2016 Keynote Speakers

AHEPPP is delighted to welcome two esteemed experts on parent and family engagement in higher education as our 2016 Keynote Speakers. 

Dr. Casandra Harper

Dr. Casandra E. Harper is an associate professor of Higher Education in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis Department at the University of Missouri. Her research is focused on the diversity of the individual student experience, including: multiracial identity and racial identification, the influence of student-parent interactions, perceptions of campus climate, openness to diversity and financial aid outcomes. She was awarded a National Academy of Education/Spencer postdoctoral fellowship in 2012, ACPA emerging scholar in 2013, and the Richard Caple award from MoCPA in 2014. Her work has been published in Research in Higher Education; the Review of Higher Education; Race, Ethnicity, and Education; the Journal of College Student Development; the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice; New Directions for Institutional Research and the Journal of College Orientation & Transition.  Casandra received her B.S. in psychology and her M.A. in higher education from the University of Arizona and her M.A. and Ph.D. in higher education and organizational change at UCLA.

Dr. Judy Marquez Kiyama

Dr. Judy Marquez Kiyama is an associate professor in the Higher Education department at the University of Denver's Morgridge College of Education. Dr. Kiyama's research examines the structures that shape educational opportunities for underserved groups through an asset-based lens to better understand the collective knowledge and resources drawn upon to confront, negotiate and (re)shape such structures. Her research is organized in three interconnected areas: the role of parents and families; equity and power in educational research; and underserved groups as collective networks of change. Dr. Kiyama's current projects focus on the high school to college transition experiences of first-generation, and low-income, and families of color and their role in serving as sources of cultural support for their college-aged students. Kiyama graduated from the University of Arizona with a Ph.D. in higher education.

Together, Dr. Kiyama and Dr. Harper have published several journal articles and presented many times on topics such as inclusive models of parent engagement and supporting first generation college students and families. Plan to be inspired at the 2016 AHEPPP National Conference in Boulder, CO where they share best practices in Elevating Engagement with Parents and Families

Access Dr. Harper's CV by clicking here
Access Dr. Kiyama's CV by clicking here