Nthabiseng Audrey Ogude is an Analytical Chemist, Science Educator, and retired Professor of Science Education from the University of Pretoria. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry and Biological Sciences from the National University of Lesotho, an MSc in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Nairobi, and a PhD in Chemistry specializing in Chemistry Education from the University of the Witwatersrand—where she was the first black woman to earn a PhD in Chemistry.

With more than 35 years in higher education, she has served in senior leadership roles including Vice-Chancellor at TUT and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UP and NMU. Her research and practice focus on student access and success, widening STEM pathways, and supporting female and disadvantaged students through data-informed approaches. She is currently a national student success coach for the Siyaphumelela (We Succeed) Project as well as an international student success coach for universities in New Zealand. Her recent book, The Making of a Sharpeville Girl (ISBN 978-1-991220-46-2), reflects her journey and contributions to South African higher education.

Dr. Jillian Kinzie is Associate Director of the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Institute. She conducts research and leads project activities on effective use of student engagement data to improve educational quality, and serves as senior scholar with the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) project.  She is co-author of Radical Reimagining for Student Success (2023); Delivering on the Promise of High-Impact Practices: Research and Models for Achieving Equity, Fidelity, Impact, and Scale (2022), Assessment in Student Affairs (2016); Using Evidence of Student Learning to Improve Higher Education (2015); One Size Does not Fit All: Traditional and Innovative Models of Student Affairs Practice, Second Edition (2014), and Student Success in College (2005/2010). She is co-editor of New Directions in Higher Education, is on the editorial board of Innovative Higher Education and the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success and serves on the board of the Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. She is a peer reviewer for several accreditors and regularly consults with colleges and universities about assessment, effective educational practice, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and support for student success.

Guest Interviewers:

Martha Lopez Lavias currently serves as an undergraduate advisor in the School of Education at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she helps guide students through their academic journeys. Prior to UNC-Chapel Hill, she worked at Elon University supporting high achieving students with financial need, allowing her to develop a passion for holistic, student-centered advising. In the fall, she will begin her doctoral journey in the Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development program at North Carolina State University. She is also a member of a research team led by Dr. Susannah McGowan and affiliated with the Global Forum for Student Success, exploring student success practices from a global perspective.

Aranza Obscura works at Georgetown University’s Red House as a Project Coordinator, where she supports the design, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives that aim to reimagine higher education. Her work includes supporting data analysis, coding, and representation for The Gardner Institute Global Forum for Student Success’s research and resources focused on advancing student success across borders.

Originally from Mexico City and raised in South Texas, Aranza is a bicultural, first generation graduate of Texas A&M International University and is currently completing her Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration at Georgetown University. Her capstone focuses on scaling a course that supports first generation undergraduate students in preparing for life after college, with a focus on adapting it for first generation graduate students. She is passionate about intentional program design, assessment, and evaluation that elevates student narratives and informs more empowering student experiences.