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Loni Bordoloi Pazich is a program director at the Teagle Foundation specializing in institutional initiatives. She joined the foundation in 2014. In this role, she focuses on efforts to ensure that all students experience a genuine liberal arts education, whether they are enrolled in two- or four-year colleges. She is also responsible for the foundation’s assessment activities. Previously, Bordoloi Pazich served as a research associate with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California. She also was a Fulbright Fellow affiliated with the Universidad Estadual de Campinas in Brazil. She teaches at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Her work has been published by Educational Policy, Educação e Sociedade, and Routledge. Bordoloi Pazich holds a BA in English from the University of California Los Angeles, an MEd from the University of Southern California, and a PhD from New York University, both in higher education. Her doctoral dissertation received the Barbara K. Townsend Dissertation of the Year Award from the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students.

​Colette Pierce Burnette, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, joined Huston-Tillotson University as president on July 1, 2015.  She is the first female president of the combined institutions of Huston and Tillotson Colleges.  She is a staunch believer that education is the great equalizer and not an option.  She served as interim President at Pierce College in Puyallup, Washington, the Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer, Executive Assistant to the President, Vice President for Information Technology and Services and Chief Information Officer at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, Dean of Information Technology at Pierce College in Lakewood, Washington, and Manager of Consulting and Project Management Services at the Washington State Department of Transportation in Olympia, Washington. Colette has combined her entrepreneurial spirit and technical knowledge to forge successful careers in engineering, information technology, and higher education.   Before transitioning into higher education, Dr. Burnette worked as a Computer Analyst at The Washington Post, an Operations Support Engineer at Procter and Gamble, Director of Information Systems at Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, and ran her own computer consulting firm, CompuMent.

Dr. Burnette is a strong proponent of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and civic and community engagement.  She is laser-focused on finding resources to support a student-centered university.  Since President Pierce Burnette’s 2015 arrival to Austin, she has been a woman on a singularly focused mission— lifting Huston-Tillotson University ensuring that any and all barriers to her students’ success are elucidated and deconstructed.  Her unwavering commitment to this mission has resulted in Huston-Tillotson University forging strong partnerships such as Apple, Tesla, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Army Futures Command, Bank of America, and Indeed.  Dr. Burnette’s commitment to being a servant leader is evident in her leadership positions in the Austin community as co-chair of the Mayor of Austin’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities, Board Chair of Leadership Austin, and Treasurer of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas.   Her roots of community engagement for the City of Austin run deep for she proudly serves on the boards of Austin Community Foundation, Austin Transit Partnership, Greater Austin Area Black Chamber of Commerce, Austin Area Urban League, Frontier Bank, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Advisory Council, Urban Roots Advisory Council, and the Waterloo Greenway Board.   Dr. Burnette also serves on national boards and committees, including the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, National Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities of the United Methodist Church, and DISCO Law.

Her many honors include the Ohio State University Outstanding Engineering Alumnus Award, Anti-Defamation League Community Hero Award, Urban Land Institute Visionary Award, iACT Hope Award, Mosaic Award, Austin Women’s Hall of Fame, Girls Empowerment Network Igniting Power in Girls Award, named one of the Ten Most Influential Women in Austin, Administrator of the Year (awarded by the Student Government Association), Distinguished Woman of the Year Award, Diverse Issues in Higher Education’s Top 25 Women in Higher Education, US Army Distinguished Civilian Volunteer Service Medal Award, Thurgood Marshall Foundation Chief Information Officer of the Year Award, Thurgood Marshall Chief Fiscal Officer of the Year Award, Dayton Business Journal Chief Fiscal Officer Awardee, and the National Diversity Council Glass Ceiling Award to name a few. Dr. Burnette, a highly sought-after speaker in Central Texas, is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and The Links, Incorporated.

Colette received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from The Ohio State University, and a Master of Science in Administration from Georgia College.  She is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Management Development Program and received her Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

Andy Chan is vice president for innovation and career development at Wake Forest University. He oversees the university’s award-winning Office of Personal and Career Development and Mentoring Resource Center, Pre-College programs, and the Board of Trustees Innovation Committee. Chan’s career mission is to transform traditional career services into a mission-critical component of the college experience. Most known for his TEDx talk, “Career Services Must Die” and the sequel, “CS Must Die—Part 2,” Chan and the Wake Forest Office of Personal and Career Development have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, MSNBC, NPR, USA Today, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Education.

Chan is a strategic advisor to several organizations, including Handshake, ReBoot Accel, Telemachus, Beyond Barriers Athletic Foundation, Abide, Michigan Colleges Alliance, Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), New Community Church, and Sports Challenge. Earlier, he led the MBA Career Management Center at Stanford University, and he has held executive leadership roles in ed-tech startups—the Learning Company, MindSteps, and eProNet—and worked at the Clorox Company and Bain & Company. Chan earned his MBA and bachelor’s degrees at Stanford University.

​Richard A. Detweiler is president emeritus of the Great Lakes Colleges Association and the author of The Evidence Liberal Arts Needs: Lives of Consequence, Inquiry, and Accomplishment (2021). He also is founder and managing director of HigherEdImpact and president emeritus of Hartwick College. In addition, Detweiler previously served as interim president and distinguished fellow at the Council on Library and Information Resources, vice president and professor of psychology at Drew University, founding dean of the Frye Leadership Institute at Emory University, and former Peace Corps volunteer and trainer. A social psychologist specializing in intercultural relations, he is a current foundation fellow at Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College and has a prolific record of publications and presentations on higher education issues. Detweiler is a past recipient of a Carnegie Mellon University/AMS Award for leadership in the innovative use of computer and communications technology. He has been a board member of many higher education organizations and serves as a trustee of Sterling College.

​Adam Polacek leads the TIAA Institutional Investment Strategy team, providing analysis and guidance based on more than 25 years of experience across a variety of investment-focused client roles. Polocek helped to lead the initial build-out of TIAA’s open architecture program, the introduction of auto-enrollment/escalation plan design features, and the early development of TIAA’s plan sponsor investment services team. He was also a long-time member and leader of the TIAA Investments Client Portfolio Management team, providing clients with timely market insights and portfolio analysis on TIAA Investments/Nuveen investment products. His specialization has spanned both public and private markets, including direct investments in farmland and timberland. Polocek has been a speaker at client events, CFA Society meetings, and industry conferences. Before joining TIAA in 1999, he held various positions within CNA Life Insurance Company and Prudential Securities, Inc. Polocek is a CFA charterholder and is a member of the CFA Society of Chicago. He holds a BS from Illinois State University and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. He holds FINRA Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses.

​Minor Mickel Shaw has dedicated her career to public service and to promoting higher education in South Carolina. Her introduction to South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) began through her father, Buck Mickel, who served on the SCICU board for 26 years, from 1963–1991. Shaw served on the SCICU board for 14 years, including as chair from 1995–1997. In 2011, she joined her father as a life trustee of the SCICU organization. She continues to support SCICU through annual gifts to the SCICU Student/Faculty Undergraduate Research Program and the SCICU Student Lifeline Grants Program.

Shaw is president of Micco LLC, a private investment company located in Greenville, South Carolina. For decades, she has been a leader and philanthropist, helping to transform the region as a whole.

Shaw’s family created the Daniel Foundation, which was later renamed in 1993 the Daniel-Mickel Foundation under Minor Shaw’s leadership. To date, she and the foundation have contributed more than $1.7 million to SCICU programs over the past 50 years.

Shaw serves on the board of directors of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation, on the advisory board of Duke Energy, and as a trustee of the Hollingsworth Funds. Earlier, she was chair of the Belle Baruch Foundation and is a past board member of Piedmont Natural Gas and a past member of the Duke Energy Advisory board.

Shaw served as chair of the Wofford College board of trustees and has received honorary degrees from Wofford College, Furman University, Francis Marion University, and Clemson University. She has received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor; and the Wilkins Citizenship Award from the Riley Institute at Furman University. She is a laureate in the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.