The American College Personnel Association (ACPA) has named SUNY Oswego’s Title IX Coordinator Lisa Evaneski a 2022 Diamond Honoree. 

“It’s a huge honor and I’m very humbled by being included in this class. I’ve known some of these people for 20 years. It’s just really cool to be included in this class of incredible professionals,” Evaneski said about her nomination.

Evaneski was nominated by ACPA member Jeanne Sevigny, now the associate director of housing operations at University of Texas - Dallas. A former residence life administrator at Oswego, Sevigny has been a member of ACPA for 30 years.

“One thing that stands out about Lisa is her dedicated service leadership style. No matter her professional role, she is a mentor and example of a professional educator,” Sevigny said of her decision to nominate Evaneski.  

Sevigny, who also noted the ease about forming a friendship and professional relationship with Evaneski, praised how dedicated Evaneski is to her role as a higher education professional. 

“Over the many years serving student affairs departments, Evaneski supported many young professionals finding their passion in a profession that is demanding, time consuming and emotionally challenging,” Sevigny said. “Evaneski is never afraid to make the personal sacrifice for the cause, be it duties related to her position or to support the growth and opportunity for staff and students in need.”

Supporting ACPA 

Evaneski has been a member of ACPA since 1994 and has served on a number of committees, including the Mid-Level Community of Practice; Commission for Student Conduct and Legal (SCLI) Issues; Standing Committee for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Awareness (SCLGBTA); and as the volunteer coordinator for the 2005 Convention Planning Committee. 

“Connecting with others with similar interests is a great way to learn from other people doing the same work. It’s helpful to have people doing the same job as you, but working somewhere else, to run things by,” Evaneski said. “The ACPA has supported me in working with students so I can be the best student-focused professional I can be. I find that’s one way I can contribute to our campus and continue to grow.”

Evaneski has also been honored in the past because of her work with ACPA, receiving the Award for Public Service from SCLGBTA in 2001, the Student Impact Award from Commission for SCLI in 2013 and the Outstanding Service to the SCLI Award in 2014. 

The Diamond Honoree program, both a recognition and fundraising program, allows individuals to fundraise and donate to the ACPA Foundation for programs that will promote and ensure an intersectional and equitable future and opportunities for higher education professionals and students. Established in 1999, it provides a way for those that care about students -- and the research, scholarship and programs that promote student development and success -- to help advance ACPA’s efforts. 

About the foundation

The ACPA Foundation was founded in 1994 with a mission to enhance the student affairs profession through funding and developing resources. To learn more about the ACPA Foundation and the Diamond Honoree Class of 2022, visit the 2022 Diamond Honoree page.

Funds raised for the foundation will be used by the ACPA for scholarships, research and development of programs in support of advancing the higher education field. 

“One of the programs it helps fund is the undergraduate student program, which is for students who are interested in higher education work post-graduation,” Evaneski said. “This enables them to attend events such as national conferences.” 

Since 1999, over $100,000 has been donated to the ACPA Foundation by the Diamond Honoree program.