Well-Being in Higher Education

Peter S. Elliott is vice president for administrative services at South Florida State College (SFSC). Elliott, who is a certified public accountant (CPA), earned his bachelor’s of science in accounting and master’s of accounting from Florida State University. He earned his associate’s in arts from Santa Fe College. Prior to coming to SFSC, he was vice president for administration and chief financial officer at Polk State College for 14 years. Previously, he worked at Broward College as associate vice president of financial operations, director of financial operations, and adjunct instructor in accounting. For 11 years, he served as an auditor with the state of Florida’s office of the auditor general.

Leslie Jamison is the chief financial officer (CFO) at Atlantic Cape Community College where she has worked for over 22 years. She is responsible for all areas of finance including audit, general ledger, payroll, bursar, financial aid, grants, accounting, and accounts payable. Jamison provides strategic leadership for the institution, including serving as the liaison to the board of trustees' budget, finance, and audit committee. She serves on a variety of college committees and helped guide the college's efforts during the global pandemic, providing leadership and administering the various COVID-19 relief grants for the institution and students. She participated in the most recent middle states accreditation team, serving as co-chair of verification of compliance and is a member of the New Jersey council of county college's business operations affinity group, serving as chair in FY21.

Jamison earned her bachelor’s of science in accounting from Clemson University and is a certified public accountant (CPA) in New Jersey. She successfully completed leadership training at the Chair Academy and participated in a Lean Six Sigma program.

Nicole Kerns, director of USCard services at the University of Southern California (USC), has been employed at USC for over 20 years. In her time at USC, she has worked in the financial and business services division, as well as USC's Viterbi School of Engineering. Kerns earned her BA in economics from USC's Dana and David Dornsife college of letters, arts, and sciences and her master of studies in law from USC's Gould school of law. Nicole is on the board for USC's staff club, is a proud member of NACCU, and is currently the chair for NACCU's professional development committee.

Kristina Patridge is the director of dining services. Patridge has administered the food service contract at The University of Alabama (UA) for more than 23 years and is committed to delivering a dining program that is collaborative, inspires community building, and promotes student success. During her time at UA, she has effectively worked through all aspects of dining program management including the RFP process, revenue, policy development, contract compliance, capital construction, and mandatory meal plans. Patridge is an active member of the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) and is a past president. She also served on the 2011 advisory committee for the second edition of Administering Food Service Contracts: A Handbook for Contract Administrators in College and University Food Services. Patridge received her BA degree in sociology from The University of Alabama at Birmingham and her MS degree in restaurant and hospitality management from The University of Alabama.

Carmen Roberts is the executive director of operations at Great Falls College MSU, a small two-year public institution in central Montana. In this role, she oversees facilities, IT, auxiliary services, student accounts, and finance. She has a master’s of public administration from the University of Montana and a bachelor’s in history and political science. She has spent much of her career in public education, with a brief detour in corporate finance. 

Kelli S. Rainey, Ed.D., serves as the senior director for grants management at NACUBO. In her current role, she is leading a multi-foundation, multi-campus project to develop frameworks, tools, and models that will change how higher education institutions strategically and sustainably finance equitable student outcomes. With more than two decades in higher education, Rainey has an extensive background in institutional effectiveness, data analytics, and student development. Most recently, she provided strategic leadership as a senior-level university administrator and focused on strategies and initiatives to support student retention and completion, service delivery, and organizational effectiveness. Rainey holds a doctorate in higher education and organizational change and a graduate certificate in institutional research.