For Immediate Release

NISOD Announces 2020 Keynote Speakers

Austin, Texas, January 30, 2020 – The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) announced that Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab is the recipient of the 2020 John E. Roueche International Leadership Award and that Rob Jenkins is the recipient of the 2020 Suanne Davis Roueche Distinguished Lecturer Award. Both will deliver keynote addresses at the International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence.

Dr. Goldrick-Rab delivers her keynote address on Monday, May 25. She is best known for her innovative research on food and housing insecurity in higher education, which includes leading the four largest national studies on the subject, and for her work on making public higher education free. “I’m grateful to NISOD for recognizing the importance of the #RealCollege movement, which is redefining what it means to be a student-ready college,” Dr. Goldrick-Rab said. “I appreciate the opportunity to discuss basic needs insecurity and ways to address it at the upcoming conference.” It’s this commitment to student equity that earned her the 2020 John E. Roueche International Leadership Award. This award honors John’s service to The University of Texas at Austin, and recognizes his role as the founder of NISOD four decades ago.

Rob Jenkins, who has been awarded the 2020 Suanne Davis Roueche Distinguished Lecturer Award, is a regular contributor to The Chronical of Higher Education, the author of five books, and a founding member of the Retention Project. “I’m incredibly honored to receive an award named for Suanne Davis Roueche, one of the pioneers of the community college movement and a giant of American higher education over the last several decades,” Jenkins said. “Her writing and public advocacy was instrumental in bringing two-year colleges into national prominence, and helped provide educational opportunities for millions of students.” Rob delivers his keynote address on Tuesday, May 26. “I’m excited about speaking at NISOD, which in my opinion is the premier two-year college conference in the country. I look forward to addressing a topic that is near to my heart—the indispensable role teachers play in promoting student retention and success—for an audience composed largely of my favorite people: community college faculty and staff.”

Learn more about the upcoming conference here.