As we approach the close of our current SAAL leadership term, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what it means to serve, lead, and grow within this community. Each of our Board members has contributed time, passion, and expertise to advancing our organization and creating spaces for connection, learning, and innovation.
In the reflections below, you’ll hear from current SAAL Board leaders whose terms conclude this December about what their roles have meant to them how this service has shaped their professional growth and deepened their sense of purpose and community. We hope these stories will inspire you to consider how you might get involved.
We are recruiting for the following open positions on the SAAL Board:
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President
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Vice President of Professional Advancement
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Treasurer (and Sponsorship)
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Secretary
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Communications Specialist
Renée Delgado-Riley, President
Serving as President of the SAAL Board has been a deeply meaningful experience that allowed me to lead with both strategy and my heart. I feel incredibly proud to leave behind an organization where I helped build foundational structures for long-term fiscal viability, including securing SAAL’s first nonprofit status and landing a major sponsorship that now funds our first-ever Operations Coordinator. This role has strengthened my commitment to equity-centered assessment and reminded me of the power of community-driven leadership. I've grown as a collaborator and advocate surrounded by brilliant colleagues who share a vision for advancing the field. It’s been an honor to help shape SAAL’s future while staying grounded in our values.
Jordan Bullington-Miller, Communications Specialist
Serving on the SAAL Board as Communications Specialist has been one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my career. This role has sharpened my skills in meaningful ways strengthening my writing, deepening my understanding of strategic communication, and making me a more thoughtful researcher. From curating posts to building creative dashboards, each project brought unique challenges that pushed me to grow.
But the work doesn’t end here. The next Communications Specialist will step into a role full of possibility. There’s a tremendous opportunity to shape SAAL’s voice, amplify our reach, and drive meaningful engagement across platforms. This position invites creativity, strategy, and a commitment to community all in service of an organization with incredible momentum.
SAAL’s reach and impact are only just beginning. I’m excited to see who steps into this role and carries the work forward with fresh energy and vision.
Ellissa Brooks Nelson, Vice President of Professional Advancement
Serving as the Vice President of Profession Advancement on the SAAL Board has been a profoundly meaningful experience both personally and professionally. In this role, I’ve had the privilege of helping to elevate and support the growth of the student affairs assessment profession through intentional leadership, collaboration, and strategy.
As VP of Profession Advancement, my focus was on advancing the field by fostering learning opportunities, developing resources, and creating pathways for practitioners to grow in their practice. I was able to work closely with dedicated colleagues to identify emerging needs within our profession and develop a research agenda that responded to those needs in inclusive and innovative ways. From shaping professional development opportunities to enhancing how we recognize and engage assessment leaders, this role offered a unique vantage point from which to impact the field at a systems level.
This experience has contributed significantly to my professional growth. It strengthened my strategic thinking, broadened my understanding of national trends in student affairs assessment, and sharpened my skills in collaborative leadership. I also gained a deeper appreciation for the ways assessment can be a tool for equity, transformation, impact, and institutional change and how crucial it is to center these values as we support the advancement of our profession.
Just as importantly, my time on the SAAL Board has deepened my sense of community. SAAL is more than an organization; it's a network of passionate, equity-minded professionals who are invested in each other’s success and in the future of our field. Serving alongside such thoughtful leaders has reminded me of the importance of shared vision, collective action, and mutual support in sustaining meaningful change.
Ultimately, this leadership role affirmed my commitment to profession advancement as a critical part of building capacity within student affairs assessment. It has been an honor to serve, to learn, and to contribute to a field and a community that continues to inspire me.
Daniel Kaczmarek, Secretary/Treasurer
Serving in both the Secretary and Treasurer roles for the past several years has allowed me to deepen my connections with SAAL members and represent our work with colleagues across the country in ways that I never anticipated. I’ve been buoyed by the casual conversations between our formal work on the board, reassured that the obstacles I face are not out of the ordinary. Serving on the board provided a rare opportunity to learn and develop relationships with colleagues that I trust, respect, and truly give their all in this volunteer work to give back to the assessment community. I’ve had hands-on experience developing fundraising efforts, leading the revision of bylaws, and deepening my understanding of organizational management and leadership. Through it all, it’s rewarding to be a small part of laying the foundation that will help ensure that SAAL can continue its lasting impact on the community of student affairs professionals and the discipline of assessment.
And finally from a long time volunteer who has been integral to SAAL, been part of committees involved in outreach/community-building and professional development (structured conversations, blogs, podcast, open course), and was the chair for the professional development committee. Although the Open Course Manager is not open, Joe’s reflections are timely.
Joe Levy, Open Course Manager
Volunteering with SAAL gave me connections, confidence, and resources to better operate in my role of leading student affairs assessment at my institution. Beyond volunteering, serving in a specific leadership role with the SAAL Board afforded me invaluable experiences, opportunities, and transferable skills in leading remote teams, publishing/presenting on desired topics to help the field, and creating or growing resources which have become celebrated and staple resources in our field, like our open course/MOOC. I've made so many incredible professional and personal connections cultivated through SAAL and had the opportunity to learn from awesome experts in the field. I can only hope I'm giving back even a portion of what I've received along the way.
We invite you to nominate yourself and/or someone you think would be great! Nominations close on June 30th. Depending on responses, we may fill positions executively or hold elections. Terms are served for a minimum of two years, with an optional third term. Elected board members will begin their terms with a training/shadowing period starting in October, however, terms will officially begin on January 1, 2026.
Not sure which role is right for you? Try this interactive quiz!
If you're interested or know someone who would be a great fit, please complete our Interest/Nomination Form by June 30.