Staff
Katie Bryant Wilson, Ed. D.
Senior Director of Student Engagement
Katie Wilson comes to us from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she served as Director for Student Involvement and Activities and as Assistant Director for Multicultural, Leadership and Service Programs. In these positions, she provided leadership for Student Activities, Greek Life, Leadership Development, and Service Programs and created the Student Organization Development program. Her previous experience included positions in leadership development, community service, and residence life at Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Southern Oregon University, and the University at Stony Brook (SUNY). Born in Virginia, Dr. Wilson grew up in an army family with posts all around the country and in Germany.
Dr. Wilson earned her Bachelor’s in History and Religious Studies at the University of Virginia, Master’s in Educational Leadership at Miami University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Policy and Management from the University of Oregon. Her dissertation focused on understanding how college experiences contribute to student political participation.
Katie has been actively engaged in the student affairs profession through ACU-I, NASPA, and NWACUHO. She has worked closely with students in student and residence hall government, campus programming, and as a sorority chapter advisor, and is committed to working with students to maximize the impact of their co-curricular experience on their learning and to leave a legacy for those that will follow.
Dr. Wilson has been married to her husband, Bob, for seven years and they have 2 dogs. Bob is a golf teaching professional and a coach for the First Tee junior golf program.JS Bragg
Assistant Director
JS Bragg came to Miami in August 2005 after earning a BA in History with minors in English & Theatre and an MA in Counseling-Student Affairs from Marshall University in Huntington, WV. He worked as Advisor for the Student Activities Program Board while at Marshall. He has atteneded a number of regional and national NACA conferences where he has presented educational sessions several times, as well as volunteering in several roles for NACA.
He is happily married and has a philosophy of enjoying life and sees the obstacles life throws in your way as exciting challenges rather than a cause for stress.
JS has the distinct pleasure of working with the students in the Program Board at Miami, who also produce the widely used Miami Memos. He also serves as supervisor for the advisors of AfterDark and Sigma Alpha Pi. He works closely with several committees on campus, including the University Lecture Series and University Logo Committee and teaches EDL 306, The Nature of Group Leadership.
JS is a self proclaimed "geek" having large collections of comics, action figures, cards, board games, role playing games, and more. One of JS’s biggest loves and passions (other than his wife, of course) are the Cincinnati Reds. He loves playing video games, raquetball, softball, Ladder Ball and occasionally football. He recently took up Disc Golf. He has been blessed in life with great friends and a great family that he loves to spend his time with, along with his wife and cat Azrael and new puppy Quinn. For more infomation on JS (including his days in pro wrestling) visit his website.
Vanessa Braun
Assistant Director
Vanessa Braun joined the Student Activities and Leadership Office in January, 2007. Prior to accepting the position at Miami she worked for a brief time in Human Resources, but had continually been looking for a position in student affairs. After interviewing with Miami's Student Activities & Leadership Office and meeting some amazing Miami students Vanessa new that Miami was the right place. "The people make it feel like home."
She grew up an hour and a half north of Pittsburgh, and attended Allegheny College, where she was a double major in Psychology and Communication Arts. Vanessa obtained her Masters in Higher Education from the University of Pittsburgh and is thrilled to be at Miami. By far, her favorite part of the job is advising the Campus Activities Council (CAC). "They are an outstanding group of people. They make me want to come to work every day"
Vanessa is also a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and can be found watching games throughout the fall and post season. She is an avid movie watcher and loves the old Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly days. Additionally, she has a collection of contemporary romantic comedies and Will Smith Films. She loves to spend time outside when the weather is nice and enjoys swimming, hiking, horseback riding, and playing with her yellow lab, Randall.
Besides spending time running with bones and chasing his tail, Randall is also a guide dog and has been with Vanessa since the summer of 2005. He comes from a school called Guiding Eyes For the Blind < http://www.guidingeyes.org > . Vanessa has been visually impaired since birth and Randall is her second dog from Guiding Eyes. If you are interested, Randall can also be friended on Facebook (Randall El Perro), yes we in the office made him his own page.
Stefanie DiDomenico
Graduate Assistant, Leadership
Stefanie DiDomenico is a second year graduate student in the College Student Personnel program here at Miami University. She is the Student Leadership Graduate Assistantship for the office, where she helps support many leadership initiatives and programs on campus. Stefanie is a co-teacher and coordinator for EDL 306, which is an undergraduate introductory leadership course. She advises the Society of Leadership and Success, Sigma Alpha Pi, and serves on the Miami Leadership Steering Committee. In addition, she is the coordinator for Miami's LeaderShape 2009, which is a unique six-day institute, emphasizing self-discovery and learning from practical experiences that build your leadership concepts and abilities.
Stefanie grew up in Oceanside, NY, about 40 minutes from the city. She graduated from James Madison University in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, with a bachelor's degree in political science in May 2008. Go Dukes!
Cindy Fledderman
Administrative Assistant
Cindy Fledderman is one of the newer staff members at the Office of Student Activities and Leadership and comes to our office from the William Holmes McGuffey Museum. Having earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University, Cindy has worked various administative positions throughout the years as she and her husband raised their four children. Cindy enjoys working in the higher education environment and especially the connections she makes with students from various student organizations.
Jill Van Auken
Graduate Assistant, AfterDark
Jill Van Auken is the Graduate Assistant in the Office of Student Activities and Leadership, where she serves as the advisor of AfterDark, a student-run program board. Additionally, she is the coordinator of ULead, an annual four-day leadership institute for first year students. Jill grew up in Medina, Ohio and attended Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio for her undergraduate degree. In June 2008, she received her Bachelor of Science in Middle Childhood Education with a minor in Psychology. She is currently enrolled in the College Student Personnel Masters Program at Miami University.