Dr. Melanie Hulbert is an Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Western Colorado University. She received a combined B.A. in Sociology and Psychology from Western Washington University and a M.A. in Gender Studies and a Ph.D in Sociology from the University of Albany (SUNY). Dr. Hulbert served as a sociology professor for over 15 years before moving into university administration where her primary initiatives focus on student academic success, retention, persistence, and on-time graduation. She is a strong proponent of the CCA Game Changers and has implemented all of them at Western. She is particularly passionate about ensuring that all exploratory students on her campus are connected to a meta-major and are engaged in high quality professional advising that moves each student towards their career of choice. Her commitment to student success and initiatives focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion is what motivates her work and she effectively promotes CCA initiatives and programming. Dr. Hulbert is also a professional speaker and is described as a dynamic, committed, and powerful story teller and speaker. She brings a unique and scholarly perspective to issues of organizational leadership and change, diversity and reconciliation, women’s leadership, identity development, and Generation Z. Dr. Hulbert has been invited to speak all over the nation on university campuses, at businesses and organizations, and community events. She lives in a small mountain town in the Rocky Mountains where she enjoys everything that has to do with the outdoors and adventure. She is a world traveler, a marathoner, and loves to love her family! She is married to Jeff and has two beautiful sons, Caleb and Aidan and a pup named “Duke!”