Reflections from NASPA
Let me start with this: conferences like NASPA can be a lot. The kind of a lot that fills your notebook, your calendar, and your brain all at once. As an introvert who professionally facilitates conversations for a living, I’ve learned to approach these things with a plan—one that balances connection with quiet, ideas with downtime, and engagement with escape routes. New Orleans was no exception.
After touching down and unpacking like someone who’s done this a few times, I headed over to registration, ready to dive in without pretending I’d have downtime. After checking in and securing my trusty conference badge, I headed into a gathering of national student affairs leaders. These moments are always grounding—people I’ve worked with for years in Zoom boxes, colleagues from past institutions, and new faces who bring new energy. The best conversations often happen before the sessions even begin.
When Stories of Impact Become Tools for Others
This year, I had the opportunity to present four sessions—each one distinct, but all tied to one common thread: how we lead change with intention.
Monday focused on the Chief of Staff (CoS) role, and I got to present two sessions alongside Pete Smith (University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and Lesley-Ann Brown Henderson (Northwestern University). One was geared toward SSAOs while the other was for current or aspiring Chiefs of Staff. We continued the series we’ve been building on—the Anatomy of a Chief of Staff. These conversations never feel like lectures—they’re rooms full of people quietly nodding at the same complexities. There’s something powerful about naming the invisible labor of this role and offering language and frameworks that make it more sustainable. When you talk with both the CoS and their principal in the same room, things get real fast—in the best way.
Tuesday took a different shape—and honestly, it was one of the most fulfilling parts of the conference. In the morning, I joined Renique Kersh (University of Maryland Baltimore County) and Jose-Luis Riera (University of Delaware) to help tell the story of our multi-year coaching and team development engagements. These are two incredible senior leaders who have been pouring into their teams with intention and care, and the results are showing. We’re seeing better individual performance, more cohesive and high-functioning teams, and stronger alignment across leadership. Sharing that story with others wasn’t just informative—it resonated. You could see attendees start to reflect on what was possible for their own teams.
And later that day came one of those proud-parent moments. Our session on the CARE framework for strategic plan implementation gave us the chance to highlight our work with our client partners, who have moved from planning to action with clarity and care. These strategic plans we’ve helped them develop aren’t just documents collecting digital dust—they're plans being brought to life through people-centered change management strategies. We shared stories of campuses that launched with splashy town halls and others that introduced small, intentional shifts that built momentum over time. Seeing both the easy wins and the more complex shifts helped attendees picture themselves doing similar work. It wasn’t just theory—we brought change management frameworks down to the action planning level, where things actually happen.
More Than a Conference—It’s Connection
Outside the presentation rooms, the best moments happened in quick hallway chats or impromptu check-ins. Some were familiar faces coming by to say hi. Others were current or former clients sharing how work we did together years ago still shows up in their decision-making today. A few shared that a coaching session or planning retreat had shifted how their team engages. That kind of feedback isn’t just validating—it’s a reminder of why we approach this work the way we do.
At transform.forward, we don’t attend conferences to pitch or push. We participate to stay connected—to the field, to our people, and to the conversations that shape the work. Especially in a mostly remote world, these in-person moments matter. They allow us to keep listening, learning, and showing up in ways that feel human, not transactional.
And while NASPA is undeniably full—of ideas, energy, and the occasional line for coffee—it also gave me space to reflect on the kind of company we’re building. We’re not just delivering content; we’re building partnerships. We’re not just facilitating retreats; we’re equipping teams. We’re not just coaching leaders; we’re walking with them through change.
So yes, my social battery ran low a few times. And yes, I may or may not have hidden in a quiet corner of the convention center to catch up on emails more than once. But I left feeling energized by the people, the stories, and the reminder that what we do matters long after the session ends.
If we didn’t get a chance to connect in New Orleans—or if you weren’t able to attend NASPA this year—I’d still love to connect. Whether you're navigating change, building leadership capacity, or figuring out how to make that strategic plan more than just a PDF, we’re here to help.
