Dr. Melanie V. Tucker is seasoned higher education professional, currently serving Maryville College as the Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students, and as the Chief Diversity Officer. She is a steadfast advocate for access and inclusion, and a passionate champion for individualized student success.
Dr. Tucker’s path to Eastern Tennessee has taken her across the county – from Eastern Washington University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Psychology while working in various mental health settings; to the University of New Orleans where she worked within the community supporting individuals with chronic mental illness transition to independent living while earning her Master’s degree in Counselor Education; to Southeast Missouri State University, where she served as the Director of Learning Assistance Programs & Disability Support Services, and earned her Education Specialist degree in Counseling Education; to Northern Illinois University where she served as the Assistant Vice President for Student Services and earned her Doctor of Education in Adult & Higher Education; and, to Dickinson State University in North Dakota where she served as the Vice President of Student Affairs & Enrollment Management. Prior to her career in higher education, Dr. Tucker worked as a state and nationally credentialed mental health professional serving adolescents and adults within clinics, hospitals, public/private settings, and a state penitentiary.
The first in her family to earn her doctorate, Melanie seeks to give back professionally, as others have done for her. She has become a sought-after guest speaker, touching on topics such as critical hope, humor as an education tool, inclusive design, student success, and women in higher education. Dr. Tucker is a proudly published author with writings covering topics such as threat preparedness on college campuses, crisis management, concerning student behavior, violence prevention, student engagement, leadership transitions, integrating senior leadership and parenthood, and universal design.
Dr. Tucker’s drive to make a difference in the lives of students begins at home, where she is the proud parent of an inquisitive and thoughtful 7-year-old daughter.
LinkedIn
Currently the director of the Office of Student Transitions, Adrienne has been a higher education professional at Western Michigan University since 2006. Prior to becoming the director of the department, she served as the Fall Welcome Coordinator and the Adult Learner Program Manager. She is also involved in managing the First-Year Experience seminar, as well as several CliftonStrengths for Students initiatives.
Adrienne's capstone project was a literature review on persistence and retention challenges among transfer students. Postsecondary institutions inherently have inequitable transfer processes that students struggle to navigate. Primarily non-traditional students, transfer students face many hardships that traditional native students do not, leading to abysmally low degree-attainment rates. Universities must examine their transfer processes and advocacy systems to improve and create a more equitable transfer process and to achieve higher levels of transfer student retention and graduation.
Aligning AACRAO Competencies with CliftonStrengths® for Professional Development
Aliyah King is a University of Windsor undergraduate student, majoring in behaviour, cognition, and neuroscience. She is an Outstanding Scholar, research assistant and a member of the Teaching International Students Research Group. Through the Office of Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility, she also serves as equity initiatives coordinator.
Canadian Enrollment Leaders’ Reflections on the Effectiveness of SEM
Shaimaa Hassanein is a Graduate Enrollment Management and Assessment Senior Manager at the American University in Cairo. Hassanein is responsible for developing assessment models, metrics, and strategic enrollment management plans and implementation procedures. She also identifies and communicates assessment measures for graduate programs performance and creates data visualizations, mapping, and stories. Moreover, she consults graduate program directors on the best practices to manage students’ enrollment, retention, and satisfaction. In addition, she develops models for the successful graduate students’ study journeys and initiates the integration of new skills and principles such as lifelong learning, design thinking, AI, and data literacy. Furthermore, Hassanein generates the AUC graduate crisis management plan and strategic enrollment management plan and oversees and follows up on its implementation.
Hassanein has published articles, presented at conferences, and delivered workshops and consultancy services that offer assessment frameworks, digital readiness, and enrollment management strategies and implementation techniques to reimagine higher ed.
Reimagining Higher-Ed in the New Era: Upskilling Competencies toward Enhancing Enrollment Management
A Practical Framework for a Data-Driven Graduate Enrollment Management Plan
Internationalizing Higher Education: From Students’ Journey to Strategy
Tara Hornor, Ph.D., currently serves as Associate Professor and Coordinator of Higher Education Leadership Programs in the Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel. She has more than 20 years of higher education leadership experience and previously served as Associate Provost for Planning, Assessment, and Evaluation and Dean of Enrollment Management at The Citadel. Dr. Hornor holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Arizona and master’s degrees in school counseling, instructional design, and human resource management.
Factors Influencing Student Veterans’ College Choices Higher Education's Role in Preparing School Counselors for College Admissions Counseling
Examining College Admissions Counseling Curricula within School Counselor Preparation Programs
Joshua LaFave is the Director of Graduate Business Programs in the David D. Reh School of Business at Clarkson University and holds an M.B.A. He has been in graduate enrollment management for sixteen years and has collaborated on the creation of the first formal model for graduate enrollment management. LaFave oversees the entire student lifecycle of graduate students in business programs for both residential and online students.
The Evolution of Graduate Enrollment Management
Christopher Connor is the Assistant Dean and Chief Enrollment Officer, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York (SUNY). With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, Connor’s experience includes serving in leadership roles in undergraduate and graduate education both from an institutional and academic unit perspective. In his current role, he focuses strategically on all aspects of the student lifecycle. During his tenure in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, graduate enrollment has risen 47 percent to the highest in school history, which includes a 28 percent increase in international enrollment and a 155 percent increase in domestic enrollment levels. Connor was recently awarded the 2019 Chancellor’s Award for Professional Service by the State University of New York (SUNY) system, and the operations under his direction were awarded the 2020 IELTS USA Best Practices Award in International Enrollment Management.
Ariana Balayan is the Assistant Dean of Admissions and Recruiting at UMass Chan Medical School. She holds an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and has collaborated to develop the first formal model for graduate enrollment management.
A Study of the Factors and Conditions Associated With Graduate Enrollment Management Practitioners’ Participation in Professional Development
Dr. Tom Green brings 35 years of higher education experience to his role at Salesforce, including executive leadership roles in enrollment at seven universities and at AACRAO, where he directed AACRAO Consulting, was editor-in-chief of the SEM Quarterly research journal, and guided professional development content for all areas of SEM for its global membership. Dr. Green has authored numerous articles and led hundreds of workshops on SEM. He is a frequent speaker and presenter at higher education conferences in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
Dr. Green holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa, a masters degree from the American Conservatory of Music, where he began his higher education career as an instructor, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership, Management and Policy from Seton Hall University. Dr. Green teaches a course in SEM in the graduate school of education at Drexel University.
Taylor’s higher education career began almost 15 years ago and has continued in various Enrollment Management capacities. She has served the state of Georgia at public and private institutions, as well as the state’s University System. One third of her career was dedicated to Financial Aid, the next to Transfer Admissions, and now to the system’s eCampus department as Curriculum Analyst.
2022 SEM-EP Graduate
Capstone Abstract - "Why Adults Should be and are Becoming a Prominent Piece of the SEM Puzzle"
With the state of higher education’s changing landscape including the vast number of adults with some college, but no degree and declining high school graduation numbers coupled with the national economic shift and labor workforce shortage, it is more important than ever that enrollment managers focus on encouraging and supporting adults to return to college. Strategic enrollment management is the channel through which institutions can combat that changing dynamic. This paper aims to outline why and how adults became the primary college population, why it is more important than ever for institutions to shift their focus to that population, what barriers they face, how strategic enrollment management is an important part of serving that group, and one state’s online department’s efforts to serve them.
C&U Article:
Why Adults Should Be and are Becoming a Prominent Piece of the SEM Puzzle
Josh Dodson knows higher ed. As a university’s director of digital marketing,, a web analytics strategist, a co-founder/ chief innovation officer of a higher-ed marketing firm, and a professor, Josh has helped many institutions modernize their enrollment and marketing programs. He has delivered countless presentations, keynotes, and workshops at national conferences and has taught more than 500+ students as a former faculty member.
As the Vice President of Innovation at VisionPoint, Josh brings his uncanny ability to design strategy, execute tactically, and measure ROI to our clients. Before joining VisionPoint, he led digital marketing efforts at Bentley University, Southern New Hampshire University, Eastern Kentucky University, and Lincoln Memorial University. He’s also served higher ed from the agency side in roles with Converge and Stamats. His experience both inside the university and working with them from the outside gives him a unique perspective that clients find invaluable.
John Panzica is a Product Solutions Specialist at CollegeSource who has served in higher education for more than 25 years. From Financial Aid to Enrollment Management, Information Technology to Admissions and Records, and then on to University Registrar, John’s breadth of experience at both 2-year and 4-year institutions gives him a unique perspective when it comes to the student journey.
Chris Starkey is a uAchieve Customer Engagement & Training Specialist with CollegeSource and has been with the company for over ten years. Currently, Chris is responsible for developing training materials and courses for uAchieve products.
Amber Cellotti is an Interim Director & Deputy Registrar at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She is a member of the Upper Midwest Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (UMACRAO) and has served as Program Chair and President. Amber currently serves as the Chair of AACRAO State & Regional Relations Committee.
Traci Sorell writes award-winning trade published fiction and nonfiction works for young people. Born and raised in northeastern Oklahoma, she is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives on her tribe's reservation near Fort Gibson Lake. Her work focuses on combating the erasure and invisibility of Native Nations and their citizens while centering their humanity, sovereignty, histories, cultures and languages in trade published literature for young people.
Traci's nonfiction books include We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga (2018); Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer (2021); and, We Are Still Here: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know (2021). Her fiction books include At The Mountain’s Base (2019); Indian No More (2019); and Powwow Day (2022).
Traci earned a JD from the University of Wisconsin, a MA from the University of Arizona and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. A first generation college graduate and former federal Indigenous law and policy advocate, she now serves as a 2021-22 Tulsa Artist Fellow, focusing on writing in formats new to her.
I have been a member of IACRAO for over 4 years and during that time I have presented at conference, held the position of East Central District Chair, and currently hold the title of Professional Activities Officer. I have been working in higher education for ten years and I am currently the Interim Associate Director of Admissions at Parkland College. Previous to my current position I have worked on both the recruiting side as an Admissions Advisor and the records side as a Student Records Advisor. I am a huge proponent of professional development and along with being an IACRAO member I have been an IACAC member and have served on their board for the last 4 years. When I am not working I like to spend time with my dog Pearl, listening to true crime podcasts, and obsessing over Christmas!
Executive Director at Cooperating Raleigh Colleges | CACRAO Past President
Slate Position: 2025-2026 Nominations and Elections Committee
Position Statement:
In essence, it is nearly impossible to put all the things that culminate to make me the right candidate in 300 words. It is my experience, education, dedication to UMACRAO, AACRAO, my institution, the profession, and positive progress in addition to my skillset, mindset, thought process, and incredible network plus a million other tiny things that marry to produce an effective profile for this role. My resume, which is included with my materials, highlights many of these things, but perhaps my biggest assets to this role lie in connection to the membership and ability to serve as a conduit to leadership intertwined deeply with my desire to grow, develop, and put the strategic plan in the hands of capable leaders. I am committed to utilize these positives to serve AACRAO via the Nominations and Elections Committee. I am dedicated to facilitating a transparent and effective process that ensures all member voices are represented within AACRAO's leadership slate.
My years of active AACRAO engagement include PAC and non-PAC committee work, collaborative presentations, advocacy, mentorship, authorship, and synergistic ideation all things that have cultivated relationships with professionals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. This network enables me to reach out to individuals who possess the skills, expertise, and commitment necessary to serve effectively on the Board of Directors and to represent the AACRAO membership with poise and integrity.
I am dedicated to ensuring AACRAO's leadership reflects the complexities of the higher education landscape. My knowledge and understanding of the diverse needs of our members enables me to advocate for candidates who can address these needs and contribute meaningfully to AACRAO's mission. Moreover, my ability to connect individuals and foster collaboration is a cornerstone of my approach to leadership. I believe in the power of bringing people together to achieve common goals and drive successful outcomes. By facilitating dialogue, building consensus, and fostering a sense of community, I am all in; and wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that AACRAO's governance process is both inclusive and effective.
I am honored to have been nominated for Nominations and Elections Committee service and am confident in my ability to be a catalyst for positive change to scaffold AACRAO's mission by producing a slate of competent, worthy, and effective leaders. Thank you for considering my candidacy.
Sara CW Sullivan is a Senior Associate Registrar, Strategic Initiatives, at the University of Iowa. She holds a B.A. from the University of Iowa, M.Ed. from Upper Iowa University, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Maryville University. Sullivan has served UMACRAO and AACRAO in varying positions since 2015. Sullivan is a 2024 AACRAO Congressional Hill Day Advocate.
Sara has co-authored the following articles:
Commencement Matters
When COVID-19 Crashed Commencement
If You Build It, They Will Come: The University of Iowa’s FERPA TeamInterview with Melanie Ho which was featured in the AACRAO Connect article Underrepresented vs. Underestimated
Jack and Jill went up the Hill
And she was on the following For the Record episodes:
Women Supporting Women
In Memoriam Tina Falkner
Hill Day
Her LinkedIn is:
www.linkedin.com/in/saracwsullivan