More Than an Association: Our Shared Home in College Health

Published in the Fall 2026 Quarterly Newsletter

Dear ACHA Colleagues,

With renewal season underway, we are reminded that ACHA is more than a professional association, it is a community, a resource, and for many of us, a professional home.

A Message from President Andreea Baker

For me, ACHA has been that home for more than 13 years. Throughout my career as a college health and wellness professional, particularly while working at a small, private institution as a nurse administrator, ACHA helped me grow in ways I could not have imagined. It gave me access to the guidance, best practices, policies, procedures, and professional connections I needed to better serve college students and strengthen the work happening on my campus.

That support was especially meaningful during the COVID-19 pandemic, when so many of us were navigating unprecedented challenges in real time. ACHA provided not only critical resources, but also a network of colleagues who understood the complexity, urgency, and heart of our work. Today, that same ability to bring our community together, respond to emerging needs, and provide trusted leadership remains central to ACHA’s role.

Now, writing to you as ACHA President, I can say with deep gratitude that my membership has shaped the leader and professional I am today. Through ACHA, I have had the opportunity to serve in affiliate leadership, participate in sections and task forces, collaborate with dedicated colleagues, and learn from professionals across the country who are committed to advancing college health and well-being.

But ACHA has given me more than professional development. It has given me community. It has connected me with some of my dearest friends and closest colleagues—people who have challenged me, supported me, inspired me, and reminded me why this work matters.

That is why I renew my membership every year.

A Message from ACHA CEO Raphael Florestal-Kevelier

From the CEO perspective, I have the privilege of seeing what that commitment makes possible across the association. When members renew, engage, volunteer, and share their expertise, they strengthen ACHA’s ability to respond to the needs of the field, develop timely resources, create meaningful opportunities for connection and learning, and provide national leadership in support of college health and well-being.

Renewal is about more than maintaining access to resources or events. It is an investment in a shared community of practice, in the future of college health and wellness, and in one another. It strengthens the collective voice and capacity of ACHA and helps ensure that the association can continue supporting the professionals and institutions serving students every day.

Looking Ahead Together

As President and CEO, we are grateful for the many ways our members shape ACHA through their expertise, leadership, participation, and commitment to our mission. ACHA is strongest when its members are connected to one another and actively engaged in the community we are building together.

We hope you will renew your ACHA membership and continue to be part of this extraordinary community. Whether you have been a member for many years or are newer to ACHA, your presence, perspective, and participation matter.

Thank you for the work you do every day, and thank you for being part of ACHA.

All the best,

Andreea Baker, MSN, RN, FACHA
ACHA President, 2026-2027
Director of Health and Wellness, Doane University

Raphael D. Florestal-Kevelier, PhD, MPH
ACHA Chief Executive Officer