Kelsi-Leandra (KL) Lane Named as Director of the Arthur O. Eve HEOP and AHANA Programs at Le Moyne
Following an extensive search, KL Lane, Le Moyne's current assistant director, has been named director for the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the African-American, Hispanic, Asian, Native American (AHANA) Program. She will begin in this role on Jan. 1.
Celebrating its 50-year anniversary in 2019, HEOP is a collaboration between the New York State Education Department and independent colleges across the state. As part of this long-standing partnership and financial support from the New York State Department of Education, Le Moyne provides advising/mentoring services, academic support and financial aid to capable students who, due to academic under preparation and limited financial resources, might not have an opportunity to attend college. As a compliment to HEOP, Le Moyne also runs the AHANA Program, which supports the College's commitment to diversity and inclusion by expanding its student body to include the rich ethnic, racial and economic diversity of our society. This program provides advising/mentoring services, academic support, and leadership opportunities to in state and out of state students who demonstrate academic ability and potential for collegiate success.
As director of these two programs, KL's responsibilities will include strategic planning, program development, state reporting and compliance, assessment, budgeting, supervision of program staff and student advising. She will also partner with admissions to help Le Moyne recruit and select the best candidates for the HEOP and AHANA Program and will work closely with colleagues across campus to advocate for students and support college-wide initiatives.
"This is a very exciting time to be involved with HEOP because we are celebrating HEOP's golden anniversary and preparing to submit a new application for the 2019-2023 grant cycle this spring,” said Allison Farrell, assistant dean for student success. “KL is poised to strategically elevate Le Moyne's HEOP and AHANA programs to the next level while focusing on the programs' deep roots, established by the strong leadership of the founding director, Carl Thomas. KL has a vast knowledge of New York State Department of Education HEOP guidelines, a sincere interest in developing meaningful partnerships across campus and a passion for supporting students from historically marginalized groups in their academic and professional journeys. This is a winning combination and will serve both our students and institution well for years to come."
Prior to her start at Le Moyne in August, KL served as the assistant director of the Academic Support Center/Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program at Sage College of Albany for six years and as a prospective student consultant in the admissions team at Red Deer College in Alberta, Canada for five years prior to that. She has been a member of the HEOP Professional Organization's executive board for five years and currently holds the position of communications liaison. KL earned a bachelor's degree in management from Athabasca University in Canada and a master's degree in Africana Studies from the University at Albany. She is also in the process of completing a second master's degree in organizational management at the Sage Graduate School.
A search will begin in January to fill the assistant director vacancy created by this promotion.