Chairs, Coordinators, Directors, Leads, WPAs: The Shifting Nature of WPA Work

Annual Conference: July 10-11, 2025 (held online)

Summer Workshop: June 23-25 (Houston, TX)

The purpose of our conference theme, “Chairs, Coordinators, Directors, Leads, WPAs: The Shifting Nature of WPA Work,” is to highlight the varied voices that are doing WPA work and have important insights to share.

The variety of titles and responsibilities in our field mirrors the complex and shifting nature of WPA work today. These changes include the widespread availability and uptake of machine-writing tools by students and faculty; the increasingly politicized teaching environment fueled by anti-DEI legislation; and concomitantly, the ongoing necessity of supporting student writers through culturally-affirming and sustaining policies, pedagogies, and practices–including real conversations about linguistic prejudice and discrimination. We wonder whether to describe these shifts as rich and varied, or splintering and fractured.

You are invited to join our 2025 conference, which will be offered virtually as synchronous sessions, and share the ways your leadership and administrative work around the teaching of writing is stretching and changing. Registration is open today! 

Your experiences and expertise are valuable, and you are invited to be part of the CWPA. We hope you join us and share your programmatic expertise at our virtual conference this July 10-11, 2025. Presenters can have up to two (2) speaking roles at CWPA's National Conference.

Here is a link to the current schedule: https://link.ivytech.edu/CWPAconference2025

Keynote Speakers

	Dr. Melvin Beavers Keynote: "Ready for the Remix: Rewriting, Rewiring, and Reimagining WPAing--Administrative Rhetorical Mindfulness in Action" This keynote will explore how writing program administrators can move beyond their academic titles or roles to create more equitable and supportive academic environments. Drawing from my Administrative Rhetorical Mindfulness (ARM) framework and experience, this keynote will offer a critical examination of how administrators can, recognize and address challenges facing writing programs, in particular AI and labor concerns, develop professional development strategies that center marginalized voices, and use intentional approaches to create a more responsive writing program. The presentation will blend experiential and theoretical insights from my research with practical, actionable strategies for administrators seeking to create a sense of belonging and to hone their leadership identity. By highlighting the ARM framework, I will provide a roadmap for administrators to become cultural change agents tethered to a mindset of continuous improvement. Dr. Melvin E. Beavers (he/him) is currently an Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Additionally, he has served for two years as the Chancellor’s inaugural  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fellow. He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing and served as the department’s First-Year Writing Director from 2019- 2022. His research interests involve writing program administration, rhetoric, and composition theory. He teaches first-year writing and a variety of undergrad and graduate writing courses. His work has been published in College English, Journal of the Council of Writing Program Administration, Academic Labor: Research and Artistry, and several edited collections. Additionally, Dr. Beavers holds three Leadership Certificates from Harvard’s Division of Continuing Education.
	Dr. Lilian Mina Past President Keynote: "Critical Engaged Administration: WPAs Navigating the Ethical Frontier of GenAI in Writing." This keynote explores the critical role of Writing Program Administrators (WPAs) in leading the integration of generative AI (GenAI) into their writing programs. Inspired by bell hooks’ engaged pedagogy, I introduce Critical Engaged Administration that empowers WPAs to proactively address GenAI and critical AI literacy challenges in their programs. By leading curriculum innovation and professional development, WPAs are positioned to empower teachers, GTAs, and students. I’ll call all WPAs to shape the narrative, ensuring writing programs remain relevant and responsive in an AI-driven academic landscape. Dr. Lilian Mina (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition and the Director of the Freshman English Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She also serves as the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives at the Graduate School. A proud Past President of the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) for the 2023-2024 term, Lilian specializes in digital writing and multimodality, writing transfer, the integration of digital technologies in writing instruction, and writing program administration. With over two years of experience in Generative AI, she contributes to teaching, research, and policy development in this field. Her scholarship appears in esteemed publications, including Composition Forum, Computers & Composition, and Kairos, as well as in books from Utah State University Press and the WAC Clearinghouse.

On behalf of CWPA

Respectfully submitted by Erin Lehman, with generous assistance from the CWPA Conference Planning Committee (Kelly Blewett, Daryl Lynn Dance, Scott Gage, Callie Kostelich, Amanda Presswood, Christal Seahorn, and Mary Lourdes Silva). 

For Inquiries

If you have any questions, please contact one of the following members of the Executive Board:

For registration issues or website issues, contact Amanda Presswood, CWPA Secretary: cwpasecretary@gmail.com

For scholarship inquiries or any other general queries about the conference or CWPA, contact Kelly Blewett, CWPA President: councilofWPA@gmail.com 

Click HERE to Register Today!