SPEAKERS

Colleen Flaherty
Senior Editor of Special Content at Inside Higher Ed

Colleen Flaherty, senior editor of special content, previously served as Student Voice editor for Inside Higher Ed. Prior to joining the publication in 2012, Colleen was military editor at the Killeen Daily Herald, outside Fort Hood, Texas. Before that, she covered government and land use issues for the Greenwich Time and Hersam Acorn Newspapers in her home state of Connecticut. After graduating from McGill University in Montreal with a degree in English literature, Colleen taught English and English as a second language in public schools in the Bronx, New York. She earned her M.S.Ed. from City University of New York Lehman College as part of the New York City Teaching Fellows program.

Sara Custer
Editor in Chief at Inside Higher Ed

Sara Custer became Inside Higher Ed's editor in chief in March 2024. Before joining Inside Higher Ed, she was editor of Times Higher Education's (THE) Campus, a collection of daily resources designed for higher education faculty and staff members to learn, share and connect with colleagues at universities and colleges worldwide. Prior to that, she shaped THE’s online presence as its digital editor, helping to launch THE’s newsletter strategy and overseeing daily, weekly and monthly publications. From 2012 to 2017, she served as editor and senior reporter at The PIE News, covering the international education industry. Sara grew up in Cushing, Okla., and earned a B.A. in English literature from Loyola University Chicago and an M.A. in international journalism from City, University of London.

Amber Williams, Ed.D.
Senior Vice Provost for Student Success and Chief Honors Officer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Dr. Amber Williams is a visionary practitioner-scholar and higher education leader dedicated to redefining student success through a personalized, strengths-based lens. As the senior vice provost for student success & chief honors officer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she has propelled the university to the national forefront of innovation by grounding her strategy in the PASS project’s ecological validation model and Martin Seligman’s PERMA framework for well-being. Under her transformative leadership, UT achieved a historic 10% increase in graduation rates, a record 92.4% retention rate and a 90% positive career outcome rate sustained over six years. Dr. Williams is the architect of the Vol Success Teams and the pioneering Vol Edge platform. Her philosophy was forged at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where she enrolled the largest class in history and served as the founding director of the Nebraska College Preparatory Academy. A certified CliftonStrengths coach with an Ed.D. in educational leadership & policy, Dr. Williams is committed to ensuring every scholar is seen, supported and empowered to flourish.

Sue Cunningham
President and CEO of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)

Sue Cunningham is a renowned expert in global philanthropy and educational advancement. She leads CASE, which serves 97,000 advancement professionals and institutional leaders at 3,000 schools, colleges and universities in 80 countries. Under her leadership, CASE acquired the Voluntary Support of Education survey and created CASE Insights, CASE’s global research, data and benchmarking portfolio. CASE published the first global and digital edition of CASE’s Global Reporting Standards and Guidelines, which operate as the industry-leading standards for the profession, and launched global Alumni Engagement and Brand and Reputation surveys in addition to annual fundraising surveys. Previously, she served in senior advancement roles at the University of Melbourne, the University of Oxford, Christ Church (Oxford) and the University of St Andrews. She is the author of Global Exchange: Dialogues to Advance Education.

Mike Dietrich
Vice President of Product Marketing at Cvent

Mike Dietrich is the vice president of product marketing at Cvent, responsible for promoting Cvent’s event and hospitality cloud product portfolios. Mike’s 20+ years of industry experience include deep product marketing and management experience at the largest event and hospitality technology, education technology, broadcast media and telecommunications companies. In his current role, Mike is responsible for defining and executing go-to-market strategies to drive new customer acquisition, expansion and customer retention.  

Torrez M. Wilson, Ed.D, CMP
Director of University Events Management at Georgia State University

Dr. Torrez M. Wilson is a seasoned event logistics and operations professional with over 15 years of experience in higher education. He currently serves as director of university events management at Georgia State University, where he oversees the planning and execution of annual, special and signature events, while providing consultation services to institutional stakeholders. He holds a B.A. in music and an M.P.A. from Savannah State University, and earned a doctor of education in learning, leadership and organization development from the University of Georgia. His research explored supervisor mentorship and the development of career competencies and self-efficacy among undergraduate student employees. Dr. Wilson also holds the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) credential and a certificate in hospitality and tourism management from Florida Atlantic University. His work has been featured in professional publications, and he delivers educational workshops nationwide that drive institutional engagement.

Alison Leach Hughes
Director of New Student Orientation at the University of South Carolina and President of NODA: Association for Orientation, Transition & Retention in Higher Education

Alison Leach Hughes (she/her) is the director of new student orientation at the University of South Carolina, where she leads orientation and transition programs serving more than 16,000 new students and their supporters each year. She has dedicated the past 15 years of her career to orientation, transition and retention work, with a particular passion for first-generation college students and the role of familial support in student success. She previously held leadership roles at Florida State University and the University of Arkansas. Alison earned a bachelor of arts in English from Auburn University and a master of arts in higher education administration from the University of Alabama. She serves as president of NODA, the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education and is an alumna member of Alpha Chi Omega.