and is actively involved in his professional association – the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. For fun – he loves the ocean, reading biographies, developing new courses, and watching really cheesy reality TV shows!
*2013 recipient of the NASPA Region I Continuous Service Award
Annemarie Vaccaro, Graduate Program Director for the College Student Personnel Program, University of Rhode Island
Dr. Annemarie Vaccaro is a faculty member and Graduate Program Director for the College Student Personnel Program within the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Rhode Island (URI). Annemarie began her professional career as a student affairs practitioner, working largely in residence life, living and learning, and service-learning offices. While she enjoyed being a scholar-practitioner, she has found her calling as a faculty member in a student affairs program.
Her qualitative scholarship examines social justice issues in higher education and has been published in a variety of higher education and human development journals. Since 2012, she has also co-authored three books: Safe Spaces: Making Schools and Communities Welcoming to LGBT Youth (Praeger); Decisions Matter: Using a Decision Making Framework with Contemporary Student Affairs Case Studies (NASPA); and Centering Women of Color in Academic Counterspaces: A Critical Race Analysis of Teaching, Learning and Classroom Dynamics (Rowman & Littlefield/Lexington).
Annemarie is committed to enacting social justice and inclusion in her research, teaching, and service. Her passion for, and expertise in, social justice research and pedagogy has prompted URI (and other universities) to invite Annemarie to develop and deliver workshops to help faculty become more inclusive educators. She deeply enjoys this faculty-developer leadership role and hopes her efforts will make a difference in the lives of undergraduate and graduate students she will never have the opportunity to meet personally. Annemarie is also committed to supporting the next generation of scholar-practitioners far beyond the boundaries of the CSP Master’s Program. As such, Annemarie serves in formal and informal mentor roles for emerging professionals, tenure stream faculty, and doctoral students in various departments at URI and higher education institutions across the nation.
Annemarie lives with her partner (Sarah) and two dogs (Divi and Chloe) in beautiful Rhode Island. In her free time, Annemarie enjoys spending time with family—especially her five- and two-year old nieces who are incredibly smart, cute, and sassy. On weekends, she reads for pleasure, hikes, and goes to the beach. She also loves great movies, mystery novels, and homemade ice cream.
Felice Dublon, Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Felice Dublon serves as Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), overseeing 60 staff and faculty in departments including Academic Advising, Campus Life, International Affairs and Study Abroad, Wellness (Counseling, Disabilities and Health Services), Multi-cultural Affairs, Residence Life and CAPX – Career and Professional Experience.
Throughout her career at SAIC, Felice has been resolute in her support of the school’s exceptionally talented students, who never cease to amaze her with their creativity, resilience and optimism. She is especially appreciative of her colleagues within the Office of Student Affairs, particularly the incomparable Dean of Student Life, Debbie Martin. Together, this team works tirelessly and in rhythmic partnership with all members of the school community.
Finally, Felice attributes her strength and spirit to the loves of her life, husband Michael DiMuzio, son Jacob, and 97 year-old mother Beate. Their love is reinforced by her YaYas, Liz Baldizan, Daisy Waryold, Barbara Feinman, and Linda Timm, and the many NASPA colleagues she has befriended over the years, since her doctoral advisor, Dr. Melvene Hardee, insisted she join the best professional association in the land.