Office of Student Involvement & Leadership

Alex Zernechel joined the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership in July 2017, as the Program Manager for Greek Life.

He is responsible for the strategic oversight for the fraternity and sorority community, community service and civic engagement initiatives, annual Homecoming celebrations, and supporting the 400+ student organizations on campus.

A native of Canton, Ohio, Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Albright College, a Master of Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Western Carolina University.

Becca Wait joined the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership in July 2022. She holds a B.A. in Communication from Bowling Green State University and a M.A. in Media and Public Engagement from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Her work with OSIL involves leadership programs and civic engagement efforts, including the Levis Leadership scholarship program, UToledo LEADS, the Kalahari Leadership retreat, voter engagement and service hours/volunteering. Becca also serves as advisor to several student organizations and groups, including the National Society for Leadership and Success (NSLS), Presidential Ambassadors, Democracy Fellows, Freshman Camp and more.

In her free time, Becca enjoys taking it easy with her cat, Olive Oyl. Her hobbies include crocheting, listening to podcasts and collecting VHS tapes. Her fondest memories of her own college experience include being a member of the founding class of her sorority, Gamma Rho Lambda, and getting the opportunity to present research at the 2017 DePauw National Undergraduate Honors Conference.

Makayla Lockett joined the Office of Student Involvement in October 2021, having previously served as the Visiting Professor for the College of Arts and Letters.

Makayla holds a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, and a Master of Arts in English with a concentration in English as a Second Language Instruction from the University of Toledo. Similarly, she has managed both the Aichi exchange program and the International Youth Academy summer program through the University of Toledo.

Makayla has visited, taught in, and lived in many countries. Born to a British mother and having been raised in England, those countries include Spain, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Iceland, and in her college years, Japan. Language wise, Makayla has studied Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Spanish, with her second strongest language being Spanish. She loves video games and is an avid reader. Makayla's current passion projects include learning more languages, getting a PhD, and encouraging more people to get involved with their interests, their communities, and their wider world.

Geni Hofbauer is the accountant for the Dean of Students Office here at the University of Toledo. She joined the Division of Student Affairs in 1988. Her office has had many locations within the Student Union, currently “Geni is back on the block” with the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership team.

Geni is responsible for oversight of UT budgets that fall under the Dean of Students area including the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership as well as SAC funded student organizations. She works closely with the SAC funded student organizations here on campus. In her role she assists student organizations with accessing their university budgets, helping them to maneuver through UT’s policies and procedures. She is an excellent resource for student organizations and has an “open door” policy, please feel free to reach out to her with your student organization funding questions.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Geni enjoys the seasons Northwest Ohio weather offers, the sun, the rain and the snow! She also enjoys baking tasty treats and making hand knitted blankets to keep warm during those cold winter months.

Geni’s favorite college experience is in the Fall when everyone is back on campus and the campus is buzzing with people and activities are happening all around campus!

Alex has been a Rocket since 2016 when she came to campus as a wide-eyed freshman from Port Clinton, Ohio. Her experiences at Toledo ranged from a former cheerleader to a RA. She has loved providing resources and leadership development throughout her time here whether that was from her personal experiences in the Levis Leadership Program or through her time as a chapter president.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Recreational therapy and worked as a therapist for a year before coming back to school to pursue her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy.

Through our office she engages in her passion for leadership by supporting the Levis Leadership program, serving as an advisor for Lambda Sigma, and assisting in the coordination of leadership development opportunities for students across campus both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Her favorite quote is “Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another. – John C. Maxwell”