In this special live episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast, recorded at the 2025 NASPA Student Success Conference in Denver, host Ben Hallett sits down with Tréon D. McClendon, Assistant Vice Provost of Retention Initiatives at the University of Missouri–Kansas City.
A national award-winning educator and first-generation college graduate, Trayon leads one of the most comprehensive student success portfolios at UMKC spanning academic advising, career services, student support, supplemental instruction, and new student orientation.
He shares compelling stories from the classroom that underscore the importance of flexibility, self-awareness, and responsibility in student-facing roles.
Whether adapting an icebreaker to ensure accessibility or taking a chance on a student who simply needed belief and opportunity, Trayon demonstrates how small moments of intentionality can have lasting impact.
