Poppy Fitch is the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, ADA/Title IX Coordinator, and established the Office of Student Access and Wellness at Ashford University. For more than 20 years, Poppy has worked in community college and university settings in social justice advocacy roles. Prior to joining Ashford, Poppy worked at Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges in the California Community College system in the Disability Services office for 15 years in direct service capacities including Student Services Specialist, Disability and Academic Counselor, and as a college readiness Instructor.
Poppy earned her Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis in Multicultural Counseling, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership, both from San Diego State University. Her passion is improving access and educational equity in higher education for underserved students. Poppy is co-author of A Guide to Leadership and Management in Higher Education: Managing Across the Generations (Routledge). A Gallup Organization trained Strengths Educator and Mentor, Poppy is committed to Strengths based approaches and has presented on these topics at numerous conferences including the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators, the Association on Higher Education and Disability, the College Board, and the National Behavioral Intervention Team Association, and to college and university audiences throughout the United States.
As a former foster youth, Poppy’s authentic voice and enthusiasm for educational access and equity is informed by her life experiences. Her doctoral research focuses on the experiences of foster youth who have completed post-secondary degrees. She is fiercely committed to ensuring that youth and adults are free to reach their fullest potential through the transformative power of education.
Poppy and her husband Mike Robinson live in San Diego, CA and are proud parents to Hannah (18) and Kane (17), and to their Beagle Ruby.
