LSK Professional Services LLC - team

Dr. Lystra Huggins has a passion for mentoring students and has provided academic, personal, and career counseling in higher education for over 20 years. Lystra received a BA degree in Psychology from Medgar Evers College, CUNY, a MA from City College, CUNY, in Psychology with a focus on Abnormal Behavior, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Graduate Center, CUNY, where she concentrated on Cultural Psychology.

Before joining the field of higher education in 2002, Lystra worked as a therapist with foster care children and their families at Rainbow Psychological Services and, subsequently, at the Behavioral Intervention Center in Brooklyn, New York. Her principal research interests are Caribbean immigration and remigration, place identity, attachment and dependency, mentoring models, awareness of cultural abnormalities, and women's leadership.

Dr. Simone Rodriguez has more than 20 years of professional experience working with youth and adults in higher education. She has presented at regional, national, and international conferences focusing on pre-college programs, adult and continuing education, and workforce development, adult and continuing education. She has extensive experience in student success, strategic planning, enrollment management, and curriculum development. 

Simone holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from State University of New York at Binghamton (Philosophy, Politics, and Law); a Master of Arts degree from New York University (Higher Education Administration); a Ph.D. from Walden University (Higher Education Administration and Adult Women Development), and a Certificate from the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education from Harvard University. Simone is published, a board member, and is active in several professional organizations. She has held positions at private and public institutions in New York and New Jersey.

Dr. Kareen Odate is a seasoned educator with over 20 years in higher education. She remains passionate in her desire to support and advocate for students, and her work has centered on promoting their academic, personal, and professional development and goals. Her portfolio includes various presentations addressing the varied experiences and needs of college students. It also reflects her research interests which focus specifically on exploring the experiences of female students and working women.

Kareen received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Williams College and her Master of Science in Education in Higher Education Administration at Baruch College. She completed her Doctor of Education degree in Instructional Leadership at Saint John’s University with a concentration in Higher Education Administration and a dissertation titled, “A Cross-Ethnicity Study of Senior Executive Women in Higher Education: Commonalities and Differences in Lived Experiences.” She also co-authored the article “Addressing the Detrimental Impacts of COVID-19 on Women in the Workforce: Where Do We Go From Here?” Additionally, Kareen is a member of several boards and professional organizations.