Dr. Griselda Flores, Retriever Essential Needs and Connections, Selected to Participate in NASPA’s Alice Manicur Symposium

Dr. Griselda Flores, director of Retriever Essential Needs and Connections in the Dean of Students office, recently participated in NASPA’s Alice Manicur Symposium. The symposium is an engaging and supportive environment for student affairs professionals who identify as women or outside the gender binary and who are emerging senior- and senior-level professionals. Participants were selected through an application process.

In addition to in-depth discussions and small, faculty-led mentor group sessions, attendees met one-on-one with experienced VPSA faculty members and participated in content sessions on topics such as: strategic thinking, leading change, planning for career advancement, and personal and professional life balance.

"My experience at the Alice Manicur Symposium was genuinely transformative,” said Dr. Flores. “I gained as much insight from my fellow cohort group as I did from the esteemed faculty who presented on the critical aspects of what it takes to ascend to a VP role. The discussions on strategic partnership, change leadership, and other essential topics offered a profound opportunity to explore our unique paths to leadership. I left the symposium equipped with key skills and practical tips for navigating senior leadership roles in higher education. I am excited to apply the knowledge and connections I made at Alice Manicur to support my leadership efforts here at UMBC."