Roshaunda Ross-Orta

Director of Upper-Division Engagement

Roshaunda "Ro" Ross-Orta (she, her, hers) is excited to return to Residential Colleges as the inaugural director of upper-division engagement. In this role, she coordinates the Sophomore Year Experience initiatives as well as targeted support for transfer students. She also helps manage educational and community-building programming for the upper-division residential colleges.  Ro joined the Vanderbilt community in 2019 as the program manager for Residential Colleges. She then served as the assistant director of Student Organizations, Leadership, and Service before returning to Residential Colleges.

Throughout her career, Ro has worked in many facets of higher education including leadership initiatives, new student programs, multicultural student affairs, and residential life. Ro is especially proud of her time as the director of the dual degree program at Governors State University. In that role, she expanded academic advising and co-curricular programming that aided in the degree completion of transfer students. As a certified CliftonStrengths coach, Ro loves helping students identify and utilize their natural talents. She earned her M.A. from Indiana University and her B.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Outside of work, Ro loves being mommy to Tre and wife to Jorge...and watching horrible reality TV.

CliftonStrengths Top 5: Communication | WOO | Activator | Input | Connectedness