Donna McGalliard, an associate vice chancellor and associate dean in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs (DASA) and the executive director of University Housing, recently celebrated her seven-year work anniversary at NC State. 

Over that time period, McGalliard has worked tirelessly to promote University Housing’s mission of providing living and learning experiences through residential education and community engagement for NC State students. McGalliard was recently recognized and honored for this work. At the Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) annual conference in March, McGalliard received the organization’s Outstanding Senior Housing Officer of the Year Award. 

“Donna has made a meaningful impact on the student experience at NC State through her leadership in University Housing and across the division,” said DASA Vice Chancellor and Dean Doneka R. Scott. “She understands that supporting students well requires strong collaboration across campus, and she is skilled and resourceful in bringing partners together in service of that goal. This recognition from SEAHO is well-deserved, and it is inspiring to see the acknowledgement of her efforts by colleagues across the region.”

The SEAHO Outstanding Senior Officer of the Year Award goes to a housing leader who has displayed outstanding dedication to their home campus by supporting their students and staff, is dedicated to working with students, has implemented strategies for innovative practices on their campus through department projects, staff recruitment and retention initiatives and/or impactful leadership and is involved in state, regional or national organizations.

“It really just rejuvenates you in a lot of ways, to receive that type of recognition.”

“I think sometimes you just don’t know the impact of the work you’re doing,” McGalliard said. “Recognition means a lot when it comes from a student, and it means even more when it comes from people that you work with, because to be recognized for that means they’ve been paying attention, and that they feel and see the benefit of the work that you do together. It’s super humbling. It really just rejuvenates you in a lot of ways, to receive that type of recognition, especially when it comes from your team who sees you day in and day out, and knows the daily operation and what it takes to keep the ship moving.” 

SEAHO is a regional affiliate of the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International, and the largest region with 10 states represented – North Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. 

McGalliard has been part of the organization for several years, previously serving as faculty for the Regional Entry Level Institute, conference chair for the Raleigh conference and as SEAHO’s president.

“It is phenomenal, humbling and it just means so, so much.” 

“There’s a lot of phenomenal colleagues who work with other institutions who I have not only had the opportunity to work with at the association level, but also had an opportunity to get to know over the course of years,” McGalliard said. “You go to conferences, you go to workshops. You start to rely on one another. There are mentors that I’ve worked with in this field and this region for a really long time, so to even be considered among those who were nominated and then to be recognized as the Outstanding Senior Housing Officer in our region is just phenomenal, humbling and it just means so, so much.” 

With University Housing, McGalliard oversees a team of roughly 140 permanent staff and 400 student employees. 

“For Donna, no project is complete at NC State Housing until every detail has been considered with a focus on student success.”

Two of these employees – Scott Wallace, assistant director for facilities operations, and Abinadi Ehrisman, assistant director for facilities trades – wrote a letter of nomination for McGalliard to SEAHO.

“Donna McGalliard is a dedicated, hard-working professional who cares deeply about our residents and the employees who care for those students and the facilities they live in,” Wallace and Ehrisman wrote. “We have personally spent many hours working one on one with Donna to get project designs right, walking projects in progress to ensure they meet students’ needs and spending time with our facilities staff to hear their input and support them in the work they do. For Donna, no project is complete at NC State Housing until every detail has been considered with a focus on student success.”

Among McGalliard’s many accomplishments over her time at NC State, the SEAHO awards committee recognized her leadership during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and leading initiatives such as the Cates West Residential Development and Elevate inclusive postsecondary program.

In recent years, McGalliard has also served as DASA’s first Dean of Students as part of the new Office of Student Life and Advocacy, assumed interim leadership of DASA Shared Services and helped lead multiple other impactful initiatives. 

“I’ve got an incredible team who understands the mission, who understands what it is we do, why we do it and who we’re doing it for,” McGalliard said. “I don’t mean just students. We’re doing this for the university, not just for current members of the Wolfpack, but for generations to come. We’re constantly striving for success. We’re constantly striving to be not just good but great. I have an incredible team that does that every single day. Whether they are turning wrenches, developing programs, behind the scenes working on software to make our assignments happen or they are handing out packages at the front desk, every single person in our organization is important, because they make the wheels turn. They make a difference every single day. I just get to be the person who is privileged enough to be at the helm of that. I could not do the work that I’m being recognized for without the help of our incredible team.”