2021 Keynote Presenters

AHEPPP: Family Engagement in Higher Education is pleased to welcome award winning speakers, authors, and advocates Kelly Radi and Kristin Austin as our 2021 National Conference Keynotes.

Kelly Radi

Activate Your Inner Super Hero

Kelly Radi is a real-life Wonder Woman! 

She delivers high-energy, heartfelt keynote presentations that empower and inspire. Her powerful, relatable messages focus on personal accountability, healthy communication and nurturing relationships. Audiences leave refreshed and confident, armed with new perspectives and practical, action-based take-aways.

Attendees describe her as authentic, relatable, and a masterful storyteller. Meeting planners appreciate her positive energy and can-do attitude. Organizations like Delta Air Lines, Leading AgeMN, Women in Trucking, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and several universities, high schools and colleges hire Kelly because she customizes content and implements strategies that help their employees and attendees avoid distractions, prioritize relationships and achieve objectives.

Kelly intertwines real stories, super hero history, and relevant takeaways. She connects, validates and inspires you to create a life of significance—both personally and professionally. After all, super heroes don’t just sit there. They take action!

She is a member of the National Speakers Association and earned the 2018 NSA Minnesota Academy Award. In addition, Kelly is the award-winning author of two books. Out To Sea: A Parents’ Survival Guide to the Freshman Voyage is a go-to resource for parents as they navigate the high school-to-college transition, and Wonder-Full: Activate Your Inner Superpowers (No Cape Required), a motivating “thought-book” for women of all ages.

Most importantly, Kelly is both a current college parent and a huge supporter of the work you do as family engagement professionals. She recognizes the time, talent, commitment, and effort you put in every day to help your students (and their families) flourish, grow and find success in the college years. 

Learn more about Kelly at raditowrite.com.

Kristin Austin, Ed.D. 

What's Your Balance? Spending, Saving, and Sharing Your Privilege as Higher Ed Leaders

Dr. Kristin Austin (she/her) is a lover of talking, tacos, and Target. A  professional helper and lifelong learner, Dr. Austin has accumulated nearly twenty years of experience in the higher education sector, rotating as a senior-level administrator, or a full-time faculty member, all within functional areas that promote diversity, access, inclusion, and retention. Starting with her first professional role as an admissions counselor, Dr. Austin designed and implemented a comprehensive multicultural student recruitment campaign, the first of its kind at the university. From there, she continued crafting progressively responsible career experiences at domestic and international universities while always centering the personal and academic success of underrepresented student populations. 

Simultaneous to pursuing research and professional endeavors that emphasize equity, Dr. Austin also began offering inclusion and diversity education to small businesses and teams via her non-profit, K.E.Advancement, Inc. Rooted in a posture of cultural humility, Dr. Austin's goal is to catalyze individuals and structures to questions: "Who is at the table?" "Who is missing from the table?" and "Who is unaware the table exists?" Dr. Austin currently serves as Director of I.D.E.As. (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) at Rewriting the Code, Inc., a national not-for profit organization dedicated to retaining college women in technology majors in order to increase the representation of women in technology careers. 

Dr. Austin holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership & Administration, a Professional Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, a Master’s degree in Counseling, and a Bachelor's degree (her favorite degree) in Social Work. For the past 12 years, she has also been enrolled in Parent University, where she has been blessed to learn from 3 small, and forgiving professors, ages 12, 10, and 6. Dr. Austin is also married to a fellow education professional. For these reasons, her favorite get-a-way is to Target…. alone.    

Learn more about Dr. Kristin Austin at www.AdvancewithKristin.com