The 2023–2024 Member Network is excited to welcome new regional representatives in Regions IV and VI.
Armando Espinoza has joined the Member Network as the Region IV Representative! Armando has been at Kansas State since 2008 and is in his second year as Assistant Director of Programs.
Armando has been active in NIRSA since 2005, beginning at the University of Texas where he served as a ball person for the National Soccer Tournament in Texas. During his career, he has served on the host committee for the Region IV Conference, spent two years as the Kansas State Director, and presented at the NIRSA Annual Conference. He has also been involved with numerous flag football and basketball tournaments at both the regional and national levels.
During his tenure on the Member Network, Armando hopes to help provide opportunities for others in the field to advance in the profession, saying that the Member Network “must work diligently to aid in providing opportunities to members to network, develop their knowledge base, and to prepare themselves for careers in campus recreation.”
Joining Armando as a new representative on the Member Network is Ryan Kirchner, who will be representing Region VI. Ryan is currently the Assistant Director of Student Development and Programs at University of Utah.
Ryan has more than ten years of experience in campus recreation, having worked for five different universities where he gained experience in programming, facilities, and student development. Ryan’s involvement with NIRSA has been significant; he has served the Association as the Utah State Director and as a member of the Region VI Conference Planning Committee, Region VI Professional Development Committee, All-Regions Conference Committee, and the Career Development Committee. He is also an active participant in NIRSA’s Mentor Match Program.
In his role as Region VI Representative, Ryan plans to help the region’s state leaders disseminate leadership opportunities, saying that he will “strive to work towards the success of others that benefit our region and the Association.”
As the Member Network celebrates these new members, we also want to recognize and thank outgoing regional representatives Sheldon Tate from the University of Missouri (Region IV) and Richelle Williams from Western Washington University (Region VI). Richelle and Tate are moving on to the next steps in their careers, and we wish them the very best. Thank you, Tate and Richelle, for your service to the Member Network and to NIRSA!
Natasha Fischer is currently the Member Engagement Manager at NIRSA.
