Congratulations to our October 2025 Member of the Month (MeMo) Tiffany Haddon! National College Attainment Network (NCAN) staff asked her both professional and personal questions so you can get to know her and the work she does better.
Q: What brought you to the college access and success field initially? A: Honestly, I stumbled into college access but once I got here and really understood
what this work was, I knew I wasn’t leaving. During grad school, I landed an internship with an access organization. I wasn’t chasing education at the time; I was chasing growth both personally and professionally. That year, facilitating in middle
and high schools, I discovered not only that I enjoyed working with young adults, I was actually good at it. As a non-traditional, first-gen student myself, I had a perspective students connected with. What started as “just an internship” became the
foundation for the work I do now: challenging systems while making sure students see themselves in the process.
Q: What do you love most about your role or organization? A: The diversity of the students we serve at Detroit Regional Dollars for Scholars (DRDFS). They come from so many different backgrounds and cultures, and
I’m constantly learning from them. As Success Program Manager, I get a unique seat at the table: I’m responsible for shaping the program and curriculum, but I also still get to be in the mix with students directly. I design the strategy with their
voices built in from the ground up. That balance ensures it’s not theory but their real life experiences helping to shape the program.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being an NCAN member? A: The access to a national network of brilliant professionals. Different regions bring different realities, and those perspectives sharpen my approach. NCAN
has opened doors for me as well. I’ve collaborated on grants, built relationships, and gained long-distance mentors. But it’s not one-sided. The same way I’ve learned from others, I’ve also been able to contribute back, sharing my non traditional
lens, my program design work, and my disruptive “what if we...” questions that push conversations forward.
Q: What advice do you have for people who are new to college attainment work? A: Don’t get caught up trying to be the “expert.” Listen first. Students and families will teach you more than any training manual
ever could. This field isn’t about showing off what you know. It’s about building trust and making the process less intimidating.
And be ready to unlearn. Systems aren’t perfect, and you’ll see gaps that frustrate you daily. Instead of getting jaded, let that frustration fuel innovation. Stay curious, stay humble, and keep the students’ lived experiences at the center of everything
you design or deliver.
Personality Questions
Every month, our MeMos will be answering some fun questions to help us get to know their “out of office” side!
Q: You get to host a dinner party with five people, dead or alive, famous or not. Who are you hosting? A: Prince, Octavia Butler, James Baldwin, Nicodemus and my grandmother Gertrude Brewer.
Q: What's one thing you'd like to cross off your personal bucket list? Is there one thing you've crossed off already that you're really proud of? A: One thing I'd like to cross off is visiting Giraffe Manor
in Kenya. A thing that's crossed off that I am proud of is that I went on a solo vacation and swam with a dolphin.
Q: What's your favorite food, and one food you don't like? A: My favorite food is currently oyster mushrooms. Fried, roasted, sauteed, doesn't matter! I am not a fan of lima beans.
Q: If you could immediately be fluent in one language AND proficiently play one instrument, which language and instrument would you choose and why? A: I would want to be fluent in Farsi and play the piano. Farsi
because it would be surprising and I have always been intrigued with it. I grew up in a musical family but leaned into vocal music over instrumental. Now as an adult I wished I had done both so being proficient in piano would be amazing!
Q: You HAVE to sing at karaoke. What song do you pick? A: Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder.
Q: What’s one topic, not related to education/college attainment, that you could give an impromptu 45 minute TEDTalk about? A: Urban gardening, the Bible, and successful adulting.
Q: What's on your to be read next list? A: Here's what I am planning to finish by the end of the year: Who's Guarding the Gates by Nancy L. Robinson, Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster, The Seven
Laws of Love - Dave Willis.
Q: Is there a fun fact about yourself that you'd like to share that's not in these questions? A: My first international trip was to Sweden in winter.
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