Wednesday, March 31, 2027
Networking: 11 to 11:30 a.m.
Program: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Double Tree Hilton Saint Paul East
2201 Burns Ave
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Directions to event location (PDF).
R.S.V.P. by March 19, 2027
Sponsorship opportunities available (PDF).
The Power of We: Building Bridges of Belonging in a Diverse World
In a world that often emphasizes our differences, effective leadership calls us to discover our shared humanity and common purpose. Drawing from her experiences as a counselor, educator, university president, and community leader, Dr. Marcheta P. Evans explores how interculturality moves us beyond diversity toward meaningful relationships that foster understanding, belonging, and collective impact.
Through personal stories, leadership lessons, and reflections on faith, service, and community, Dr. Evans will challenge attendees to embrace courageous curiosity, listen deeply across differences, and recognize the power they have to build bridges in their families, workplaces, and communities. Participants will leave inspired to use their unique gifts to create environments where every person feels seen, valued, heard, and empowered to contribute to the greater good.
Featured Speaker:
Dr. Marcheta Evans, Ph.D.
President, St. Catherine University
Dr. Marcheta Evans became the 12th president of St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minnesota on July 15, 2024. She holds the distinction of being the institution’s first African American president.
Before assuming her leadership of St. Catherine University, Evans served as Chancellor of Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, Bloomfield New Jersey. Prior to Bloomfield’s historic merger with Montclair State University, she had led Bloomfield College as its 17th president starting in 2019; she was both the first African American and first female to lead the college.
Evans brings 30-plus years of transformational leadership roles in higher education to the St. Kate’s presidency. Her professional journey spans both public and private institutions, with the majority of them spent at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the seventh largest city in the United States, San Antonio, Texas. In 2016, she was named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), San Antonio. At the University of Texas at San Antonio (USTA), Evans was named department chair and associate dean, respectively, the culmination of a series of leadership roles at that institution, which began in 2002. Her academic roots also run deep, with more than 27 years as a faculty member at OLLU, USTA, and Auburn University – Montgomery. She rose to the rank of full Professor in 2014.
As a member of the American Counseling Association, Evans has served as past president and is currently an ACA fellow. She is the past president of the Association for Creativity in Counseling. She has received a number of awards and recognitions throughout her career, including the Outstanding Multicultural Leadership Award from the National Diversity Council, the Yellow Rose of Texas Lifetime Educator Award, and the Counselors for Social Justice ‘Ohana Award. She was the Presidential Sponsor for the American Council on Education’s Women’s Network New Jersey.
Evans has authored numerous articles and book chapters that explore issues of diversity, multiculturalism, women’s issues, and leadership, and has presented more than one hundred times at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Her professional focus has taken Evans around the world, including Malawi, where she worked with educators and counselors on literacy initiatives sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Evans graduated from the University of Alabama with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in counselor education and supervision, specializing in student affairs, administration in higher education, and human resource management. She also holds a Master of Arts degree in education in elementary education from the University of Alabama-Birmingham, a Master of Arts degree in rehabilitation counseling, and a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Alabama.
Evans and her husband, Edgar, are exceedingly proud parents of six children and are delighted to count 13 grandchildren in their family.
For more information, contact:
Heather Spann | 507-389-4230 | hspann@ssndcp.org