Advising Success Network Team

Billy Dupree is a Communications and Marketing Intern for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. He is currently a senior Communication Arts scholar at Johnson C. Smith University with a concentration in Journalism. Originally from Durham, North Carolina, he is also a Strada Scholar with a passion for storytelling and connecting people with vital information and opportunities. His undergraduate research has focused on how artificial intelligence could potentially impact and reshape future careers in journalism. In his role at ASN, Billy looks forward to bringing his perspective and creativity to work centered around student success while continuing to grow as a young professional. Throughout his undergraduate experience, Billy has developed his skills through journalism, communications, campus leadership, and public service. Most recently, he worked with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, where he supported internal communications and staff engagement efforts within NC Medicaid. He has also contributed to communications and marketing efforts at Johnson C. Smith University and served in several student leadership roles that have strengthened his ability to communicate with and advocate for different communities. Billy’s goal is to build a career where he can use his voice and skills to create impact and open doors for others.

Lenora Argomaniz is a Marketing and Communications Intern for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. She is currently a master’s student in Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University. She holds a BS in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management and a minor in Law, Rights, and Justice, also from Northern Arizona University. In her role at ASN, Lenora helps strengthen ASN’s social media presence by developing a more intentional approach to content planning and audience engagement. She also uses analytics and performance data to inform communications and help build a more intentional approach to engaging with students and practitioners. Prior to joining the ASN team as an intern, Lenora was selected as an ASN Student Fellow, where she worked with a team of students to research and explore gaps in academic advising and examine potential ways to help refigure current advising models to better serve students. Lenora brings a variety of experience in higher education, student engagement, communications, and program support. She is dedicated to student success and committed to developing inclusive spaces where students can learn and thrive. Currently, she supports The W. A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University as a Graduate Assistant, working as part of the Student Success Team to develop engagement initiatives and create programming aimed at increasing student participation, success, and connection to college resources.

Hope Barrón is a manager for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. In this role, she provides subject matter expertise, grant activity management, direct work with institutions, supervision of ASN interns, and leadership in communication. Prior to this position, Hope contributed to the Advising Success Network as a communications intern from 2023 to 2024, managing digital communications, developing toolkits, and creating content to enhance the network’s outreach. She also served as an account executive at OnWrd & UpWrd, a marketing and communication agency. Additionally, she was the Texas digital communications fellow at The Education Trust, helping amplify stories to advocate for educational equity for low-income students and students of color in Texas.​ Hope holds a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from American University and a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies from New Mexico State University. She is also an alumna of El Paso Community College.​ Hope is passionate about using strategic communication and storytelling to foster inclusive environments that support students in higher education.

Taya Britten (she/her/hers) is associate 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, leading the efforts of ASN interns, 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.

Amy Geist is senior director for the Advising Success Network 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 working with the Advising Success Network (ASN) team in early 2023, after leading NASPA’s emergency aid efforts and other projects since 2016. She is now principal investigator for the grant funding the ASN work, and leads the team implementing and developing the strategic initiatives and network engagement of the ASN. 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.

F. Janelle Hannah Jefferson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is the director of network services and development for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. Her work focuses on advancing equity in student success, building strong networks among advising professionals, and promoting best practices in academic advising. She brings a wealth of experience from her prior roles, including her most recent position as alliance engagement director for Complete College America, where she collaborated with institutions to drive strategies for increasing college completion rates. Before that, she served as the project lead/program manager at NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising, contributing to initiatives supporting ASN. Dr. Jefferson has deep roots in higher education through her extensive tenure at Jackson State University (JSU), where she earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees. At JSU, she served in various leadership roles, including Academic Ombudsman/Special Assistant to the Provost in the Division of Academic Affairs, Director of the University Academic Advisement Center, Coordinator of Advisement/Chief Academic Advisor, and the founding director of the Academic Enhancement Center for Student-Athletes. For over 17 years, she developed curriculum and taught University Success, a cornerstone course of the First Year Experience program, shaping the journeys of countless students. Her commitment to leadership and advocacy extends beyond her professional roles. She has served as the HBCU Advising Community Chair with NACADA  and was a site member for the Gates Foundation’s Frontier Set. Her leadership emphasizes the importance of equity, access, and inclusive support for all students.

Alauna Jones is a manager for the Advising Success Network at NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. In this role, she provides subject matter expertise, grant activity management, direct work with institutions, and leadership in grant activities. Before joining ASN in this full time role, Alauna was the Graduate Assistant for Inclusive Excellence and Student Engagement at Wright State University, while pursuing her recently earned Master of Education in Higher Education degree there. In her last year of the master’s program, she also served as an Intern with the Advising Success Network team, during which she co-authored case studies for the 2024 Student Choice Award winners and finalized ASN-authored resources to support Prison Education Programs. Alauna earned a Bachelor of Science in Business with an emphasis on Marketing from Central State University. She has experience in Multicultural Marketing at the National Basketball Association as well as Rocket Mortgage. Deeply passionate about higher education, Alauna has advised multiple student organizations and remains committed to supporting student success and engagement.

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 served for seven years as a 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.