Kentucky College Personnel Association 
The College Personnel Association of Kentucky (CPAK) hosted the 2025 CPAK Conference at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, March 14, 2025. The conference provided participants with the opportunity to learn from and interact with other student affairs professionals from across the state of Kentucky.
Theme: Moving Kentucky Forward
Date/Time: Friday, March 14, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, with the Hall of Fame Reception immediately following
Location: Transylvania University, 300 N Broadway, Lexington, KY 40508
Contact Info: For more information, participants were invited to email kentucky@acpa.nche.edu.
Professional Competencies
2025 CPAK Conference participants developed professional competencies in the following areas:
- Values, Philosophy, and History
- Advising and Supporting
- Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
- Leadership
- Organizational and Human Resources
- Personal and Ethical Foundations
- Social Justice and Inclusion
Keynote Speaker
We were honored to host Dr. Kelvin Rutledge as our keynote speaker for this year’s conference, where he expanded upon his keynote address from our 2024 event. Dr. Kelvin E. Rutledge is a higher education practitioner-scholar with over 15 years of professional experience in customer service management, higher education leadership, and DEI education and strategy development.
At the time of the conference, he served as the Interim Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Southern Connecticut State University. In this role, he oversaw and provided vision and guidance for three student-facing cultural centers, faculty and staff diversity recruitment and retention initiatives, DEI education and restorative practices, and university compliance related to affirmative action, Title IX and ADA compliance, and nondiscrimination policy.
As a goal-oriented, results-driven professional within the New England region of the United States, Dr. Rutledge centered and valued equity, innovation, and collaboration to meet the needs of individuals and organizations. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education from Florida State University.
Hall of Fame
CPAK is proud to establish the CPAK Hall of Fame Gallery of Outstanding Educators and Professionals to honor and recognize our colleagues in the Commonwealth who have served their respective institutions, the state, region, and national associations through leadership and service. For more information or to donate to our campaign, visit the CPAK HOF Page.
During the Hall of Fame Dinner, CPAK inducted the Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
- Kristen Brown, University of Louisville
- Dr. Dave Parrott, University of Louisville
- Jake Karnes, University of Kentucky
- Sarah Aikman, Northern Kentucky University
- Dr. Chris Schmidt, Lindsay Wilson College