Dr. Marisa Vernon-White has spent the majority of her professional career leading student affairs functions and holistic service redesign in community colleges in Ohio, including 3 ATD Leader Colleges: Columbus State Community College, Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), and currently serving as the vice president of enrollment management and student services at Lorain County Community College (LCCC) in Elyria, OH. She is also a leadership Coach for Achieving the Dream and actively involved in community college leadership and advocacy in Ohio and beyond.

Dr. Vernon-White began her career with six years of experience in advising and first-year program design and oversight at the largest regional campus of Kent State University (Stark Campus), where she fell in love with the mission of open-door colleges and regional campuses. Dr. Vernon-White uses her experience and passion for writing, action and qualitative research, system and design thinking, facilitation, and building cross-functional teams as guides to lead other institutions in transformation.

While a working mother, Dr. Vernon-White earned her Ph.D. from Colorado State University (Higher Education Leadership) and focused her narrative inquiry research on preparing the next generation of student affairs professionals for work in community colleges. She is also a two-time alumni of Kent State University, where she earned her BA in English and Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and Student Personnel.