After a lot of reflection, conversation, and listening to that quiet inner voice that doesn’t let go, I’m sharing that I will be leaving my role as Vice President of Student Affairs, Enrollment, and Belonging at Bellin College at the conclusion of this semester.
This decision comes with deep gratitude and genuine excitement!
Bellin College has been a place of growth, trust, and belonging for me. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible colleagues, supporting remarkable students, and helping shape spaces where people could feel seen, supported, and valued. I am profoundly thankful for my time here and for the relationships, lessons, and memories that will stay with me long after my last day.
As I move through this final semester, I’m intentionally savoring it. There are events still to celebrate, students still to support, and moments still to be fully present for and I plan to enjoy every one of them.
At the heart of everything I have done and everything I will continue to do is a life mission rooted in belonging. My work has always been about exploring students’ sense of belonging and helping others create spaces where people feel truly seen, valued, and connected. I believe belonging is not a buzzword; it is a practice, a responsibility, and a source of joy. When people feel they belong, they don’t just persist they flourish. That belief has guided my research, my leadership, my teaching, and now this next chapter of my work.
To my students:
Thank you for trusting me with your stories, your questions, your uncertainty, and your joy! You taught me just as much as I ever taught you. Through our conversations, our laughter, our hard moments, and our celebrations, you reminded me why this work matters. You gave purpose to my leadership and joy to my days. I hope I helped you see your own power, your worth, and your responsibility to one another. Know that I will always be cheering you on and carrying your stories with me wherever I go.
So why this change and why now?
Because I get to wake up and choose joy!
I’m stepping into something I’ve been building toward for a long time: expanding my consulting, keynote speaking, and facilitation work. This next chapter allows me to work more directly with organizations and communities that are ready to deepen belonging, rethink leadership, and engage more relational, human-centered ways of being often grounded in Indigenous values and ways of knowing.
I’m excited. I’m a little nervous. And honestly, that’s how I know it’s the right move.
I have launched BelongingU: Rieth Strategy Solutions as my full time gig.
I am an Indigenous keynote storyteller, trainer, and facilitator who partners with campuses and organizations to cultivate real, meaningful belonging. Rooted in Indigenous ways of being and a framework I developed called the Five Rs of student sense of belonging. My work invites communities to center relational responsibility, reconnect with joy, and see their work, and one another, more fully.
Through keynotes, storytelling, workshops, assessment, and the redesign of programs such as first-year experience, I support higher education institutions, K–12 schools, and nonprofit organizations seeking more human-centered, values-driven approaches to leadership, learning, and community building.
Learn more on my website: https://www.belongingu.com/
YES! I am currently welcoming new clients for keynotes, workshops, retreats, and longer-term partnerships. I hope to work with you or work with someone near you! Always willing to have a conversation if you would like to learn more.
As I close this chapter at Bellin College and open the next, I do so with gratitude, humility, and hope. Thank you to everyone who has walked alongside me here and to those I haven’t met yet, I can’t wait to see what we’ll build together.
Here’s to choosing joy, even when it comes with butterflies.
— Dr. Benny
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