Our expert speakers bring valuable expertise in student wellness, resilience, and housing practices. With a wealth of academic and professional experience, each speaker will share practical insights and strategies to support residential communities in times of change, focusing on mental health, dialogue, and student well-being.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Drea Letamendi
Dr. Drea Letamendi (she/her/ella) is a licensed psychologist, mental health trainer, and two-time TEDx speaker with degrees and training from Cornell University, UCSD, and UCLA. Dr. Drea serves UCLA as a campus mental health leader, which included 3 years as the Interim Director of the UCLA Resilience Center and 8 years as the Associate Director of Mental Health Training, Intervention, and Response in Residential Life. Dr. Drea spearheaded UCLA’s campus suicide prevention and response program called Suicide Safe, and in Spring of 2025 will serve as the inaugural Director of the UCLA CAPS CORE Program, the campus’s first mobile crisis response initiative for students experiencing mental health-related crises. Dr. Drea also has a private practice as a behavioral science advisor for the gaming, visual effects, and entertainment media industries and has written publications about the positive impacts of media engagement on mental health in youth and college-age adults, as covered in the Atlantic, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She delivers trainings to companies such as Marvel, Disney, and Warner Bros. Entertainment to help industry leaders use science-backed behavioral health practices on and off-screen. Her latest peer-reviewed publication is with Springer Publishing and is titled, The Force Awakens: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Using Star Wars. For more information about Dr. Drea, her website is drdreapsychology.com.
Educational Session Speakers
Associate Dean of the College, Student Living & Wellness, Vassar College
Assistant Professor and HESA Coordinator, Western Michigan University
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of the Higher Education & Student Affairs Program, Northern Illinois University
Leadership Coordinator, California State – San Bernardino
Associate Director, Residential Life and Housing Services, University of Rochester
Associate Director of Residence Life, University of Rochester
Associate Director of Residence Life, University of Rochester