Alfred University alumnus Michael Christakis ’99 is set to begin his term as chair of the Board of Directors of NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education for 2025-26. NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs profession, with 13,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries and eight U.S. territories.
Alfred University alumnus Michael Christakis ’99 is set to begin his term as chair of the Board of Directors of NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education for 2025-26. NASPA is the leading association for the advancement, health and sustainability of the student affairs profession, with 13,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries and eight U.S. territories.
Christakis, who is vice president for Student Affairs at the University at Albany, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Alfred University in 1999.
He was elected NASPA Board Chair in March 2024 and has served the last year as Chair Elect. He will begin serving as Board Chair following the upcoming NASPA annual business meeting, held during the NASPA annual conference March 15-19 in New Orleans, and will serve for a year as Past Chair, beginning in March 2026.
University at Albany Press Release on Christakis election as NASPA Board Chair
Christakis has been with Student Affairs at the University at Albany since 1999 and was appointed vice president in 2015. He also teaches undergraduate courses at the University at Albany’s Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, where he earned his master’s degree in public affairs and policy and doctorate in public administration and policy.
In 2023, Christakis received the NASPA Foundation Board’s “Pillar of the Profession” award, in recognition of his many years of outstanding contributions to the profession. Being selected as a Pillar is one of the highest distinctions bestowed by NASPA, the largest student affairs association in the world.
The NASPA Foundation supports future student affairs leaders through scholarship support for professional development and invests in innovative ideas and research to further our knowledge about students, our educational institutions, and the critical impact student affairs has on student success.