Thong M. Trinh is an Edwin J. O'Leary Fellow and currently pursuing a doctorate study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interest is higher education policy with a focus on finance. Thong has published on student willingness to pay, university budgeting, and related topics of higher education policy.
Direct Admissions: Policies and Principles
Jennifer A. Delaney, Ph.D., is a Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is also the Director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education and Director of the Higher Education Program. In addition, Dr. Delaney is a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. She earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Stanford University, an Ed.M. in higher education from Harvard University, and a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan.
AACRAO Bio
2020 SEM-EP Graduate
Brenda Schumann has over twenty years of experience in higher education and the enrollment management profession. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice Provost for Enrollment Services and University Registrar at the University of Texas at Austin and previously served as the Deputy University Registrar and Director of Operations and Compliance at UT Austin and Director of Registration and Records (Registrar) and Assistant Director of Admissions at Texas Lutheran University. Brenda’s professional experience includes all aspects of the enrollment management portfolio -- registrar, admissions, and financial aid – which allows her to apply her knowledge and skills in support of students and the University community. Brenda maintains active participation and membership in AACRAO, SACRAO, and TACRAO and presents frequently at various conferences on succession planning, leadership, learning organizations, enrollment management, competency based-hiring and evaluations, strategic planning, and project management. She participated in the AACRAO Baden-Wurttemburg seminar in 2017; is currently serving as an AACRAO content contributor; served on the local arrangements committee for SACRAO 2013 and chair of the SACRAO information technology program committee in 2015-2016; and served as local arrangements committee chair for TACRAO 2016 and TACRAO Secretary 2017-2019.
Capstone Project: The capstone literature review focused on an outcomes-based approach to achieve results in supporting students for success. The literature review applies an outcomes based approach to the development and assessment of a Strategic Enrollment Management unit within an institution, in developing programming and support to assist in student persistence, and in developing an outcomes based approach for the changing role of the Registrar in the support of new teaching models, student mobility, learning outcomes, and academic credit and calendars.
Review of: Rethinking College Admissions: Research-Based Practice and Policy
Pathway to Student Success.
Carmelitia J. Coleman, Ed.D., has more than 20 years of higher education experience, having held numerous positions within higher education and the corporate sector, ranging from university administrator to education consultant for one of the "Big Four" management consulting firms in the United States. As the Director of Inclusion, Diversity, and Engagement at Transact Campus Inc. – a global higher-education technology company – Dr. Coleman fulfills her passion for making a difference in students' lives, particularly at the postsecondary level. She provides strategic leadership and administrative oversight for researching, developing, implementing, and sustaining a range of practices that forward Transact's commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Dr. Coleman earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She later earned her doctorate degree in higher education from Walden University.
Financial Aid Knowledge and Resources Among First-Generation College Students
Eleonora Philopoulos is the Director of Architecture and Design in Facilities Management at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Philopoulos has been working at the university for seventeen years, and leads architecture and interior design for all campus projects ranging from small to large complex projects. Philopoulos additionally leads an annual building interior condition analysis audit and provides strategic direction for deferred maintenance projects yearly. Prior to her WMU experience, Philopoulos worked in Europe as an Interior Architect for retail companies like Nike and Harley Davidson and has won several national design awards over her career.
Academically, in addition to her role as the Director of Architecture and Design, Philopoulos is a doctoral student in the higher education leadership program at WMU with her dissertation topic focusing on campus environments and sense of belonging. Additionally, Philopoulos is a part-time instructor at WMU teaching in the Interior Architecture program for sixteen years. Philopoulos is fluent in Greek and serves as the Faculty Director for the study abroad course to Greece for Architecture and Design at WMU for the past eight years.
The Importance of a Strong Campus Visit: A Practice Brief Outlining Collaboration Between Admissions and Facilities Management
Alicia Kornowa currently is the Director of Admissions at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In her role, she serves as the chief admissions officer, overseeing nearly 35 talented team members. This is Kornowa’s professional second stint at WMU; she got her start in the admissions profession there from 1999 – 2004 as an assistant director of admissions. From there, she has served four other universities in various admissions/enrollment management roles: the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida, Cornell University, and the University of Cincinnati.
In addition to her role as the director of admissions, Kornowa is a doctoral student and is nearing the end of her coursework for a Ph.D. in educational leadership, with an emphasis in higher education. Kornowa anticipates completing her degree in late 2024 or early 2025. Her dissertation will focus on the relationship between a university’s academic profile and enrollment outcomes.
Robert J. Sternberg, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology, Cornell University, and Honorary Professor of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Germany. He has been a university professor, dean, and provost. His B.A. is from Yale; his Ph.D. is from Stanford; and he holds thirteen honorary doctorates. He has won the Grawemeyer Award in Psychology.
Why Test-Optional and Other Test-Light Options Have Worked So Well in College Admissions
Brenda Schumann, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice-Provost for Enrollment Services and University Registrar at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining the University of Texas at Austin, she served as the Director of Registration and Records and Assistant Director of Admissions at Texas Lutheran University. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, specifically in registrar and admissions offices. Dr. Schumann earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. She has a master of education degree in higher education administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor of science degree in agricultural communications from Texas Tech University. Dr. Schumann also completed the AACRAO Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Endorsement Program and currently serves as a SEM program evaluator for current participants. In 2022, she chaired the AACRAO Workgroup on Alternative Credentials.
Jairo McMican, first name pronounced Hi-rrow, is the Associate Director of Equity Initiatives at Achieving the Dream. He has spent the last seventeen plus years working in higher education. McMican currently serves on the AACRAO’s Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly Editorial Board, and the NACADA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education Advisory Board. He also serves as the vice chair of the North Carolina Education and Workforce Initiatives Commission. Previously, McMican held a dual position as the dean of college access services at Central Carolina Community College and as the director of equity and pathways for the North Carolina Student Success Center. Currently, McMican is pursuing an Ed.D. in adult and community college education at North Carolina State University. He holds a master's degree in strategic leadership and a bachelor's degree in psychology.
An Interview with Dr. Karen Stout
Positionality Awareness and Training for College Admissions Recruiters
Jill Dunlap is the Senior Director of Research, Policy, and Civic Engagement at NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, based in Washington, DC. Prior to joining NASPA, Jill worked closely with college student survivors of sexual violence for more than 14 years at three different campuses. In 2014, Jill served as a non-federal negotiator representing four-year, public institutions on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) negotiated rulemaking committee. Jill has her PhD in political science and public administration from Northern Illinois University, where her dissertation work focused on the experiences of students impacted by sexual violence on campus.
Ericka M. Jackson is the senior director of undergraduate admissions for Wayne State University. Jackson serves as a key advisor and member of the enrollment management leadership team in the areas of enhanced student experience, undergraduate enrollment planning and management.
Jackson is responsible for planning and directing the recruitment of undergraduate students to Wayne State, as well as developing and implementing processes to achieve the university’s annual and long-term undergraduate enrollment goals. WSU’s enrollment of nearly 24,000 students includes over 16,000 undergraduates. During Jackson’s tenure in Fall 2018, Wayne State enrolled the largest and most diverse first-year incoming class in the school’s 150-year history.
Previously Jackson served as assistant dean of admissions and student affairs at Wayne State University Law School. She received her Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School and holds a bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan.
Prior to her position in Law admissions, Jackson served three years as associate director of development and director of the Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African-American Legal History at Wayne Law. She also worked as a litigation attorney for seven years at Sommers Schwartz, P.C., and was a senior major gift officer at the University of Michigan.
Jackson lives in Belleville, Michigan with her husband Isaac and is the proud mother of three adult children, Darian, Isaac Jr., and Aubrey.
Kayla Nichols serves as Deputy Director for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at Virginia Tech. As Deputy Director, she oversees day-to-day operations, which includes providing leadership to the data processing team, visitor experience team, recruitment team, communications, and customer support staff.
As a first-generation college graduate, she avidly supports college access initiatives and her foundation in college admissions was built through serving as the lead for diversity, equity, and access programming. This foundation now serves as a critical lens when overseeing operations within the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Kayla actively participates in professional development opportunities by presenting at national and regional conferences, taking online courses through AACRAO, participating in the ASCEND Leadership Development Program through AACRAO, and participating in programs through Virginia Tech. She also previously served as college fair coordinator and later as the Vice President of Admissions and Enrollment for VACRAO.
Uzoma F. Obidike, PhD, is a Clinical Experiences and Internship Manager at National Louis University. She is also a Career Transition Coach and founder of She Leads Beautifully, where she teaches women in stagnant careers how to tap into their networks to access dream career opportunities. Dr. Obidike is a contributing author of No Ways Tired: The Journey for Professionals of Color in Student Affairs. She has graced local and national stages, leading career and leadership development talks. Dr. Obidike was the 2019 recipient of the Up and Coming Woman in Education for the Influential Women of Northwest Indiana Awards.