Headshot of Ken Sharp.

Dr. Ken Sharp

Ken Sharp is a higher education professional with more than 20 years of higher education administrative experience at two-year and four-year institutions. His administrative experience spans all aspects of finance and administrative services including financial management, budgeting, human resource management, information technology, facilities management, strategic planning and project management.

In addition to his administrative experience, Ken has more than 20 years of teaching experience focusing on statistics, economics and finance and has taught both online and face-to-face classes. Before transitioning to full-time teaching in 2015, Dr. Sharp served as an Associate Dean of Finance and Administration at the University of Colorado Denver as well as serving in Director and Associate Director of Finance and Administration positions at the University of Colorado Denver and the Pima County Community College District.

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Sasha Suzuki

Associate University Registrar

Sasha currently serves as the Associate University Registrar at Wake Forest University.  Her prior experiences in higher education also include working with student-athletes, academic advising, and orientation.  She has a BA in Political Science and MA in Human Services from Wake Forest University.  

Sasha has been a member of AACRAO since attending her first Annual Meeting in Baltimore in 2015.  She is the vice-chair of the Member Engagement Committee (formerly Mentor Services) and is a member of the Registration and Academic Support Committee, Women’s Caucus, Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, and most recently served on the Transfer Student Success Workgroup.

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Emily D. Campion, PhD

Consultant, Campion Services, Inc|Assistant Professor, Management, Old Dominion

Emily D. Campion, PhD is a consultant with Campion Services, Inc and an Assistant Professor of Management at Old Dominion University.

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Dale Gough

For more than 40 years involved in the evaluation of foreign educational credentials and the admission of international students to U.S. colleges and universities. Trained several hundred institutional staff in international admissions. Presented sessions to numerous educational associations on good practices in international student recruitment and admission.

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Jill Desjean

Policy Analyst with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

Jill Desjean is a Policy Analyst with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. In her role, Jill works with NASFAA’s members to develop policy recommendations, provides feedback to Congress on legislative proposals, and interprets financial aid-related policy issues for NASFAA’s members and other audiences. Prior to joining NASFAA, Jill enjoyed a 20-year career in financial aid administration, having held roles in the financial aid offices at Tufts University School of Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brandeis University and the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts as well as The New School in New York City. Jill joined NASFAA in 2016 and lives in Maryland with her husband and three children.

Patrick Tanner

Vice President of Student Services at Spokane Community College

Patrick Tanner began serving as Vice President of Student Services in August 2024. In this role, Patrick is responsible for services which support students in their quest for success, including Admissions, Advising, Disability Access Services, Equity & Diversity, Financial Aid, Global Education, Registration, and Student Life. Prior to joining the team at Spokane Community College, Patrick led ort students in their quest for success, including Admissions, Advising, Disability Access Services, Equity & Diversity, Financial Aid, Global Education, Registration, and Student Life. Prior to joining the team at Spokane Community College, Patrick led enrollment management and student life units for public and private institutions across the country. Patrick serves on a number of professional and community association boards including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators James E. Scott Academy Board and the Higher Education Research and Development Institute Innovate Board. Patrick is currently a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration at Idaho State University (anticipated completion in 2026). He earned his Master of Education in College Student Affairs Leadership from Grand Valley State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Geneva College in Pennsylvania.

 

SEM Endorsement Program: Ten Years of Growing Enrollment Management Competency

Review of: The Future of American Higher Education: How Today’s Public Intellectuals Frame the Debate

 

Caroline Dean Glover

Student Engagement & Events Manager at Campus Greensboro

Caroline Dean Glover is a Student Engagement & Events Manager at Campus Greensboro, where she has served since 2019. Her work focuses on creating strong campus-community partnerships through paid summer internships, community mentor programs, and civic engagement opportunities for college students living in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her research and publications focus on student resilience, expanding academic records, and campus-community partnerships. Caroline graduated with her Master of Arts in Higher Education from Elon University in May 2020.

Comprehensive Learner Records: The Student Voice

Amber Lin

Elon University graduate and Product Strategy Associate at Cohen & Steers Inc

Amber Lin was an undergraduate student at Elon University, graduating with a degree in Finance in May 2020. She is now a Product Strategy Associate at Cohen & Steers Inc.

Comprehensive Learner Records: The Student Voice

Bailee Castillo

Elon University graduate and Sales Development Associate for Masterworks

Bailee Castillo was an undergraduate student at Elon University, graduating with degrees in Finance and Economics in May 2020. She currently works at StoneX as a Mortgage Backed Securities Operations Associate.

Comprehensive Learner Records: The Student Voice

Maya Thomas Fernandez

Director of the Employee Research Center at Dallas College

Maya Thomas Fernandez, Ed.D., is Director of the Employee Research Center at Dallas College. Her career has been primarily in health care management and higher education. She earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Administration from Concordia University Texas. She has a Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in business. Dr. Fernandez holds a Yellow Belt in Lean Six Sigma. Her research interests include job satisfaction, student success, health care, and Six Sigma. Dr. Fernandez is a Graduate of the Aspen Institute first cohort of the Dallas Economic Opportunity Leadership Academy.

Job Satisfaction of Community College Deans

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Jessica Muehlberg

Associate Registrar for Curriculum Management and Scheduling, Stanford University

Jessica M. Muehlberg, Ph.D., is the Associate Registrar for Curriculum Management and Scheduling at Stanford University, where she has used her fifteen years of experience within the registrar’s office, enterprise student systems, community emergency response teams, and systems thinking in ways she never thought could possibly be combined. Her passion is for understanding complexity at the intersection of policy, processes, and tools and how to use systems thinking practices to drive organizational change. Muehlberg has a Baccalaureate and Master’s in Geology and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Nevada.

Pandemic Scheduling: The Art of the Pivot

Sarah Cho

Assistant Registrar for Courses and Scheduling at Stanford University

Sarah Cho has worked in the world of curriculum and scheduling for more than ten years at Stanford University. During this time, she has implemented a room scheduling tool, helped to ensure accurate course data, has scheduled innumerable classes, exams and events, and has endeavored to provide the best possible support to Stanford's students, faculty, academic departments, and campus partners. Currently, she is the Assistant Registrar for Courses and Scheduling on a fantastic team.

Pandemic Scheduling: The Art of the Pivot

Shunit Harpaz

Program Manager for Curriculum and Scheduling at Stanford University

Shunit Harpaz is a Program Manager for Curriculum and Scheduling within the registrar’s office at Stanford. She is leveraging her startup tech background to creatively reform archaic processes and takes a getting-things-done attitude to constantly deliver better results. Shunit regularly works with Stanford faculty and staff to improve decision-making and implement advanced technology. Shunit’s multi-disciplinary background in tech, higher education and Marcom supports her pursuit of innovative solutioning.

Pandemic Scheduling: The Art of the Pivot

Marisa Vernon White

VP Enrollment Management and Student Services at Lorain County Community College

Marisa White is the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services at Lorain County Community College (LCCC) in Elyria, Ohio and has more than fifteen years of experience working in and leading student affairs enrollment management teams in community college environments, beginning with her first role as an academic advisor in 2006. She is a graduate of Kent State University (B.A. in 2004, M.Ed in 2006) and earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from Colorado State University in 2021.

“Community College Students and the Pandemic”: A Review of: Inside Higher Ed’s Special Report

Abigail Benz

Chief Strategy Officer for Ozarks Technical Community College

Abigail Benz, Ed.D., is Chief Strategy Officer for Ozarks Technical Community College. In this role, Dr. Benz guides strategic planning and grant development. Additionally, she spearheads the implementation of high-priority projects for the institution. Throughout her career, Dr. Benz has focused on addressing holistic needs of students as well as creating accessible systems and supports to reduce students’ barriers to educational success.

Proactively Supporting Students during a Crisis

Calie Holden

Assistant Director of Grants and Strategic Planning for Ozarks Technical Community College

Calie Holden, is Assistant Director of Grants and Strategic Planning for Ozarks Technical Community College. Holden works closely with both internal and external stakeholders to further the strategic goals of the institution. During the response to COVID-19, this has included coordinating volunteer callers to support students through calling campaigns.

Proactively Supporting Students during a Crisis

Misty Tollett

Assistant Director of CRM and Planning for Ozarks Technical Community College

Misty Tollett is Assistant Director of CRM and Planning for Ozarks Technical Community College. Ms. Tollett coordinates the college’s CRM system and improves college processes for communicating with students. Utilizing her background in data systems and communications, Ms. Tollett designed the COVID-19 calling data structure.

Proactively Supporting Students during a Crisis

Kenneth McGhee

Director of the DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program

Kenneth McGhee is the Director of the DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program (DCTAG) within the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) in Washington, D.C. McGhee is also an enrollment management and financial aid consultant. He began his career as a financial aid administrator in 1995; since 1998, he has trained fellow higher education administrators, high school counselors, and college admission counselors in the financial aid process at the state, regional, and national levels. He has served as assistant director, director, and executive director of financial aid for multi-campus community colleges and universities. McGhee earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and his graduate degree from Northern Illinois University. He has earned the post–master’s degree certificate in enrollment management from Noel Levitz and Capella University.

Involving the Registrar and the Financial Aid Offices in Academic Program Decisions

Math’s Impact on College Admissions: Reasons to Consider A Policy Change 

The Pell Act – Is it Needed? 

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Karen McCarthy

Director of Policy Analysis, NASFAA

Karen currently works in NASFAA's division of policy and federal relations, providing a financial aid administrator's "on the ground" perspective to federal student aid policy discussions and debates. She began her career in student aid working in the financial aid offices at several large, four-year institutions, including Boston University, Miami University of Ohio, and The Ohio State University. She began work in NASFAA's training department in 1999 before joining NASFAA's policy team in 2010.

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Nancy Umphres

Senior Business Systems Analyst, California State University

Nancy has been the Senior Business Systems Analyst with the California State University Office of the Chancellor as Functional Lead for the degree audit and transfer areas of the PeopleSoft SIS since 2016. Prior to that, she held several positions with the Office of the Registrar at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She had been heavily involved with SACRAO, and is scribe for the AACRAO SPEEDE committee since early 2020. She has two adult children who are actively engaged in completing undergraduate degree requirements.