About Dr. adrienne d. White

Dr. Adrienne D. White is a nationally recognized student affairs leader and higher education strategist with more than 14 years of experience advancing student success, belonging, and institutional effectiveness. She joined Mount St. Mary’s University in July 2024 as Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer, where she provided executive leadership for a comprehensive student life portfolio, including student conduct, behavioral intervention, residential experience, counseling and health services, career services, and student engagement.

At Highest Ed, Dr. White partners with colleges and universities to strengthen student success outcomes through strategic consulting, leadership development, and staff training. Grounded in the organization’s belief that student success begins with staff success, she works with campus leaders to build high-performing teams, implement data-informed strategies, and create conditions where both students and educators thrive. 

Dr. White is widely recognized for her expertise in student success coaching, retention strategy, and the transfer student experience. At George Mason University, she led the design and implementation of a large-scale success coaching model supporting thousands of students across multiple campuses, achieving significant gains in first-year retention. She also played a key role in developing the ADVANCE program, a nationally recognized transfer partnership model that expands access and streamlines pathways for community college students.

In addition to her administrative leadership, Dr. White serves as Affiliate Faculty in the Higher Education Program at George Mason University, where she contributes to the preparation and development of future higher education leaders.

A scholar-practitioner, Dr. White co-founded NASPA’s Success Coaching Knowledge Community and has contributed to the field through research, publications, and national presentations focused on belonging, persistence, and holistic student development. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in integrity, compassion, and strategic vision—fostering environments where students are empowered as partners in their educational journey and institutions are positioned to innovate and thrive.

Higher Education Leadership: Selected Experience

• Dean of Students and Chief Student Affairs Officer, Mount St. Mary’s University
• Director, Student Success Coaching, George Mason University
• Associate Director for Student Success, University Life, George Mason University
• Affiliate Faculty, Higher Education Program, George Mason University
• Founding Co-Chair, Success Coaching Knowledge Community, NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
• Reviewer, Journal of College Student Development – Research in Brief

Education

• Ph.D., Education, George Mason University
• M.S.Ed., Higher Education and Student Affairs, Indiana University – Bloomington
• B.A., Audiology, University of Tennessee

Selected Presentations and Speaking Engagements

*Indicates invited presentation or panelist

• *White, A. (2025, December). Expanding access, demonstrating impact: Insights from the Bettermynd partner collective. Bettermynd Partner Masterclass. Virtual.
• White, A., Ward. M., Hediger, S., Wickham, F. (2024, March). Creating and implementing strategic plans: A departmental perspective. NASPA Annual Conference. Seattle, WA.
• *Easton, D., Morel, H., Collins, K., White, A., Correa, K. (2023, October). Student success coaching panel: Building and implementing success coaching programs in higher education. NASPA Success Coaching Knowledge Community Panel. Virtual.
• White, A., Pegg, A., Cosby, G. (2023, June). Rethinking supervision in 2023. University Life Student Success Symposium. Fairfax, VA.
• Machuga, C., Lorentson, S., White, A., Bunting, A. (2023, April). The care network – Blending human and technological ecosystems for dynamic student support. NASPA Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD.
• White, A., Dubert, E., Schott, S., Cozzolino-Artiga, S. (2022, March). Coaching contemporary students for success. NASPA Annual Conference. Baltimore, MD.
• Berry, I., Harris, T.N., Bullard, D., Thompson White, A. (2021, March). It takes a village: Institutional collaborations to support student success. NASPA Annual Conference. Virtual.
• Clifton, S., Dilley, T., Thompson White, A. (2021, March). The golden circle of success coaching: Reimagining holistic student support. NASPA Annual Conference. Virtual.
• Thompson White, A., Lorentson, S. S., & Berry, I. (2020, October) Collaborating in change management to support student success through coaching and advising. NACADA Annual Conference. Virtual.
• Thompson, A.D. & Agbeshie-Noye, I. (2019, October). Sense of belonging in transfer students. NODA Annual Conference.  Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education.  Houston, TX.
• *Grites, T., Thompson, A.D., Radwanski, J., Fries, J. (2019, February). Practitioner panel: Transfer transition programs. National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students National Conference.  Association for the Study of Transfer Students. Atlanta, GA.
• *Holmes, K., Thompson, A.D., Agbeshie-Noye, I. (2018, October). Perceptions of sense of belonging in transfer students.  NODA Annual Conference.  Association for Orientation, Transition, and Retention in Higher Education. San Diego, CA.

Publications

• Correa, K. & White, A. (2024). Success coaching in higher education: An emerging practice. NASPA Knowledge Community Journal (pp. 43-45). NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education https://www.naspa.org/files/dmfile/2024-NASPA-Knowledge-Community-Publication.pdf
• White, A., Gaston, W., Hodges, M., Schott, S. (2021). Reimagining holistic support through student success coaching. Orientation, Transition, and Retention Knowledge Community Blog.
• Thompson, A. D. & Dubert, E. (2017). Intervention strategies for at-risk off-campus students. E-Source for College Transitions. 14(2), 11 – 13. 

Top 5 CliftonStrengths

• Competition
• Achiever
• Relator
• Significance
• Activator