Senior Student Affairs Officer (SSAO) Educational Programming
Through various virtual, on-demand, and in-person programs, AFA seeks to strengthen its ties to Senior Student Affairs Officers and equip them with the resources they need to better support their fraternity/sorority life teams and build stronger communities.
Through dedicated programming for Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs), AFA is able to work toward its vision that every single senior student affairs officer who leads sorority and fraternity communities is prepared with a working knowledge to:
- Leverage fraternity and sorority students and alumni to accomplish divisional and institutional goals;
- Understand and develop the human resources necessary to effectively support the fraternity and sorority experience; and
- Advocate for the growth of the fraternity and sorority experience on their campuses.
Programming for SSAOs is funded through the generous support of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fund for Senior Student Affairs Officer Development with the AFA Foundation.
Senior Student Affairs Officer (SSAO) Convening at the AFA Annual Meeting
The SSAO Convening at the Annual Meeting serves as a catalyst for engagement, resource development, and information sharing between senior student affairs officers and leaders of AFA.
The SSAO Convening at the 2025 AFA Annual Meeting will take place on Monday, December 8, from 9am – 3:30pm PT, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada (room TBA).
Price: $90. $0.
In an effort to remove barriers to access, Lumen Leadership Strategies is covering the registration cost for all SSAO Convening attendees. Registration for this event, however, is required.
*Registration for this program is limited to those in VP and AVP roles.
Questions? If you have questions, please contact Jason Bergeron, AFA Executive Director.
AVP Institute at the NASPA Annual Conference
Creating a healthy and thriving sorority and fraternity community increasingly requires the strategic investment of multiple key campus partners, and student affairs leaders are most uniquely positioned to provide strategic support to this very complex and distinct functional area. During this session at the 2025 NASPA AVP Symposium, presenters frame and contextualize what strong sorority and fraternity professional work should look like, discuss how to engage from their unique organizational level, and share ways to leverage support from fraternity and sorority life; students and alumni to advance institutional goals.
Questions? If you have questions, please contact Jason Bergeron, AFA Executive Director.
AVP Intensive for Student Affairs and FSL Leaders
AFA and the Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research announce the ‘AVPs Intensive’ Program Series, a series of live and on-demand programs designed to enhance the capacity of Assistant and Associate Vice Presidents to successfully build strategy and support for their fraternity/sorority communities. The ‘AVPs Intensive’ Program Series is designed to support those student affairs divisional leaders charged with providing strategic leadership to fraternity/sorority programs, looking to build coalitions that actively include fraternities and sororities on campus, and engaging in strategic harm prevention efforts with fraternities and sororities.This program is delivered through several on-demand courses, organized in a 101, 201, 301, and 401 format. Participants who register for the on-demand course series will also have the opportunity to participate in two live virtual “processing” webinars where they will have an opportunity to receive updates on effective hazing prevention practices and connect with fellow professionals to deepen learning and discuss opportunities for application. These engaging sessions are tailored to staff leading prevention and will unpack the recorded series in a customized way. Participants will engage in discussions, ask questions, and relate the content to their own campuses, and leave with research informed prevention plans.
AFA’s portion of the AVPs Intensive Program Series is provided in financial partnership with Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity & Educational Foundation through the ‘Sigma Phi Epsilon Fund for Senior Student Affairs Officer Development’, housed within the AFA Foundation. The Piazza Center’s portion of the AVPs Intensive Program Series is sponsored by Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity and Educational Foundation, and Jim and Evleyn Piazza.
Live Virtual Program Dates:
- Thursday, November 13, 12pm ET / 11am CT
- Thursday, March 12, 2026, 1pm ET / 12pm CT
Learn More about Future SSAO Programs
Interested in receiving more information about future SSAO programming and educational opportunities? Sign up to receive emails from AFA about upcoming events, webinars, and other professional development opportunities:
SSAO Advisory Committee
AFA’s Senior Student Affairs Officers (SSAOs) Advisory Committee (SSAO AC) brings together SSAOs dedicated to amplifying fraternities and sororities to help elevate AFA’s mission and initiatives to the attention of university leadership and provide insight into how AFA can better serve as a resource to university leadership in their strategic guidance of student experiences that include FSL. The Advisory Committee is charged with Advocacy and Visibility for AFA programs and services, Strategic Alignment with AFA’s work in higher education, and Feedback and Recommendations for AFA that identify opportunities for innovation.
Committee Membership:
- Dr. Kevin W. Bailey, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Chair
- Dr. Cynthia Hernandez, Texas State University
- Dr. D’Andra Mull, University of Colorado Boulder
- Dr. Mel Norwood-Johnson, Winston-Salem State University
- Dr. Dwayne Todd, Ohio Wesleyan University
- Dr. Jeanine Ward-Roof, Ferris State University