Dr. Aidé Acosta serves as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at National Louis University, where she leads university-wide efforts to advance the institution’s mission and elevate the student experience. Her work centers on student engagement, well-being, and long-term success, with a focus on cultivating an inclusive, student-centered culture across all campuses and learning modalities. Partnering closely with faculty, staff, and community organizations, Dr. Acosta ensures a consistent and transformative experience for NLU students.

A national leader in access, student success, and innovation, Dr. Acosta champions social mobility as a catalyst for multigenerational impact and maintains a lifelong commitment to expanding educational opportunity.

Previously, Dr. Acosta served as Chief College Officer at Noble Schools in Chicago, where she led the organization’s college access and success strategy. She oversaw programs across 17 high schools, including Summer of a Lifetime, College Counseling, Alumni Supports, the Alumni Career Office, and DREAMer Supports. Since joining Noble in 2013, she played a pivotal role in shaping its college vision as a foundation for positive, multigenerational change.

Before her work at Noble, Dr. Acosta taught at Northwestern University, Indiana University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Acosta is widely recognized for her leadership in improving college outcomes for underserved students. She was named one of Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Latino Leaders and authored the Chicago Tribune op-ed, “The Cost of the Anti-College Narrative for Black and Brown Students.” She serves on the board of Latino Educators Advancing Leadership (LEAL) and advisory committees of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and Dominican University–Chicago.

Born in Mexico and raised in Southern California, Dr. Acosta is a first-generation college graduate whose lived experiences deeply inform her leadership and unwavering belief in students’ potential.