Administration Spotlight: Dr. Alison Richardson
鈥淟ife is gonna life,鈥 shared Dr. Alison Richardson, Dean of Students in the Counseling Program at the 91精品. 鈥淚t's important to allow yourself to be vulnerable and to say, 鈥業 need some support right now. I need a cheerleader in my corner. I need somebody to talk to,鈥 because it鈥檚 just a patch, it鈥檚 not forever.鈥 With sage advice like this, it鈥檚 no surprise that her path has led her to her current position, guiding students through their higher education experiences.
Alison grew up in North Berkeley with her parents and two older siblings and described herself as 鈥渄efinitely the baby of the family.鈥 In the 1950s, her parents bought the house where Alison was raised and were 鈥渙ne of the first Black families on the block to own a home.鈥 Due to redlining that was in place until 1968, Alison's parents had limited choices on where they could purchase a home. However, the neighborhood Alison grew up in provided an experience that was quite different from the students she went to school with. 鈥淚 grew up in a very ethnically diverse neighborhood and so that always felt very normal to me,鈥 she reflected.
Alison went to a public school in Berkeley for kindergarten, then attended private Catholic schools from first to twelfth grade. From first to eighth grade, she attended a very small school where there were about thirty students in her grade. 鈥淢ost of the students I started with in first grade, I graduated with in eighth grade,鈥 she recalled. Then, from ninth to twelfth grade, she attended an all-girls high school with a graduating class of 69 students. She found these small, close-knit communities to be 鈥済rounding in lots of different ways鈥 and shared that she still has close relationships with some of her elementary school peers today.
After graduating from high school, Alison enrolled in the for her undergraduate studies. She shared that the decision was 鈥渕ostly because my father gave me little to no choice about where I was going to go to school.鈥 He offered her a few options and she chose Berkeley because of its location. Almost immediately, it became apparent to Alison that she had made the wrong decision. 鈥淭o go from a class of sixty-nine women in high school to sitting in a classroom where there were 500 to 1,000 students at any given time wasn't a good fit to say the least,鈥 Alison reflected, 鈥淚 was overwhelmed and felt very much like I did not belong there.鈥
Realizing that Berkeley wasn鈥檛 the school for her, Alison left and began working full time at the Gap. In her position there, she gained recognition for her skills in creating displays and was asked to start training other employees. This led Alison to the realization that she would like to work in corporate retail and training. As she contemplated a return to school, she did some research and discovered that the had a program in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, which sounded like a perfect fit for her. 鈥淚 was a first generation college student,鈥 she shared, 鈥淢y siblings didn't go to college, so I didn't really have anybody to talk to about what that experience was like or what a major is and how to connect my interests with a major,鈥 so it took her experience working at the Gap to help her figure out her own path.
After visiting the USF campus, Alison realized it would be a much better fit for her. 鈥淲hen I look at my pattern, I do my best in a smaller environment, where people know me or I know them,鈥 she reflected. At USF, Alison thrived and became very involved in student life and very dedicated academically. As she neared graduation, she was approached by the Director of Multicultural and International Student Services and the Vice President of Student Affairs to find out what her plans were after graduation. Alison knew she wanted to go to graduate school, but hadn鈥檛 made any firm plans. They invited her to apply for a graduate assistantship where she would work twenty hours a week for the university and they would pay for her master鈥檚 degree in Higher Education Administration. Even though her path was no longer leading her back to retail, 鈥渋t was still focused on training and supporting people to help them grow.鈥
Once she earned her master鈥檚 degree, Alison wanted to stay and work at USF, but the director who had led her to the assistantship position pushed her to spread her wings, telling her, 鈥淚 know this place is special to you, but go and learn something else somewhere else.鈥 Alison recalls feeling a little hurt, but is so glad she followed that advice. 鈥淎ll those jobs in between did really prepare me to return to USF,鈥 she shared. In 1999, Alison returned to USF, which she described as being 鈥渂ack at home,鈥 as the Director of Student Activities and University Life. The position was a little out of her comfort zone, but she knew she had an excellent support system there to help her grow. Alison explained that when she was a student at USF, 鈥淚 felt like I belonged. I felt like I was able to grow and experience things.鈥 Upon returning to work at USF, her primary goal was to 鈥渕ake sure students have that same experience.鈥
Seven years later, Alison left USF feeling like a career in higher education may not be the right path for her. She spent a couple years working in the non-profit sector as the Program Development Director in the Office of Program Innovation at the . 鈥淚 was able to really see what I hadn't seen before in terms of partnership,鈥 she reflected. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole community out there that you can partner with and really make a bigger impact.鈥 Alison enjoyed her time at the YMCA, but eventually found her way back to a position in higher education at . She is very thankful that she took this break from the world of education. 鈥淚 liked being able to do some soul searching around allowing other people to influence my decisions鈥 and figure out what 鈥渕y real role is, and my purpose in life,鈥 she shared.
Alison worked for several years at Cal State, East Bay as the Director of Student Academic Services before she decided to pursue her doctoral degree there. When her friends first encouraged her to enroll in the doctoral program, she told them 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really need a doctorate. I think I鈥檓 good.鈥 At that time, she was working with first generation college students, low income students, and students of color, trying to increase retention and graduation rates. She was trying new programs and services, but not seeing the results she wanted. Simultaneously, she was reading , which encourages readers to say yes to the things that scare them. So Alison decided, 鈥淚鈥檓 just going to apply. I want to figure out how to solve this problem and help these students.鈥 Twenty-five years after earning her masters degree, she began the doctoral program which she described as 鈥減ersonally transformational.鈥
During her doctoral studies, Alison鈥檚 dissertation was titled 鈥淚lluminating Student Voices: The Role of Faculty and Staff in Retention and Graduation.鈥 Thinking back on her research, Alison shared, 鈥淚 realized how much I was doing this for myself as a first generation, low-income student.鈥 What she found in her research of students who did persist and graduate was the importance of someone seeing them, connecting to them, and fostering a sense of belonging. Again, she was able to connect this back to her own experience as a student at USF, reflecting on how her career trajectory would have been different if someone hadn鈥檛 stopped her to tell her about the assistantship position and the opportunity to pursue her master鈥檚 degree. 鈥淚t really is the power of people, focusing and trying to reach out and creating safe spaces for folks to just be their authentic selves,鈥 she reflected, 鈥渁nd helping students learn the importance of social capital and giving them the tools that they need to navigate higher education.鈥 Alison graduated with her Ed. D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice in 2019, and moved into the position of Director of Equity Initiatives at Cal State, East Bay, putting this knowledge into practice.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic provided Alison with a moment to pause and consider her path. She realized that, despite the fact that she was happy working with the student population at Cal State, East Bay, she was growing tired of being part of a large school system where she had to work around established policies and procedures. She stepped back to consider what brought her joy. 鈥淩elationships are really important to me,鈥 she shared, 鈥渁nd connecting with students and helping them find their purpose.鈥 So she started her job search, being 鈥渁 little particular鈥 about the positions she applied to. When she read the job description for the 91精品 Counseling Program鈥檚 Dean of Students, the idea of returning to a small, close-knit community really appealed to her. Once she started at the 91精品, she thought, 鈥淭his could be another space that I call home.鈥 Alison realized that belonging and community were 鈥渏ust as important to me as they were when I was in grade school or high school or college, that feeling like this is a good spot for you to call home.鈥
After five months in her position as the Counseling Program鈥檚 Dean of Students, Alison鈥檚 favorite part of the job is 鈥済etting to know the students and learning folks鈥 stories鈥 so they aren鈥檛 one-dimensional. 鈥淚 love hearing students outside of my office,鈥 Alison shared, 鈥淚 love that they can pop in, or I can go out in the hallway and check in with them.鈥 Thus far, she has been very involved in streamlining the student advising system and building more community in the daytime and weekend cohorts. Alison also wants to ensure that students are aware that faculty and staff are available to support them and make sure they are successful in the program. 鈥淚 think it's important for everybody to find a place they belong,鈥 she reflected. 鈥淢y job is to figure out how we best do that!鈥
Alison describes her leadership style as 鈥渧ery much student centered.鈥 She feels that it鈥檚 important to 鈥渉ave an open door and spend time with students鈥 and focuses on 鈥渕odeling how to be vulnerable, have some fun, and meet and with people.鈥 When planning programs or events, there are two big questions that Alison always asks herself: 鈥淗ow does this support students and how are we making sure that we're protecting students or empowering students?鈥 Alison shared that many of her former supervisors are now her mentors and she developed her own leadership style by following their amazing example.
In her free time, Alison has a variety of hobbies. She enjoys watching Hallmark movies, especially during the holiday season. 鈥淎t work, I always have to be flexible and adjust,鈥 she reflected, 鈥淚 never know what's coming next and I don't have control of things, so I love watching a movie where I know that everything's going to turn out fine 10 min before the movie ends.鈥 In 2018, Alison got a Peloton bike, which she uses frequently. 鈥淚鈥檓 ridiculous,鈥 she laughed, 鈥渂ut I absolutely love it!鈥 She also enjoys growing flowers, meditation, yoga, and baking. Above all, Alison enjoys spending time with her family and friends. 鈥淢y sister and her kids all live within a mile and a half of me,鈥 she shared, 鈥渟o I love that they're all close!鈥
When asked what advice she would share with prospective Counseling Program students, Alison said she would remind them to 鈥渢ake some time to figure out your purpose and think about in what environment you work best.鈥 As she learned in her own educational experiences, you have to find programs that fit with the way you learn. 鈥淣ot everybody likes to be in a cohort, and so it would be difficult to be in an intensive program in a cohort if that's not how you like to work.鈥 To current students, she would encourage them to be vulnerable and ask for help when they need it. 鈥淭here are always going to be challenges,鈥 she emphasized. 鈥淟ife is going to happen right. Life never goes away.鈥
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