Executive Board
President
Katie La Vecchio (she/her)
Area Coordinator
University at Buffalo
108 Lehman Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260
(716) 645-2135
presidents@cspanys.org | klavecch@buffalo.edu
Katie La Vecchio is currently an Area Coordinator for Governors Complex at University at Buffalo in Residential Life. Katie has worked previously as Complex Director in Residence Life at SUNY Buffalo State College and Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at Adelphi University. Katie is a dual alumna of SUNY Buffalo State obtaining a B.S. in Childhood Education and Reading in 2012 and an M.S. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration in 2014. Since returning to student affairs in 2018, Katie has been involved with CSPA-NYS and has held various roles such as Silent Auction Committee Chair, Virtual Conference Committee, VP of Membership, and most recently serving as the 2023 Annual Conference Chair. Her personal interests include bargain shopping (She loves a good deal!), and spending time with her son, Joey, and husband, Mike.
President Elect
Courtney Owen (she/her)
Director of Housing and Residence Life
SUNY Monroe Community College
West Canal Hall
Brighton Campus
Phone Number: 585-292-3009
presidents@cspanys.org | cowen7@monroecc.edu
With quality experience in Residence and Student Life, policy and protocol development, curriculum writing, and program planning and assessment, I am eager to be a part of an ever-growing and lifelong-learning higher education and student affairs field. (More to come as I transition fully into my role!)
Vice President for Professional Development- Elect
Brittany Profit-Rheinwald
Director of Higher Education Administration
SUNY Brockport
350 New Campus Drive, Brockport, NY 14420
585- 395-5724
prodev@cspanys.org | bprofitr@brockport.edu
Bio Coming Soon!
Vice President for Communications
Jeremy Howard (he/him)
Online Academic Advisor
Alfred State College
10 Upper College Drive, Alfred NY 14802
607-587-3453
communication@cspanys.org | howardj@alfredstate.edu
Jeremy is the Online Academic Advisor for Alfred State College, serving as primary advisor for online Healthcare Management and Individual Studies students as well as a general advisor for all other online students. He has served as a Leadership Education and an Academic Integrity grad assistant at University at Buffalo, as well as the Assistant Program Coordinator for UB’s Intercultural and Diversity Center. Jeremy earned his BA in Linguistics and Music at UB in 2021, and his MEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs in 2023. He is on the Logistics team of the Annual Conference committee, specializing in mobile app development. Jeremy enjoys spending his free time singing, playing D&D, and reading tarot, and is a meditation and yoga aficionado - otherwise, you’ll find him enjoying downtime with his husband and their cat and three dogs.
Vice President for Communications Elect (Vacant)
This could be you!
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
communication@cspanys.org | TBD
Bio coming soon!
TBD
Vice President for Membership
Cliff-Simon Vital (he/him/they)
Director, BIPOC Unity Center
Ithaca College
953 Danby Road, Ithaca NY 14850
607-274-5105
membership@cspanys.org | cvital@ithaca.edu
Cliff-Simon Vital is a scholarly student affairs practitioner who describes themselves as a student-first and mission-driven professional. With a demonstrated history and experiences in various functional areas, they are currently practicing in DEIB. Before moving to Ithaca, they graduated with their Master of Science from the Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration (HESAA) program at Canisius University in Buffalo, NY and Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from State University of New York at Oswego. Vital is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Administration with specialization in Higher Education from the University of Rochester. Outside of Higher education, Cliff-Simon likes Tuesday movies at the local Regal, attending weekly farmers markets, and Lake Cayuga Boat Tours.
Vice President for Membership-Elect
Cody Crippen
Coordinator Residence Life and Retention
SUNY Corning
1 Academic Drive Corning NY, 14830
607-962-9135
membership@cspanys.org | ccrippe1@corning-cc.edu
Bio Coming Soon!
Vice President for Educational and Strategic Relationships
Ashlee Downing-Duke (she/her)
Director of Campus Activities & Residential Engagement
St. Lawrence University
Sullivan Student Center 328 | 23 Romoda Drive Canton, NY 13617
315-229-5135
educationalpartners@cspanys.org | adowning@stlawu.edu
Ashlee Downing-Duke is currently the Director of Campus Activities and Leadership at St. Lawrence University (SLU). Ashlee has worked at SLU for ten years serving as Coordinator of Volunteer Services and Associate Director of Student Activities. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Fairfield University and a M.A. in College Student Personnel Administration from James Madison University. Ashlee has been involved with CSPA-NYS since attending her first conference back in 2018. She then served as the VP of Membership for two years and was excited to return to the board in November of 2023 as the VP of Ed Partners. In her spare time, Ashlee enjoys spending time with her wife and their three lovely children.
VP for Educational and Strategic Relationships Elect
Allecia Spencer
Area Director, Community Living
Hamilton College
198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY 13323
315-859-3275
educationalpartners@cspanys.org | aspencer@hamilton.edu
Bio coming soon!
2025 Annual Conference Chair
Brittany Morawiec
Associate Dean of Students
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
100 Seymour Rd Utica NY 13502
315-792-7505
annualconference@cspanys.org | englisb@sunypoly.edu
Bio coming soon!
2026 Annual Conference Chair
Leah DeGraw
Associate Director of Campus Life
Keuka College
100 Seymour Rd Utica NY 13502
315-792-7505
annualconferencecochair@cspanys.org | ldegraw@keuka.edu
Leah DeGraw is a dynamic and dedicated student affairs professional serving as the Assistant Director of Campus Life at Keuka College. She is committed to excellence, collaboration, and inclusive community-building through purposeful programming and proactive leadership. Currently pursuing her Master of Science in Management at Keuka College (Class of 2026), Leah builds on a foundation in communication and public relations from SUNY Fredonia. She leads with empathy and integrity, emphasizing teamwork, open feedback, and continuous growth.
Member at Large | TBD
Nicholas Winegard
Residence Hall Director
University at Buffalo
A102 Greiner Hall, Buffalo, NY 14261
716-645-8882
mal@cspanys.org | nwinegar@buffalo.edu
Nicholas Winegard currently serves as the Residence Hall Director for Greiner Hall at the University at Buffalo, New York State’s Flagship Public Institution, within Residential Life. He previously has experience working full-time at SUNY Oswego, as a graduate assistant at the University at Buffalo, and at Kansas State University. Nicholas holds a MEd in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from UB and a BS in Geography from KSU. As a Student Affairs professional, Nicholas strives to cultivate inclusive spaces and teachable moments where students are heard and are given the tools to excel on their own path. Nicholas is a proud Buffaloian, avid wholesale club shopper, J.Crew Stan, and huge Bravoholic.
Member at Large | Communications
Cassie Sanzotta
Area Coordinator
SUNY Geneso
1 College Cir 319 MCU, Geneseo, NY, 14454
mal@cspanys.org | csanzotta@geneseo.edu
Bio coming soon!
Member at Large | TBD
Angela Clark-Taylor
Associate Professor & Chair EdD
St. John Fisher
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education; 3690 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
585- 385-8114
mal@cspanys.org | aclark-taylor@sjf.edu
Angela Clark-Taylor, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. School of Education at St. John Fisher University. Clark-Taylor currently serves as the Chair of the Doctorate in Executive Leadership. Clark-Taylor has 20 years of experience as a scholar-practitioner with roles across student and academic affair in higher education as well health and community-focused organizations. Her leadership has been recognized by the American Association for Women as an emerging leader, Internal Council for Research on Women through the Community Innovation Fellowship program, and the National Women’s Studies Association’s mentor award. Clark-Taylor’s research examines the relationship between leaders’ social identities and institutional structures to illuminate pathways for organizational change that serve the public good. Clark-Taylor’s scholarship has been honored by the American Education Research Association committee for Research on Women and has been published in the Journal for Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, the Journal of College and Character, Violence Against Women, and the Journal About Women and Gender in Higher Education. Her current projects focus on how organizational cultural and workplace trauma shapes workers’ well-being and retention.
Member at Large | Educational & Strategic Partnerships
This could be you!
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
communication@cspanys.org | TBD
Bio coming soon!
TBD
Coordinator of Finance and Administration
Spencer Cottman (he/him)
Student Conduct Coordinator
Buffalo State University
Bengal Hall 14 | 1300 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222
716-878-3051
mal@cspanys.org | cottmast@buffalostate.edu
Spencer Cottman is currently the Student Conduct Coordinator at Buffalo State University. Spencer is an alumnus of SUNY Brockport and the University at Buffalo, earing his B.S. in Adolescent History Education (’18) and M.Ed in Higher Education Administration (’20) respectively. Spencer has been with CSPA since 2019 and has served on various Conference Committees in Accessibility & Inclusion and Logistics & Volunteers sub-committees. Spencer is a lifelong WNY-er, a proud cat parent, and drinks too much coffee for his own good.
Faculty Liaison
Susan Iverson (she/her)
Professor and Director, Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership
Manhattanville University
School of Education, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase NY 10577
(914) 798-2712
susan.iverson@mville.edu
Dr. Susan V. Iverson is Professor of Higher Education Leadership, and Director of the EdD Program, at Manhattanville University. Iverson's research interests include equity, diversity, status of women, leadership in higher education. Before her current position, Iverson served as faculty of Higher Education Administration & Student Personnel at Kent State University where she was also an affiliated faculty member with both the Women’s Studies and LGBT Studies Programs. Prior to becoming faculty full-time faculty in 2006, Iverson worked in student affairs administration for nearly 15 years at institutions in Massachusetts, Virginia, and Maine. Iverson holds a B.A. in English from Keene State College (NH), a M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Boston College, a M.Ed. in Counseling from Bridgewater State College (MA), and earned her doctorate in higher educational leadership, with a concentration in women’s studies, from the University of Maine. Iverson's daughter was born while she was a doctoral student, and developed her critical consciousness of being a mother in higher education.
Learn more about Susan on LinkedIn and follow Susan on Twitter @susaniverson1
Historian
Peter Smith (he/him)
Assistant Director of Residential Life
University at Buffalo
123 Richmond Quad, Buffalo, NY 14261
(716) 645-6304
historian@cspanys.org | ppsmith@buffalo.edu
Peter Smith is currently the Assistant Director of Residential Life at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. Peter has previous experience from Appalachian State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Eastern Illinois University and Queens University of Charlotte, NC. Peter has an B.A. in Fine Arts from St. Lawrence University and an M.S.Ed. in College Student Affairs from Eastern Illinois University. He is currently working on his PhD. in Educational Culture, Policy, & Society at the University at Buffalo. Involved in CSPA-NYS since 2001, Peter has held many roles including President, Conference Chair, and Member at Large as well as his current role as Historian. Peter’s professional interests include: professional staff supervision, men’s development, spirituality and faith development, leadership, and presentation and workshop development. His personal interests include: his Faith, travel, movies, cooking, the outdoors, gardening & landscaping, and spending time with his wife and two children.
