I joined the MPCC family 10 years ago (2011) after working in the Non-Profit world for over 15 years. I currently oversee the Admissions and Recruiting Departments, and I am a Gallup Certified ‘Strengths Coach’. My passion is helping students and staff become the best version of themselves, excelling on and off campus and into their next stage of life! I also enjoy the opportunities my role offers in creating and implementing new recruiting and retention programs and events! I have lived in North Platte, NE since 1995, with my husband of 28 years. We have two terrific sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law and two grandchildren!
Bobbi Muehlenkamp has held a variety of positions in higher education over the last 18 years—from admissions and recruiting, to athletic eligibility, to transfer credit evaluation, to her current position as Director of the Learning Commons at Mid-Plains Community College in West-Central Nebraska. Bobbi has been with MPCC for five years and in her role, oversees the Learning Commons Retention and Resources operations on the two main campuses—North Platte and McCook—as well as providing Learning Commons services at four community campuses in Broken Bow, Imperial, Ogallala and Valentine, NE. Bobbi’s area of specialization is retention services like tutoring, test proctoring, testing accommodations and early alerts from faculty. Bobbi is also passionate about student engagement and leadership development. Bobbi and her staff pride themselves on building relationships with students and making the Learning Commons the go-to place for students needing assistance with tutoring, testing, early alerts or other concerns outside of the classroom.
Dane Jensen is the CEO of Third Factor, an acclaimed speaker, an instructor at Queen’s University and the University of North Carolina, a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review, and the author of The Power of Pressure (HarperCollins).
Dane oversees Third Factor’s delivery of leadership development programs to leading firms across North America including SAP, RBC, Uber, Twitter, the USGA, and others.
He teaches in the Full-Time and Executive MBAs at Queen’s Smith School of Business in Canada and is Affiliate Faculty with UNC Executive Development at the Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill.
In addition to his corporate work, Dane works extensively with athletes, coaches, leaders and Boards across Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic sport system to enhance National competitiveness.
Ana Villavicencio is a Regional Educational Advising Coordinator (REAC) with EducationUSA, based in Quito-Ecuador. She manages the Andean Region portfolio (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela) providing training and support to over 40 advisers in 39 EducationUSA advising centers. Before becoming a REAC, she was the senior EducationUSA adviser at the Fulbright Commission in Quito. Prior to working for EducationUSA, Ana was the international relations adviser for SENESCYT, a government institution in Ecuador that oversees the country’s higher education and scientific development. Ana has also worked for a U.S. think tank, as a program officer, managing programs on increasing U.S.-Asia strategic relations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and environmental studies, a master’s in political science, and an MPA from U.S. universities.
Tatiana McKenna has worked at Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. since 2008. She earned her Specialist Diploma from Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University (Ukraine); the equivalent, in the United States, of a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English and German languages, with an emphasis on TESOL. Tatiana has 8 years of pedagogical and scientific experience from Ukraine. In addition to acting as an Assistant Professor at Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University for 5 years (teaching English and Methods of Foreign Languages), she spent 3 years working on a scientific dissertation on the Methodology of Teaching Foreign Languages at Kyiv National Linguistic University (Ukraine). Tatiana is a native speaker of Ukrainian and Russian, and is also fluent in German. Her countries of specialization include former USSR, Western and Eastern Europe, Middle East, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. She participates and presents at various regional, national, and international conferences hosted by WAIE, TAICEP, EAIE, NAFSA, and ECE webinars.
Research & Policy Division David (Dave) Mihalyi has been a professional evaluator of international educational credentials since July 1987. He currently serves as Associate Director - International for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). He is a member of TAICEP (The Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals), has contributed to various publications published by AACRAO and NAFSA, and is co-author of the ECE Presents series volume, The Educational System of Spain.
Dave manages AACRAO’s contracted partnership with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), provides training and guidance for remote evaluation staff, and contributes expertise to the AACRAO Electronic Database for Global Education (EDGE), while serving as an ex-officio member of AACRAO’s International Education Standards Council (IESC).
Adrienne serves as the University Registrar at The Ohio State University and has nearly 13 years of experience in large, urban public universities. She has been active in AACRAO through committee and workgroup leadership and presentations at conferences. She holds a BA from Point Park University, a MSEd from Baruch College, and an EdD from Northeastern University.
Kristina C. Anderson, Ed.D., is a clinical faculty member in Student Affairs Administration at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Previously, she spent 25 years in admissions and enrollment management positions within the University of Wisconsin System campuses. She holds an Ed.D. in Leadership, Policy, and Administration from the University of St. Thomas, an M.Ed. in Higher Education from the College of William and Mary, and a B.A. in English from Albright College.
Review of: Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling
Danielle Faucett is Associate Registrar (Curriculum and Scheduling) at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and Chair of the AACRAO Enrollment Management and Retention Committee. With several years of experience in the registrar’s office, she has endeavored to make a positive impact on student retention by improving course scheduling processes using technological advancements and policy change. She has implemented course scheduling software to help strategically drive processes at her institution while also providing hands-on support to UMSL’s faculty, staff, students, and campus partners. Faucett has a bachelor’s degree in communication and master’s degrees in communication and adult and higher education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. She recently earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies there as well.
Triumph Over Odds: Stories of First-Generation College Graduates Who Achieved Doctoral Excellence
Sandra Mohr has more than 20 years of leadership experience within higher education, where she has found practical ways of advancing impactful learning. She currently is the Dean of Academic Resources and Administration at the New England College of Optometry.
Remote Learning Adaptations in Optometric Clinical Education
Ryan Fewins-Bliss is the Executive Director of Michigan College Access Network, an organization working to increase college readiness, participation and completion in Michigan among low-income students, first-generation college-going students and students of color. MCAN’s goal is to increase the percentage of Michigan residents with postsecondary certificates or degrees to 60 percent by the year 2030.
Crisis after Crisis: Why We Can’t Give Up Hope amidst the Pandemic
Joe Head was the inaugural director of the AACRAO Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement Program and served in that role until 2016. He is the former vice president of enrollment for Kennesaw State University. In 2004, Head was the recipient of AACRAO’s APEX Award for Student Success.
SEM Endorsement Program: Ten Years of Growing Enrollment Management Competency
Sarah Tuxbury is a communications and marketing writer who highlights faculty endeavors and research discoveries at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She’s a CASE V award-winning writer and former Gannett journalist whose work has been published in a variety of media outlets, including The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune. She received her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Arts degree from Central Michigan University.
An Interview with Patricia Smith
Jonathon Goodson is a Business Intelligence Engineer in the Department of Enterprise Applications at the Clayton State University Office of Information Technology Services. He has earned degrees from both The University of Georgia and Clayton State University. His work in data analytics supports the university's mission of increasing enrollment and retention.
The Impact of Student Swirling and Transfer Credit Hours on Earning a Bachelor’s Degree
Celena Mondie-Milner, Ph.D., is Associate Vice President for Strategy and New Student Support and adjunct professor in Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include factors that influence access and success for college students, particularly first-year, first-generation and transfer students.
Charlie L. Harris is an Associate Professor of Psychology and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Clayton State University. Her research interests include cultural self-schemas, body image perception, health behaviors, and college student adjustment.
Mark F. Daddona is a Professor of Psychology and a Licensed Professional Counselor at Clayton State University, where he also previously served as associate vice president for enrollment management and academic success. His teaching and research interests include college student adjustment, academic success, mental health counseling, emerging adulthood, career development, and crisis response.
Heather Abbott is Registrar at Yale Law School. Prior to Yale Law School, Heather worked at the University of Michigan's Office of the Registrar, was an Associate Registrar at Northeastern University and an Assistant Registrar at Wesleyan University. Heather has been teaching AACRAO’s Registrar 101 online course since 2015 and is currently on the editorial board of College & University. She received the AACRAO Research grant in 2020 for her dissertation research on how student data stewards make decisions about the use and release of student data. She has presented at AACRAO and regional association meetings, and is a member of the National Network of Law School Officers. Heather received a B.A. in English and a Master’s of Arts in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University.
How Data Stewards Make Decisions to Protect or Disclose Student Information: Toward Consistent Criteria
Don't Fear FERPA, It is Fundamental: An Interview with Steven J. McDonald
LeVar Burton's iconic career began with his breakthrough role as Kunta Kinte in Roots (1977). LeVar continued to inspire, educate, and entertain audiences through his award-winning children's television show Reading Rainbow (1983-2009) and as Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994).
Mr. Burton's tireless dedication to education and charity has resulted in a variety of projects, including the award-winning Skybrary App, his podcast LeVar Burton Reads, the YouTube series This is My Story, two children's books Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, and A Kids Book About Imagination, and through his advocacy for those suffering from Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (voicesofmpn.com), alongside many other projects and efforts.
We are excited to welcome LeVar Burton, the 2022 94th SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE host, as our closing speaker for AACRAO's 107th Annual Meeting. His commitment to education and steadfast dedication to equity and diversity serve as an inspiration to audiences around the world.
James Kvaal was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Under Secretary on September 14, 2021. James Kvaal formerly was president of the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), a research and advocacy nonprofit dedicated to affordability and equity in higher education. TICAS is nationally recognized for its research and policy recommendations on student debt.
Kvaal served in the Obama Administration as the deputy domestic policy adviser at the White House and deputy undersecretary at the U.S. Department of Education. He led efforts to cut student loan monthly payments, hold career colleges accountable for excessive debts, and make community colleges tuition-free. He helped organize the White House Summit on College Opportunity, which featured more than 100 college presidents and other leaders committing to actions to help more students graduate from college. He also has served in senior roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
Kvaal taught at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy, and graduated with honors from Stanford University and Harvard Law School.