ATGS Presenter Bios

Jessica Acton 
Director of Academic Affairs 
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 

Mackenzie Murphy-Wilfong
Executive Secretary of the Board
University of Oklahoma Board of Regents

Mackenzie earned her Bachelors of Arts from the University of Oklahoma where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, she received her Juris Doctorate degree from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law.

Following law school, Mackenzie practiced litigation at Spencer Fane, a national law firm, in Kansas City where she specialized in Education and Employment Law. After leaving private practice, she joined the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights as a federal enforcement attorney investigating allegations of harassment and discrimination during both the late Bush and early Obama administrations. For nine years Mackenzie worked for Oklahoma State University and its Board in several roles including Associate General Counsel to the Board, representing nine Colleges and Universities across Oklahoma. Mackenzie has served as an Adjunct Professor teaching Higher Education Law. For the past seven years, Mackenzie was the Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Tulsa Community College, where she serves on the Executive Team, supervised governmental affairs personnel, and provided all legal services for the College’s four campuses serving 20,000 students in Tulsa County. Currently, Mackenzie is the Executive Secretary of the OU Board of Regents, which governs the University of Oklahoma, the Health Sciences Center, Rogers State University, and Cameron University. She also serves on the audit committee for the National Association of College and University Attorneys, was the recipient of the 2021 Madame President award by the Tulsa League of Women Voters, and co-authored a chapter on the First Amendment in Higher Education for the recently published book Student Conduct Practice: The Complete Guide for Student Affairs Professionals.

Dr. Diane Gavin is Executive Director of the Center for Academic Innovation at Texas A&M University-San Antonio in San Antonio, TX.  She received her PhD in English/Composition and Cultural Rhetoric from Syracuse University where she also holds a MA in Linguistics, specializing in syntax.  Diane also holds a Master of Higher Education in Administration & Management specializing in Institutional Research from Drexel University and a Master of Education in Secondary English Education/Curriculum & Instruction from SUNY Oswego.  Diane has also completed graduate coursework in media psychology and has published several books and articles on media and popular culture. Her current publications include two forthcoming book chapters — one focused on Flex modalities in higher education and the other on women who rise to higher education administration without faculty experience — and two forthcoming articles. The articles center on the integration of AI technology in LMS systems and on the populist elements of Springsteen's Born to Run on the upcoming 50th anniversary of the album. Diane has held numerous administrative and dean positions at colleges and universities in New Jersey, North Carolina, Arizona, and Texas.

Ashley Teufel is an Assistant Professor of Biology in the Department of Natural Sciences at Texas A&M University-San Antonio and serves as the Provost’s Generative AI Fellow. She holds two B.S. degrees—one in Computer Science and another in Mathematics—from New Mexico State University, along with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Wyoming. Before joining TAMUSA, she was an Omidyar Fellow at the Santa Fe Institute. Her research focuses on computational and mathematical modeling of biological processes across various scales. In the classroom, she teaches courses in biostatistics and bioinformatics, focusing on helping students from diverse educational backgrounds develop computational and data science skills.

Dr. Keisha Bahr is an Assistant Professor of Marine Biology, and a Chair for Coral Reef and Ocean Health at the Harte Research Institute at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi. Her research investigates how corals and reefs respond to environmental changes, aiming to enhance ecosystem health and resilience. Over the past decade, she has experienced several coral bleaching events and watched entire reefs die. After traditional methods of science communication (i.e., publications) failed to create change, she quickly realized that the future of our coral reefs relies on the scientific community's ability to communicate with the public. But many graduate students and researchers lack effective communication training. Therefore, she has been on a conquest to improve communications in science to increase the effectiveness of the management of our coral reef ecosystems.

Dr. Suzanne Ortega serves as President of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS). The only U.S. higher education association devoted solely to graduate study, CGS has nearly 500 U.S. and Canadian members and 29 international affiliates. A sociologist by training, Ortega's research focuses on social inequality, mental health, and graduate education. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as the University of North Carolina Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs (2011–14). Previous appointments included the Executive Vice President and Provost at the university of New Mexico, Vice Provost and Graduate Dean at the University of Washington, and the University of Missouri. The author of numerous articles and book chapters, Ortega's masters and doctoral degrees in sociology were completed at Vanderbilt University. She has served on review panels for NSF and NIH, has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on grants totaling more than $20 million in state, federal, and private foundation funds. Ortega has served on a number of professional association boards and committees, including the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the National Academies of Science Committee on Revitalizing Graduate STEM Education for the 21st Century, and the National Science Foundation's Human Resources Expert Panel. In addition, she is currently a board member of the American University of the Emirates, serves on Advisory Councils for the Vanderbilt University Graduate School and the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM.

Dr. Robin Poston is Dean of the Moody Graduate School of Graduate and Advanced Studies and Associate Provost for Graduate Education at SMU, which is home to over 4,700 graduate students studying in over 120 programs. She is a member of the Cox Business School faculty in the Information Technology and Operations Management Department. Prior to joining SMU, from 2014-2022 she served as the Chair of the Business Information and Technology Department then Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Memphis, where she received the Memphis Alumni Association Distinguished Teaching Award.

Dr. Poston has served as an Associate Editor for two highly ranked journals, the European Journal of Information Systems and Decision Sciences Journal, both of which provide critical views on technology, development, implementation, strategy, management, and policy for information systems to a global audience. She has over 20 years of experience in the information systems field working for KPMG Consulting, Educational Computer Corporation, Meta Group Research, and Convergys, and consulting with several Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Dr. Poston received her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from The University of Pennsylvania (1987), master’s degree in Accounting from The University of Central Florida (1992), and Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Michigan State University (2003).

Dr. Julie Harlin is an Associate Dean in the Graduate and Professional School and an Associate Professor in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. She earned a Ph.D. in Agricultural Education from Oklahoma State University, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Agricultural Education and Agricultural Science from Texas A&M University.  She began her career as a secondary agricultural science teacher before joining higher education.  Her research focuses on learner centered instructional design, mentoring, and program evaluation, where she has served and led several large NSF and NIH grant projects.  Dr. Harlin created and leads the Graduate Mentoring Academy for the Graduate and Professional School, a university-wide program impacting faculty, staff, and students, and works closely with the Center for Teaching Excellence colleagues on mentoring initiatives. 

Sharanee Sytha is a Professional Development Coordinator in the Graduate and Professional School at Texas A&M University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biology at San Diego State University and her Master’s in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University. Sharanee helps coordinate the Graduate Mentoring Academy and other professional development opportunities. Sharanee was one of the first to complete the Graduate Mentoring Academy in Spring of 2022 and joined the team in her new role as Professional Development Coordinator in Spring 2024 where she coordinates the program and serves as a master facilitator.

Trent Smith Director of Graduate Records Processing
Graduate and Professional School

Kouider Mokhtari, Interdisciplinary PhD (Ohio University), is the Interim Dean of The Graduate School at The University of Texas at Tyler. He also serves as the Anderson-Vukelja-Wright Endowed Professor and Director of the K-16 Literacy Center in the College of Education and Psychology. His research focuses on metacognition and reading comprehension among first and second language readers. He has published extensively in these areas and his work has been widely cited.

Cindy Davis, PhD, is the Director for Graduate Program Support at The University of Texas at Tyler. She has worked in higher education for more than 15 years, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and serving as a graduate program director. She has published in a variety of outlets, including the journals Administrative Theory & Praxis, International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, PS: Political Science & Politics, and in edited volumes including Toward a More Livable World: Social Dimensions of Sustainability and Civic Education in the Twenty-First Century: A Multidimensional Inquiry. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond, VA, and a PhD in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University.

Motunrayo Laniyan is the Coordinator for Student Success at The Graduate School of The University of Texas at Tyler. Before joining The Graduate School team, she gained diverse experience in business strategy, finance, and technology startup industries, focusing on internal project management, portfolio management, and data-driven process improvement. Her multifaceted background and expertise support her commitment to enhancing graduate student success. She holds an MS in Industrial Management from UT Tyler.

Dr. Forrest Lane is the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies at Stephen F. Austin State University, overseeing approximately 1,300 graduate students across 50 master's and doctoral programs. He previously served as Associate Dean in the College of Education and as Department Chair of Educational Leadership at Sam Houston State University. Dr. Lane holds an M.S. in Higher Education Administration and a Ph.D. in Educational Research from the University of North Texas. His research centers on college student success and the effectiveness of programs supporting student learning and transitions into higher education. His work has been featured in academic journals, including the Journal of College Student Development, Journal of College Student Retention, Educational Psychology, and the Community College Journal of Research and Practice. He has served as the editor of the Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition (2018-2021) and is a former Greater Texas Foundation Fellow (2018-2020). He is also a past-President of the Southwest Educational Research Association.

Stephen Crites joined UTEP in 1994 after earning his PhD in Psychology from The Ohio State University. His research explores the cognitive and neural process that underlie attitudes,

stereotypes and person perception (social neuroscience). His work has been published in Psychological Bulletin, Psychological Science and the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. He has received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Sloan Foundation. He has served as Dean of the Graduate School since 2019; prior to that he was Chair of Psychology, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal, and Interim Dean of the College of Business Administration. As Dean of the Graduate School, he supports more than 3600 graduate students and oversees 70 master’s and 26 doctoral programs.

Patrick Brophy Senior IT Professional
Graduate and Professional School