Joint Regions I & IV Conference

Thursday, November 14, 1–4 p.m.
Cost: $55 (lunch not included)
Shuttle leaves Grand Sierra Resort at 1 p.m. Attendees will visit three local craft breweries and spend 50 minutes at each stop. Cost includes brewery tours, tastings, and shuttle.

First stop: IMBĪB Custom Brews
Second stop: Revision Brewing Company
Third stop: The Depot

Thursday, November 14, 1:30–4 p.m.
Cost: $25 (lunch not included)

Downtown Reno is a 24/7 lively district lit up by the iconic “The Biggest Little City in the World” arch. Abundant restaurants and bars, shopping, museums, live music venues as well as casinos make up the district. Attendees will get to tour two event venues in the heart of downtown. Wear comfortable walking shoes.

Reno Events Center

Located in the heart of downtown, Reno Events Center offers 118,000 square feet of space for top-notch entertainment and conventions.

National Bowling Stadium
Referred to as the “Taj Mahal of Tenpins” by the Los Angeles Times, the stadium was designed with the tournament bowler in mind but is versatile enough to be transformed to suit any event, from private parties, business meetings, and bowling functions.

 

Thursday, November 14, 1–4 p.m.
Cost: $25 (lunch not included)

In partnership with the Community of Practice for Senior Professionals and Retirees, this preconference session will feature a panel of senior leaders from institutions within Regions I & IV. The panel will share their experiences, discuss career advancement opportunities, and explore other institutional service areas. Attendees will examine their own career advancement goals, discuss strategies with seasoned professionals, and consider advancement possibilities outside of positional responsibility. Attendees can also expect to learn from and build relationships with aspiring senior leaders!

L. Lincoln Johnson, Associate Vice President for Student Life
University of Washington
Lincoln Johnson serves as the associate vice president for student life at the University of Washington, where his portfolio centers primarily on campus and student engagement. His responsibilities include commencement, recreation, the Husky Union Building (HUB), student activities, fraternity and sorority life, the LGBTQ Center, student veteran life, student publications, the Student Fee Committee, and student government (ASUW and GPSS). Prior to his arrival in Seattle, he served at Louisiana College, Baylor University, and Mississippi State University. He received his undergraduate degree (music education) and graduate degree (higher education) from Baylor University. Over the years, Johnson has served in a variety of leadership roles regionally, nationally, and internationally with the ACUI and Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education (NASPA).

Jan Javinar, Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
University of Hawaii–West Oahu
Jan Javinar has held leadership positions in student affairs administration for over 30 years, including the last 24 years overseeing student life, student activities, and college union administration. From 2012–2013, he served as the vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Hawaii–West Oahu, and became interim associate vice president for student affairs for the University of Hawaii System in 2013, serving until 2015. Beginning in 2016, Javinar returned to the University of Hawaii–West Oahu campus as a student affairs faculty member and serves as assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs. Javinar has been active with the ACUI and with the National Association of Student Personnel Administration (NASPA). He also provides facilitation and planning consultation for non-profits, governmental agencies, etc. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and doctorate of education in educational administration from the University of Hawaii–Manoa.

Sarah Comstock, Associate Dean of Students for Involvement & Programs
University of Puget Sound
Sarah Comstock is the associate dean of students for involvement and programs at the University of Puget Sound. As an undergraduate, her first student union job was in the bowling alley, and she has spent the next 20-something years being thankful that she still has all of her fingers. Two of the other panelists, Lincoln Johnson and Mandy Ellertson, can be thanked for Comstock's 20-year involvement with ACUI. Johnson welcomed her into ACUI at a Regional Conference at Oregon State University in 1999, and at that same conference, Ellertson "voluntold" her for a role on the Regional Leadership Team. Comstock counts her involvement in ACUI as some of the most cherished parts of her professional career.

Amanda “Mandy” Ellertson, Director of Student Life and Leadership (retired)
Portland Community College
Mandy Ellertson worked in higher education for 33 years. She recently retired in October 2019, after serving as the director of student life and leadership at Portland Community College for 27 years. Ellertson also teaches history and humanities at the college, where she advocates for the importance of studying these topics as a way to become a better citizen in our country and of the world, encouraging her students to take responsibility for their own education. To her, a huge part of the learning journey includes taking risks and seeking to understand as opposed to accumulating a bunch of facts. Ellertson strives to work with others in the community, and volunteers for a variety of organizations including ACUI, the Coalition Against Hate Crimes, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, SOLVE (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism), the Oregon Food Bank and St. James Lutheran Church in downtown Portland. Her students inspire her to invest in the local community and never quit seeking justice.

Thursday, November 14, 4–5 p.m.
Cost: Free

Come socialize with colleagues at this pre-dinner mingle; there will be a cash bar available.