Presenter Bio - Dr. Staci Phelan
Dr. Staci Phelan currently serves as the Division Administrator for the Division of Management Services in the Department of Health and Welfare for the State of Idaho. Previously she served as the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management at Idaho State University overseeing Financial Aid, Scholarships, New Student Orientation, the Office of the Registrar, Systems and Data Management, and Admissions and Recruiting.
Dr. Phelan worked in higher education for twelve years, including in internal audit, as a University Business Officer in Student Affairs, Student Success, Academic Affairs, Athletics, the College of Education, and Enrollment Management. She has served as the AVPEM since 2019. She and her team were able to successfully address and reverse a ten-year enrollment decline through innovative practices and collaboration across campus.
Staci is a first-generation student who recognizes the struggle that some students can face when trying to attend and complete college while balancing full time work and raising a family. She attended West Hills Community college earning an associate’s degree in business administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, Fresno, and a Doctorate degree in Higher Education Administration from Idaho State University. Her personal lived experiences as a full-time student, full time employee, and full time wife and mom have led her to have a passionate research interest in student retention, especially students who have factors that make them more likely to stop out or drop out before completing a credential. Her passion is helping all students succeed and find their own pathway to success and is focused on ensuring that barriers to that success are identified and removed when possible.
She is an award-winning researcher, winning the people’s choice award at the State of Idaho’s inaugural three-minute thesis presentation in 2019 for her dissertation research. Her dissertation was also nominated for the prestigious Kole McGuffey award. In2019, she received the Benny Award for Non-Classified staff members, and multiple awards for customer service between 2012 and 2018. Staci was recognized in 2022 as the “Amiga del Ano” by the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, due to her work in creating and hosting the first Hispanic Youth Leadership Summit event in Southeastern Idaho- bringing more than 500 Hispanic and Native American students to the ISU campus.
When not working, you will find Staci and her husband Geoff cheering for their son at his sporting events, working in the garden, hiking with her two yellow labs, and cooking or baking delectable items to share with others.
