Leadership

Stuart Halsall

Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Stuart Halsall has been a dedicated member of the University of Denver community since May 1, 1999. Over the past two decades, he has held various leadership roles within the Division of Athletics and Recreation.

In May 2022, he was appointed Associate Vice Chancellor for the Kennedy Mountain Campus, Wellness & Recreation. Today, Stuart serves as the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, providing leadership for all Student Affairs departments, including the Kennedy Mountain Campus, Wellness and Recreation. In this role, he works to enhance the student experience at DU.

Stuart brings more than two decades of facilities, sports, recreation, wellness, and events administration experience, building a reputation for developing quality operations, programs and services and developing great teams, relationships, and partnerships. He is an experienced executive with a demonstrated history of achievement in higher education and is charged with realizing DU's vision of the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus.

Meghan C. Dimsa, EdD

Executive Director of Strategy and Communication

Meg Dimsa currently serves as the Executive Director of Strategy and Communication for Student Affairs at the University of Denver. She brings over 19 years of experience leading campus-wide initiatives in health and wellness, student engagement, facilities and operations, large-scale event planning, budget management, and strategic team leadership.

Before joining DU, Meg was the Executive Director of Campus Recreation, Health, and Wellness at Georgetown University, a role she held since 2009. Prior to that, she served in multiple leadership positions at the University of Missouri – Columbia (Mizzou).

Meg’s professional interests focus on proactive, inclusive approaches to student well-being. She is passionate about health promotion, mental health, the role of physical activity in student success, and fostering equity through community health initiatives both in the U.S. and abroad. She is also deeply committed to project management and inclusive leadership development.

She holds multiple degrees, including:

B.S. in Exercise Psychology from West Virginia University
M.Ed. in Kinesiology and Physiology with a focus in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Bowling Green State University
M.A. in Executive Leadership from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business
Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Creighton University
Executive MBA from the University of Denver’s Daniels School of Business

Meg is also a certified project manager and holds numerous national certifications in health, wellness, and coaching.

Niki Latino

Dean of Students & Associate Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs & Inclusive Excellence

Dr. Niki Latino is the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at the University of Denver. She earned her master's and doctoral degrees at DU. Her PhD is in higher education teaching and learning, with specialties in inclusive leadership and inclusive excellence. She has taught at DU, at the graduate and undergraduate levels and serves on graduate student research committees. Her passion is creating inclusive learning environments and equitable access to learning for all students

Tamara White, Ph.D

Associate Dean of Students

Tamara D. White, Ph.D. currently serves as Associate Dean of Students and Interim Director of the Cultural Center for the division of Student Affairs at the University of Denver. Dr. White formerly served as the Vice President of Enrollment Services and Student Success at Front Range Community College, the Dean of Students at the Community College of Aurora, and the Director of Admission and Access Policy for the Colorado Department of Higher Education. She spent most of her professional career in higher education, serving in roles in student life, multicultural affairs, leadership, and residence life. Dr. White earned her doctorate in higher education from the University of Denver. She has two children, a 19-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter.

Michael J. LaFarr

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Health & Wellness

Dr. Michael LaFarr earned his BA in Education from Johnson State College in 1993, his MA in Higher Education from the University of Denver in 2008, and his PsyD in Clinical Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in 2010. Previously Michael was the Executive Director of Health and Wellness at Brandeis University and was also the former Director of Student Affairs at the Harvard School of Public Health. Michael served in the Peace Corps of the United States, working in Education and Health Promotion in Mali, West Africa. His professional interests include health care disparity & access, health and wellness, college mental health, differences in learning, grief counseling, giftedness, psychodynamic treatment, sexual therapy, non-majority sexual orientation & transgender mental health.

Shana Alston

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Housing & Residential Education

Shana provides strategic leadership for residential education, campus housing operations, off-campus housing, and campus dining services. Shana strives to enhance both the student and staff experience while improving housing administrative and operational processes by significantly advancing residential educational experience, enhancing housing technology, growing staff development opportunities, strategic communication, and hiring & recruitment processes. Shana holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and a Master’s of Science degree in Educational Counseling from Monmouth University. She has worked at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Monmouth University, Philadelphia University (Thomas Jefferson University- East Falls), and Temple University during her professional career. Shana values professional involvement and is also an active member of ACUHO-I. She currently serves as the Chair Elect of the ACUHO-I Foundation.

Chris Roby

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Engagement & 4D Experience

Chris joins us most recently after 15 years at Duke University, where he served as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Executive Director of University Center Activities and Events. Chris is a proven leader in bringing talented staff together in support of the student experience, and in intentionally developing signature community-building spaces with the goal of creating engaged, inclusive spaces for all students to learn, grow, and thrive.

Chris comes to us with 32 years of experience in Student Affairs, with an extensive portfolio in student activities, strategic planning, facilities and renovation planning, budget management, and extensive work building strong, cohesive teams and engaging diverse students and staff. As Assistant Vice President at Duke, Chris led a comprehensive department including the student involvement and student engagement teams, conference and event services, venue and production management, UCAE’s finance and administration unit, as well as the division’s strategic communications and professional development team. Previous to his time at Duke, Chris led teams at Florida State University, the University of Miami, and Eckerd College, holding roles as union director as well as director of student activities and leadership programs, and as an assistant dean of students.

Chris also has an extensive facilities management portfolio, having been responsible for Duke’s Campus Center complex, Art Centers, Performance and Theater Venues, and non-residential facilities, and at Florida State, providing oversight for the Oglesby Union Complex as well as the Student Life Building, Student Services Building, and the Flying High Circus (yes, a literal circus—ask him about it sometime).

When he is not in the office, Chris enjoys collecting and creating art, antiquing, and getting out and exploring new parks and hiking trails with his family.