Dr. Nino Chinchaladze is the Executive Director of the Foundation “Center for International Education” (CIE), whose mission is to support internationalization of higher education and student mobility between the United States/Europe and Georgia. CIE is part of EducationUSA, with a comprehensive EducationUSA Student Advising Center in Tbilisi and four regional branches located at state universities throughout the country. Nino has Ph.D. in History. She was Deputy Director for the Open Society Georgia Foundation from 1997 to 2006. She has been a member of boards for Higher Education Authorization and accreditation of Georgian higher education institutions. In addition, she was a board member for Millenium Challenge Account Georgia and recently a board member of the Millenium foundation. She is also a board member of EPPM (Education Policy, Planning and Management Institute) and a member of the State scholarships commission. Nino participates in international conferences and seminars, including NAFSA, EAIE, ACA, and AACRAO. Nino is an active member of Georgian educational community.
Dr. Hasan Huseynli currently teaches Physics at the ADA School in Baku, Azerbaijan. From 2014 to 2016 he was an expert consultant for the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in Azerbaijan. Hasan is founder and chairman of the “Intelligent Citizen” Enlightenment Center Public Union. Prior to his work there he was director of the Ganja Branch of the Open Society Institute –Assistant Foundation, director of the Ganja Education Information Center (which for more than 10 years was in the EducationUSA network), and a consultant in the Office of the President of Azerbaijan. Hasan got his Ph.D. in Physics in 1987 from the Moscow Institute of Electron Technique and was head of the Physics laboratory at Ganja State Agrarian University. In 1996 he was a visiting professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and in 2006 a Fulbright visiting scholar at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Hasan has participated in several international education conferences in the United States, including as a presenter at AACRAO Annual Meetings.
Ann M. Koenig is a former AACRAO Associate Director. Her international education career spanned 33 years, including foreign credential evaluation work in private foreign credential evaluation services, and various positions in admissions, student academic advising, and student records management in a variety of campus settings in the United States and Germany. She has done in-depth research on education in several countries, and is a co-author of the PIER workshop report on Poland (1992), author of the ECE monograph An Overview of the Educational System of Albania (1993), contributor to the NAFSA series A Guide to Educational Systems Around the World, and author or contributor to several AACRAO publications. Ann has designed and presented numerous training sessions, workshops and conference presentations on country educational systems and best practices in international admission and credential evaluation, for AACRAO, NAFSA, EAIE (European Association for International Education) and other US and European organizations. She has served on committees with AACRAO and NAFSA.
Ieva works in the Results Services team, sending exam scores to schools and students around the world. Ieva’s team also looks after historic scores, helping former students to access their grades for credit at university or for job applications.
Portfolio Manager/Academics, National Partnership Program, Communications Directorate, U.S. Census Bureau
Chief of Special Enumerations Branch, Decennial Census Management Division, U.S. Census Bureau
Assistant Division Chief, Special Enumerations Decennial Census Management Division U.S. Census Bureau
Research & Policy Division WILLIAM RAFAEL GIL Senior Director, Government Affairs, AACRAO In this role, he implements the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission officers (AACRAO’s) public policy agenda and oversees federal government relations, legislative, policy and regulatory matters that could possibly impact the AACRAO membership, which is comprised of 11,000 individual members at over 2,600 higher education institutions. He provides information and strategic advice regarding developments in education policy and regulations relating to college admissions, records, student privacy, financial aid and other issues impacting higher education at the federal, state and local levels. Prior to this position he was the Vice President of Programs for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) where he oversaw all day-to-day managerial aspects of CHCI’s leadership development programs and educational services including the Congressional Internship, Public Policy Fellowship, Graduate Fellowship, Ready to Lead, Scholarship award programs, as well as CHCI’s educational resources, activities and tools. He was also the Associate Vice President for Collegiate Programs and Federal Relations for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). In this position he was responsible for all aspects of the largest Hispanic internship program in the nation, which coordinates internships for over 600 individuals per year, and forged stronger relationships between the organization, the White House, Congress, federal agencies and member institutions, as well as other national applicable higher education and Hispanic organizations and associations. He also oversaw all regulatory issues that impacted Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) Other working experiences include serving as the Executive Director, as well as a Legislative Assistant, for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), an informal group of Hispanic Members of Congress that is dedicated to advancing issues that affect Latinos in the United States through the legislative process. He has also worked for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program of Arlington County, The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC). He was born in Venezuela and moved to the United States with his family at young age. He has a Masters in Public Administration from the George Mason University and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a double major in Economics and Spanish Literature. He and his wife Kelly reside in Arlington, VA with their two sons - Alexander Rafael and Dominic Vicente.
Bill manages and implements AACRAO’s public policy agenda and oversees federal government relations, legislative, policy and regulatory matters impacting the AACRAO membership.
William has more than 15+ years of student development and enrollment management experience spanning private and public universities and community colleges. He led undergraduate and graduate admission operations serving students in traditional, hybrid and online learning environments. William is passionate and purposeful in partnering with campus administrators in pursuit of successful technology adoption and change management initiatives.
Dr. Granston is an Education technology specialist and holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of South Florida. She joined the Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) in July 2010 and is based at the Western Zone Office (WZO) in Jamaica.
Susan E. Hamilton, MA Ed, is the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs/Registrar at the Rutgers Health division of Rutgers University in New Jersey. Before this role, she was the registrar at Saint Peter’s University where she also served as director of enrollment services and assistant dean. She has been in the profession for 34 years, written several articles for AACRAO, and held executive roles in both the Middle States Association of Collegiate Registrars and Officers and Admission and the NJ/NY Association. She has presented on many topics including FERPA, mentoring, record retention, and transcript notations.
Best Practices in the Role of the Registrar
My AACRAO experience overlaps neatly with my higher education career. After graduating from Johnston College, a non-traditional liberal arts program at the University of Redlands, I became registrar there, following in the footsteps of the first of many mentors. A few years later, I was appointed University Registrar at the University of Redlands. Although I wasn’t sure if this would be my life work, I found higher education to be compelling, challenging, and rewarding. I served as University Registrar at California State Long Beach for over five years, then accepted the position of registrar at Reed College. One of the benefits of working in higher education is the expectation that we are always learning – how better to model that for our students than to embody that learning in how we serve the missions of our institutions?
Throughout my career, my colleagues across the state, region, nation, and internationally have informed, inspired, and guided me through changes in technology, academic culture, and higher education legislation. Serving on local arrangements committees at the state, regional, and national level helped me engage in association work, as did serving on professional activities committees and making presentations. Serving on the boards of PACRAO and AACRAO demanded more strategic thinking and developing different skill sets. My work on AACRAO’s Governance Task Force was some of the most demanding and inspired work I have seen colleagues undertake so collaboratively. Visiting many of the state and regional associations during my tenure on the AACRAO board was a privilege and provided a perspective on how our shared goals and purpose were more evident than our differences. From bowling competitions, river cruises, to costume parties, AACRAO’ans share not only their knowledge but recognize that social connection enhances professional connection and support.
It has been delightful to share my professional world with members of my family, who have attended annual and other meetings over the years. I remember my mother regaling my colleagues with stories in the lounge at a PACRAO conference (what stories did she tell?) and I wondered if there was room at the table for me. Of course there was. And I am gratified that AACRAO, PACRAO, OrACRAO, and many state and regional associations have made significant inroads in their efforts to ensure that for our students and our campus communities, there is room at the table for everyone. It is our responsibility and privilege to make access to higher education a priority. We see the importance of welcoming and connecting with one another, and that spirit informs our work with our campus communities. Onward, AACRAO!
Dr Nicole Manning joined the staff of the Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) on 1 February 2020 as Director of Operations, Examination Services.
Dr Manning possesses a Doctor of Education in Organization Leadership, from the Nova Southeastern University in Florida, a Master of Science in Computer Based Management Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Management from the University of the West Indies, Mona. She also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Technology and a Post Graduate Certificate in Risk Management from the Institute of Risk Management (UK). Dr Manning is an industry professional with over twenty years of regional and international managerial experience in diverse industries from Test Development & Measurement to Quality Assurance and Strategic Management.
Dr Manning’s extensive experience in the fields of education and assessment have equipped her with the necessary tools to strategically manage the development of examinations services, which are delivered by the Examinations Development and Production and Examinations Administration and Security Departments.
Council at its 50th Meeting in St Vincent, on 7 December 2018, appointed Dr Wayne Wesley as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), with effect from 1 August 2019. Dr Wesley joined CXC in June 2018, as Director of Operations, Examination Services. As Director, Dr Wesley assisted in providing strategic leadership and management to the organisation. In addition, he oversaw the planning, development and operation of the core examination services of CXC, to the organisation’s regional and international stakeholders.
The new Registrar/CEO is passionate about regional integration and development, particularly fostering Human Capital Development through education and training, having spent the last twenty-five years in both education and training in Jamaica, the region and internationally. His professional experience spans industrial engineering, technical education, consultancies, strategic leadership and executive management.
Prior to joining CXC, Dr Wesley led the Human Employment and Resource Training Trust/ National Training Agency (HEART Trust/NTA) in Jamaica, in the role of Executive Director and was Chairman of the Caribbean Association of National Training Authorities (CANTA). During his professional career, he served at the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech, Jamaica) and his time there culminated in his promotion and appointment to the academic rank of Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for the Industrial Engineering Programme.
As a member of various boards, Dr Wesley has given of his time and expertise to assist organisations in the field of education. These include the Council of UTech, Jamaica, the University Council of Jamaica, the Jamaican Foundation for Lifelong Learning and international committees such as, the Technical Committee of the International Labour Organization and the WorldSkills International Strategy Committee. He has also shared his expertise with regional project steering committees, namely, the CARICOM Education for Employment Programme and the Regional Labour Market Information System.
Dr Wesley brings to the role of Registrar/CEO, extensive knowledge gained through his Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial Engineering from Florida State University, a Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems from Southern Illinois University, a Bachelor of Education in Industrial Technology with First Class Honours from UTech, Jamaica, a Post Graduate Diploma in Financial Services Management from Jamaica Stock Exchange e-Campus, and a Level 8 Certificate in Strategic Direction and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute, UK. As a strong proponent of continuing education, Dr Wesley also continues to delve into further study. He has successfully completed Executive Education programmes at Harvard University and Manchester Business School in Innovation and Leading Economic Growth, and Advanced Management, respectively.
A Fulbright scholar, Dr Wesley is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, UK, and a Fellow of the American Society for Quality.
Melissa Ganiere is a Research & Knowledge Management Evaluator and has been with ECE since 2006. She specializes in education from Sub-saharan Africa and South East Asia, along with refugee documentation and online verification.
Charlie Hoehnen has been an evaluator at ECE since 2011, specializing in countries from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe. His interests lie in systems in transition, and on the intersectionality of social change and conflict on education. He’s presented on secondary education in the Middle East and North Africa as well as on question of level in super-secondary examinations systems.
Slate Position: President-Elect
Position Statement:
I believe that it is imperative that AACRAO continue to focus on three primary areas of concern for the association. I feel all three areas relate directly to AACRAO’s core values of Collaboration, Innovation, Inclusivity, Inquiry, and Integrity.
To support our students, AACRAO must continue its efforts in learner mobility. The leadership provided by AACRAO in the CLR and LER space should be encouraged and sustained. As conversations continue about the credit hour and discussions about the use of AI in admissions and articulation rise, staying on the technological forefront is critical for student retention and progression through common standards and guidelines.
To support its members, AACRAO must continue to focus on career pathways. This need is evident as many institutions struggle to develop qualified applicant pools. With an increased need to hire applicants with less experience than might have been readily available, AACRAO is uniquely positioned to fill the knowledge gap between established core competencies and professional proficiencies.
To support our students and members, AACRAO must continue its involvement in the public policy space. As the knowledge leader in enrollment and academic services, AACRAO needs to be at the table to help discourage overly restrictive and burdensome rulemaking impacting our members as well as encourage those policies and laws which will support the educational attainment of our students. On the other side of those processes, clear guidance from AACRAO is critical for the implementation of the ever-changing public policy landscape.
There is so much more work to be done as AACRAO addresses the needs of its members and their students. I hope to have the opportunity to once again serve at the Board level to help move the right things forward, keep core things stable, and attempt to protect our members and students from those things that should not be.
Tim Amyx has worked in higher education for over 20 years and is the Director of Admissions and College Registrar at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, TN just north of Nashville. Tim is a Past President and former Vice President for Information Technology and Publications for Tennessee ACRAO. Over the years, Tim has served on various AACRAO task forces and committees. He was the chair for the AACRAO Community College Issues Committee and was the Group V coordinator for the Annual Meeting Program Committee and served as Chair for the 2017 Minneapolis AACRAO Annual Meeting Program Committee. Tim is one of the original faculty for the AACRAO REG 201 workshop. He is a recipient of the Tennessee ACRAO Distinguished Service Award and the AACRAO Thomas A. Bilger Award. Tim currently served on the AACRAO Board of Directors as a Vice President at Large.