Francesca Villa is Academic Registrar Manager at Istituto Europeo del Design (IED) where she works as credential evaluator and manages the academic recognition policies and the admission processes for international degree-seeking undergraduate and postgraduate applicants. Born and raised in Northern Italy, Francesca graduated in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Milan majoring in English Literature and Translation Studies. Recently she has achieved the first European microcredential for credential evaluators awarded by the European University of Rome and the Italian ENIC-NARiC centre CIMEA. With almost ten year experience in international admissions and credential evaluation in applied and visual arts HEIs, Francesca is now focusing on the implementation of the LRC and EHEA principles and standards into IED credential assessment policies, admission procedures and information provision. Driven by her compulsive passion for research and learning, she is also in charge of international admission training for advisors and registration staff.
Worked within enrollment management at Wichita State for the last 20 years. Twelve years in domestic admissions, four years as the associate registrar, and four years in International Admissions. Some areas that I have supervised include processing of domestic and international admission files, transfer credit for domestic and international courses, credit evaluation for international students, international scholarships, class room scheduling, enrollment verification, and many more.
Mary Blount has been at Georgia State University for 2.5 years in Graduate Admissions and is currently the Senior Foreign Credential Evaluator for Graduate Admissions in Georgia State University. She has a B.A. and M.S. from Clemson University as well as a DESCAF from Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Pau, France. Prior to entering the world of credential evaluators she worked as the Registrar at a local high school and before her children were born, she worked in International Marketing for AT&T
Diana Hense MA, is Head of Admissions at the University of Amsterdam and a senior in the international credential evaluating environment. She also serves as Vice President of Standards at TAICEP. In the Netherlands she acts as track chair internationalization and is a key mover in taking forward major initiatives supporting and improving the efficiency of international application processes.
Jeannie Yockey-Fine is General Counsel at NC-SARA. She analyzes federal and state regulations, SARA policies, and professional licensure issues and their impacts on SARA institutions, and related policy conversations.
Lori Williams is president and CEO of NC-SARA and has over 25 years’ experience in education, primarily in distance education. She previously served as vice president at the WASC Senior College and University Commission, as well as provost, vice provost, and other academic administrative roles.
Mary Larson has more than 30 years of experience working in higher education. Prior to joining NC-SARA, Mary was the Director of Student Access Programs and Services at SREB where she was the director of S-SARA, worked with state authorization and oversaw a number of SREB programs that help students start or continue their education.
Melanie Booth leads the educational and training programs for states, institutions, and other constituents, as well as outreach, partnership support, events, writing, and communications for the organization. Prior roles include Founding Executive Director of The Quality Assurance Commons, Vice President for Educational Programming at WSCUC, and academic administration positions in California and Oregon institutions primarily serving adult learners and underrepresented populations.
Marianne Boeke oversees all aspects of data reporting and research, curates the State Authorization Surveys (The Guide), provides state and regional compact support, and, with senior leadership, works on policy related issues.
Richard MacLeod is the Registrar at Athabasca University, Canada’s Open University, in Alberta, Canada. Athabasca University, celebrating 50 years, has over 44,000 learners and provides transformational educational experiences to students through online learning.
Richard has worked in post secondary for over 25 years and has led many student service initiatives including multiple SIS implementations, SEM Plan creation and execution, and front-line service unification.
Capstone Project: “Measuring the Impact of Nudging New Applicants to First Registration at Athabasca University”
Dr. Kimberly McNair has over 20 years of experience in community college and four-year settings in admissions, recruitment, marketing, enrollment management, and community engagement. She serves as at Montgomery College in Maryland. She oversees admissions, recruitment and related enrollment functions and co-facilitates the college’s Achieving the Dream (ATD) student success efforts. During her tenure she also helped lead the realignment of enrollment management units to help streamline access and enrollment support for students. Dr. McNair is an inaugural member of AACRAO’s ASCEND enrollment management leadership development program and certified MBTI practitioner, Balanced Scorecard Professional, and peer evaluator for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Dr. McNair earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Towson University, and a Doctorate in Higher Education – Community College Leadership from Morgan State University.
Capstone Abstract: This capstone project explored concepts of SEM research and data-informed decision making, particularly at institutions new to enrollment management or just starting their SEM journey.
Review of: AACRAO's Higher Education Central Policy Database
Dr. Troy Holaday is the President of CollegeSource and visionary for the Transfer Evaluation System (TES®), used by more than a thousand institutions of higher education nationwide. Before 2007, Troy worked at Ball State University, first as an Academic Advisor and then as the Assistant Director of Academic Systems. Troy’s work at Ball State included managing the first interactive system of automated transfer credit evaluation on the Internet, the Automated Course Transfer System (ACTS). During his time at Ball State, Troy also taught Humanities for the Honors College. He served as Chair of NACADA’s Advising Transfer Students Commission from 2003-2006 and worked with the Indiana Commission for Higher Education from 2001-2007 as a member of the Statewide Transfer and Articulation Committee and leader of the state’s Core Transfer Library task force.
Laura Jacob Anderson is in her eighth year as University Registrar at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, and is currently a member of 2 merger implementation teams. Willamette University announced on September 17 that the Pacific Northwest College of Art would join the university to become Willamette's fourth school. The current timeline aims for completion of that merger by January 1, 2021. The university is also in a longer-term merger process with the Claremont School of Theology. Prior to joining Willamette University, Laura was an Associate Registrar at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Elizabeth Amundson is the Associate Provost & Registrar, George Washington University and member of AACRAO and MSACROA. Beth served as co-chair of the Closed or Merged Institutions work group, with her focus on institutional mergers. GW is the custodial institution for the records from Ben Franklin University and the Graduate School of Political Management; and has undertaken mergers with Mount Vernon College and the Corcoran College of Art & Design.
Sarah Harris, retired Senior Associate Registrar, University of Iowa and lifetime member of AACRAO and UMACRAO. Sarah served as co-chair of the Closed or Merged Institutions work group with her focus on the Closed portion. The University of Iowa serves as the custodial school of Iowa defunct post-secondary schools (currently 26 schools). The experiences of the Closed sub-committee members in assisting schools through their closures led to the checklist and other guidance provided in the report.
Request Dr. Dannette Beane as a speaker
Dr. Beane has 18 years of experience working with students from pre-K to doctoral education. Her research focuses on advocacy for underrepresented and marginalized students including special focus on the Movement for Black Lives and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients. Dr. Beane is a licensed school counselor and published author on career development, mentoring, self-care, and advocacy.
In her current role, she serves as the Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communications at Radford University. During her time at Virginia Tech she has also served as an academic advisor, director of recruitment and diversity, inclusion coordinator, and adjunct professor in the School of Education. Her service to the university includes advising student groups like Queer People of Color, the Graduate Student Assembly Professional Development committee, and serves on the Hispanic/Latinx Faculty and Staff Caucus. Prior to Virginia Tech, Dr. Beane worked for AmeriCorps College Summit, Total Action for Progress, Roanoke City Public Schools and Hollins University.
Dr. Beane completed her doctorate in Counselor Education from Virginia Tech where she also completed her Master of Counselor Education and a certificate in Higher Education Administration. Her undergraduate degree in Communication Studies and Spanish from Hollins University.
Maggie J. Winnicki, MPH is currently Director of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs in the College of Allied Health Professions (CAHP) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC).
Her twenty-year career in higher education spans roles in distance education, academic counseling, student services and affairs, and admissions. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from UNMC, with an emphasis in administration, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree from Knox College (IL).
She has extensive experience in student services for military personnel, including coordinating the student service functions for the U.S. military Interservice Physician Assistant Program (IPAP) at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas.
Ms. Winnicki directs admissions and recruitment for the fourteen health professions programs in the College of Allied Health Professions. In this role, she was instrumental in developing marketing, recruitment and admission best practices for the college’s holistic admissions initiative.
Ms. Winnicki is a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and the Nebraska Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (NACRAO).
Kyle P. Meyer, Ph.D., M.S., PT, FASAHP is the Founding Dean of the College of Allied Health Professions (CAHP) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). His career in higher education administration spans almost thirty years.
He began his career in health care, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physical therapy and a Master of Science degree in anatomy, both from the UNMC. He practiced in pediatric physical therapy for over twenty years. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Dr. Meyer began his academic career as the Director of Clinical Education in the Division of Physical Therapy Education at UNMC and subsequently served as Associate Dean and Senior Associate Dean in the School of Allied Health Professions, before assuming his current position.
He was elected as a Fellow in the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) in 2016, in recognition of his record of leadership and significant contributions in allied health.
Dr. Meyer provided the vision and initial planning guidance for the College of Allied Health Professions’ holistic admissions initiative, which began in 2015.
Kathryn Verkerk has 20 years of experience working in higher education and is currently the Associate Registrar, Student Recruitment and Admissions at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Over 12 years, Mrs. Verkerk has worked in numerous areas at SFU including admissions, student recruitment, financial aid and awards, strategic enrollment management, academic and faculty advising, research services, and co-operative education. Highlights of her time at SFU include developing an institution wide, undergraduate, strategic enrollment management plan; supporting the review and leading the implementation of a new undergraduate admission model, including holistic admission for the new Sustainable Energy Engineering program; and integrating the offices of undergraduate admissions and student recruitment into one department. Prior to SFU, Kathryn worked at The University of British Columbia (UBC) for eight years in Student Recruitment and Advising managing national recruitment in Eastern Canada.
Kathryn is currently completing her Doctor of Education degree in Higher Education Leadership at Western University and graduated with a Master of Education degree in Higher Education from UBC in 2016. Her undergraduate degree in Criminology was awarded in 2004 from Simon Fraser University.
Dr. Connie Tingson Gatuz developed a heightened awareness of the impact of leadership and mentorship while growing up in a struggling multigenerational extended family, who emigrated from the Philippines. As Vice President for Student Affairs and Mission Integration for over a decade, she is the first Person of Color and currently the only woman to serve on the Executive Council at Madonna University. Under her leadership, she pioneered the university’s largest and longest running Study Abroad and Service-Learning program to-date. To advance student enrollment and retention, Dr. Gatuz conceptualized and executed a university Strategic Enrollment Plan priority through a multicultural student academy focused on leadership for an inclusive world; ushered a nationally awarded Black Male Initiative; and procured several international enrollment agreements abroad.
She co-engineered the university’s comprehensive Strategic Planning process; co-created the Madonna Higher Education Administration Master’s program, established in 2013; and crafted the mentorship elements of a student leadership program for North America including the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Previously, Dr. Gatuz championed several national and regionally- recognized student retention initiatives while at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor. For over a dozen years, she was a lead consultant for the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholarship Program as well as a grassroots national college leadership program, based in Washington, DC. Spanning a twenty-eight-year career in higher education, she is a recipient of the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators API Knowledge Community Outstanding Mentor Award, the National OCA Pioneer Community Educator Award, the International Mentoring Association Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award, and the Republic of the Philippines’ Outstanding Educator Recognition. In 2020, she mentored women aspiring to executive leadership at the national NASPA Alice Manicur Symposium.
Dr. Gatuz is a contributing author in Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education: Research and Perspectives on Identity, Leadership, and Success and A Mission Officer Handbook: Collaborating with Partners. She received a doctorate in Higher Education Administration, a master’s degree in College and University Administration, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, all from Michigan State University. She and her husband, Ryan, reside in Livonia, Michigan.