Meet the Speakers

Dean of Arts and Sciences at Neumann University

Alfred G. Mueller II, Ph.D.

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For the last ten years, Dr. Alfred Mueller has served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Neumann University, overseeing the university’s core curriculum. As a self-professed “retention evangelist,” Dr. Mueller worked with the Biology program to increase freshman-to-sophomore retention by 25.8% in three years and to earn recognition as a Howard Hughes SEA-PHAGES program. He helped draft a $2.1 million Title III grant, which funded the creation of a University Writing Center and a team of academic coaches to aid in student persistence. In 2018, Dr. Mueller led a team of faculty and staff to the AAC&U’s Institute for High-Impact Practices and Student Success, which resulted in a reinvigorated Communication and Digital Media major that emphasized experiential learning. He worked with his campus Registrar and the Vice President for Academic Affairs to develop “Maymester” and “Winterim” terms and coordinated with the Academic Advising Center to develop a “Drive for 30” program to help first-year students reach Satisfactory Academic Progress. He also initiated partnerships with the Delaware County Municipal Police Academy, Wilkes University’s Nesbitt School of Pharmacy, Drexel University’s College of Engineering, and high schools throughout Neumann’s service area.

Dr. Mueller’s passion is undergraduate education. He served for over 11 years at Penn State Mont Alto, which offered the first two years of instruction to students in over 120 majors before they transferred to State College. At Neumann, Dr. Mueller oversaw the university’s First-Year Experience program, Honors program, Writing Across the Curriculum program, and summer bridging programs. He also served as Quality Matters Coordinator for the campus, helping 75% of the full-time faculty and 34% of the part-time faculty earn national certification to teach online. Neumann’s online course in Developmental Psychology was selected by Quality Matters as a training course for Peer and Master Reviewers, one of only six courses nationwide to earn that distinction.

He also served as Executive Director of the Eastern Communication Association. In that role, he initiated changes necessitated by the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including changing the way the organization filed 990’s and creating policies that governed everything from document retention and destruction to whistleblowing.

Dr. Mueller received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa and three Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communication, History, and Philosophy from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He authored two books; published 20 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters; presented over 50 refereed papers at regional and national conferences; and served as co-editor of an international journal. Dr. Mueller is certified as a Master Reviewer and Program Reviewer for Quality Matters, a national non-profit organization that promotes quality assurance in online education, and is currently pursuing certification in Agile project management.

He is nationally known for his workshop, Achieving Work-Life Equilibrium, which he has conducted for the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences and the American Council of Academic Deans. For 30 years, he has trained enrollment management teams and aspiring executives to Deliver More Effective Presentations with Less Fear. And he offers custom keynotes and master classes on mindset changes that develop Leadership with Kick among emerging leaders and helps your enrollment management team and your academic affairs team EMBRACE (Enrollment Management Building Relationships with Academic Colleagues Experience) one another.
Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Communications, Radford University

Dannette Gomez Beane

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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.
Dr. Alicia Moore

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Vice President for Student Affairs, Central Oregon Community College
About
Alicia Moore is the Vice President of Student Affairs and former Dean of Student and Enrollment Services for Central Oregon Community College. In this capacity, she has worked as part of the campus leadership team, leading the institution through an 82% growth in enrollment in a four-year time span. She has more than 20 years of experience in student services, with primary experience in admissions and records related areas, including marketing and advertising, publication design/writing, recruiting and one-stop program/service development. In her role as the Director of Admissions/Registrar for COCC, collaborative efforts the campus achieved a record 12% enrollment growth in just two years.

During her tenure at COCC, Alicia’s accomplishments include development of comprehensive strategic enrollment management plan; a one-stop service center, including admissions, registration, student account/bursar, financial aid, placement testing, and academic advising; and a redesign of college transition programs to include a mandatory pre-advising workshop for all students, a new student orientation program, and an “Academic Jump Start” program. Alicia also played a primary role in designing COCC’s new Campus Center and 320-bed residence hall, developing partnerships with various high school and university partners, and serving as part of the institution’s accreditation team. In addition to the above areas, Alicia’s consulting work includes helping institutions develop strategic plans, to include vision, mission, values and goals, as well as student success plans focused on student persistence and completion strategies.

Alicia earned her PhD in Education Oregon State University, has her master's degree in student personnel administration from Colorado State University, and a bachelor's degree in communications and Spanish from Willamette University.
An Interview with William Serrata
Dr. Clayton Smith

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Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Windsor
About
Dr. Clayton Smith is Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor. He previously served 12 years as Vice-Provost and Dean of Students. Over the course of his career, Dr. Smith has amassed significant knowledge and expertise in enrollment management. Dr. Smith previously held senior enrollment management positions at the State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill, Tallahassee Community College in Florida, and the University of Maine at Augusta.
Known for his focus on comparative enrollment management, Dr. Smith has performed collaborative research into the distinctive qualities of enrollment management in the United States and Canada that has allowed educational leaders from both countries to compare and share best practices. In 2011, Dr. Smith co-edited SEM in Canada: Promoting Student and Institutional Success in Canadian Colleges and Universities. His recent research focuses on the faculty role in SEM, how change management impacts successful SEM institutional implementation, and Canadian enrollment leaders’ reflections on the effectiveness of SEM in Canada.
Dr. Smith is a leader in the field of enrollment management, with special emphasis on the areas of institutional SEM readiness, implementing SEM, enrollment planning, change management, international student affairs, and student success and retention. He has worked at a variety of higher education institutions, including residential and commuter, rural and urban, and two-year and four-year schools, and has consulted for AACRAO Consulting at more than thirty colleges and universities.
Dr. Smith holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine, an M.A. in Political Science from Drew University, an M.P.A. in Public Administration from the University of Maine, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University. He is a senior consultant with AACRAO Consulting and currently serves as AACRAO’s Strategic Enrollment Management Conference director and Editor-in-Chief of Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly.
Canadian Enrollment Leaders’ Reflections on the Effectiveness of SEM
Faculty Involvement in Strategic Enrollment Management at North American Postsecondary Educational Institutions
The Role of Organizational Change Management in Successful Strategic Enrollment Management Implementation
Putting the Puzzle Together: International Student Success
International Student Support Services at Ontario Universities
The Intersection of SEM and Equity: A Systematized Literature Review
Dr. Gavin R. Hamms

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Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, Grambling State University
About
Dr. Gavin R. Hamms is a native of Winnfield, LA. He obtained his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Management from Grambling State University in 2010. In 2012 he obtained his Master or Business Administration degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. After beginning his career in Higher Education as the Manager of Default Prevention at Grambling State University in 2011, he was inspired to pursue a Ph.D I Urban Higher Education. While pursuing his Ph.D he was promoted to serve as the Director of Financial Aid at his Alma Mater. During his time as the Director of Financial Aid, he was able to streamline several services for the enhancement of Student Services. Dr. Hamms is widely recognized for his passion for serving students and improving process efficiencies.
Dr. Hamms received his Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education from Jackson State University in 2016. His dissertation title was Institutional Factors that Influence Student Loan Default at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He has used his research to help develop financial literacy initiatives for student success. While serving in financial aid, Dr. Hamms developed a unique understanding of Enrollment Management and Student Success. He has utilized his knowledge of financial aid to help his institution grow enrollment and provide access for marginalized populations. His highly respected skillset led him to be appointed as the Chair of the Strategic Enrollment Management Council. From that appointment he was then selected as the Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Grambling State University. Dr. Hamms is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and is passionate about Empowering, Educating, and Encouraging the masses.
Dr. John Haller

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Vice President of Enrollment Management and New Student Strategies, University of Miami
About
Dr. John Haller is the Vice President of Enrollment Management and New Student Strategies at the University of Miami. Over the course of his career, he transformed two enrollment management areas taking a student success outcomes driven approach. During his time at Miami, he led the movement from a largely merit-based to a hybrid merit- and need-based financial aid strategy where 100% of financial need is met. He also implemented a test-optional holistic admission review approach. The institution realized a 60%+ increase in applications and a 50%+ increase in yield. The institution also realized a $10,000 decrease in student indebtedness upon graduation and the highest freshman retention and six-year graduation rates in university history.
Prior to Miami, John served as the Associate Provost for Enrollment Management at Saint Joseph’s University. At Saint Joseph’s, the University attained the highest first-year persistence rate in university history. First year enrollment also grew by 24% as did entering student credentials and student of color enrollment. Student indebtedness at graduation also declined by $6,000. John also held positions in student success at Drexel University, MBA Admission at Vanderbilt University, and Undergraduate Admission at Denison University.
Dr. Haller is an honors graduate in economics and statistics from the University of Michigan, received master’s degrees in business and higher education, and received his Ed.D. in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Kimberley Williams

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Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Retention, The George Washington University
About
Dr. Kimberley Williams currently serves as the Associate Vice Provost for Student Success and Retention at the George Washington University (GW). In addition, Kimberley is the assistant director of AACRAO’s SEM Endorsement Program (EP). She has three decades of experience in higher education.
Dr. Williams has a proven track record of consistent enrollment success and is widely viewed as one of the top enrollment professionals in the country. Kimberley's background includes extensive background in building targeted student outreach, readiness, and support programs that have assisted her in enhancing student diversity, community engagement, and retention rates at several institutions. In addition, Kimberley has led efforts in developing CRM systems, pre-college, and summer bridge programs, and early alert networks strongly aligns with GW's student success goals and aspirations.
Prior to joining GW, for nearly a decade, Kimberley served as the Vice President for Enrollment Management (VPEM) at two public, regional universities. She has also held leadership roles in student enrollment and support at Northern Illinois University, the University of Michigan-Flint, and Old Dominion University.
While at Northeastern Illinois University, as VPEM Ms. Williams oversaw the matriculation of the inaugural Hope Chicago first-year class and implemented a case management approach to advising the new scholar-cohort program. In addition, the student engagement model featured the development of individualized student success plans and an automated student referral system to align student needs with the appropriate campus support units.
During Kimberley's tenure at the University of Mary Washington, as VPEM she helped establish new partnerships with several community-based organizations, including the Latino Student Fund (MD), Access College Foundation (VA), and the Partnership for the Future (VA). She also implemented a set of campus-wide committees, and student engagement plans to improve diversity and student persistence levels. These efforts resulted in the percentage of students of color at UMW rising from 23 percent in 2014 to 30 percent in 2021, and the overall first-to-second-year student retention rate increasing by 4.8 percent. Under her leadership, the percentage of students of color at Mary Washington grew from 23 percent in 2014 to 30 percent in 2021. In addition, UMW enrolled its largest first-year class in history, and saw a significant increase in its incoming first-year academic profile.
In addition to the aforementioned strategic enrollment management successes, Kimberley led enrollment efforts at the University of Michigan- Flint. Under Kimberley’s leadership, UM- Flint realized a 29 percent increase in new first-year enrollment (2005-2011), and a 200 percent increase in international student enrollment as noted in a 2010 MLive article titled “UM-Flint keeps rank as state's fastest growing university.”
Kimberley is the author of the 2021 book "History of American Higher Education A to Z: A Primer for Enrollment Managers." She also has several recent articles and publications focusing on student success and enrollment management. Recent presentations include "Closing Equity Gaps in Enrollment – A Four-Pronged Approach" (2021), "SEM and Retention; The Perfect Pair" (2018), and "We Check More Than One Racial Category... Are You Ready for Us?" (2016).

In 2023, Kimberley completed her Ed.D. from Regent University (VA). Her dissertation research examined employment engagement and succession planning in the context of retaining enrollment middle managers in the American "Big Quit," "Great Reshuffle, and/or "Great Resignation" era. In addition, Kimberley holds an Ed.S. degree in Higher Education Administration, a master's degree in Education Administration, and a bachelor's degree in English, all from Old Dominion University. She also holds a postmaster's certificate in leadership from the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women.
Review of: The State Must Provide: Why America's Colleges Have Always Been Unequal―and How to Set Them Right
Review of: Yale Needs Women; How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant
Review of The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions—A Conversation About Education, Parenting, and Race, 2nd Edition
Associate Executive Director, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, AACRAO

Dr. Mike Simmons

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About
Mike Simmons, Ph.D. is the Associate Executive Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at AACRAO, where he manages a portfolio of external grants and special projects, with a particular focus on Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs).
He retired from the University of North Texas, where he served as the Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs in the Provost’s Office of Curricular Innovation and Academic Partnerships. He led a number of academic innovation projects, including the development of the Career Connect Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR/LER). Before joining the UNT team, Dr. Simmons was the Assistant Vice President for Lifelong Learning at Texas Woman’s University. He also previously served as the founding director of the Marshall Technology Institute.
He holds a Ph.D. in Public Administration and Urban Affairs from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His Bachelor of Arts degree in History is from King College in Bristol, Tennessee.
Mike's Role at AACRAO
Dr. Simmons is responsible for leading the consulting, corporate partnerships and grants teams in creating and maintaining valuable strategic relationships and creating resource opportunities that allow AACRAO to meet strategic goals and serve our members.
Dr. Randy Weber

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President, Rogue Community College
About
President Randy Weber took the leadership reigns of Rogue Community College in July 2022. His focus since then has been on elevating the college’s strengths, supporting his strong faculty and staff and developing postsecondary pathways for residents of the Rogue Valley. He strongly believes his success will be driven by engaging faculty and staff as active collaborators and front-line experts with rich contributions to be cultivated.
President Weber works to inspire his colleagues toward innovative problem-solving – seeking new pathways to: increase student enrollment; ease access; reduce barriers; and ensure high student completion rates for whatever program, course or certificate students pursue. He also prioritizes the creation of strong partnerships with the larger community that lead to higher paying jobs and a stronger regional workforce.
President Weber is guided in his leadership through his significant experience in strategic planning, institutional research, budgeting, facilities, accreditation, enrollment management and student affairs. He is an advocate of ongoing training for faculty and staff in teaching technologies and student engagement strategies. In his leadership role, President Weber inspires his team to put the student experience first when approaching a new idea or solution to a challenge.
As to his journey before RCC, President Weber is a first-generation community college graduate himself, and an alum of the well-respected Aspen Presidential Fellowship Program for Community College Excellence. He received his Doctorate in Education from Baker University in Overland Park, Kansas. He holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, and began his education by completing his Associate of Science degree with Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas. Prior to his presidency at RCC, President Weber served in cabinet level positions for 14 years at three distinctly different schools.
President Weber and his wife, Sasha, enjoy mountain and beach hikes with their dog throughout the Rogue Valley and along the Oregon coast. Their adult son lives and works in the city of Denver. They are excited to call Southern Oregon home.
Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students, Missouri Western State University

Dr. Robert Goltra, III

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About
Dr. Robert Goltra, III has a well-rounded, 20-plus-year background in education that includes experience as a K-20 instructor and administrator and specialized training in the areas of student retention, student services, and student success. Robert’s experiences in managing student service projects range from designing and implementing student enrollment and retention plans to developing and leading million-dollar student services grants. His leadership of those projects and many more have prepared him to lead the teams needed to ensure the successful completion and implementation of critical student initiatives. Leading department personnel in highly accountable higher education environments (e.g., admissions, DEI leadership, student conduct, Title IX and student advocacy, counseling centers, student health services, Greek life, veteran services, advising, campus police, career services, financial aid, housing and residence life, SGA, student activities, co-curricular assessment, tutoring services, testing centers, and TRiO grant programs) has primed him to work with and lead essential higher education personnel to engage in the best practices that undergraduate and graduate students rely on to meet their needs in today’s educational milieu. He calls on his first-hand K-20 student development experiences to best serve as an AACRAO Consultant.
As an Institute for Educational Leadership Education Policy Fellowship Program completer, he deepened his knowledge and application of policy and data governance decision-making. Assisting higher education colleagues in strategically eliminating systemic barriers was key to his desire to join the AACRAO consulting team of dedicated professionals making a positive impact in higher education. His doctoral dissertation studied college student retention characteristics, models, and programming that best engage and propel underserved and underrepresented students to successful personal and academic outcomes.
While studying to become an educator, he was also a successful student-athlete. He was named an Academic and Associated Press All-American, served as Team Captain of a top-five college football program, and played for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. These experiences, coupled with being raised in a single-parent low socioeconomic household, allow him to identify with students navigating the enrollment funnel through graduation carrying at-risk characteristics that require just-in-time wrap-around services.
Dr. Robert S. Hornberger

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In his present position as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Services at Missouri State University (MSU), Dr. Rob Hornberger serves the institution in two major roles – a) coordinate the enrollment goals and initiatives for the entire campus and b) provide executive leadership to the admissions, adult student services, career center, dual credit, enrollment services, enrollment management systems and reporting, financial aid, registrar, scholarships, and veteran student center operational areas. Prior to this position, Dr. Hornberger was the University Registrar at MSU for ten years, overseeing the Registrar’s Office and Veteran Student Center. In that position, he led the office through a comprehensive department review, including the use of the AACRAO Registrar Assessment Guide and Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) guidelines. Dr. Hornberger also served previously as the campus data coordinator in Enrollment Management and Services, and both an assistant director and admission counselor in the Office of Admissions. Dr. Hornberger has presented at AACRAO conferences on the process of creating, maintaining, and sustaining a SEM plan, was published in the SEM Quarterly Journal, and holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis and an M.S. in Computer Information Systems.
Dr. Hornberger remains proficient and current with the latest issues and trends in the profession by cultivating strong professional relationships with his counterparts. He has served in high-level leadership roles within AACRAO, such as the chair and vice chair for the AACRAO Annual Meeting Program Committee, Group I Coordinator, Enrollment Management and Retention PAC Chair and Vice Chair for AACRAO, and member of the Nominations and Elections Committee, and has also served as President and other leadership positions of MACRAO (Missouri’s AACRAO).
Associate Executive Director, Education and Member Development, AACRAO

Dr. Tina DeNeen

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About
Dr. Tina DeNeen is the Associate Executive Director for Education and Member Development at AACRAO. DeNeen leads the execution of AACRAO’s professional development strategy, services, and program delivery, to include national educational convenings such as the AACRAO Annual Meeting and the Strategic Enrollment Management Conference. Further, she is responsible for member educational content, including the publication of podcasts, quarterly journals, and AACRAO’s extensive library of guides and authored publications. DeNeen also serves as the Executive Lead for the ASCEND Leadership Development Program, an AACRAO signature initiative designed to prepare mid-level professionals in the competencies required to advance in enrollment management leadership.
Prior to joining AACRAO, Dr. DeNeen served for more than 25 years in various higher education leadership, academic advisement, and adjunct faculty roles at universities in Alabama, Kentucky, Texas, Illinois, and Tennessee. Her portfolio included the typical functions of a University Registrar, along with direct responsibility for student services, enrollment management, veteran student support, transfer student recruitment, and NCAA compliance. As an individual member of AACRAO, DeNeen previously served as Chair of Nominations and Elections, Black Caucus, Professional Access & Equity, and was Program Committee Coordinator providing oversight for AACRAO’S diversity affinity groups.
Dr. DeNeen has more than 25 years of experience in higher education and has maintained focus on reducing equity gaps and identifying and removing administrative barriers for college students. DeNeen holds a doctoral degree in Higher Education Administration from The University of Alabama, and focuses her research on the collegiate experiences of minoritized students. She also holds a master’s degree in Public and Community Health and a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, both earned at Austin Peay State University.
Tina's Role at AACRAO
Dr. DeNeen is the executive division lead responsible for professional development and content delivery with a focus on strategic plan alignment. She maintains overall responsibility for the activities of the Education and Member Development (EMD) Division.
Dr. Tomikia LeGrande

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About
Tomikia P. LeGrande, Ed.D., became the ninth president of Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) on June 1, 2023. Her career in higher education is marked by successive leadership roles and professional achievements.
Before joining PVAMU, Dr. LeGrande served as vice president for strategy, enrollment management and student success at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she led the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan, priorities, and goals to influence national prominence, strategic partnerships, and student access and success. Other senior level leadership roles prior to VCU include vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at the University of Houston-Downtown, and associate vice chancellor for enrollment management at Winston Salem State University.
Throughout her career, Dr. LeGrande’s focus has been on advancing equity, accessibility, and affordability in higher education. She works to create and sustain engaging and supportive cultures for faculty, staff and students resulting in positive institutional outcomes. She has been prolific in securing resources to support innovation and accelerate progress. In all of her career endeavors, Dr. LeGrande has created “cultures of care” utilizing her expertise in strategic planning, new technology implementation, change management, and policy and business process redesign. With a personalized approach, she engages at all levels of an organization– forming, deploying and managing cross-organizational teams that find solutions to impediments that may impact university progress.
The art of leadership is Dr. LeGrande’s passion. She creates challenging yet supportive environments that embolden the pursuit of wide-ranging and future-focused goals. She embraces developing and cultivating leadership at all levels of an organization and has documented success in procuring funds to support programmatic expansion and change.
As a two-time graduate of HBCUs, and having earned a doctorate in higher education leadership, Dr. LeGrande understands the transformative power of education in helping students dismantle class, social, and cultural barriers. She believes that centered and effective leadership in higher education can amplify and accelerate the social mobility of all students, but especially of those from communities that have been underserved and underrepresented.
At the national level, Dr. LeGrande is actively engaged in issues of access, parity, higher education policy and leadership development. She is a sought-after thought leader, and a regular presenter and facilitator on the topics of enrollment management, educational equity and student success. She testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor in 2019 during a hearing on “Innovation to Improve Equity: Exploring High-Quality Pathways to a College Degree.” She was also the recipient of the Governor’s “Champion for Change Award” for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2021.
A native of Savannah, GA, Dr. LeGrande earned a B.S. in chemistry from Savannah State University, M.S. in chemistry from North Carolina A&T State University, and an Ed.D. from Texas Tech University.
Dr. Wendy Lishen

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About
Wendy Lishen, Ed.D. is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Records at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. She has over 30 years of experience in higher education administration. Throughout her career, Dr. Lishen’s experience has enabled her to develop a comprehensive view to student access and success. Her higher education experience has included a plethora of organizational change initiatives including online education, University relocation, institution inception, student information system implementation, and department creation to name a few.

After serving as University Registrar in Pennsylvania for 24 years, Lishen went on to serve as Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and University Registrar at Florida Atlantic University, where she became skilled at strategic planning to increase student graduation rates and streamline enrollment processes to improve student satisfaction as well as increase data integrity for program assessment. She implemented a new customer service department at Florida International University for all Enrollment Management offices for over 50,000 students at two campuses. Currently, Dr. Lishen is the Assistant Vice President for Academic Records at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences with the primary campuses in Bethesda, MD and San Antonio, TX in addition to additional Department of Defense site locations established throughout the world.

Throughout her career, Dr. Lishen has served on many professional development committees as well as presented on enrollment best practices. Currently, Dr. Lishen is actively consulting for the American Association of Collegiate Registrar’s and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) on projects throughout the country.
Associate Vice Chancellor of Admissions & Enrollment

Femi Ogundele

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In his capacity as Associate Vice Chancellor of Admissions & Enrollment, Femi provides vision, strategy and leadership in the recruitment and evaluation of California's public flagship. For the last decade Femi has been a vocal thought leader in the college access and college admission industry. He is a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet and oversees the Office of Undergraduate Admission, the Financial Aid Office, the University Registrar, the Visitor’s Center, and the Center for Educational Partnerships which provides college access support in high schools and Community Colleges across the state of California.
His vision and leadership in undergraduate admissions outreach to the state’s underrepresented, undocumented, underserved and first-generation students have resulted in four consecutive years of the most ethnically and geographically diverse classes of students to Berkeley in 3 decades.
Prior to Berkeley, Femi has been successful at building outreach and evaluation processes that have resulted in greater diversity at Stanford University, Cornell University, University of Delaware, and Ithaca College. He sits on national college access boards and has done work to establish higher education pipelines for students, educators and refugees throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
In his role as Associate Vice Chancellor of Enrollment, Femi has been committed to lowering the cost of higher education and closing the graduation gap among diverse communities.With degrees from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and Ithaca College, Femi remains committed to the scholarship of equity in education as he is also currently pursuing a doctoral degree at UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education.
J. Sheldon MacLeod

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Director of Student Services, University of New Brunswick, Saint John
About
Sheldon MacLeod is an Associate Consultant for AACRAO Consulting. Sheldon serves as the Executive Director for the Council of Articulations and Transfers of New Brunswick (CATNB) successfully moving CATNB from a government departmental council to an autonomous organization engaging 100% of the provinces PSE institutions within critical initiatives focusing on e-transfer of transcripts, prior learning recognition, indigenous student accessibility, and other strategic initiatives.
Sheldon also serves as Director of Student Services at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John. As the chief student affairs officer, his team redesigned the service model with a navigator mindset, redeveloped the post-admissions communication and readiness programming, redeveloped health services delivery, redesigned academic coaching for students at high risk, increased retention by 19% within targeted populations, and added a new building to the residence system, with a student satisfaction rating of 93%.
Sheldon has worked with students for over two decades in both private and public institutions, having served as Registrar, Chief Enrolment Officer, and Chief Student Affairs Officer. He is a regionally recognized leader in student affairs and strategic enrolment and has worked on projects with every New Brunswick post-secondary institution, lead joint recruitment and admissions initiatives for the Atlantic regional institutions, and worked with institutions in Manitoba, Ontario, and the United States.
He is the former two-term President of the Atlantic Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers (AARAO) where he led a strategic overhaul of the association, including the shared recruitment programs, and is the recipient of their 2019 Leadership and Service Award for his contribution to the association and to post-secondary enrolment within Atlantic Canada. He also owns and leads a consulting firm for not-for-profit organizations and executive leaders of cause-based organizations.
Sheldon is a prolific speaker in student identity formation and success. He has been accepted for doctoral studies in student formation and holds a graduate degree focusing on higher educational leadership. Sheldon was also awarded an honorary doctorate for his work in values-based leadership within higher education.
Global Lead, AACRAO Consulting

Jill Orcutt

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About
Jill Orcutt became the AACRAO Global Lead, overseeing the Consulting Division in May 2023. She has been actively involved in enrollment management for the past 40 years holding leadership and Chief Enrollment Management Officer roles at the University of California Merced, University of Washington Bothell, CSU Chancellor’s Office and Central Washington University.
For the past eight years, Jill held the position of Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management, Dean of University Extension and for six years the Dean of Summer Session at the University of California Merced (2015-2023). She was responsible for the Offices of Admissions, Registrar, Financial Aid, Students First Center, Enrollment Management Systems, Enrollment Management Communications, and University Extension, and Summer Session. Jill served on the University of California (UC) system-wide Residency Committee and Transfer Guarantee Committee, and was the chair of the UC System AVC for Enrollment group. She brings to AACRAO a wealth of knowledge in enrollment management, leadership, organizational change, holistic admission, financial aid and scholarship leveraging, and enrollment management marketing and communications.
She has worked in higher education for more than 40 years in a variety of roles. She was formerly the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions at the University of Washington Bothell, was a senior consultant for the American Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers (AACRAO), and has served in roles in the Offices of the President, Senior Assistant Attorney General, Internal Auditor, Admissions, Financial Aid, and academic departments at Central Washington University. She served as a lead for a successful implementation of PeopleSoft at CWU and was a PeopleSoft and Mentor Application expert at the CSU Chancellor’s Office, and managed Salesforce (CRM) and utilized OnBase and Banner at UC Merced,
Jill earned her bachelor's degree from Central Washington University in Administrative Management and received a M.A. degree in Higher Education from Central Washington University.
Jill's Role at AACRAO
Jill is the Global Lead for AACRAO Consulting in the Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Division. She is responsible for all aspects of AACRAO Consulting. She oversees approximately 60 highly qualified contracted consultants, develops new business lines, and maintains and expands AACRAO’s standing as a global SEM leader.
Senior Managing Consultant, AACRAO

Jody Gordon

Request Jody Gordon as a speaker
About
Jody Gordon is Senior Managing Consultant at AACRAO. Recently she served as the Associate Vice-President, Students at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada. Ms. Gordon provided oversight and leadership to the Student Services division that includes, Student Engagement, Financial Aid and Awards, Varsity Athletics, Counselling (personal, career, and academic support and academic advising), Mental Health Initiatives for students and employees, Health Services, Accessibility Services, Registrar and Enrolment Services, Student Recruitment and Intramurals. Previously Ms. Gordon served as the Vice President, Students and Enrolment Management, at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV), Abbotsford, Canada. She led the development of the first ever Strategic Enrolment Management Plan for the University. Prior to this she held the position of Associate Vice President, Students at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU), Surrey, Canada where she led the institution wide review of the first-year experience where she oversaw 9 working committees and developed a comprehensive plan for improving the first-year experience.
Ms. Gordon has worked in post-secondary since 1992, beginning her career at Simon Fraser University before joining KPU in 1998, UFV in 2012 and Langara College in 2020. She has held progressively responsible positions as an Academic Advisor, Associate Director of Advising and Enrolment Services, Registrar and Chief Student Affairs Officer. In addition to Ms. Gordon’s administrator roles, she has taught first-year criminology students. Her broad experience in the classroom, in recruitment, enrolment and registrarial services, and in student affairs has allowed her to lead post-secondary institutions in developing SEM plans. Ms. Gordon is very familiar with the university and college systems both in Canada and the U.S. and has broad experience in India, Thailand, Britain and China working closely with a technical training institute over multiple campuses.

Ms. Gordon completed a First Class Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 and a Master of Arts degree in 1996 from Simon Fraser University. She was selected as the recipient of the 2009 Strategic Enrolment Management Leadership Award of Excellence in the Canadian Institutions category, an award cosponsored by AACRAO and Education Systems Inc. Ms. Gordon presents regularly at higher education conferences across North America and has published articles on such topics as enrolment management, student success initiatives, the mobile transfer student and leadership in higher education.

Recently Ms. Gordon co-authored the book SEM in Action: Implementing and Sustaining your Plan, the third book in the SEM series.
An Interview with Jay Goff
Jody's Role at AACRAO
Jody works in the Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Division, where she provides direct consulting services to client institutions, develops and executes training programs, contributes research and knowledge to the profession, and assists with partnerships with companies and agencies.
Senior Fellow, AACRAO

LeRoy Rooker

Request LeRoy Rooker ("The FERPA Professor") as a speaker
About
AACRAO Senior Fellow LeRoy Rooker is the nation’s leading authority on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a comprehensive federal law that provides privacy protections for student education records. As the director of the Department of Education’s Family Policy Compliance Office (FPCO) for 21 years, he administered laws and policies designed to help protect the rights of America’s 58 million students. Mr. Rooker is well known in the postsecondary world because of his extensive outreach to the higher education community while at the Department of Education. His many appearances at state, regional, and national meetings were not to be missed sessions, and we are honored that he continues to share his expertise through AACRAO FERPA Consulting.
LeRoy's Role at AACRAO
LeRoy Rooker is the nation's leading authority on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is currently a Senior Fellow in AACRAO's Research & Policy Division.
Director, Students First Center (SFC), UC Merced

Lisa Perry, Ed.D.

Request Lisa Perry, Ed.D. as a speaker
About
Lisa Perry, Ed.D., is the Director of UC Merced’s Students First Center (SFC). She has been with the SFC since the campus opened in fall 2005 and is a key player in the development and implementation of the department, which primarily serves the Offices of Admissions, Financial and Scholarships and Registration. She and her staff strive to encourage student self-sufficiency and success using social media and technology. Lisa has shared her expertise on one-atop development and student service technologies with colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. In her role, she also routinely works with the UC Office of the President to increase the number of online course offerings across all ten UC campuses. Perry is a graduate of California State University, Chico, and California State University, Stanislaus, and has worked in all three tiers of California’s higher education system. She authored a chapter titled “What was it like? Being in the Pioneer Class at UC Merced,” which appeared in New Directions for Higher Education Special Issue: From Rangeland to Research University: The Birth of University of California, Merced and has recently completed a dissertation titled “One Stop Enrollment Management Service: An Evaluation of The Relationship Between Centralized Services and New Student Enrollment.”
The Relationship Between One-Stop Support and New Student Enrollment
Fostering a Culture of Care for a Student Ready Institution
Senior Consultant, AACRAO Consulting

Mark McConahay

March McConahay, M.S.E.S., currently serves AACRAO in the role of Digital Credential Coordinator. Previously, he worked for Indiana University as the associate registrar of systems for many years before becoming the associate vice provost and registrar. McConahay’s history at IU includes leading the implementation of student records component within an ERP, the implementation electronic (PDF) transcripts, automated workflow for drop/add and grade changes, the Grade Context Record, The Automated Course Exchange, Touchtone Registration, Degree Audit, and others. The Automated Course Exchange (1995-96) and the Grade Context Record (1998-99) projects each received awards from EDUCAUSE and CUMREC. McConahay served as the program director for the AACRAO Technology (now the Technology and Transfer) conference from 2009 to 2016. He also served on the AACRAO Board of Directors from 2017 to 2020 as the vice president for information technology.
McConahay previously received the AACRAO Honorary Membership award (2021), the Indiana University E. Ross Bartley award for service (2021) the IU Bicentennial Medal (2020), Thomas A. Bilger Award (2017) and the Indiana ACRAO Distinguished Service Award (2019). He holds a B.A. in math and an MSES from Indiana University.
Director of Strategic Initiatives at UC Merced Extension

Michael Pierick

Request Michael Pierick as a speaker
Michael prides his work in solving systematic problems through innovative academic programming aimed at increasing access and reducing barriers. He is driven by constructive dissatisfaction as a foundation and principle of continuously improving upon current designs, models, performance, and abilities. As the Director of Strategic Initiatives at UC Merced Extension, he is responsible for the design, implementation, and execution of rigorous college and career readiness programs for lifelong learners, including teacher credentialing, pre-college dual enrollment pathways, micro-credentialing, and industry-aligned certificates.
Michael is also the Director of the UC Merced Degree Completion Program where he has led the development and implementation of the University of California’s first general degree completion efforts to re-enrolling and graduating students who left a UC campus without completing their degree. Michael earned his Bachelor of Science in Management from UC Merced and Master of Arts in Educational Entrepreneurship from the University of the Pacific Benerd College of Education.
Michael brings nearly a decade of program design, development, and implementation across multiple sectors and program types with foundational experience in Enrollment Management.
List of Topics:
- Designing degree completion programming
- Creative early college pathways for high school student matriculation
- Strategic recruitment and outreach initiatives for stop-outs
- Reentry data analysis and policy review
- College and career readiness pathways
- Enrollment coaching for reentry students
- One-stop modeling for reentry students
- Certification and credentialing design and implementation
- Industry-university collaboration (education and training)
- Shifting culture to persistence and retention
- Understanding and defining stop-out students
Michele Sandlin

Request Michele Sandlin as a speaker
Senior Consultant, AACRAO Consulting
About
Michele Sandlin previously served as the Director of Admissions and the Campus Visitors Center at Oregon State University for 15 years, during which university enrollment grew by over 67%, while achieving additional goals for diversity and academic preparedness of incoming students. Ms. Sandlin’s career has also included successful tenures at Pacific University, Portland State University, the University of Oregon, and Western State Colorado University.
During her 42 years as a higher education professional, Ms. Sandlin has become well known for her industry-leading expertise in holistic admissions, Strategic Enrollment Management, admissions operations, staff and space management, 2yr/4yr campus partnerships, branch campus development, transfer policy and practices, accreditation compliance review, articulation process, policy and agreements, decentralized-centralized structural realignment, and graduate/professional school and international admissions. She has served in state, regional and national leadership positions with AACRAO and with the International Baccalaureate Program, having served as the IB Chair for the Americas College and University Recognition Board.

She has served in state, regional and national leadership positions with AACRAO/PACRAO/OrACRAO and with the International Baccalaureate Program, and has received numerous professional recognitions, most notable:
• Received the first AACRAO National Tom Bilger Citation for Service Award. 2006.

• Was Oregon ACRAO President, 2003-4, served on numerous committees, Local Arrangements (LAC) and Program Chair positions.

• PACRAO President, 2006-2007, served on numerous committees, LAC and Program Chair positions.

• Awarded PACRAO Honorary lifetime membership in 2018.

• AACRAO Board Member, Vice President, Admissions and Enrollment Management, 2007-2010, served on numerous committees, lead chair for development of Admissions Management training course, lead presenter for AACRAO on the Road, served three years as program chair Admissions and Enrollment Management group 1.

• International Baccalaureate Association, North & South Americas, Chair, 2008-2011.

• State of Oregon International Baccalaureate Alignment Task Force, Lead role. 2009-2010.

• State of Oregon, Oregon Transfer Days Task Force, Inaugural Chair. 2007-2009

She has written for numerous publications, articles, chapters, has a recent book on Holistic Admissions, presented webinars and at conferences and meetings at the state, regional, national, and global level for more than 30 years.

Ms. Sandlin completed her Master of Science degree in Higher Education Policy Foundations and Administration at Portland State University, Oregon and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Sciences from Colorado State University. She is a native of the Colorado Rockies, but she identifies as an Oregonian and calls Oregon home where she has lived since 1985.
Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at IUPUI

PJ Woolston, Ed.D.

Request Dr. PJ Woolston as a speaker
PJ Woolston, Ed.D., has more than 20 years of experience in all not-for-profit sectors of higher education. He has been responsible for the development of all aspects of enrollment management systems at public and private institutions of varied sizes throughout the United States. Throughout his tenure, he has grown and sophisticated the admissions and enrollment operation wherever he has been, maximizing enrollment potential at all levels of the institution. He has extensive experience leading the strategic enrollment management and planning process at the institutional level. He has worked with freshman, transfer, dual credit, international, athletic, post-baccalaureate, graduate, medical school, and online/accelerated (adult and non-traditional) student populations. Although he has worked at institutions in both urban and rural settings, he has always approached recruitment with a wider geographic lens and has developed and implemented effective regional and rural recruitment strategies.
Currently, Dr. Woolston serves as Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at IUPUI in Indianapolis, Indiana. Previously, he has worked at the University of Texas Permian Basin (mid-sized public), Marian University (small private), the University of Southern California (large private), the University of Cincinnati (large public), and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (mid-sized community college).
Dr. Woolston has conducted extensive proprietary research on a wide range of topics, including best practices in higher education recruitment and marketing, enrollment and admissions policy and process, financial aid and discounting, tuition modeling, and institutional accreditation. He holds a Doctor of Education from USC, a Master of Music from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Arts in French from Brigham Young University. He has been a frequent presenter for organizations such as NACAC and multiple state affiliates, NACUBO, NAFSA, and multiple specialist organizations.
Managing Enrollment Strategically Both Formally and Informally
Associate VP Financial Aid Services & Title IV Compliance-Connecticut State Comm College

Steven J McDowell

Request Steven McDowell as a speaker
LinkedIn
2017 SEM-EP Graduate
Eleven-plus years of higher education financial aid experience across varying levels, which has included system policy development, legislative and regulatory analysis, system and campus financial aid administration, strategic planning, budgeting, enrollment management, institutional research, and state government relations.
Capstone Project - “Connecticut Community College Strategic Enrollment Management Master Plan” was written as a pilot plan to bring strategic enrollment management to the twelve community colleges that reside within the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities system. The contents of the plan seek to develop a new culture based around SEM, with leadership provided at the system level, which is designed to work with system colleges in advancing enrollment, retention, persistence, and progress goals.
SEM-EP Poster Session
McDowell is the author of AACRAO's Basic Guide to Financial Aid book, released in 2022, and Financial Aid Eligibility: Fundamental Concepts for College Administrators, Your Piece of Financial Aid Compliance, and Financial Aid's Role in Strategic Enrollment Management.
Other work:
Review of: On the Basis of Race: How Higher Education Navigates Affirmative Action Policies
Managing Consultant

Tammy L. Aagard, Ed.D.

Dr. Tammy Aagard currently works as a Managing Consultant for AACRAO Consulting. She has over 30 years of experience in higher education. Prior to her current role, she served as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and the University of Florida, as well as Registrar at the University of Wyoming. Her portfolio includes experience in enrollment management areas of admissions, academic advising, graduate school, financial aid, and registrar. She also has experience in athletics at Washington State University.
Dr. Aagard has worked extensively with academic and administrative leaders on multiple campuses through her consulting and professional work. Her passions include all areas of enrollment management, strategic planning, and aligning division goals with the mission and goals of the institution.
Dr. Aagard has extensive experience in leadership development and has presented sessions on functional and leadership topics at the institution, state, regional, national, and international levels. Her goals are to give back to the profession she loves by providing information that is actionable and motivating to support the success of individuals and institutions.