2024 WSU Data Summit: Data + You

Shawn Berry
Analytic & Tool Support Specialist, Institutional Effectiveness

Shawn joined Weber State University in January 2024, bringing over 11 years of experience as an elementary and middle school educator with a specialization in Mathematics. Having grown up in a military family, she has lived in various locations but considers Alaska and Nebraska as her primary roots. She holds a BA in Music, a BS in Elementary Education, and an MA in Mathematics Education. Shawn is passionate about leveraging data to help others identify patterns and make informed decisions. She enjoys using tools like Excel and Tableau to analyze and make sense of both numeric and non-numeric data.

Heather Chapman
Senior Director of Data & Analytics, Student Success Analytics

Heather Chapman is the Senior Director for Data & Analytics at Weber State University (WSU). She can read a spreadsheet, scatterplot, or line chart and loves finding ways to make complicated data problems easy for everyone to understand. She has a passion for creating visualizations that tell a good story to people who are afraid of or uncomfortable with all that data. Her team is responsible for providing operational reports, creating visualizations that explore student success, and predictive modeling at WSU. Heather is also responsible for teaching visualization best practices across her institution and for helping with the integration of new data sources into WSU’s data warehouse. Prior to joining WSU, Heather earned a Ph.D. in Experimental and Applied Psychological Sciences, with an emphasis in statistics from Utah State University.

Juan Chavez
Analyst II, Budget & Institutional Research

Juan Chavez has been employed at Weber State University for 16 years—10 years in the Advancement division and six with the Office of Budget and Institutional Research. Although he mostly works with state and internal reporting efforts and third-party surveys, staff and faculty may recognize Juan from his enrollment report emails, distributed weekly during enrollment periods. 

Nicola Corbin
Professor of Communications, Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning

Nicola A. Corbin, Ph.D. is a professor of communication at Weber State University who teaches public relations and mass media courses, and directs the university’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. Corbin was named Weber State University’s Crystal Crest Master Teacher Award in 2019 and the 2018 Educator of the Year by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Her research interests encompass exploring the impact of race-gendered representations in mass media and popular culture, critical approaches to public relations pedagogy, and scholarship of teaching and learning. Prior to academia, she practiced journalism and public relations for a decade.

Diego Dominguez
Senior Academic Advisor, General Studies & Exploratory Advising

Diego Dominguez has been a Senior Academic Advisor at Weber State University for five years in General Studies and Exploratory Advising. A Diversity Scholars graduate of the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree (Communication Studies), he is completing his master's in Higher Education and Leadership at Weber State University. Diego integrates data analysis into his advising approach to track student progress and advocate for student success. He is committed to helping students navigate academic obstacles. Outside of his professional life, Diego enjoys soccer, video games, and spending time with his partner, Andrea, and their dog, Benito.

David Fernelius
Senior Director, IT Infrastructure & Operations

David Fernelius is an accomplished IT leader with over two decades of experience, specializing in infrastructure management, cloud strategy, and data security. As the Senior Director of Information Technology Infrastructure at Weber State University, he has led numerous transformative projects, including cloud migration, disaster recovery, and advanced data warehouse management, significantly enhancing the university’s operational efficiency and security posture. David is highly skilled in bridging the gap between technology and business strategy, which has earned him multiple awards for his leadership. He holds an MBA with honors from Weber State University, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and is a Certified ScrumMaster.

Ivana Fredotovic
Chief Data Officer, Student Success Analytics

Ivana brings extensive experience in higher education, institutional research, and analytics. She is the inaugural Chief Data Officer at Weber State University, focusing on developing data strategy, enhancing data governance, and fostering a data informed culture on campus. Previously, Ivana served as Director of Research and Data Analytics at Miami Dade College and held multiple roles in institutional research at Barry University in Florida. She holds a Doctorate in Leadership and Education from Barry University. Ivana actively participates in national and regional professional organizations, advisory boards, and community based research projects, promoting data literacy, organizational transparency, and effective data governance.

Shane Green
Principal Enterprise Architect, Digital Transformation,  Co-chairman UVU’s AI Task Force, Utah Valley University

Shane Green is a seasoned expert with over 25 years of experience managing high-performing tech teams. He excels in enterprise architecture, network security and optimizing technical infrastructure for large and medium-sized organizations across various sectors. Shane also spearheads Utah Valley University’s AI initiatives and serves as co-chairman of UVU’s AI task force.

Cori Horne
University Registrar, Registrar's Office

Cori Horne is University Registrar at Weber State University. She has worked in higher education for over a dozen years, with a special focus on open access institutions based on her own experience as a first generation student. She has a terminal degree, an MFA in Poetry, from the University of Arizona and began her career as English faculty. As registrar, she is committed to reducing barriers to student success and supporting faculty in the important work of educating Weber State students.

Daniel Hubler
Interim Associate Dean, Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education, Professor of Child & Family Studies

Dan Hubler, Ph.D, is a family scientist who loves to explore all things regarding relationships and communication. As a family life educator and an avid online researcher, he is also interested in exploring online methods for gathering insights and providing greater access to relationship education content. His hobbies include fishing, running, and playing games with his wife and kids.

Daniel Jensen
Data Training & Communication Manager, Student Success Analytics

Daniel Jensen, Ed.D, is currently the Data Training and Communication Manager out of the Office of Student Success Analytics at Weber State University where he supports faculty and staff with on demand data literacy courses, data tool and dashboard training resources, and live training events. His recently completed dissertation focused on perceptions of predictive analytics and early alert systems. With over a decade of experience in higher education, Daniel has helped faculty, staff and students develop data literacy skills, enhance academic advising practices, create effective assessment strategies, and implement strategic planning initiatives to improve student outcomes and institutional effectiveness.

Jeffrey Johnson
Higher Education Privacy Officer, Utah System of Higher Education (USHE)

Jeffrey Alan Johnson is a pioneering, internationally recognized leader in strategic planning, institutional research and effectiveness, and information ethics with more than two decades’ experience in higher education. He is currently the Higher Education Privacy Officer for the Utah System of Higher Education, where he protects the data privacy of more than 200,000 students at 16 institutions ranging from technical colleges to research intensive universities. He has previously led institutional research and effectiveness teams at Wartburg College and Utah Valley University. His research on information justice, presented most thoroughly in the book Toward Information Justice: Technology, Politics, and Policy for Data in Higher Education Administration (New York: Springer, 2018), is considered foundational in the study of social justice issues in information. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, and served in the United States Marine Corps from 1989 to 1996.

Ed Kessling
Senior Business Intelligence & Reporting Analyst, Student Success Analytics

Ed Kessling is an Information Systems graduate of Weber State who has worked in analytics at the university for over five years. As a Senior Business Intelligence Analyst at Weber State, Ed specializes in transforming complex data into actionable insights to support institutional decision-making and strategic initiatives.

Mary A. Machira
Executive Director/Senior International Officer, International Programs & Services

Mary Machira, PhD, is the Executive Director of International Programs and Services at Weber State University in Utah. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education, most of which have been in international education.

In this role, Mary provides university-wide leadership in promoting comprehensive internationalization across the university community and implementing international programs and initiatives including international student recruitment, admission and retention. She has presented at various international education conferences, was previously a co-chair for the Women and Leadership in Higher Education member interest group through the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), and is the past chair of the Study Utah Consortium.

Mary is dedicated to helping international students reach their academic and personal goals. She is a passionate advocate for international students, committed to making a meaningful difference in their academic and professional journeys.
 

Gail Niklason
Executive Director, Institutional Effectiveness

Gail has been with Weber State University for 26+ years in a variety of roles; for the last 13 years in the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Gail has recently taken on the role of Accreditation Liaison Officer for the institution and is having great fun learning the ins and outs of that responsibility.

Jack Niklason
Associate Data Analyst, Student Success Analytics

Jack Niklason is an Associate Data Analyst in the Office of Student Success Analytics at Weber State University. He specializes in data visualization, dashboard creation and process improvement. With a focus on tools like Tableau, Jack transforms raw data into actionable insights to support University decision making and strategy. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring the outdoors and expanding his knowledge.

Katy Paulson
Institutional Analyst II, Budget & Institutional Research

Katy Paulson holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems and Technologies from the John B. Goddard School of Business and Economics. She has over 12 years of experience working with higher education data, including customer relationship management (CRM Recruit, Hobsons Connect) and enterprise resource planning (Banner, Colleague) databases. She loves a securely stored spreadsheet with de-identified data. Katy's goal is to empower people to manage and use data to make our lives better. She enjoys walking with her spouse, Mark and their dog, Herman.

Beth Rhoades
Associate Dean, Division of Online & Continuing Education

Dr. Beth Rhoades is responsible for providing strategic leadership, direction and vision for Weber State University credit and non-credit programs at a distance and on-site.

Dr. Rhoades oversees the Division of Online & Continuing Education’s programs team, which focuses on upskilling and reskilling individuals for the next level position, and offers true growth for their future. She is passionate about meeting the needs of nontraditional students and developing sustainable budgets to provide the highest quality educational opportunities for the least amount of money.

Dr. Rhoades has a proven track record of success, including cofounding the Rosie Project, a network for military spouses to gain education that can lead to Department of Defense positions. She has also envisioned and strategized online campus expansion and developed a training program for staff and faculty on digital badge and alternative credentials. She has built and executed a three-year strategy for continuing education programs in OSHA and NIOSH units, conducted research regarding faculty perceptions of digital badge training, and coordinated budget appropriations of $8.1 million. Dr. Rhoades has also been awarded five grant programs for training and development of underserved populations, and has staffed and supervised 23 people over five teams.

While balancing industry changes with educational delivery, Dr. Rhoades continues to find promise in nontraditional education. She loves finding innovative opportunities to change lives with innovative education that meets the demands of the fourth industrial revolution.

Dr. Rhoades earned a doctoral degree while juggling home responsibilities as a working parent. This experience has helped her empathize with adult learners and motivates her to help others pursue their educational dreams. When she’s not busy changing lives through education, Dr. Rhoades enjoys stand-up paddle boarding, skiing, hiking and eating anything with strawberries. She also practices daily meditation and grounding to bring her peace.

Garin Savage
Retention & Special Projects Coordinator, Student Access & Success Strategic Initiatives

Garin completed his undergraduate work in aerospace engineering at Utah State University before earning master's degrees in education from Boise State University and Weber State University. He has been employed by Weber State since 2019 and currently works to help SAS departments in their efforts to leverage data to improve their services. Garin believes that data most often leads to change when contextualized in a narrative and has worked to help departments close the loop by reflecting on what story their data tells. In his spare time, he enjoys reading books, playing music on one of several instruments, and spending time with his wife and two kids.

Oliver Snow
Executive Director of WSU Online, Division of Online & Continuing Education

Oliver Snow is the executive director for WSU Online, where he oversees a team of instructional designers and learning management system experts in order to provide the best educational experiences for both students and teachers. Oliver and his colleague Dr. Nicola Corbin were instrumental in starting the conversation about incorporating a university-wide AI Framework at Weber State University. He is a full-time PhD student in the Learning, Design and Technology (LDT) program at the University of Wyoming. His research interests include the study of minority populations in regards to higher education and the effectiveness of technology-enhanced teaching and learning.

Chaz Steimel
Director, Budget & Institutional Research

Chaz Steimel has been employed at Weber State University for over nine years. Serving initially as an Institutional Analyst and now as the Director of the Budget and Institutional Research office, Chaz helps the university report, understand, and leverage various student retention, persistence and graduation measures. Chaz has assisted in developing several campus reports and dashboards detailing WSU student success. Most recently, Chaz has helped train Juan Chavez as the WSU IPEDS Keyholder who is now responsible for curating and reporting the campus's student cohorts for retention and graduation rates for both internal and external audiences.

Keith Yowell
Business Intelligence & Reporting Analyst, Student Success Analytics

Keith Yowell is a seasoned data scientist with a strong background in statistics. Having earned a Master's degree with a focus in Econometrics from the University of Utah in 2016, Keith has been working in higher education since 2017. Currently serving as Business Intelligence and Reporting Analyst at the Office of Student Success Analytics since June of 2023, Keith brings expertise to the realm of inference and predictive modeling. Outside of statistical analysis, Keith is an avid home chef, dog-lover, cyclist and musician.