The Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) recently announced the recipients of the organization’s annual awards. Among this year’s cohort of individual award-winners are two Black administrators at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Kevin Bailey, vice chancellor for student affairs at UNC Charlotte, received the 2025 Dr. Kent L. Gardner Award. The annual honor recognizes a senior college or university administrator who has demonstrated a continued commitment to the advancement of fraternities and sororities.
Dr. Bailey has been a student affairs administrator in higher education for more than 30 years. At UNC Charlotte, he oversees all aspects relating to student success, well-being, and engagement for more than 31,000 students. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions with the University of West Florida, Tulane University in New Orleans, Millersville University in Pennsylvania, Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
A member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Dr. Bailey previously served as director of curriculum for the organization’s Undergraduate Leadership Institute. There, he helped provide over 1,200 fellows from more than 150 chapters with training opportunities in leadership, ethics, and social justice. He also also been a national advocate for hazing prevention.
Dr. Bailey received his bachelor’s degree in management information systems and his master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University.
Michelle Guobadia, senior director of student engagement and director of fraternity and sorority life at UNC Charlotte, received the 2025 Dr. Robert H. Shaffer Award. Presented annually, the award recognizes an individual in the field of higher education who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to fraternities and sororities.
Guobadia has led fraternity and sorority life at UNC Charlotte since 2008. When she first began her tenure at the university, there were 28 Greek chapters with fewer than 900 members. Now, Goubadia oversees a diverse community of over 40 fraternities and sororities with some 1,800 students. Throughout her time with UNC Charlotte, she has focused on hazing prevention and advancing leadership opportunities for fraternity and sorority students.
An active member of the AFA, Guobadia previously received the association’s Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award and had a stint on the board of directors. Additionally, she is the leading donor of the AFA Foundation’s Guobadia Graduate and Emerging Professionals Endowment, which provides support and professional development initiatives to both graduate students and new professionals.
Guobadia is a graduate of the University of Delaware, where she was a member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. She received her master’s degree in higher education from North Carolina State University. Before joining the UNC Charlotte administration, Guobadia was assistant director of fraternity and sorority life at George Mason University in Virginia for three years.
