Ryan M. Travia, Ed.D., FACHA
Associate Vice President for Student Success
rtravia@babson.edu
781-239-4218
Hollister Hall, Room 215
Dr. Ryan Travia is the inaugural Associate Vice President for Student Success at Babson College, having previously served as Babson’s first associate dean of students for wellness. As senior student affairs officer/chief well-being officer, Dr. Travia provides leadership and strategic direction for a comprehensive portfolio that includes: accessibility services, case management and CARE team, counseling and psychological services, first-generation student success, health services, student advising & success, and wellness & prevention services.
Prior to joining the Babson community, Dr. Travia spent a decade at Harvard University as the founding director of the Office of Alcohol & Other Drug Services (Harvard’s first “alcohol czar”). In this capacity, Dr. Travia provided vision and leadership for the development, implementation and evaluation of a comprehensive substance abuse prevention program. As the first substance abuse prevention specialist in University history, Dr. Travia’s leadership saw the implementation of a multitude of programs that promoted safer practices among students and monitored the effectiveness of University protocol regarding alcohol and other drug abuse. Among Dr. Travia’s many accomplishments at Harvard, two of which he is most proud include authoring the University’s first Amnesty Policy and creating a nationally-recognized, award-winning peer education program, the Drug & Alcohol Peer Advisors (DAPA). Dr. Travia also held a dual appointment as founding director of Harvard’s Department of Health Promotion & Education, where he oversaw the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention & Response and Health Education, and coordinated a multidisciplinary team of health professionals from medicine, nursing, nutrition, mental health, and wellness in support of an integrated and holistic approach to health and well-being. Dr. Travia previously led the alcohol and drug education program at Dartmouth College.
Dr. Travia believes that well-being is the key driver to student success and has worked tirelessly to remove barriers to accessing care, particularly for marginalized and underrepresented groups, as evidenced by his leadership in creating and managing a student emergency fund, developing amnesty and Good Samaritan policies for students who overdose on alcohol or other drugs, a recovery-focused medical withdrawal policy, launching a food and resource pantry, and building Babson’s first sexual assault prevention and response program.
Dr. Travia holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Elementary Education/Moderate Special Needs and a master’s in Educational Administration, both from Boston College, as well as a doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include decision-making and restructuring at institutions that have been intentional about leveraging the connectivity between student and academic affairs to create more seamless learning environments for students. Dr. Travia has written and presented extensively on framing and measuring well-being, mental health, and leadership. His first book, Well-being Leadership in Higher Education: A Guide for Successful Well-being Programs, was published in January 2026 and he is currently working on a second volume on Mental Health Transformation in Higher Education.
Dr. Travia has held a variety of leadership roles with NASPA – Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, the American College Health Association (ACHA), and the New England College Health Association (NECHA). Dr. Travia is an ACHA Fellow, in recognition of outstanding service to the ACHA, superior professional stature, and distinguished performance in the field of college health. Dr. Travia currently serves as President of the International Advisory Board for Student Affairs at Universidad de Monterrey and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Alumni Advisory Board for the Executive Doctorate of Higher Education Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Dr. Travia provides expert consultation and external reviews to institutions of higher education, independent schools, and other organizations on issues pertaining to substance abuse prevention, health promotion, peer education, and various health and wellness services.