Raphael D. Florestal-Kevelier, PhD, MPH

Raphael Florestal-Kevelier, PhD, MPH (he/him) is a public health–trained higher education scholar-practitioner with more than 15 years of experience advancing student health, well-being, and equity across diverse institutional contexts. He currently serves as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the American College Health Association (ACHA), providing strategic leadership across the Association’s programs, operations, governance, partnerships, and philanthropic initiatives during a period of organizational transition.

In these roles, Dr. Florestal-Kevelier works closely with ACHA’s Board of Directors, American College Health Foundation Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and external partners to ensure continuity, fiscal stewardship, and mission alignment while supporting the Association’s vision that health and well-being are foundational to college student success. His leadership emphasizes collaboration, transparency, and centering the needs of students and the professionals who support them.

Dr. Florestal-Kevelier is nationally recognized for his work at the intersection of health promotion, student affairs, and equity-centered institutional change. Prior to his interim executive role, he served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Health and Campus Wellbeing at the University of Illinois Chicago, where he led an integrated portfolio spanning counseling, health promotion, campus recreation, and public health initiatives, and as Executive Director of Health Promotion and Public Health Initiatives at Columbia University. Across these roles, he has guided large multidisciplinary teams, stewarded complex budgets, and partnered with senior leaders to embed wellbeing, belonging, and public health approaches into institutional strategy.

A long-standing leader within ACHA, Dr. Florestal-Kevelier previously served as President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors, Chair of the Health Promotion Section, and founding Co-Chair of the Task Force on Racial Marginalization and Health Inequities. His scholarship and practice center the academic and social well-being of Black queer and transgender students and the transformation of campuses into communities of care, belonging, and shared responsibility.

Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Florestal-Kevelier holds a BS and MPH from Emory University and a PhD from the University of Georgia. He lives in Chicago with his husband, Teishawn, and their cats, Nala and Jumelle. He finds joy in warm-weather travel, intentional community, and supporting the next generation of equity-minded leaders in higher education and college health.