Advising Excellence in an Era of Change

Conference Schedule

UC Davis Conference Center | April 30, 2026

9 a.m. - 9:35 a.m. Check-In, Graze, Mingle (Conference Center Lobby)

Arrive, check in, grab some morning refreshments, and connect with colleagues.

 

9:35 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Opening Session (Ballrooms A/B/C)

Join us for remarks from leadership.

  • Welcome
  • Kayton Carter, Executive Director, Academic Advising Enrichment, Undergraduate Education
    Michael Bradford, Vice Provost and Dean, Undergraduate Education
  • Updates from the Advising Executive Workgroup (AEW)
  • Representatives from AEW:
    Erika Jackson, Director, Budget and Institutional Analysis
    Malisa Lee, Vice Provost, Enrollment Management
    Mark Winey, Dean, College of Biological Sciences
    Michael Bradford, Vice Provost and Dean, Undergraduate Education
  • Remarks from the Executive Director of Academic Advising Enrichment (AAE)
  • Kayton Carter, Executive Director, Academic Advising Enrichment, Undergraduate Education

 

10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Session One

Select and attend a breakout session:

  • Embracing Happenstance and Chaos: Reframing Approaches to Student Career Exploration (Ballroom A)
  • Kelli Sholer, Academic Advisor, Anthropology and Sociology
    Leo Alamillo, Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Success, Undergraduate Education and Advising

    We’ve all heard the saying “the only constant is change” and the last few years have definitely proven this to be true! This session will introduce participants to two frameworks(Happenstance Learning Theory and Chaos Theory of Careers) as approaches to use in your advisor toolkit when having conversations about career development with students.  We will provide an overview of key concepts of these frameworks and discuss how they can be integrated into academic advising in tangible ways to help address  students' uncertainty  about their post-graduation options by focusing on the traits of curiosity, resilience and adaptability. Lastly, this session will involve an interactive activity where advisors will reflect on their own career paths to be able to discuss and share with students their own experiences around navigating an ever evolving world of work.
  • From Burnout to Balance: Fostering Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing in Higher Education through the Five Essentials Framework (Ballroom B)
  • Ebony McClain, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Advising, Biology Academic Success Center, College of Biological Sciences

    This presentation explores workplace mental health and wellbeing, focusing on higher education staff. It applies the Surgeon General’s Five Essentials Framework, addressing unique challenges, assessment strategies, and implementation. Participants engage in group activities to reflect on their workplace's mental health and brainstorm improvements. The session emphasizes leadership roles, collective responsibility, and long-term impacts on staff wellbeing.
  • Advising: Now With 100% More Assessment (Ballroom C)
  • Charles Williams, Academic Advisor, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office
    Co Hawes, Student Leadership Program Coordinator, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office
    Joseph Lee, Academic Advisor, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office
    Alissa Magorian, Associate Director, College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office

    This presentation will outline the process of developing an academic advising survey and the various tools used to analyze the results – from Excel filtering for descriptive statistics to AI for qualitative analysis of themes. The College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Dean’s Office administered an academic advising appointment survey to assess the progress toward student learning outcomes (SLOs) and overall satisfaction with academic advising appointments during the 2024-2025 academic year. The analysis sought to identify potential areas for improvement and most prevalent appointment themes to inform program operations.  With a focus on methodology, this workshop is for assessment novices and data lovers alike!
  • Cultivating Advising Excellence Through the Transforming Éxito Advising Model (Conference Room A)
  • Roxanne Flores, Academic Success Advisor, El Centro, Chicanx and Latinx Retention Initiative
    Rodrigo Bonilla, Director, El Centro, Chicanx and Latinx Retention Initiative
    Emilio Sanchez, Academic Success Advisor, El Centro, Chicanx and Latinx Retention Initiative

    The Transforming Éxito Advising Model (TEAM) exemplifies advising excellence through culturally grounded, relational, and equity-focused practices. Designed to support Latinx and first-generation students, TEAM integrates three pillars: Collaboration, engaging campus partners in data-informed decision-making and policy review; Connections, building trust, belonging, and resilience through culturally centered relationships; and Cultivation, designing programs, workshops, and initiatives informed by advising trends and student feedback to strengthen persistence and engagement. Advisors operationalize TEAM to enhance professional growth while creating equitable pathways for student success. This interactive session engages participants in reflection, discussion, and co-creation of strategies to implement TEAM principles in their own contexts. Attendees will leave with a replicable framework and practical tools to elevate advising excellence and foster holistic student success in their professional practice.
  • Our Legacy in Motion: Come shape the next chapter of the USRC (Conference Room B)
  • Daniela Telles, Director, Undocumented Student Resource Center
    Joyce Zamorano Sanchez, Resource Coordinator, Undocumented Student Resource Center
    Leo Flores, Financial Aid Advisor, Undocumented Student Resource Center
    Maria Helena Buitrago Cohoon, CAN Counselor, Undocumented Student Resource Center
    Christian Cazarez, Doctoral Intern, Undocumented Student Resource Center

    The Undocumented Student Resource Center (USRC) is deeply committed to fostering meaningful community and connection among the students we serve, stewarding our resources with care, and strategically expanding upon our collective legacy of holistic student support. As members of the USRC leadership team, we hold a responsibility to listen deeply and remain in close relationship with our community, continuously learning from its evolving needs. Our goal is to ensure that our services and priorities not only respond to these needs, but proactively build solutions and systems that prevent challenges before they arise and in ways that honor our full humanity.

 

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch and Keynote (Ballrooms A/B/C)

Collect your lunch from the lobby and join us for a keynote conversation in the ballroom.

  • From Hunger Strike to Holistic Support: Reimagining Advising at UC Davis
  • Andrea Gaytan, Chief of Staff, Global Affairs

    Conversation moderated by:
    Kayton Carter, Executive Director, Academic Advising Enrichment, Undergraduate Education

 

1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Concurrent Session Two

Select and attend a breakout session:

  • Read the Room | By Design, Not Default: From Inherited Layout to Intentional Practice (Ballroom A)
  • Caitlin Wehrley, Academic Advisor, Department of Animal Science
    Katherine Livingston, Academic Advisor, Department of Animal Science 

    Advising spaces communicate long before we do. Layout, lighting, desk placement, and traffic flow all send messages about safety, hierarchy, and belonging. This session explores how small, strategic changes can significantly improve the student and staff experience—without renovation funding or new furniture. Using a real-world office transformation as a case study, participants will learn how to assess their current space, identify environmental barriers, and implement practical adjustments using existing resources. From creating a welcoming waiting area to improving sightlines, exit clarity, and workflow, this presentation offers actionable strategies that align physical space with advising values. Attendees will leave with a framework for evaluating their own environments and the confidence to advocate for intentional design decisions. Because advising spaces shouldn’t operate by default - they should function by design.
  • Powerful Proactive Advising or: How I Learned to Stop Fearing Excel and Love Power Query Automation (Ballroom B)
  • Kim McMullen, Undergrad Program Coordinator, Statistics Department
    Amy McFarland, Master's Program Coordinator, Statistics Department

    Advisors have access to a huge volume of data from SIS, OASIS, and now the Undergrad Advising Data Dashboard (U-ADD). This data is often formatted or siloed in a way that limits usefulness and usability. Utilizing Excel Power Query, disparate data sources can be automatically integrated, organized, and streamlined into useful and usable data. Join us for a tour of a student tracking dashboard that automatically checks “red flags” in undergraduate student course schedules. We’ll then guide you through a tutorial of basic steps to start building your own Power Query flow. We’ll leave you with templates and Excel resources to start you on your powerful proactive advising journey. No coding needed and the possibilities are endless!
  • The Multi-Generational Roadmap: Bridging Tradition and Innovation (Ballroom C)
  • Courtney Sanchez, Undergraduate Academic Advisor, L&S Blue Cluster
    Abigail Ramirez, Undergraduate Academic Advisor, L&S Blue Cluster
    Cindy Alvarenga, Undergraduate Academic Advisor, L&S Blue Cluster
    Jamee Hawthorne, Undergraduate Academic Advisor, L&S Blue Cluster

    What happens when institutional memory meets a "new era" of professional diversity? In an ever-shifting landscape, achieving advising excellence requires more than just policy knowledge, it requires a fusion of varied lived experiences. We explore how a multitude of backgrounds and varying tenures create a resilient, collaborative unit culture. This session examines how we’ve pivoted our strategies to meet modern student needs while honoring the foundational standards of UC Davis advising. Join us to discover how merging "old school" wisdom with "new school" innovation creates the ideal conditions for both advisors and students to thrive.
  • Sustainable Excellence: Centering Advisor Wellness in an Era of Change (Conference Room A)
  • Panhoia Lee, Case Manager, Office of Student Support
    Robin Ducatillon, Case Manager, Office of Student Support

    Advising excellence depends not only on what we do for students, but how we sustain ourselves as professionals. In an era marked by rapid change, increasing caseloads, and complex student needs, advisor wellness is both a personal and institutional imperative. This interactive session reframes wellness as a professional standard aligned with the NACADA 9 Conditions of Excellence. Participants will reflect on their own advising realities, explore systems-level and individual strategies for sustainability, and leave with practical tools to support both advisor wellbeing and student success.
  • Stop-Out: What’s Happening Now (Conference Room B)
  • Pamela Pretell, Aggie Success Advisor, Academic Advising Enrichment, Undergraduate Education
    Katherine Ampaw-Matthei, Aggie Success Advisor, Academic Advising Enrichment, Undergraduate Education
    Tracy Diesslin, Assistant Director of Enrollment Services, Continuing and Professional Education

    This session will address the Stop-Out initiative as it transitions from Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) to Academic Advising Enrichment (AAE). Presenters will walk through Stop-Out data and successes from CPE, the rationale for the shift, key processes, and how responsibilities and workflows will evolve. Attendees will gain insight into operational plans to ensure continuity and long-term sustainability. The session will also outline priorities, timelines, and opportunities for collaboration as AAE assumes leadership of the initiative. 

 

2:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Recharge Break

Dutch Bros drink break! Generously brought to you by the Walker Family Foundation via the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

 

2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Concurrent Session 3

Select and attend a breakout session:

  • Life Design Sprint for Advisors (Ballroom A)
  • Angela Taylor, Director of Experiential Learning & Site Based Programs, Undergraduate Education
    Christie Navarro, Director of Lead by Design Initiative, First-Year Seminars, Undergraduate Education

    Advisors today operate within an environment of constant flux—navigating curricular reforms, diverse student needs, budgetary constraints, and shifting societal expectations. This workshop introduces life design and design thinking as practical frameworks to help advisors meet these challenges with creativity and intention. Through hands-on, collaborative activities, participants will examine the distinction between "wicked" and "gravity" problems, develop skills in reframing complex advising scenarios, and identify incremental, actionable changes to enhance their daily practice. Attendees will leave with concrete tools and a renewed perspective for guiding students through meaningful decision-making about their futures.
  • From Confinement to Campus: Advising Excellence for the New Wave of System-Impacted Youth (Ballroom B)
  • Trevor Clark, Coordinator, UC Davis Underground Scholars
    Gunner Johnson, Director, UC Davis Underground Scholars

    With the historic passage of Senate Bill 823 and the closure of California’s youth prisons, a new cohort of students is entering UC Davis: youth completing their prison sentences in "Less Restrictive Programs" (LRPs) on campus. How do academic advisors support students who are simultaneously navigating university rigor and the juvenile justice system? Presented by the UC Davis Underground Scholars (USP), this session unpacks the "Incarceration to College" pipeline. We will explore the state’s "Stepping Home" model, which identifies universities as valid placement settings for youth. Advisors will learn to navigate the unique intersectional barriers these students face—from probation mandates to housing insecurity—and gain concrete, equity-minded strategies to foster retention and belonging for formerly incarcerated and system-impacted scholars.
  • ICYMI: U-ADD, the new data portal for academic advisors (Ballroom C)
  • Linda Plutino, Lead Institutional Researcher, Enrollment Management Analytics
    Andrea Duff, Institutional Research Analyst, Enrollment Management Analytics

    The Undergrad Advising Data Dashboard, or U-ADD, is a self-service data transmission tool through Microsoft Power BI created by Enrollment Management Analytics for undergraduate academic advisors in the colleges and departments. Come learn how to quickly see which of your students aren’t signed up for 12+ units, filed to graduate, received unsatisfactory grades, and much much more.