Meet the Staff

Message from the Associate Vice President

This year brought an emphasis on efficiency, streamlining operations, and maximizing our effectiveness. Two of our three strategic goals for the year were delayed due to institutional shifts, so we focused instead on looking back to our prior two years and further enhance our procedures, communications, and assessments. Leveraging utilization data and enrollment heat maps, we changed our hours of operations at the BBC clinic in order to maximize the staff at MMC. We consolidated psychiatric providers lines, which would expand student availability entering FY2027. Through planned retirements and in alignment with utilization data, we redesigned certain programs and services. Collectively, these and other initiatives yielded significant savings that allowed us to continue (and in some areas, improve) our level of service to the student body. For example, we made significant infrastructure improvements to the BBC clinic, offered staff expanded professional development opportunities, and made several technological enhancements throughout our facilities.

Programmatically, we also saw an increase in outreach events across all areas; partnered with Academic Affairs to update the Freshmen Experience curriculum; launched a new, free wellness platform for students called Upliftly; disseminated the National Collegiate Health Assessment; and raised $14,000 for our annual Out of the Darkness Walk in partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Additionally, for a second year in a row, several SHW teams garnered accolades at the Division of Student Affairs’ Appreciation & Recognition Awards. Our staff works tirelessly each day to provide our students with a supportive and caring environment, so it was very special for them to be recognized by their colleagues in this way. Congratulations once again to everyone on the SHW team who was nominated as well as our winners:

• Health & Well-being Champion
  Alesailec Figuerola (Sr. RN, Student Health Clinics)
• Innovation & Creativity
  Ebonie Parris (Assistant Director, Healthy Living Program)
• Outstanding New Student Affairs Employee
  Kelsey Mencia (Sr. Coordinator of Admin. Srvs., Finance & Operations)
• Outstanding Student Affairs Employee
  Mariela Gabaroni (Director, Health & Wellbeing)
• VP-MVP
  Devin Parra (Director, Student Conduct & Academic Integrity)

As we enter the final year of our strategic plan, we hope to solidify our long-term plans for operational and service excellence. For any reader that may have questions or feedback about this report, please contact us at shwad@fiu.edu.