Archives of Staff

Leanne Wieland is a senior program manager at the College Excellence Program and leads curriculum development for state-based delivery of curricular modules and other initiatives that prepare leaders for transformational reform of their colleges. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, Leanne worked at Forsyth Technical Community College as the Manager for Faculty Development and Quality […]

Kate Hamilton is a Senior Program Manager at the College Excellence Program, where she supports cross-institutional partnerships designed to improve transfer student success. Via programs such as the Aspen-AASCU Transfer Intensive, Kate works with higher education practitioners, university presidents, and other campus leaders – at a local and state-wide level – to guide the development […]

Dr. Kimberly M. Lowry is the director of leadership initiatives for our program and an alumna of our Rising Presidents Fellowship. Prior to joining CEP, Kim served as the vice president for instruction and student services at Lone Star College-Houston North in Texas, where she worked with faculty and staff to assist students in completing […]

Abigail Decker is an associate with the College Excellence Program, where she assists the Curriculum team in developing curricular modules and initiatives to support transformational college programming and leadership. Prior to joining the Aspen Institute, Abigail worked as a public school educator in Fairfax County, Virginia, and published research on queer and gender inclusivity in […]

Rebecca Wrenn is the executive assistant on the College Excellence Program’s bachelor’s attainment team. Rebecca provides administrative support to Tania LaViolet, the team’s director, and supports the broader team with scheduling, processes, and meeting management. Before joining CEP, Rebecca served as an event planner and administrative coordinator at Gator Boosters, Inc.  She received her BA from […]

Bernard Huggins is a Program Manager with the College Excellence Program. He serves on the Research and Innovation team supporting the efforts of the American Talent Initiative, the Transfer Scholars Network, and other programs that support innovation and equity in higher education. Before joining CEP, Bernard served in various student-facing roles at Valencia College, the […]

LaKisha “LC” Chenault is an operations coordinator on the operations team at the College Excellence Program. In her role, she provides operational and administrative support including expense processing, meeting planning and logistics, and onboarding of new employees. Before joining CEP, LaKisha worked as a contractor supporting the Marine Corps in supply chain management, logistics, procurement […]

Derrick Frazier is an associate director at the College Excellence Program, supporting the American Talent Initiative and Unlocking Opportunity. Earlier in his career, Derrick served a variety of organizations that are committed to promoting educational equity and access, including Teach For America, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and Mott Philanthropic. He was a classroom teacher in […]

Konrad Mugglestone is a Senior Manager with the College Excellence Program, focused on research and knowledge management. Previously, he was the Assistant Director of Research and Policy at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, and he has held policy research positions at Education Reform Now and Young Invincibles. Throughout his career, Konrad’s published work has […]

Rasika Pande is the Finance Manager for the College Excellence Program. She supports all of CEP’s various programs through grants management and reporting. Rasika comes from a financial risk management background in the private sector, including banks and consulting firms. She graduated most recently from American University with her Master’s in International Relations. Prior to […]