WISA at NASPA 2026: Sessions That Stuck With Us

We’re back!

With NASPA 2026 just back in our rearview mirror, we wanted to celebrate our sponsored session presenters and the empowering content they shared with the conference community (and sneak a peek ahead at some further professional development opportunities with them)!

You “Have It All”, Now What? Strong Womxn and Thriving in Higher Education Leadership 
Hosted by Dr. Kelly Hennessy, Dr. Krista Klein, Dr. Michelle Van-Ess Grant, and Dr. Dayna Weintraub

Thanks to my (Krista’s) amazing co-presenters, this session felt less like a standard panel and more like a processing space for all of the challenges and successes women in higher education experience. “Having it all”, in scare quotes, allowed us to talk more deeply about the reality of strategizing and choosing what’s most important in our lives in the reality of the post-doc life. This session was part of a nearly 10-year legacy of support from WISA focused on supporting and uplifting womxn in student affairs - thank you, WISA!

My Sister’s Keeper: Building Community, Not Competition Among Women in Higher Education 
Hosted by Dr. Kiantra Loza, Dr. LaFerin Meriwether, Dr. Nequel Burwell, Lauren Sewell, & Quiana Stone

This group of womxn packed the Kansas City Conference Center and filled our souls. “My Sister’s Keeper” offered a radical and much-needed pivot from competition to community in higher education. Their session shamelessly dismantled the "culture of scarcity" that too often pits womxn in higher education against one another, replacing it with the tangible, joyful introduction of sister circles. Through their very special book club turned support space, the presenters proved that leadership isn't a solo activity but a collective experience fueled by care and mutual accountability. I left the season feeling inspired, uplifted, and ready to trade the exhaustion of comparison for the power of womxn supporting womxn, as we do in WISA every day!

Beyond Traditional Metrics: Rethinking Student Success for Underrepresented Identities
Hosted by Christelle Silue and Sahra Ibrahim

In their early morning session, Christelle and Sahra offered a deep dive into the University of Washington’s Sisterhood Initiative (SI), a program that fills the gaps left by "one-size-fits-all" retention models. By centering the specific lived experiences of undergraduate women of color, particularly those from multiracial and immigrant backgrounds, their workshop moved beyond basic support into a framework of identity-based leadership.

Christelle and Sahra were willing to share more than just a presentation of their success story, but introduced a blueprint for how institutions can foster genuine belonging and ensure that students who traditionally fall through the cracks don't just persist, but thrive on their campuses. Call me inspired!

If you missed the trip or these sessions in  Kansas City, it doesn’t mean you’ll completely miss out! We’re working with all of these presenters to bring this content to WISA virtually. Stay tuned for more!