Dear Student Affairs Team,

It has been a full and inspiring week of leadership reflection and decision-making for your AVCs and myself. I want to begin by recognizing that leadership is not for the faint of heart—AND I know that, like us, you care deeply not only for our students but also for your colleagues, your teams, and this college community. Therefore, I know change can sometimes feel deeply personal.

I want you to hear from me directly: I am incredibly proud of this team. We’ve come a long way, and as we look ahead to the next year, I know we will continue to lead with our student-centered values, our courage, and our shared commitment to excellence.

As shared in our timeline, we held Executive Dean interviews earlier this week, and we’re excited to announce that selections have now been finalized.

These leaders were chosen based on a combination of factors:

• Competency scores from the interview process
• Experience within their functional area
• Demonstrated ability to elevate and innovate the work of that functional area
• Strong communication skills with diverse audiences

As mentioned during the last roundtable discussions, they are part of the Student Affairs Council. In these new roles, they will help shape the future of Student Affairs—leading with clarity, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and ensuring that student success, well-being, and our values remain at the center of everything we do.

Student Affairs Council:

We are proud to welcome the following colleagues into their newly established roles:

• Executive Dean of Recruitment & Welcome Services, Dr. Michael Acosta
• Executive Dean of Enrollment & Records, Linda Terry
• Executive Dean of Financial Aid & Veterans Affairs, Jason Briseno
• Executive Dean of Advising Services, Kathy James
• Executive Dean of Career Services & Make It Center, Curtiss Stevens
• Executive Dean of Academic Support, Dr. Monique Johnson-Jones
• Executive Dean of Student Rights & Responsibilities, Dr. Meritza Tamez
• Executive Dean of Orientation & First Year Experience, Dr. Roxane Royalty

Vacant Executive Dean Roles:

The following Executive Dean roles remain vacant and will be posted in the coming weeks. We are working with Human Resources on the posting process for these positions, and we strongly encourage qualified internal candidates to apply:

• Executive Dean of Assessment & Admissions
• Executive Dean of Transfer Services
• Executive Dean of Student Life

What to Expect for Transition:

These Executive Deans will go through their own “First Year Experience” as we learn what it means to work together as a more cohesive and functional council. Their onboarding will include a team-building orientation, professional development, train-the-trainer opportunities, and cross-functional 1:1 meetings with all Associate Vice Chancellors. These conversations are designed to build shared understanding across leadership roles—surfacing individual strengths, priorities, and hopes for collaboration—so we can align with intention and purpose.

As we fill the vacant AVC role, remaining Executive Dean positions, and new roles within the Office of Strategy and Transformation, those leaders will also be brought into this shared development journey.

We hit the ground running next week as a newly formed team, beginning with full-day sessions on May 7 and 8. Together, we will begin reviewing the most common and pressing questions and concerns you’ve shared, reflecting on what you’re cautiously optimistic about, and naming what success looks like. Most importantly, as a Council and with Swim, we will continue to seek input from all who want to share feedback as we shape the full layers of our organizational structure and move towards a finalized draft by May 30.

We recognize that not all candidates who interviewed were selected for Executive Dean roles. To those not chosen, we want to say clearly: there is a valued place for you at ACC. Your leadership, dedication, and impact on our students remain essential.

There will be no loss of salary for anyone moving into a different role, and individual conversations will take place to ensure clarity and support. Our AVCs and new EDs will continue connecting with staff to listen, understand concerns, and identify ongoing opportunities for growth and leadership.

We are proud of the depth of talent in our division and will continue work to prioritize internal candidates in future hiring as Phase II roles are posted.

What's Next:

With some Executive Deans now in place, we still have important work ahead. In the coming weeks, we will:

• Post and hire for Vacancies: for the AVC, Executive Deans, Regional Directors, and Strategy & Transformation roles through the months of May and June.
• Save the Date: Next Roundtable Discussions will be held May 28 and May 29. RSVP’s will be sent to Student Affairs next week.  
• Student Affairs Organizational Chart: Finalize the organizational chart for Chancellor by May 30
• Council Cohesiveness: Prepare for Student Affairs Council onboarding and training in summer 2025
• Change Management and Project Management: Advance our division-wide Change Management and Project Management Plan for all functional areas, rooted in employee feedback and student needs in summer 2025

What You Can Expect:

As we move forward in our Student Affairs realignment journey, your input remains not only valued—but essential. Here’s what to expect in the coming weeks:

• Continued roundtable discussions and feedback loops to deepen our shared understanding of the realignment
• Opportunity to share questions, concerns, ideas, or hopeful reflections. Your voices matter, inform our next steps, and improve our why.

We want to normalize emotional responses. Transformational change is rarely linear—it’s messy, emotional, and sometimes unclear. Feelings of uncertainty, fear, or frustration are natural. We meet those feelings with compassion.



We may not feel the full reward immediately. But as we see our students thrive through the structures and systems we’ve built together, we’ll know the effort mattered.

This next chapter calls us to reframe—not just our structure, but our assumptions, our responses, and our leadership. I believe in each of you. I believe in this team. And I know that, with continued compassion, courage, joy, and a spirit of yes, we will build something even stronger—together.

Sincerely, 

Shasta Buchanan, Ed.D

Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Austin Community College District 

Austin Community College | austincc.edu