Collaborating to Create a Nurturing Environment for Students to Thrive
Tracks
ASI/SU/REC
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 |
| 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM |
| Junior 2-3 |
Overview
Junior 2-3
Details
As students’ needs grow more complex and urgent, institutions must adapt with intentional, collaborative strategies that transcend traditional silos. This session will explore how the University Student Union (“USU”) at CSU Northridge proactively addresses basic needs through a centralized support model, driven by data, cross-campus partnerships, and auxiliary leadership. In 2023, the California Student Aid Commission affirmed a statewide crisis in food, housing, and financial insecurity. The USU’s own campus-wide survey mirrored this, revealing heightened vulnerabilities and shifting student expectations post-pandemic.
In response, the USU launched a major renovation project: The Valera NEST, a Basic Needs Suite that co-locates essential services while fostering community and belonging through shared space, student-centered programming, and a welcoming culture of care. Located in the heart of campus, this renovated facility functions both as a resource hub and an inclusive gathering space where students connect with peers, staff, and support systems.
This session will share the planning, governance, and implementation behind the Valera NEST, emphasizing how a central vision, shared responsibility, cross-divisional collaboration, and auxiliary innovation realize the renovation process. Attendees will gain practical insights into stakeholder engagement, phased activation, and strategies for embedding support services within the student union environment where all students belong.
Speaker
Matt Bohannon
Vice President
Brailsford & Dunlavey
Collaborating to Create a Nurturing Environment for Students to Thrive
Biography
Serving as B&D’s Southern California vice president, Mr. Bohannon brings a passion for quality-of-life facilities that empowers clients to create successful projects. His interest in these facilities began while he was a resident advisor and chair of a student union board, and since joining B&D in 2004, Mr. Bohannon has planned more than $2.75B in completed or under construction projects. Leveraging his architectural education with deep market and financial analysis expertise, he is recognized as a trusted advisor who partners with clients to implement projects which maximize benefits to their institutions. Mr. Bohannon’s knowledge of housing, student unions, recreation centers, public-private partnerships, and program management has earned him several industry awards, including recent recognition by Engineering News-Record as one of its California “Top 20 Under 40” honorees for 2017.
Samantha Liu
Associate Director, Operations & Services
University Student Union, CSU Northridge
Collaborating to Create a Nurturing Environment for Students to Thrive
Abstract
As students’ needs grow more complex and urgent, institutions must adapt with intentional, collaborative strategies that transcend traditional silos. This session will explore how the University Student Union (“USU”) at CSU Northridge proactively addresses basic needs through a centralized support model, driven by data, cross-campus partnerships, and auxiliary leadership. In 2023, the California Student Aid Commission affirmed a statewide crisis in food, housing, and financial insecurity. The USU’s own campus-wide survey mirrored this, revealing heightened vulnerabilities and shifting student expectations post-pandemic.
In response, the USU launched a major renovation project: The Valera NEST, a Basic Needs Suite that co-locates essential services while fostering community and belonging through shared space, student-centered programming, and a welcoming culture of care. Located in the heart of campus, this renovated facility functions both as a resource hub and an inclusive gathering space where students connect with peers, staff, and support systems.
This session will share the planning, governance, and implementation behind the Valera NEST, emphasizing how a central vision, shared responsibility, cross-divisional collaboration, and auxiliary innovation realize the renovation process. Attendees will gain practical insights into stakeholder engagement, phased activation, and strategies for embedding support services within the student union environment where all students belong.
In response, the USU launched a major renovation project: The Valera NEST, a Basic Needs Suite that co-locates essential services while fostering community and belonging through shared space, student-centered programming, and a welcoming culture of care. Located in the heart of campus, this renovated facility functions both as a resource hub and an inclusive gathering space where students connect with peers, staff, and support systems.
This session will share the planning, governance, and implementation behind the Valera NEST, emphasizing how a central vision, shared responsibility, cross-divisional collaboration, and auxiliary innovation realize the renovation process. Attendees will gain practical insights into stakeholder engagement, phased activation, and strategies for embedding support services within the student union environment where all students belong.
Biography
Samantha Liu started her employment as a student assistant with the University Student Union in January 2007 — her second semester at CSUN. She since has served in a variety of roles and currently serves as the Associate Director, Operations & Services. She oversees the Operations, Facilities Planning, Facilities Maintenance, The Valera NEST and Reservations & Event Services departments. She is a double home-grown CSUN graduate with a master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Public Sector Management & Leadership and her undergraduate degree in Public Health Education.
Cecilia Ortiz
Executive Director
University Student Union, CSU Northridge
Collaborating to Create a Nurturing Environment for Students to Thrive
Biography
Cecilia Ortiz serves as Executive Director of the University Student Union (USU) at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). With more than 20 years of higher education leadership experience, she oversees all operations, programs, and strategic initiatives of the USU—advancing student belonging and organizational excellence. Cecilia is the President of the CSU Auxiliary Organizations Association (AOA) and a board member of the CSU Auxiliary Organizations Risk Management Authority (AORMA), where she champions equitable practices and system-wide collaboration. A recognized leader within the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), she is an ICONS inductee and past Regional Director. A first-generation Chicana college graduate, Cecilia integrates inclusive leadership principles and the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments model into her organizational practice. She holds a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Woodbury University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from CSU Los Angeles.
Michael Quadrino
Director
No Auxiliary Affiliation
Collaborating to Create a Nurturing Environment for Students to Thrive
Biography
Michael Quadrino is a Director with Brailsford & Dunlavey, bringing more than 20 years of experience in construction, program management, and advising campus leaders. He has guided a wide range of mission-driven projects—including student housing, mixed-use developments, student unions, and campus master plans—helping institutions align bold ideas with financial and operational realities. Michael is especially passionate about place-making, shaping beautiful, purposeful spaces that reflect each campus’s unique character and goals. His work emphasizes data-informed decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and strategies that empower clients to be strong long-term owners of the communities they create.
