Add a Book to Your Registration
Add Capitalizing on College: How Higher Education Went from Mission Driven to Margin Obsessed to your registration for just $24.
Meet the voices shaping ideas, sparking conversations, and leaving lasting impact.
Anna Gonzalez, PhD
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. Anna Gonzalez or “Dr. G” as she is known to students, is a nationally recognized student affairs leader with over 30 years of experience in higher education. As the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at WashU, Dr. Gonzalez’s primary focus is to provide leadership to the university’s renowned Division of Student Affairs, engage with students to recognize their needs and enhance their experiences, spearhead transformative giving opportunities with University Advancement, and implement innovative strategies to ensure WashU is a leader in providing a 21st century higher education experience. Within her diverse portfolio, Gonzalez oversees WashU’s Center for Career Engagement, health and well-being, Residential Life, the Center for Diversity & Inclusion, Athletics & Recreation, Campus Life, and Bear Beginnings — WashU’s orientation program for first-year students.
Dr. Gonzalez serves on several regional and national boards, including NASPA — Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education — where she is currently serving as the immediate past board chair. She has delivered national keynotes and is a published author. Her research interests are focused on higher education policy and governance, first-generation students, and higher education finance. Her scholarly publications include the book “Transformational Encounters: Shaping Diverse College and University Leaders.”
Gonzalez is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a bachelor’s degree in international business. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees, both in education, from Claremont Graduate University. Dr. Gonzalez enjoys traveling, getting to know the local food scene, gardening, and spending lots of time with her family and her dog — Yoshi.
Joshua Travis Brown, PhD
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Education
Innovation Amid Crisis: Reimagining The Work that Matters Most – Are you navigating change in student affairs while trying to stay anchored to your mission? This thought-provoking keynote by Joshua Travis Brown explores how housing professionals can lead innovation during times of disruption. Drawing on behind-the-scenes stories and cutting-edge research from his new book Capitalizing on College, this program will introduce five principles of innovation to help higher education professionals navigate change, build resilient systems, and foster meaningful student connections. Participants will be challenged to rethink traditional structures, import fresh ideas, and become “value-entrepreneurs” who lead with purpose and adaptability. With a unique blend of macro insight and campus-level relevance, this talk offers practical takeaways, powerful metaphors, and a call to be the consistent, grounding force students need – especially in times of uncertainty.
Learn More About Joshua
Joshua Travis Brown is an author, professor, and researcher examining the intersection of public policy, finance, and higher education. An assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University and SKOPE Fellow at the University of Oxford, his work explores how economic policies have reshaped tuition-driven colleges and universities. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, British Academy and ACUHO-I, and appeared in The Wall Street Journal, NPR, USA Today, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. A first-generation college graduate, Brown brings a unique perspective to his writing, uncovering the structural challenges facing institutions and the students they serve. He has over 25 years of experience in higher education at institutions that depend heavily on tuition revenue and is the author of Capitalizing on College: How Higher Education Went From Mission Driven to Margin Obsessed (Oxford University Press).
