Elevate Your Leadership in Learning Assistance

Bio pending

Katie Dufault serves as the director of the Helen Bass Williams Academic Success Center at Purdue University, where she leads a team of professional staff, graduate assistants, and student leaders across two locations of main campus. Her work focuses on academic notice support and interventions, peer-facilitated learning programs, and university-wide student success initiatives, with a strong commitment to evidence-based practice and both qualitative and quantitative assessment. Katie has navigated several reorganizations, location changes and renovations, leadership changes, and staff and program growth over the last decade serving as director. Katie’s research interests include academic recovery interventions, instructional development, and the holistic development of academic peer leaders. She enjoys collaborating with colleagues to explore practical approaches to supporting student learning and program design. Katie is currently pursuing a doctorate in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue.

Mike Saenz is a learning center leader and higher education professional with more than 17 years of experience supporting student learning and academic success. He currently serves as Director of the Student Success Center at The University of Texas at Dallas, where he leads initiatives focused on peer education, tutoring, and academic support programs that help students develop the skills and confidence needed to succeed in college.

Mike is immersed in the national learning center community and currently serves in leadership roles with the Texas regional chapter of ICLCA (TxNCLCA) and the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA), where he helps advance professional standards and training for peer educators. He is also a co-author of Standards, Outcomes, and Assessments Guidance for Peer Educator Training Programs, contributing to the development of evidence-informed practices for training and supporting peer learning staff across institutions.

Much of Mike’s work focuses on building sustainable peer education programs, developing student staff as leaders, and helping institutions tell compelling stories about the impact of academic support through meaningful assessment and data. He is passionate about mentoring emerging professionals and strengthening the field of learning assistance through collaboration, research, and practical innovation.

Bio pending