Student Affairs Ready to Lead 2026 Cohort Announced

The Division of Student Affairs' (DoSA) 2026 Ready to Lead cohort was announced at the division's spring semester opening meeting last month. Congratulations to the following staff:

• Kayla Cooper, Event and Conference Services

• Angelica Vester, Event and Conference Services

• Justin Paden, Facilities and Operations

• Russ Warner, Facilities and Operations

• Crystal Knight, Retriever Integrated Health

• Rebecca Huppman, Student Affairs Communications and Marketing

• Dan Neeley, Student Affairs Communications and Marketing

• Mitchell Everett, Student Belonging

• Joseph Vann-Jones, Student Belonging

• Riddhesh Patel, UMBC Transit

"I am very excited to be working with these talented staff members this semester!" said Briana Lawson, director of staff culture and professional wellbeing. "Ready to Lead supports DoSA's theme for the year, 'aligning for impact,' with a focus on people development across the division. The program is uniquely crafted to create a dynamic, inclusive, and mission-driven leadership culture. Our goal is to empower employees to drive meaningful student impact through enhanced skills, strategic thinking, and collaborative leadership."

Ready to Lead, launched in spring 2025, is an opportunity for staff to participate in meetings with higher education leaders, receive executive coaching, and identify a leadership challenge to explore. Staff were chosen through an application process in fall 2025.