Advising Success Network Team

Isaac Portillo is the program coordinator for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. His work focuses on supporting the critical function of the ASN team related to administrative support, project management, scheduling and reporting. This is a return to the work of ASN, as he had previously served as the graduate assistant for the Advising Success Network and Research at the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, one of the key partner organizations within the network. He has participated in the development and production of research deliverables for the network and will now participate in the dissemination, organization, and maintenance of network services and projects. Prior to this return to ASN, Isaac served as a graduate assistant for Educational Assessment and Research at the University of Georgia. He is a doctoral student at the McBee Institute of Higher Education at UGA where his research focuses on how an institution’s physical, cultural, and social structures affect the sense of belonging for historically underserved student populations. He has also worked as a recruitment and expansion consultant for his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. Isaac holds a master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in Art History from West Virginia University.

Taya Britten (she/her/hers) is assistant director for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Her work started with the ASN in the summer of 2023 and focuses on project management, writing grant reports, and assisting with service assessments. Prior to joining the ASN team, Taya served as a graduate assistant for Leadership at the University of Georgia and has gained many other experiences within higher education including working with orientation, international students, and Greek life. She earned a master’s degree in College Student Affairs Administration from the University of Georgia and a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Central Florida.

Michelle Foley (she/her/hers) is director of strategic partnerships for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. In her role, she works with institutions and organizations to design and deliver meaningful technical assistance programming to support holistic advising redesign efforts. Prior to joining the ASN team, Michelle conducted needs assessments with rural community colleges with the Association of Community College Trustees, managed a national scholarship and alumni program at the Fund for Education Abroad, and supported the development of policy solutions to strengthen international cooperation between the U.S., Middle East, and South Asia at the Atlantic Council think-tank. A legislative internship with the U.S. House of Representatives and her work with Syrian refugees while a Fulbright Scholar in Turkey deepened her commitment to redesigning systems for access, mobility, and opportunity. Originally from Istanbul, Turkey, she earned a master’s degree in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from McGill University.

Amy Geist is senior director of strategic initiatives & operations at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Her work at NASPA focuses on supporting institutions in their efforts to remove barriers to student success. She began managing communications and marketing for the ASN in early 2023, after leading NASPA’s emergency aid efforts and other projects since 2016. Prior to her work at NASPA, she served in a variety of student affairs and university administration roles for 14 years at the University of Notre Dame and one year at California State University—Long Beach. She earned a master’s degree in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Jacksonville University.

Elise Newkirk-Kotfila is assistant vice president for strategy and partnerships at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. She focuses on student success partnerships and leads the Advising Success Network, which has the mission to help institutions build a culture of student success, with a focus on Black, Latinx/a/o, Indigenous, Asian, and Pacific Islander students and poverty-affected students, by identifying, building, and scaling equitable and holistic advising solutions that support all facets of the student experience. Prior to her work at NASPA, Elise worked as the director of applied learning for the State University of New York (SUNY), where she led SUNY’s 64 campuses through an applied learning initiative which culminated in providing at least one high-quality experiential learning opportunity to 460,000 students. Elise currently serves as an executive board member for the Society for Experiential Education. Elise holds a master’s degree from the University at Albany where she studied Women’s Studies and Public Policy with a research concentration on community-university partnerships and a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from The College of Saint Rose.