Opening Speaker
Vessey Ballroom, 4:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m., Thursday March 12th, 2026
Coming Soon.
Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi
Science Journalist
Visiting Professor at George Mason University and
Princeton University
Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi’s critically acclaimed memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars, aptly describes this internationally recognized astrophysicist’s challenging and prolific life. His relentless dedication to the field has earned him numerous titles, including award-winning author and journalist, engaging educator, and sought-after TV presenter, podcast host, voice actor, and keynote speaker. While Dr. Oluseyi is certainly a star now, his talks often center around the “hope, hustle, and help” he has received and given as he fought for his dreams.
Dr. Oluseyi grew up in some of the roughest neighborhoods in this country and had to navigate through poverty, violence, and instability at a young age. This self-taught scholar sought refuge in his love of science, spending much of his time reading and watching PBS nature shows. The odds of a boy being successful in such an environment are slim, but Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi is no stranger to defying the limits of possibility. Sharing his roller-coaster ride of success and the setbacks he faced along the way, Dr. Oluseyi inspires audiences around the world to chase their dreams no matter how unlikely they may seem.
Armed with a passion for astrophysics and an unbreakable determination, Dr. Oluseyi earned a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Tougaloo College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University. Since then, he has contributed pivotally to developing technologies that have become standard across astrophysics and pioneered patented technologies for devices used worldwide. His inventions can be found in the computer chips used every day. What’s more, Dr. Oluseyi has published over 100 scientific publications and has seven U.S. patents and four E.U. patents. As a mentor and educator, Dr. Oluseyi is a Visiting Professor at George Mason University and Princeton University.
As a science journalist, Dr. Oluseyi has been nominated for a News Emmy and has won four Webby awards. His investigative journalism into the namesake of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope landed on the New York Times front page, overturned two decades of disinformation, and positively impacted science and society globally. Dr. Oluseyi’s influence is as profound as the topics he covers, earning him a legendary status in science history.
Keynote Speaker
Chesapeake Ballroom, 7:00 p.m. - 9:15 p.m., Friday March 13th, 2026
Coming Soon.
Dr. Chelsey Green
Associate Professor
Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts
Dr. Chelsey Green is Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music. She is described as passionate, electrifying, and innovative, international recording artist. Chelsey Green breaks down stereotypes of string performance. A Native of Houston, Texas, and a violinist, violist, vocalist, and educator, she combines classical and various contemporary styles to make string sing. Dr. Greene says "I want my students to embrace and know their instrument. Beyond solid intonation and great technical facility, I want my students to be confidently versatile, [and] fully equipped with the tools to effectively convey personal artistry and move fluidly through the various genres they may encounter in their professional career. I also strive to educate students on the realities of what is necessary to create and sustain a career in this ever-changing music industry as a string player. Performance highlights include appearing on stage and screen with Stevie Wonder (Songs in the Key of Life tour), Charles Lloyd (Library of Congress Commission Premiere), Regina Carter (MidAtlantic Jazz Festival), Lizzo (62nd Grammy Awards), J. Cole (CBS's Late Show), MC Lyte (Essence Music Festival), Kirk Franklin (costar in nationally syndicated Walmart commercial), and more. Five studio recordings with Chelsey Green and the Green Room Project, including The Green Room, which debuted on both the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart and the iTunes Top Ten Jazz Albums chart.
Dr. Green received her B.M. degree from University of Texas at Austin, her Masters of Music from Peabody Conservatory at the John Hopkins University, and her D.M.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park.
BREAKFAST: Dean's Panel
Chesapeake Ballroom, 7:45 a.m. - 9:20 a.m., Friday March 13th, 2026
Coming Soon.
Dr. Susan M. Rivera
( Moderator )
Dean, The Graduate School
Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Susan Rivera is Professor of Psychology and Dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the University of Maryland. As dean of the college, Dr. Rivera promotes a culture of inclusive excellence, and encourages impactful research and scholarship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and partnerships both across and beyond the campus.
Prior to this role, Dean Rivera was Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, and a faculty member of the UC Davis MIND Institute and the Center for Mind and Brain. Dr. Rivera recently stepped down as editor in chief of the journal Human Development and is a current member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IAAC) under the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Her research investigates the interplay between genes, brain function and structure, and environment across the lifespan (from infancy to old age). She has been conducting research with neurotypical and autistic individuals, and those on the fragile X spectrum of involvement, for nearly 25 years. Using brain imaging (EEG/ERP and functional and structural MRI) and eye tracking techniques, she investigates research questions about how underlying brain activity and behavior supports the development of skills such as attention, visual perception, face processing, sensory processing and emotion regulation, that are necessary for adaptive cognitive and social-emotional well-being.
Dr. Mary Ellen Mahoney
Assistant Vice President and Dean, Graduate School
The Catholic University of America,
Washington. D.C.
Experienced higher education leader with a demonstrated history of driving enrollment growth and student retention, launching new programs, and partnering with community and other higher education organizations. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Teaching, Recruitment, Retention, Forecasting Enrollment Projections, Academic Advising, and Educational Technology. Strong marketing and enrollment professional with extensive knowledge of Slate and digital marketing strategies. Over 15 years of experience working with adult and graduate populations.
Dr. Stephen Roth
Associate Provost and Dean, Graduate School,
University of
Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Stephen Roth is Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School. He has been on the faculty at Maryland since 2003 and a professor in the School of Public Health since 2014.
Prior to joining the Graduate School in 2023, Dr. Roth held a variety of leadership roles on the campus, including as associate chair and graduate director for the Department of Kinesiology; Interim Director of the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Director of the Public Health Science B.S. program; and most recently as Associate Dean for academic and faculty affairs. Dr. Roth also served as director of outreach and instructional innovation for the university’s Teaching and Learning Transformation Center.
Dr. Roth is a professor of kinesiology and affiliate faculty for the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NACS) graduate program, and his scholarly research focuses on human genetic variation and its implications for health and exercise-related traits, including the ethics of genetic testing for talent identification in sport. Dr. Roth is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Kinesiology. He also serves as an editorial board member for Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.
Dr. Roth earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, and B.S. in health and human performance from the University of Montana.
Dr. Terri Adams
Associate Dean Graduate School – Deputy Director,
NCAS-M Director, Howard University
Initiative on
Public Opinion, Professor, Department of Sociology and
Criminology
Howard University, Washington D.C.
Terri Adams, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University. She currently serves as the Associate Dean of the Office of External Affairs, responsible for the research portfolio at the Graduate School. Dr. Adams also serves as the Deputy Director of the NOAA Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M) at Howard University and Director of the Howard University Initiative on Public Opinion. Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine issues with theoretical and practical implications.
Dr. Adams’ specific research interests include emergency management, behavioral responses to severe weather and climate, and the impact of trauma and disasters on individuals and organizations. Her work centers on individuals’ and organizations’ decision-making processes in the face of crisis events. She is the author of Policing During in Natural Disasters: Stress, Resilience, and the Challenges of Emergency Management, which takes a critical review of the challenges faced by first responders before, during, and after natural disasters.
Dr. Raymond Herrera
Associate Dean and Associate Vice Provost for
Graduate Enrollment Management, PI,
McNair Scholars Program
Washington State University, Pullman WA
Dr. Raymond Herrera serves as an Associate Vice Provost of the Graduate School and the Principal Investigator/Director of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program at Washington State University. His primary responsibilities include Graduate Enrollment Management (GEM), and graduate education outreach and preparation.
Born and raised in San José, California, Dr. Herrera served in the United States Marine Corps before coming to WSU in the fall of 1992 to begin his college education with the assistance of the Montgomery G.I. Bill. Dr. Herrera earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from WSU, completing his APA pre-doctoral internship in Professional Psychology at the Counseling Center at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Herrera has served in many leadership roles on campus and at the state and national levels for entities dedicated to access, opportunity, and success for first-generation and low- income undergraduates and graduate students. He is the recipient of the 2018 WSU Faculty Diversity Award.
Dr. Mark Ginsberg
President of Towson UniversityTowson, Maryland
Experienced higher education leader with a demonstrated history of driving enrollment growth and student retention, launching new programs, and partnering with community and other higher education organizations. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Teaching, Recruitment, Retention, Forecasting Enrollment Projections, Academic Advising, and Educational Technology. Strong marketing and enrollment professional with extensive knowledge of Slate and digital marketing strategies. Over 15 years of experience working with adult and graduate populations.
Luncheon: COLLEGE PRESIDENTS’ CONVERSATIONS
Chesapeake Ballroom, 12:45 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Friday March 13th, 2026
Coming Soon.
Dr. Traki L. Taylor
( Moderator )
Senior Advisor to the President, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD
Traki L. Taylor, Ph.D. is the Senior Advisor to the President at Frostburg State University. Prior to accepting this role, she served as the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Frostburg, the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for the State University System of Florida, and the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Board of Governors, at the State University System of Florida.
Dr. Taylor is also a tenured Professor who has experience as an educator and academic administrator. She served as Dean and Professor of the College of Education at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University and Dean and Professor of the College of Education at Bowie State University in Maryland. She started her education career in the K-12 classroom as a special education teacher at an alternative middle-high school. She has a passion for working with students and providing opportunities for their success. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Taylor has a firsthand understanding of the importance of access, inclusive excellence, and the tenacity needed to triumph against what can appear to be insurmountable odds.
Dr. Traki L. Taylor earned her Ph.D. and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Educational Policy Studies, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education at Coppin State College in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Taylor is currently preparing to enter divinity school to continue her learning journey and serve others in a spiritually centered capacity.
Dr. Darryl J. Pines
PresidentUniversity of Maryland, College Park, MD
Darryll J. Pines has proudly served as the 34th president of the University of Maryland since July 2020. The Glenn L. Martin Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Pines has emphasized achieving excellence in all aspects of university life while creating a diverse and multicultural community that allows everyone to reach their full potential.
Under his leadership, the University of Maryland instituted Fearlessly Forward, a strategic plan that commits the university to reimagining learning; taking on humanity’s grand challenges; investing in people and communities; and partnering to advance the public good.
He spearheaded the creation of the Grand Challenges Grants program, under which 50 university projects received $30 million in university-sponsored grants to study and implement solutions in areas such as sustainability, literacy, and food, energy and water security. Pines also co-founded the 120 Initiative and the PROGRESS Initiative, activities both focused on reducing gun violence, led the creation of the new Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM); and spearheaded significant investments in quantum research and development to make the College Park region the “Capital of Quantum.”
Through the Terrapin Commitment, Pines created the largest single-year investment in need-based scholarships in university history, pledging up to $20 million annually to dramatically reduce the financial barriers to obtaining a higher education for low-income Marylanders. It has successfully driven the university to increasing its percentage of Pell students from 15% to 17%, and achieving record retention and graduation rates for first- generation students, Pell recipients and the overall student body.
Other signature initiatives include TerrapinSTRONG, an onboarding program to create a shared understanding of the university’s mission, history and values; a pledge to achieve net- zero carbon emissions by 2026; and enhancing the university’s “Do Good” commitment to be the premier higher education institution for turning ideas into societal impact.
Pines has also led a modern transformation of the campus physical plant, shepherding nearly $2 billion in infrastructure projects including the Purple Line Light Rail, the NextGen sustainable energy project, and the Elevate program transition to the Workday platform. Major facilities completed and opened during his tenure include the E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory, Thurgood Marshall Hall, the new Chemistry Building, Yahentamitsi Dining Hall, Jones-Hill House, Pyon Chen and Johnson-Whittle residence halls, and several remodeled Athletic Facilities including the Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex and Gossett Hall.
As a result, the University of Maryland has now reached its highest public ranking in over a decade and its highest overall ranking in its history from U.S. News and World Report, at #17 and #44, respectively. It now has more than 70 schools, colleges, programs and specialties on U.S. News’ top 25 lists, and placed fifth overall and fourth among public universities in The Princeton Review and Entrepreneurship magazine’s ranking of undergraduate entrepreneurship. The university has also been labeled one of America’s “New Public Ivies” by Forbes and #12 among public universities on their list of America’s Top Colleges.
With a faculty that has nearly 90 members of the national academies—seeing 27 new inductions alone since 2020—and $1.23 billion in combined research expenditures with the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Pines continues to place the University of Maryland at the forefront of critical research in areas such as quantum computing, climate change, AI and data science, and health. The university ranked #9 among U.S. public institutions for patents awarded in 2023, along with other USM institutions according to the National Academy of Inventors, and #11 among public institutions for research and development spending in the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development Survey. The university recently received a new agreement with a $500 million ceiling from the Department of Defense—the largest research contract in the University of Maryland’s history—to support the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) and its mission of tackling complex national security problems using a multidisciplinary approach.
Pines first arrived on campus in 1995 as an assistant professor and steadily rose through the ranks of academic leadership. He served as chair of the Department of Aerospace Engineering from 2006–09 and for the following 11 years as dean and Nariman Farvardin Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
As dean, Pines instituted sweeping changes that improved the student experience, including revamping teaching in fundamental undergraduate courses; encouraging participation in national and international student competitions; emphasizing sustainability engineering and service learning; and expanding innovation and entrepreneurship activities.
Diversity was a hallmark of his tenure, with increases in tenured/tenure-track women faculty, under-represented minority faculty, enrolled women undergraduates and enrolled underrepresented minority undergraduate students.
During the university’s Fearless Ideas campaign, Pines and his leadership team secured a $219.5 million investment—which in 2017 was the sixth-largest gift ever to a public university—from the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation. Since then, Building Together: An Investment for Maryland has funded need-based scholarships campuswide, as well as graduate fellowships, faculty positions, infrastructure and other initiatives.
Pines’ research focuses on structural dynamics, including structural health monitoring and prognosis, smart sensors, and adaptive, morphing and biologically inspired structures as well as the guidance, navigation and control of aerospace vehicles. He holds seven co-authored patents with his students and collaborators.
Prior to his promotion to dean, Pines took a leave of absence from 2003-06 to serve as a program manager for the Tactical Technology Office and Defense Sciences Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). He has also held positions at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Chevron Corp. and Space Tethers.
A member of the National Academy of Engineering, he is a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Institute of Physics; chairs the Engineering Advisory Committee for NSF’s Engineering Directorate; sits on the Board of Trustees for Underwriters Laboratory not-for-profit arm; and serves as a member of the MIT Corporation, the board of trustees for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pines also serves on the Big 10 Conference’s Council of President and Chancellors, as an at-large member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ Board of Directors, and as co-chair of the National Academies’ Government-University- Industry Research Roundtable.
As the principal investigator for Engineering For Us All (e4usa), Pines is also leading efforts to expand engineering education to new generations of high school students and teachers.
Pines received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Fernando Delgado
PresidentLehman College-City University of New York, Bronx, NY
"Dr. Fernando Delgado is the fourth president of Lehman College,
a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) and the
City University of New York’s (CUNY’s) only senior college in the
Bronx. His appointment began July 1, 2021.
Dr. Delgado came to Lehman with
more than 20 years of public
college administrative experience in the Midwest and Arizona, including five years
as
executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Minnesota,
Duluth, which
serves approximately 10,000 students through its four academic colleges. Prior to
that he
served as vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the University of
Wisconsin-
River Falls. He has also held roles as an academic dean at Minnesota State
University,
Mankato and Hamline University in St. Paul. His academic career began at Arizona
State
University, where he also began his work as a university administrator.”
Dr. DeRionne Pollard
President
Nevada State University, Henderson, NV
Dr. DeRionne Pollard is the president of Nevada State University (NS), a public comprehensive institution awarding baccalaureate degrees in over 50 courses of study and graduate education in niche, high-demand areas of concentration. NS is one of the fastest- growing colleges in the country and is designated as a Minority Serving Institute (MSI), Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), and Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Institution (AANAPI). Gloriously diverse, nearly half of all NS students are first-generation college students, and NS advances phenomenal teaching and superb student support to expand and diversify an educated workforce, thereby protecting social justice and economic mobility.
Dr. Pollard began her tenure at NS on August 16, 2021. Dr. Pollard is the first Black female president of any NSHE institution. She has held previous roles at the College of Lake County and served as president of both Montgomery College (2010-2021) and Las Positas College (2008-2010)
Dr. Pollard is deeply connected to her community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), the Henderson Chamber of Commerce (HCC), and Nevada Public Radio (KNPR). Nationally, Dr. Pollard is a member of the Center for First-Generation Student Success Advisory Board for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), serves on the Board of Directors for Generation Hope, a transformative non-profit focused on the success of parenting college students and their children, the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) national board, and most recently she has been appointed to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) board. A nationally recognized leader, Dr. Pollard is a frequent speaker, presenter, coach, and mentor on issues related to higher education leadership and governance, diversity/equity/inclusions/justice, and capacity building in small and large teams.
As a result of her work and accomplishments, Dr. Pollard was named one of Washington’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Washingtonian Magazine, won a 2017 Academic Leadership Award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and a Visionary Award from the Washington Area Women’s Foundation. More recently, Dr. Pollard was named one of the 2023 Women to Watch by Nevada Business Magazine, she received the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance 2023 Leadership award, and the 2024 National TRIO Achiever Award, an honor given by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) to TRIO alumni who have had exceptional success in their careers and communities. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Arts in English from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. in educational leadership and policy studies in higher education from Loyola University Chicago.
Perhaps it is Dr. Pollard’s own description that best captures who she is and what she brings with her to this work: “First-generation college completer; proud Chicago Public Schools graduate; former food stamps and public assistance recipient; motherless child healed by parenting; loved by and loving the most glorious woman for over 30 years; and uncompromising warrior for access to equitable, life-transforming education for all who seek it to enhance their lives and the communities in which we live and serve.”
Dr. Mark Ginsberg
President
Towson University, Towson, MD
Mark R. Ginsberg was named the 15th president of Towson University in August 2023. He began his tenure on October 30.
Ginsberg has enjoyed a more than 40-year career as a psychologist, educator and senior administrator in academia. Prior to his appointment at TU, he spent 13 years at George Mason University, where he served as the dean of the College of Education and Human Development from 2010-20 and the provost and executive vice president from 2020-23. As the chief academic officer at GMU, Ginsberg oversaw the largest public university in Virginia and one of the nation’s 146 Carnegie R1 institutions, a classification awarded to universities with the highest levels of research activity.
From 1999-2010, Ginsberg served as the executive director and chief executive officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). In addition, Ginsberg spent more than 20 years on the full-time and part-time faculty at The Johns Hopkins University in both the School of Medicine and the School of Education, including serving as the chair of the academic Department of Counseling and Human Services.
Before joining JHU, Ginsberg held the position of executive director of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) from 1986-93. From 1981-86, he was a senior member of the leadership of the American Psychological Association (APA) after having been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rochester.
Currently, Ginsberg serves as a volunteer leader with multiple non-profit organizations. He is the chair of the Board of Directors of Parents as Teachers (PAT), one of the most respected international organizations in education. PAT is an early childhood development program that provides research-based home visiting services supporting families to raise children who are healthy, learning and ready for school. He also serves on the executive board and board of directors of the Association of Chief Academic Officers (ACAO), the national organization of university provosts; as well as Hopecam, a non-profit organization that supports children with cancer and their families; and was an appointed member of the Fairfax County (VA) Successful Children and Youth Policy Team.
He is a past-chair of the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and had served as a member of the executive committee of the Council of Academic Deans of Research Education Institutions (CADREI), as well as the board of directors of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation (VECF). He also is a past-president of both the International Step by Step Association (ISSA), a nongovernmental organization of education and child/youth development focused NGOs in Europe and Central Asia; and the Society of Psychologists in Leadership (SPIL). For more than a decade, he has served as a member of the international advisory board for the Early Years Organization of Northern Ireland.
In addition, Ginsberg is a fellow of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Maryland Psychological Association (MPA), and a clinical member and fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). He is a licensed psychologist in Maryland.
Ginsberg has published in the areas of education, psychology, human development and human services. He has lectured and presented at over 200 conferences, seminars and other educational meetings and professional development events, both within the United States and internationally.
Ginsberg completed his master’s degree in 1978 and his doctoral degree in 1981 at The Pennsylvania State University, after having been awarded a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1975. He also completed a fellowship in clinical psychology at the Yale University School of Medicine. In 2006, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the State University of New York.
He has been married to Elaine A. Anderson for more than 40 years. She is the former chair and currently is professor emerita in the Department of Family Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland. They have two adult children, Andrew, a faculty member in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Maryland, and Robert, an executive at Xylem, a Fortune 500 corporation.
Dr. Miriam Okine Davies
Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Graduate
School, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Miriam Okine Davies is Assistant Dean of Graduate Student Affairs and Enrollment Management with the Graduate School at Howard University, where she helps lead graduate student support initiatives and directly supports the management of strategies and initiatives related to the enrollment and support of graduate students. She earned her BA in Political Science and Public Policy from Swarthmore College and her MBA in Strategic Management from George Washington University. She has spent over 17 years in the education sector working at the grassroots level, in public policy research, and in the higher education sector.