Avila Now

By Maria Benevento, The Kansas City Beacon, March 2, 2022 Do a quick Google search of “college value” and you’ll immediately find several lists and rankings claiming to tell you which colleges are best worth your investment. But why do the lists differ and what does that mean to you? There’s no set formula for figuring...

Monica Curls, MSOD ‘15 is the Manager of Government Compliance for Terracon, an engineering company based out of Olathe, Kansas. Before joining Terracon, Curls worked for Black & Veatch and also served as Director of the Kansas City Branch Office of the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office. Curls earned her MSOD from Avila in 2015....

After a nine-year career in the field of criminology, Ashley Rowland felt a push toward a new direction. “I needed a program that would allow me to continue to meet my obligations to my family while still being able to pursue my new dream,” said Avila alumna Ashley Rowland, Master of Arts in Education ‘21....

Vladamir Sainte comes to Avila’s Organizational Development program as a licensed clinical social worker. “I have worked on a micro-level to provide best practices for clients,” said Sainte. “With this degree, I will be able to elevate these best practices on a macro-level, where the organization will be my client.” “The opportunity to learn new...

“I was looking into potentially getting an MBA but felt that was too broad and not specific enough to what I was currently doing and wanted to do for my career,” said Avila alumnus Jeff Kolb. Like many in the Organizational Development master’s program, Jeff was already performing OD-type duties in his job — without...

Now the Director of Research and Organizational Change at Culture Journey — Critical Social Change Project, Breann Branch, MSOD, Ph.D. is a 2014 graduate of Avila University’s Institute for Professional Studies. Branch works with government, corporate, education, and community organizations to provide evidence-based, transformative change solutions relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Branch came to...

Samantha Collins, MA.Ed is a 2019 graduate of Avila University’s School of Education. A career-changer, Collins went through Avila’s initial teaching certification program before continuing on to earn her Master’s degree. “When I decided to make a switch to be an educator, I knew I wanted to find an accredited, rigorous program with a strong reputation...

As director of TRIO Student Support Services, Anissa Martinez, M.S.Ed., aids Avila students learn more about financial literacy, career development, self-care and academic readiness through workshops, summer programs and other programs. She joined Avila in 2018 after serving as a graduate assistant at the University of Kansas Office of Multicultural Affairs, where she aided with the Kauffman Scholars program. In...

Daniel Weigel, Ph.D., LPC/LCPC, CRAADC, NCC, CCMHC, MAC, ACS, joined Avila University as Director of the Student Access Office in August 2019. The Student Access Office has a mission “to encourage individuals to develop their unique potential by providing services and programs in a supportive environment,” with a primary goal of promoting “an environment at Avila that is physically and...

Andy Jett, Ed.D., recently joined Avila University as its new Dean of the College of Professional Schools, overseeing the Schools of Business, Education and Visual & Communication Arts (VisCom), as well as the Avila Advantage Institute for Professional Studies. We asked Andy a few questions about his experience, wide array of academic experience and planning in an...