VPSA Finalists

Dr. Rachel Erkkila

Dr. Rachel Erkkila grew up in the Midwest living in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan and most recently in Iowa City. Dr. Erkkila is now in her 27th year of a career in higher education.

Rachel earned an Associate’s degree from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN before earning a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Augsburg University located in Minneapolis, MN.

Rachel went on to attain a Master of Science in Technical Communication from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN and she earned her doctorate in philosophy in Education from Iowa State University. Her doctoral research centered around career choice decisions of women entering male-dominated career technical programs.

Shortly after completing her undergraduate degree, Rachel began working as a recruitment counselor for Suomi College, a small liberal arts college in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Looking to broaden her scope of responsibility, Rachel took a position as Assistant Registrar at Walden University, at the time, a small online graduate institution, in Minneapolis, MN. She was promoted to University Registrar and while there the University grew to include additional PhD and Master degree programs. Looking to return to an undergraduate environment, it was at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount, Minnesota when she realized her love for community and technical education.

Eager to expand her impact in the community college sector, Rachel was led to Des Moines Area Community College, and their five-campus system while housed at the main campus located at Ankeny, Iowa. Rachel started her time at DMACC as Registrar. She was promoted to Director of Enrollment Services and Registrar and most recently she has been serving as Associate Provost and Dean of Enrollment Management for the district, housed at DMACC’s Boone Campus.

Rachel has been active in the American Association for College Admissions and Registrar’s association, including the Upper Midwest Association of American Association for College Admissions and Registrar’s Association. 

During her tenure at DMACC she has participated in the Community College Leadership Consortium in partnership with Iowa Community Colleges and Iowa State University. Dr. Erkkila has been an invited speaker at several professional conferences. She regularly provides programming to support college women and she is a strong advocate for student mental health first aid, serving the district as a certified trainer. Dr. Erkkila’s role on the DMACC Foundation Scholarship Board focuses on promoting student scholarship fundraising efforts across DMACC’s multi-county district.

Rachel is active in Ankeny Kiwanis Club’s Miracle League Baseball. She sits on the Board of Directors for the Boone County Convention and Visitor Bureau and the non-profit advocacy group, Disability Rights, Iowa.

Dr. Kristina Scott

Dr. Kristina Scott started her career with the Maricopa Community Colleges 21 years ago as a Student Services Specialist at Estrella Mountain Community College. Her journey continued with enrollment services experience at Glendale Community College then management and site operations at GateWay Community College. Recently, she led the Student Affairs division at GateWay as the Interim Vice President of Student Affairs and currently, serves as the Dean of Students-Retention at EMCC.

Kristina’s experience in higher education has spanned from leading Student Affairs efforts in support of student enrollment, retention, and completion as well as monitoring budgets up to $9 million. She is a champion of initiatives geared toward advancing the mission of the college, increasing operational efficiency, and providing meaningful programs and services focused on student success. For the past six years, Kristina has served as a Guided Pathways Co-Chair and worked collaboratively with faculty, staff, and administrators on an integrated approach to redesigning the student experience. She has also had the unique opportunity to oversee and lead both academic and student support services at multiple locations. Kristina’s involvement in higher education includes directing student support services for diverse populations; developing and implementing retention initiatives; handling student conduct and compliance matters, budget development, and assessment; providing cross-college leadership and supervision.

Her committee and community involvement expands a variety of projects and Maricopa initiatives including being one of the first United Way Internal Loaned Executives and tri-chair of the Women's Mentor Program Planning Committee. Kristina is a South Phoenix native and has served the community through a variety of professional and personal experiences including her work at Fresh Start Women’s Foundation as a development manager and through the Phoenix AKARAMA Foundation as a graduate member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She fully embraces the diverse communities we serve and wholeheartedly believes in developing educational partnerships to support students.

Kristina has a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation from Arizona State University (ASU), a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix, a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas, and a Lean Green Belt certification from ASU. Kristina values an inclusive, equitable, and progressive work environment. She is committed to supporting diverse student populations and spearheading initiatives that positively impact student and employee success. 

Dr. Meredith Warner

Currently serving as the Interim Vice President of Student Affairs at South Mountain Community College, Dr. Warner provides oversight to all areas of Student Affairs, to include Admissions, Records, Registration, Financial Aid, Advisement, Recruitment, Veterans Services, Disability Resources, the Contact Center, Student Life and Leadership, Testing Services, and Athletics. Prior to her work at SMCC, Dr. Warner served as the District Director for Academic and Student Affairs for 4 years at the Maricopa Community College District Office where she provided oversight to much of the work associated with the 10 college transition to the Guided Pathways framework.

Dr. Warner has also served as the Interim Vice President of Student Affairs at Phoenix College (for 3 years) and the Dean of Students at Mesa Community College for nearly 5 years, with oversight of student conduct, Title IX, TRIO, as well as all Retention and Student Support programs. In addition to her work in Student Affairs in the Maricopa Community College District, Dr. Warner has served on many college and district committees, including but not limited to the First Year Experience Task Force, the Mental Health Task Force, Strategic Planning Committees, College Accreditation Committee, District Transformation, Strategic Enrollment Management, Title IX Compliance Team, and the Behavior Assessment Team.

Dr. Warner began her career in academia in 1997 at New York University as the Coordinator of the Senior Colloquia at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. In 2000, Dr. Warner accepted a position at Yale University in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. At Yale, Dr. Warner oversaw Career Services for graduate students, as well as functioning as a research assistant for the Graduate College’s Executive Dean, before moving to Arizona in 2003. In Arizona, Dr. Warner accepted a position as Communications and English Faculty at the University of Advancing Technology. After her first year as faculty, she joined academic leadership and became the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Employer Relations.

Dr. Warner earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, her Master’s in Educational Theatre from New York University, and her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership in Higher Education from Grand Canyon University.

In addition to her passion for education, Dr. Warner is married and has a 15 year old stepdaughter. She is an avid runner, swimmer, and cyclist, has completed dozens marathons, and is a three-time Ironman.