Position: Assistant Director for Belonging and Engagement
Amanda supports belonging and engagement for diverse student populations, particularly around race/ethnicity and LGBTQ+ identities, by providing leadership for the resource centers and educational programs regarding issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Amanda is a proud first-generation/low-income, Latinx college graduate from rural Northwest Ohio and brings these intersectional identities to both her scholarship, practice, and advocacy for those she works alongside. Amanda holds a B.A. (2012) and M.A. (2016) in Art History, a M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Personnel (2019) from Kent State University, a graduate certificate in Ethnic Studies (2023) from Bowling Green State University and is currently earning a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at BGSU.
Amanda’s research interests focus on the history of higher education law, institutional policy and program delivery, equity, student of color development, and student of color activism in higher education spaces. Her dissertation project is using historical case study to examine the creation of the Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, its subsequent renaming after the late Dr. Ronald E. McNair, and the Program’s development over time.
Prior to coming to BGSU, Amanda was the Director of Multicultural Student Affairs at the College of Wooster (2018-2020).
Kayden Kelly (they/them/theirs)
Position: Graduate Coordinator for LGBTQ+ Programs
Kayden is currently in their first year of pursuing a master's degree in social work. They graduated from Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in social work. During their undergraduate career Kayden was passionate about fostering diverse and inclusive spaces for all individuals through their work as the President of Multicultural All-Inclusive Gamma Rho Lambda National Sorority Alpha Beta Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Queer/Trans Student Union (QTSU), Research presentations on Microaggressions & the History of Racial Fetishization, Advocacy work for missing Black and Indigenous women & girls, and previously working as a Resident Advisor for BGSUs Office of Residence Life. They are excited this year to continue fostering brave spaces and connecting with Falcons.
