Vickie Jengo
Assistant Director, Campus Activities
My name is Vickie Jengo, and I am running for the position of Professional Staff Representative alongside my colleague Kayla Stepinac. I have worked at William Paterson since June 2009 (nearly 17 years). I have taken my time to observe and see what goes on in our Union, and I feel that I can offer a new and fresh insight. I have always been one to seek out ways I can have the biggest impact on our community, and I decided now is the time. I am actively involved in many areas on campus. I have a highly student-facing role on campus, and feel that because of that, I can offer a different perspective on how to be most efficient for ourselves as well as our students. In 2020, I was awarded one of the AFT Professional Staff Performance-Based Promotions. After that, I ran and served on the AFT Professional Staff Performance-Based Promotions committee and chaired it (2021 & 2022). I have also been a part of the Scholarship Committee for a few years. I have found it very rewarding to work with different members across the Union whom I may not have known in other facets. I would love to be able to work with even more members and contribute in a meaningful way.
Qualifications:
- 15 years employment as a full time WPU Professional Staff in the Office of Campus Activities, Service & Leadership
- Active member of the University Hearing board since 2009
- Recipient of the AFT Professional Staff Performance Based Promotion in 2020
- Elected twice to serve terms on the AFT Professional Staff Promotion Committee (2021 & 2022)
- Chaired the AFT Professional Staff Promotion Committee (2021 & 2022)
- Trained Facilitator in multiple Franklin Covey programs such as Unconscious Bias and 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders.
- Sat on the AFT Scholarship Committee for 2 years (2021 & 2022)
- Trained as Title IX Investigator since August 2019
- Bystander Training Facilitator through Bringing in the Bystander
- Oversee the Pioneer Pantry and Civic Engagement Vistas through the office of Campus Activities, Service & Leadership
- Facilitated Summer Training sessions at WP from 2020-2022
- Coordinated and ran the 2024 MLK Day of Service alongside the Director of the CDI, Director of Campus Activities, Service & Leadership and the CE Vista in Campus Activities, Service & Leadership
- Serve on the EBoard of the Lincoln School HSA in Caldwell, NJ (2023-present)
Kayla Stepinac
Academic Advisor & Retention Specialist
I am an Academic Advisor and Retention Specialist at William Paterson University in the Gloria S. Williams Advisement Center. I have been working in Higher Education for over 7 years with experience in enrollment management, student development, and academic affairs. I have experience in Residence Life, Career Services, Academic Advisement, Student Programming and Leadership, and Disability Services at various colleges and universities throughout New Jersey. I graduated from Montclair State University’s Educational Leadership: Higher Education Master’s program and previously earned a Bachelor’s degree from William Paterson University as a proud Pioneer in Political Science and Criminal Justice. I am also a very active member of the WP community. I am running for the Professional Staff Representative position to be a voice for the staff on campus who feel unheard or unseen. I want to ensure there is at least one meeting per semester with staff to discuss real issues that affect their work and the challenges they face at the University. I aim to improve staff morale and address the burnout we all feel across campus. I plan to host bi-weekly office hours with both in-person and online options for staff to increase accessibility to this role on campus, in addition to email communication. You deserve representation that is accessible, willing to push the needle to get things done, meets you where you are at, and is transparent.
Qualifications:
2025-Present: Faculty Senate Professional Staff Representative.
2012-2015 and 2017-2019: 5 years part-time higher education experience in the following areas of higher education: Academic Advisement, Student Programming, Residence Life, Financial Aid, Academic Coaching with At-Risk Student Population and Accessibility Student Resources.
2020-2024: Member of National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) since July 2020.
2021: Creator of the WPU Advisor Toolkit used to train both professional advisors in the Advisement Center and new faculty advisors.
2023: Earned a Certificate in Fostering a Culture of Belonging by the Association of College and University Educators since November 2023.
2023: Certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Responder since April 2023.
2019-Present: 7 years full-time work experience within higher education, 5.5 years of experience at William Paterson University as Professional Staff in the Gloria S. Williams Academic Advisement Center and 1.5 years of experience in Career Services previously.
2020-Present: Active Member of the AFT Union since July 2020.
2021-Present: Co-Creator and publisher of The Advisor, our campus digital newsletter for the Advisement Center since February 2021.
2021-Present: Served on CDI Cultural Theme Month Committees: Black History Month, LGBTQ+ Awareness Week and Women’s History Month.
2021-Present: Plans and implements all Upperclass Student Advisement Center programming for our sophomore-senior student population on campus since September 2021.
2023-Present: 2 years serving as Club Advisor of Pride+ (student organization) since April 2023.
2025-Present: Co-Chair of the WP Chapter of ACE-Net Women’s Network.