Leadership Star Award 

To be considered for the Leadership Star Award, nominees must meet the following criteria:

• Currently employed at a college or district in the California Community Colleges system

• Have been an IRPE professional for more than 10 years

• Create a positive, strong team atmosphere and foster the development of colleagues

• Create culture and systems changes across their institution and/or the IRPE community

• Demonstrate strong leadership that spans multiple projects, initiatives, and/or processes

• Provide support and service in the IRPE community as a whole

To nominate yourself or another individual for a Leadership Star Award, please enter the nominee’s information in the Leadership Star Award Nomination Form.

Nominations will require the following information:

• Nominee's name

• Nominee's current or most recent college or organization

• Nominee's current or most recent job title

• Nominee's current email address

• A curriculum vitae (CV) or a list of positions and organizations served

• A 500-word description of how the nominee meets the criteria and why they should be considered

The RP Group's Board Development Committee oversees the process for this award. The committee reviews the nominations at its January meeting to determine the final list of recommended nominees, which the committee chair will present to the full Board for approval at the February Board meeting.

Please note: every award category may not be recognized annually and will be determined by the review committee based on nominations received. We hope that by providing the opportunity for a variety of contributions to be recognized, we will maximize the chances of individuals earning awards.

All award winners will be:

• Posted on The RP Group’s website;

• Celebrated in our RP Group communications and in a nationwide press release; and

• Recognized publicly during the awards ceremony at the RP Conference in April.

Please email info@rpgroup.org.

Dr. Hannah Lawler
Dean of Institutional Research
Santa Monica College

For nearly two decades, Dr. Hannah Lawler has served as a notable force in institutional research. Her contributions and service to the IRPE community and its advancement have positively impacted the professional growth and development of others, helped build community in social justice and equity, and informed regional and statewide practice.

Dr. Lawler holds two degrees in psychology—a Bachelor of Arts from Pepperdine University and Master of Arts in California State University, Long Beach. She also holds a doctorate in education from University of Southern California. Dr. Lawler was selected as one of the 2020–2021 fellows of the California Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).

Dr. Lawler worked as Research Analyst for Long Beach City College for nearly five years. In 2005, she joined the Center for Urban Education at University of Southern California (USC), where she worked as a part-time research consultant for 15 years. She also served as an adjunct Assistant Professor at USC for one year. Dr. Lawler joined Santa Monica College (SMC) in 2009, first serving as Director of Institutional Research for nearly four years before being promoted to Dean of Institutional Research in 2013. For more than 10 years, Dr. Lawler has provided strategic vision and leadership, overseeing the college’s research and effectiveness functions and providing leadership on campus efforts related to racial equity, program review, and accreditation.

Dr. Lawler has contributed significantly to SMC, providing both research- and non-research-related leadership across several initiatives. She has led projects on her campus to elevate and amplify the student voice and empower others using data and information to support student success and equity efforts. These efforts included reimagining what shared governance meant for students and ways to uplift and empower students to actively engage and make their voices be heard in these spaces; codesigning and implementing one of the first robust data coaching and empowerment programs in the community colleges; and supporting the staff with their equity and antiracist journeys through facilitated workshops and the creation of affinity spaces. Dr. Lawler models her passions to inspire others in their professional growth and development, as well as in their community-building efforts.

Dr. Lawler co-founded and co-leads one of the pioneer data coaching programs in the California Community Colleges (CCC) system. She is currently working with the CCHALES Research Collective at San Diego State University to provide support and coaching for 17 CCCs in the writing and implementation of the 2022–2025 Student Equity Plan. Dr. Lawler consults with organizations—including The RP Group, USC Race and Equity Education, Puente Project and other CCCs—to provide research, assessment, and evaluation support and/or training on equity-minded inquiry. She has provided thought partnership and resources to other colleges on data coaching, infrastructure, and resource considerations by generously sharing how SMC has carried out its work and helping inform the content of many of the CCCs' data coaching resources and guides. As a field liaison and service volunteer to The RP Group’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee on matters related to equity, she has been a great thought partner and direct contributor to the development of several RP resources, including the EDI Glossary of Terms and Students Shaping Change resources.

For every project she has worked on for The RP Group, Dr. Lawler partners with her team members to uplift their expertise and experience while generously sharing her knowledge and experience. She has a very collaborative and proactive leadership style that enables herself and anyone she works with to thrive. It is with great pleasure that The RP Group celebrates her efforts with the 2024 IRPE Professional Leadership Award.

Carol Rains-Heisdorf, M.Ed.
Former Senior Research and Planning Analyst,
Fresno City College

For nearly a decade, Carol Rains-Heisdorf has been essential to the growth and success of the Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness department at Fresno City College.

Carol received her Bachelor of Arts in women's studies/victims services, magna cum laude, as well as her Master of Education in leadership and administration, with honors, from California State University, Fresno. She joined Fresno City College in 2014 and has served in many capacities, including Director of Institutional Research and Planning, Senior Research and Planning Analyst, and Planning Analyst.

During her tenure, Carol was known as one of the most student-focused and equity-minded individuals within the campus community and for her empathetic, kind, and steady leadership. She worked closely with the college’s Student Equity and Achievement Office to ensure that data were disaggregated and consistently helped in identifying gaps that students of color were experiencing. Carol also worked closely with faculty and classified professionals to ensure that they understood how to read and use data to inform their decisions and program reviews. Most importantly, she taught them how to use data to create solutions to serve students from marginalized communities. Her ability to communicate complicated and difficult data, concepts, and situations in kind and empathetic ways made a huge contribution to the institution.

In her role as interim Senior Director of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness, Carol was able to make many changes to the institutional research office to ensure the campus had more accessible data for campus decision-making. She hired additional researchers to work on specific equity projects and grants that now allow the college to always have access to data to ensure successful outcomes. As a result of her dedicated efforts, Carol helped to build one of the largest institutional research offices in the region.

In 2015, Carol conducted focus groups with students from disproportionately impacted student groups (African American, Latinx, Southeast Asian, and LGBTQ). This work helped better understand the lived experiences of students and shaped how she approached planning at the college. She served on various DEI committees and taskforces and was essential to the completion and approval of many important plans, including the Educational Master Plan, the 2017 and the 2021 Strategic Plans, the ACCJC Institutional Self Evaluation Report, Enrollment Management Plan, and various Student Equity Plans. As these important college-wide plans were developed, Carol ensured that every one of these plans included specific, measurable goals for increasing student success among these core student groups.

Carol always played an important role in campus planning and accreditation. She was a fierce advocate for change as a part of the college’s strategic planning process and worked to match the school’s Vision for Success goals and many other campus plans. She also played a crucial role in the five-year development of the college’s new governance structure and was instrumental in the implementation and evaluation during its pilot phase. She credits much of her professional success to skills learned while participating in The RP Group’s professional development activities, including the Leading from the Middle Academy, the Summer-to-Summer Institute, and the annual RP Conference and Strengthening Student Success Conference.

Carol spent hundreds of hours working with college units and programs to ensure they were making improvements that enable students to better achieve their educational goals. Additionally, she was tremendously instrumental in moving the college forward with Guided Pathways and student equity. As a manager, she was extremely invested in the professional growth and development of others, encouraging her staff to engage in equity and technical professional development, which transformed the way the department operated. Most of her work revolved around continuous assessment and improvement due to her substantial involvement in accreditation, program review, outcomes assessment, strategic planning, and college governance. The newly approved Fresno City College mission, vision, and core values now include transformative language that is socially just, anti-racist, and equity-minded, which would not be the case without Carol’s advocacy.

While her service spans across the college, including accreditation, participatory governance, and strategic planning, Carol Rains-Heisdorf has made positive contributions to the overall institutional effectiveness of Fresno City College, especially in advancing student equity and anti-racism. She has spent her whole career creating a positive atmosphere in which other team members can thrive, and she has an outstanding record of leading for positive change in her work on accreditation and strategic planning at the college and for the district.

It is with great pleasure that The RP Group celebrates her efforts with the 2023 IRPE Professional Leadership Award.

Daylene Meuschke, EdD
Associate Vice President, Institutional Research, Planning, Effectiveness and Student Experience Redesign
Co-Chair, Institutional Review Board
College of the Canyons

Daylene Meuschke initially began her service at College of the Canyons (COC) in 2001 to support the writing and production of a Title III grant for the college. Shortly thereafter, she was hired as a full-time Research Analyst owing to her immediately apparent skills, keen mind, and educational acumen. In the 20 years since, Daylene served as a Senior Research Analyst, Director of Institutional Research, and Dean of Institutional Research. She became the Associate Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness (IRPIE) in August 2018 and, as of January 2022, now serves as the Associate Vice President for Institutional Research, Planning, Effectiveness and Student Experience Redesign.

Daylene’s passion for education is shown in her ongoing professional development and learning. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Drury University in Missouri. Studying a Global Perspectives curriculum in the Midwest was not enough. Daylene wanted to be part of a more diverse community, which led her to pursue her Master’s degree in Psychology at Pepperdine University. After joining COC, Daylene continued her studies to earn a doctorate in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis on learning and motivation, at the University of Southern California. She has participated in many professional development programs at COC, including the very first class in their Leadership Education in Action Program (LEAP) in 2008, and she has also participated as both a mentee and mentor through its mentorship program.

Daylene has co-authored hundreds of research reports at COC and continues to supervise the annual production of countless research items, surveys, and analyses through the IRPIE team. Daylene, with support from COC, has helped cultivate a formidable research, planning, and institutional effectiveness team that serves as a model for other colleges, and her staff proudly share her reputation as hard-working and data-savvy practitioners. She has developed an extraordinary reputation for her research talents and abilities, assisting any and all departments or inquirers with focused data needs.

Daylene also helps to lead the Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusive Excellence (IE)2 Committee at COC, which has played a key role in many of the college’s priorities including Guided Pathways, equity, student support and experience redesign, and the California Community Colleges (CCC) Chancellor’s Call to Action. Both her local and statewide reputation for excellence are known through her participation in The RP Group and multiple Partnership Resource Teams in support of other community colleges. Daylene has served on the executive team for the CCC Chancellor’s Office Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative and as a Board member and volunteer with The RP Group.

Daylene believes relationships matter and strives each day to build bridges that help connect the dots between people and efforts on campus. She has a goal to make people smile and laugh each day. She loves institutional effectiveness, design thinking (white boards and markers!), and applying her manifold talents to making a difference for students.