Aaron Austin (he/him/his) is a father, husband, and educator who has had the opportunity to serve students at multiple colleges and universities. He has experience with a variety of Student Affairs areas, and throughout his career has presented to numerous students, employees, families, and community partners on topics ranging from policy implementation to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Most recently, Aaron served as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. During his time in this role, he had a supervisory portfolio that included the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Housing & Residence Life, Student Conduct & Community Standards, Student Involvement, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Campus Activities, Campus Recreation, and Student Government. Aaron was a vital member of the WSU CARE Team (Case Management & Behavior Intervention), Title IX Committee, and the Bias Incident Response Group.
Aaron is interested in the intersection of race and identity in relationship to Behavior Intervention/Threat Assessment and looks for opportunities to engage in these conversations to ensure practitioners are aware of the biases they bring to the work. Further, Aaron has spent the last few years as a Student Affairs administrator which allows him to see issues from that perspective. A native Kansan, Aaron earned his Bachelor of Music Education and minor in American Ethnic Studies from Kansas State University; his M.Ed. from Arizona State University – Tempe; and his Ed.D. from Texas Tech University.