Alfred (he/him) has enjoyed a 30-year career in Student Affairs and Higher Education. He is the Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Student Support and Belonging at UC Berkeley and serves as faculty for the Higher Education Case Managers Association (HECMA). A nationally recognized leader in college and university case management and threat assessment, he co-authored the CAS Standards for Case Management. Alfred previously sailed with Semester at Sea as the Assistant Dean of Students.

He holds a B.A. in Radio/TV/Film from California State University, Fresno, an M.P.A. from California State University, Northridge, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UC Davis.

Alfred is a nationally recognized expert in Nerd/Geek topics in Higher Education and the parasocial relationships of Student Affairs Professionals. As a founder of the GeekEd Collective, he specializes in American comic book and popular culture. He has also performed as a professional actor and stand-up comedian.

• Dr. Day’s doctoral dissertation is titled: Fan Attachments: The Pedagogy of Student Affairs Practitioners’ Parasocial Relationships During The Great Distress Period

As a Banana Slug for nearly 30 years and a lifelong geek, Alex (she/her) has held various roles in residential life, programming, and administration. Currently, she is the Executive Director for College Student Life at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She finds science fiction, fantasy, and gaming fascinating and relevant to the world’s concerns, using them to connect with students, staff, and the community.

Introduced to Star Wars at an early age, she enjoys diverse geek interests and eagerly awaits new Marvel, Star Trek, and Star Wars releases.

A proud Triton and Falcon, Alex holds a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from UC San Diego and an M.A. in College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University. She is active in WACUHO and ACUHO-I, serving recently as a Historian and Foundation Board member.

In her free time, Alex loves escape rooms and puzzles. She fosters kittens with thematic names until they find their forever homes and engages in various crafts, particularly fiber and culinary arts. As an Eternal of the GeekEd. collective, she cherishes the community they’ve built.

Emily (she/her) is the Associate Vice Provost for Student Life at the University of Southern California. With over 20 years of experience in Residential Life, Housing, and Student Affairs at UC Riverside, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and USC, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. In Fall 2012, she sailed with Semester at Sea as a Resident Director, traveling to 11 countries and 14 cities. Dr. Sandoval has been actively involved in the Western Association of Colleges and University Housing Officers (WACUHO), serving on the executive board and as President in 2019-2020.

A passionate advocate for geek culture, Dr. Sandoval combines her love for pop culture with her work in student affairs. She has presented at San Diego Comic-Con International since 2011, focusing on building community through geek culture on college campuses. Her interests include Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nintendo games, board games, Pokemon Go, and Broadway musicals. Dr. Sandoval holds a B.A. in English Literature from UC Riverside and both an M.Ed. and Ed.D from the Rossier School of Education at USC.

• Dr. Sandoval’s doctoral dissertation is titled: Creating Opportunities For Engagement And Building Community Utilizing Geek Culture In A Residential Education Department

Brian (he/him) has over 20 years experience in higher education and student affairs administration with executive leadership experience in new student programsparent programs, residential life, student leadership, marketing and communications, and change management. Currently, Brian serves as the Executive Director of Communications and Organizational Development for UCLA Student Affairs. 

Honored to be a member of the GeekED collective for over 10 years, Brian has a breadth of experience developing major programs and events around geek/nerd culture, supporting students in areas of leadership and career development with nerdy passions, and cultivating meaningful collaborations between faculty and staff on topics of fandom, gaming, and pop culture. 

While Brian has neglected his own nerdy passions related to comics and sci-fi to make room for his daughter’s love for My Little Pony and his son’s recent discovery of the Toy Story franchise, he still makes time to cosplay as The Predator whenever he can.