HE doctoral students
There are currently more than 60 doctoral students enrolled in our Higher Education programs, and more than 200 across our department.
Leslie Boey Leslie Boey
- Doctoral Candidate, HE
- she, they
- lboey@umn.edu
I grew up in a first-generation Chinese-American home in the suburbs of Milwaukee developing my love for food, family, and the Midwest.

Melanie Buford Melanie Buford
- Doctoral Student, HE
- she, hers
- bufor011@umn.edu

Daniel Gonzalez Daniel Gonzalez
- Doctoral Student, HE
- he, him, his
- dgonzale@umn.edu
Daniel Gonzalez is a scholar-practitioner and social justice advocate who intends to advance higher education, specifically for our most marginalized students, staff, and faculty.

Laura Haas Laura Haas
- Doctoral Student, HE
- she, her, hers
- lhaas@umn.edu
I am a dedicated student affairs professional and I believe that it is the responsibility of every faculty and staff member to contribute to student success from orientation to graduation.

Crystal Lee-Thao Crystal Lee-Thao
- Doctoral Student, HE
- she, her, hers
- cklee@umn.edu
Crystal is a Hmong-American higher education scholar and practitioner with over 10 years of experience in higher ed.

Vic Massaglia Vic Massaglia
- Doctoral Student, HE
- he/him
- victorm@umn.edu
I'm the Director of the Career & Professional Development Center at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health.

Julie Olson Rand Julie Olson Rand
- Doctoral Candidate, HE
- she/they
- olso1350@umn.edu
I serve as the Associate Director for Access Programs in the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at the University of Minnesota. My prior experience includes almost 5 years in Disability Services at St.

Danielle Rintala Danielle Rintala
- Doctoral Student, HE
- she/her
- rinta015@umn.edu
I am a biologist who has worked in higher education for 15 years. I have 19 years of experience teaching various student learners in higher education.

Jane E. Sitter Jane E. Sitter
- Doctoral Student, HE
- she, her, hers
- sitt0036@umn.edu
I am interested in higher education as an environment for personal, social, and civic development within our globally interconnected world. My area of research interest is internationalization at home on university campuses.

Zer Vang Zer Vang
- Doctoral Student, HRD
- she/her
- vang0655@umn.edu
I am a dedicated and passionate advocate and educator for students, particularly those who are underrepresented.
