Dr. Fai Howard is a mission-driven professional who delivers meaningful outcomes by building strong partnerships, designing effective systems, and helping individuals and organizations align purpose, performance, and impact.

She earned her PhD in Public Policy and Administration from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. Since joining the University of South Florida, she has served in progressive leadership roles and currently serves as associate dean in Undergraduate Studies. Prior to USF, she served as assistant vice president for Student Success and Retention at Edinboro University within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Her professional experience and research interests focus on comprehensive student success, higher education policy, academic advising, and community college-university partnerships that support timely degree completion and career-connected pathways. Her work emphasizes the practical application of theory to strengthen organizational effectiveness, create sustainable systems, and enhance the capacity of front-line professionals who are essential to institutional success.

In addition to teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, Dr. Howard has authored peer-reviewed publications, presented nationally, and provided consulting or professional development on student success, organizational effectiveness, advising, transfer pathways, and higher education policy.

Sr. Vice Provost for Student Success & Chief Honors Officer Dr. Amber Williams is a transformational leader and practitioner-scholar who pioneered a strategic paradigm shift in higher education by moving away from traditional deficit-framing toward a personalized, strengths-based ecosystem.

Since joining the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dr. Williams has championed a leadership model that views the university as a catalyst for human flourishing, ensuring that every student’s unique potential is recognized and nurtured by their environment.

In this role, she provides strategic leadership for the Academic Success Center, First-Year Experience & University Pathways unit and Advising & Technology Initiatives, guiding initiatives that promote academic excellence, coordinated care, and proactive interventions.

Dr. Williams has pioneered the New Vol Experience, a comprehensive one-year onboarding journey for all incoming students, and the Vol Success Teams model, ensuring every scholar is mentored by a dedicated trio of professionals.

These programs, amongst many others, have led to the university seeing record breaking retention, a 10 percent growth in graduation, a more than 90 percent positive career outcome rate, and numerous national recognitions for work in student success.

In his role as vice president for academic affairs, research, and student success for the University of Tennessee System, Dr. Bernie Savarese works closely with campus leadership, including chief academic, research, and student affairs officers, to coordinate and promote high-quality academic and student experiences.

At the UT System, he leads the offices of academic affairs, research, student success, institutional effectiveness, access and engagement, and the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center, while serving as the staff liaison to the Education, Research and Service Committee of the UT Board of Trustees. Dr. Savarese proudly represents the UT System in state, regional, and national initiatives linked to the university’s academic and student enterprise.

In addition to his work with the UT System, Dr. Savarese speaks nationally and internationally on topics ranging from academic and student success, access and affordability, and leadership development, to enhancing belonging.

Dr. Melissa Irvin serves as senior associate vice provost for student success at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

In this role, she provides strategic leadership for the Academic Success Center, First-Year Experience & University Pathways unit and Advising & Technology Initiatives, guiding initiatives that promote academic excellence, coordinated care, and proactive interventions.

With almost 20 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Irvin has contributed to national conversations on academic advising, technology and student success through publications with EDUCAUSE Review, IGI Global, and The EvoLLLution. She has also presented at conferences hosted by AAC&U, NACADA, and NASPA, sharing best practices in data-informed decision making, holistic advising, and digital transformation. In 2014, she was selected as a Maxine Smith Fellows by the Tennessee Board of Regents under the mentorship of then Chancellor John Morgan.