Panelists

Marla Rodriguez
Manager – Student Data, Outreach, and Decision Support Online and Distance Education

Marla is a member of the Online, Distance, and Continuing Education team with ten years of experience in higher education at the University of Arizona. Most notably, her extensive experience is with post-traditional students, including transfer, adult, military-connected, and distance learners. In her current role as Manager for Online Student Data, Outreach, and Decision Support, Marla utilizes her background in student support to help evaluate data as part of process and programmatic implementations with a goal of proposing recommendations centered on student success. Above all, she enjoys using data insights for student advocacy and helping elevate student voices.

Antonio Escalante Jr.
Program Coordinator Dean of Students

Antonio is the Program Coordinator at the Dean of Students Office, where he oversees Code of Academic Integrity records and addresses emerging issues, such as the use of generative artificial intelligence. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in Data Science at the College of Information Science. Antonio's work integrates artificial intelligence and data science to enhance assessment and research practices, offering insights into artificial intelligence's impact on academic integrity and its potential applications in higher education.

Erin Whittig
Arizona Innovation Alliance Fellow Senior Project Manager Student Success and Retention Innovation

Erin Whittig is currently the University of Arizona Fellow for the Arizona Innovation Alliance, and a project manager with the SSRI Central Team. Erin's background is in Rhetoric and Composition, and she comes to SSRI from the UofA Foundations Writing Program where she managed assessment initiatives and taught first-year writing. As the AIA Fellow, she's facilitating the formation of a Tri-University AI Community of Practice, to provide opportunities for colleagues from ASU, NAU, and UA to collaborate on AI initiatives.