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Alea Richmond Akins serves as the assistant dean of student success in the College of Communication, Media, Design and Information (CMDI) where she provides strategic leadership for student success, advising, coaching, career development and student engagement initiatives. With more than 15 years of experience in higher education, her work centers on expanding opportunities and creating pathways to success, with a long-standing focus on first generation student success.Ìý

Alea began her Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder career in 2010 following service as a Peace Corps youth educator in rural Ecuador. She has held progressively senior leadership roles across the university, beginning with the Children, Youth & Environments (CYE) research and community engagement center and later leading recruitment, outreach and the Diverse Scholars Program in Environmental Design (ENVD) before assuming leadership of the unit’s advising and student support portfolio. Today, she leads the CMDI Student Success and Advising teams and advances an integrated, student-centered approach to helping students thrive at Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØBoulder and beyond.Ìý

Christy Heaton, PhD serves as the assistant vice provost for undergraduate academic experience in the Office of Undergraduate Education.ÌýChristy provides strategic leadership for the undergraduate academic experience, including Residential Learning Communities (RLCs) and the Program in Exploratory Studies (PES). Her work focuses on first-year initiatives, curriculum and assessment, student outreach, retention, and the use of data to support student success. She collaborates closely with academic and studentÌýlifeÌýpartners across campus to strengthen the undergraduate experience.Ìý

Christy has worked in higher education for 20 years, including nine years at Â鶹Ãâ·Ñ°æÏÂÔØDenver, where she led student transition and family engagement initiatives. Her experience spans first-year programs, advising, peer mentoring, transfer initiatives, first-generation student success, leadership development, and TRIO. She has taught in first-year programs since 2007 and also teaches leadership and organization courses. Originally from Illinois, Christy earned her bachelor’s degree from Illinois College, master’s degree from Western Illinois University, and PhD from the University of New Orleans.