My name is Sue Hyun Strakowski and I am an incoming Associate Registrar at the University of Cincinnati and the former Assistant Director of College Credit Services (Credit Evaluation and Articulation) at the University of Cincinnati. I am a 2023 Conners Scholarship recipient and a member of the AACRAO Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus. I was born in Busan, South Korea and grew up in New York City before moving to Cincinnati, OH in 2014. The majority of my work in higher education has been focused on transfer and transition populations, such as: concurrently enrolled high school students, transfer students, adult learners, and non-matriculated students. While working with these students, one of my primary focus areas has been working to advocate and implement policy and procedural change to bridge inequalities in educational access.
AACRAO Bio
Sun has had a long and diverse career in higher education, beginning with her part-time position at Lorain County Community College Registrar's Office in 2000. Over the years, she has held various roles within the registrar's office, including DARS Encoder, Transcript Evaluator, Functional Analyst, Associate Registrar, and Registrar. Throughout her career, Sun has been mentored by her predecessor and has followed in their footsteps.
Outside of her regular work, Sun has also been involved in various state-wide projects and committees, serving as a consultant for the Ohio Department of Higher Education for the state-wide Transfer Coding Project. She has also served as the Vice President of Membership from 2018-2020 and is currently the President-Elect for OACRAO (Ohio). Sun has been heavily involved in PeopleSoft implementation on her campus and has represented community colleges in the Higher Education User Group (HEUG).
Nicole Kragt is the Registrar at Kalamazoo College, where she has worked for 14 years. She has over 25 years’ experience in higher education, holding positions in academic support, admissions, financial aid, operation, and as a faculty member for various institutions. Nicole earned a BS in Elementary Education and an MA in Organizational Communication from Western Michigan University. She has been a member of AACRAO since 2008 and has been presenting at AACRAO conferences since 2011. Her presentations, panels, and round table contributions include:
Laurie brings more than twenty years of leadership and project management experience working in both community based and post-secondary institutions. She worked in facilities, student services, athletics and served as the inaugural Director of Admissions at Oakland Community College (OCC) in Michigan. Laurie also served as Interim Associate Dean of Student Services at one of five campus locations 2019-2020 when she had the opportunity to engage with the AACRAO Mentoring workgroup report.
Laurie has served on several Michigan community college organizational boards and committees. She was treasurer for the Executive Board of the Michigan Association of College Registrar’s & Admissions Officers (MACRAO), served on several MACRAO conference committees, the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) Board, and Michigan Community College Admissions Directors (MCCAD).
In 2020-2021, she had the opportunity to take a dean role at Dawson Community College to assist in the expansion of rural educational, dual enrollment opportunities in Central Montana. She worked to establish local employer, provider, and recruitment partnerships in order to launch virtual, hybrid and in-person academic courses via Dawson and had recruited, trained local adjunct faculty utilizing local facilities.
Laurie currently serves as a Workforce Project Manager at Workforce Intelligence Network (WIN) in Taylor, Michigan. Her primary assignment is the State of Michigan initiative – Michigan Electric Vehicle Jobs Academy (EV Jobs Academy) where more than 130 employers, stakeholders, and providers are working to establish a talent pipeline for the many emerging jobs in the EV and mobility industries.
Laurie is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse (Bachelor of Science). Purdue University (Master in Recreation & Leisure Studies) and Ferris State University (MBA).
Justin is the Deputy Registrar at Rice University and has been in other roles at Rice since 2014. He came to Rice from Texas A&M University, where he was an Assistant Registrar, and he started his career in 2010 at Western Kentucky University in Graduate Studies and Research.
He has been an active member at the state (TACRAO) and regional (SACRAO) levels by regularly presenting and serving on the executive committees for those organizations.
Justin earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Chicago and a Master of Arts at Western Kentucky University.
Josh Lind has worked with academic records for more than twenty years. He has worked in various roles at George Mason University, Western Oregon University, Chippewa Valley Technical College, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and University of Wisconsin-Stout. He has been an active participant in AACRAO, serving on conference planning subcommittees as well as state-level conference planning teams. He has presented sessions at national and state-level AACRAO conferences. He is particularly interested in data governance, query tools, data-informed decision-making, and software that improves the student experience. Currently, he is honored to work with the terrific registration and records team at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. He earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of Oregon.
Operations DivisionBrittany Brown is the Associate Director of IT and Business Operations at AACRAO. She earned her masters at American University in Public Administration with a concentration in state and local government and public financial management. She began her journey with AACRAO in the membership division before joining the IT team where she brings her passion for higher education and her dedication to serving others. Brittany is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in technology and education, and is eager to contribute to AACRAO’s efforts to create more equitable and inclusive higher education systems through her work with the Accessibility Taskforce.
Brittany helps manage the Association's IT systems. She evaluates business processes, anticipating requirements, uncovering areas for improvement, and developing and implementing solutions for each department.
CollegeSource
Deus serves as the Program Manager of TRIO Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS) at Florida International University (FIU). In this role, she leverages her extensive experience in enrollment management and services to support the access and success of UBMS students. Additionally, she is an adjunct lecturer at the FIU Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs. Deus holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education, a Master's in Public Administration, and a Bachelor's in Business Administration, from FIU. She is deeply passionate about creating pathways for first-generation and low-income students and using her research background to better understand the role that higher education and its professionals play in promoting college access and the success of disadvantaged students.
LinkedIn Profile
Cultural Integrity in College Bridge Programs: A Cultural Analysis
Dawn Aubry is Vice President for Enrollment Management at Oakland University. Aubry previously served as the university’s director of undergraduate admissions and has held positions in enrollment management, admissions, housing and residence life, student conduct, student orientation, and student programming during her career. Prior to joining OU in 1998, Aubry gained valuable career experience working at Kent State University and the University of Cincinnati.
Active on campus as a chairperson or member of more than 70 university committees, Aubry has made dozens of presentations at professional conferences and belongs to several professional organizations. They include the Michigan and Detroit College Access Network groups; the National and Michigan Associations for College Admissions Counseling; the American and Michigan Associations of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; the Collegiate Information and Visitor Services Association (CIVSA); the NAFSA Association of International Educators; the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators; and the Detroit Economic Club. In addition, Aubry has been a member of the College Board Enrollment Management Leadership Academy, the Oakland University Leadership Academy and a Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions participant. She has been honored as a Timothy G. Larrabee SOGI Equity and Inclusion Award winner and chosen as the Outstanding Oakland University Administrative Professional of the year award recipient during her career.
Aubry received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Oakland University, her Master of Education in Higher Education Administration & College Student Personnel from Kent State University, and is currently a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at OU’s School of Education and Human Services.
Interview with John Gardner
Nowai Keleekai-Brapoh, Ph.D., RN, NPD-BC, has been a nurse for eighteen years with more than ten years of experience in hospital nursing leadership in the areas of research, quality improvement, and professional development. Her research covers a range of topics relevant to providing quality nursing care in the acute care setting and across the care continuum. She has been adjunct faculty at the University of Phoenix College of Nursing for ten years where she facilitates graduate courses in nursing research, nursing theory, and evidence-based practice.
Supporting Nontraditional Student Persistence in Practitioner-Based College Programs: A Literature Review
Sushil Jindal, Ph.D., has more than 35 years of teaching and mentoring experience in higher education. Dr. Jindal has taught in a university in India and several online schools in the United States. She has been an adjunct faculty at the University of Phoenix for 23 years. She has mentored 25 students for their Ph.D. or doctoral dissertation.
Impact of Faculty and Curriculum on Online Doctoral Integration: A Quantitative Perspective
Marlene Blake, Ph.D., has more than eighteen years of career experience in online higher education focusing on faculty training, development, mentoring, and holistic support. She also has extensive expertise in student support resource development, academic operations, and student services. Dr. Blake enjoys teaching doctoral level leadership and research classes while serving on dissertation committees. She has fourteen years of experience motivating, empowering, and teaching undergraduate student success along with critical thinking courses, workshops, and orientations. Dr. Blake is currently a Fellow in Residence for the Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research (CEITR) in which her research interests include faculty/student connectedness, leadership, and learner centeredness.
Amanda Kruzona, MSE.,is the Interim Director of Institutional Research at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, MI. She spent the last eight years in the registrar’s office at the same institution creating and revising student policies to reduce barriers and be more efficient. She earned her master’s of science in engineering degree through Western Michigan University, where she focused graduate work on the retention and success of students participating in the College of Engineering’s STEP (STEM Talent Expansion Program) grant. She is a natural problem-solver and strives to use that passion to make institutions of higher education a better experience for students and staff alike.
Bringing Services to the Student by Building Institutional Relationships
Mark E. Butt is the Director of Admission at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and has spent nearly 20 years in the field of college admissions. Butt was a former admissions officer at Johns Hopkins University and holds degrees from the University of Delaware, the University of Pennsylvania, and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
It’s Time that Colleges Invest in their Undergraduate Admissions Staff
Review of: Cancel Wars: How Universities Can Foster Free Speech, Promote Inclusion, and Renew Democracy
Tara P. Nicola is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University. Her research focuses on issues concerning access, choice, and equity in higher education, especially in relation to the college admissions process.
Rethinking Recommendation Letters: A Critical Tool in Holistic Admission
Rocky Christensen, Ph.D., is the Director of Financial Aid at Johnson University in Knoxville, TN. Christensen has been in higher education for almost twelve years. He previously served as the executive director of Admissions and then director of financial aid at Central Christian College of the Bible where he began to see the importance of working collaboratively within a SEM framework. Christensen completed his Ph.D. in higher education leadership from the University of Missouri. He earned his masters of arts from Biola University, his masters in public affairs from the University of Missouri, his graduate certificate in educational policy, his graduate certificate in clinical bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin, his bachelor’s in theology from Ozark Christian College, and his bachelor’s of biblical leadership from Ozark Christian College. Christensen earned the SEM Endorsement Badge through AACRAO and is a Certified Financial Aid Administrator through NASFAA. His current research interests are centered around the role of financial aid in SEM, college pricing, and tuition discounting implications for greater net revenue and enrollment. In his current role, he is passionate about partnering with students and families to promote access to and afford the educational training each student is passionate about.
The Financial Aid Office as an Essential Strategic Partner in SEM
Luca Lantero is the Director General of CIMEA, the Italian Information Center on Academic Mobility and Equivalence. He is one of the leading experts at the Italian and international levels on higher education, bogus diplomas, and accreditation mills, foreign higher education systems degrees, TNE institutions and accreditation, digitalization of processes and blockchain technology applied to recognition. From 2018 and 2020 he was the Head of the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) Secretariat of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Since 2019 he has been the President of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Committee and the current Head of the ASEM Education Secretariat. In 2022 he was elected member of the Bureau of the Ethics, Transparency, and Integrity (ETINED) platform of the Council of Europe.
Jelger de Boer has been active in the Groningen Declaration Network since 2016. He was chair of the GDN taskforce on cross border enrollment verification before becoming a director of the board in 2019. He started his tenure as President of the Board of Directors in October 2022.
Jelger has been working for DUO since 2005. DUO is the Dutch executive agency for the department of education and handles government funding of both students and institutions in the Netherlands. He is currently the account manager of the national student database that holds record of every student in the Netherlands from primary education to Higher education. DUO is one of the founders of GDN and very much focused on learner centricity by giving students access to their own data.
Jelger has studied Law at the Hanze university of Applied Science in Groningen, the Netherlands with a specialization in Government Law and policy, graduating in 2015.