Meet Mount Holyoke’s newest directors in Student Affairs

Kris “knp” Nolan-Parker and Lauren Collier join Student Affairs following a summer of organizational changes within the division. Existing leadership roles in Residential Life and Disability Services were reconfigured, while Disability Services also became part of Student Affairs in July. The changes align the division’s leadership structure with current practices in student affairs while continuing the work of existing teams and services.

As director of Residential Life, Nolan-Parker provides strategic leadership for Mount Holyoke’s residential experience, including residential education, housing operations and student support. Collier, executive director of Disability Services, works to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to academics and campus life.

Get to know Nolan-Parker and Collier, what they bring to their new roles and a little about who they are beyond their work.

Kris “knp” Nolan-Parker, director of Residential Life

For Nolan-Parker, residential life is about more than where students live. Their work focuses on creating inclusive residential communities where students can build relationships, experience a sense of belonging and learn alongside one another. They also oversee housing operations and support the development of Residential Life’s professional and student staff.

Nolan-Parker brings a particular interest in the professional development of housing and residential life practitioners. They served as faculty for the Northeast Association of College and University Housing Officers’ Regional Entry Level Institute in 2025 and received the organization’s Spring 2026 Best of the Spring Drive-in Program award for their work on emotional intelligence in the development of housing professionals. This fall, they will present at the organization’s annual conference on emotional intelligence and senior housing officer well-being.

They are also pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership at Merrimack College, with a focus on organizational development.

Just a few weeks into their time at Mount Holyoke, Nolan-Parker said the students and the College’s traditions already stand out.

“My favorite thing about Mount Holyoke is our students and all the traditions that make our community feel a little magical,” Nolan-Parker said. “There’s so much talent, whimsy, joy and delight woven into the community, and it’s incredibly uplifting to be able to contribute to that culture.”

Outside of work, Nolan-Parker and their wife run a small farm, where Nolan-Parker grows four varieties of garlic. They plan to put 1,500 garlic plants in the ground this fall and hope to make it to a garlic festival within the next five years.

“If you ever want to talk garlic, I am absolutely your person,” they said.

Lauren Collier, executive director of Disability Services

As executive director of Disability Services, Collier helps ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to academics and campus life through reasonable accommodations. Her role also includes education and engagement with the broader Mount Holyoke community.

Collier is currently pursuing a doctorate through the University of Massachusetts College of Education. Over the summer, she completed an independent study focused on secondary data analysis using the Healthy Minds Study dataset to examine differences in students’ sense of belonging and community among students with and without mental health impairments. With limited prior experience using the statistical software Stata and SPSS, Collier taught herself both programs and discovered that she particularly enjoyed the process of cleaning data.

Her educational path has also taken her far beyond New England. Collier earned her master’s degree at KU Leuven in Belgium. As a first-generation student, she found studying abroad to be an unexpectedly accessible option.

Now beginning her time at Mount Holyoke, Collier said she is looking forward to working at a smaller liberal arts college and getting to know the community. She is also looking forward to exploring campus on foot.

“I am excited to take some walks around this beautiful campus,” Collier said.