Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Division
Chris is responsible for the association's corporate memberships, sponsorship across AACRAO's event, research and product inventory, and manages yearly or longer term corporate partnerships/agreements across AACRAO's various departments.
Chris joined AACRAO in 2022 as director of corporate partnerships. Chris brings with him considerable experience in growing exhibits, sponsors, and advertisers as well as managing corporate relationships.
He received a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Bowling Green State University.
An Ohio native, Chris enjoys traveling with his family, playing hockey, and catering to his dog’s every whim.
Education & Member Development DivisionHeather Zimar is the Managing Editor of Journals and Publications at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). Heather works with higher education researchers and practitioners across the globe to develop and publish content in the areas of admissions, registration, and enrollment management. She is responsible for all aspects of the AACRAO publication process, including recruitment, editing, design, and production. Heather co-edited The SEM Anthology, Leadership Lessons: Visions and Value for a New Generation, and Mentorship in Higher Education: Practical Advice and Leadership. She works remotely from Ithaca, NY. Heather has also worked in public relations and communications for local education nonprofits and as a freelance writer. She holds a B.A. in print journalism and a M.S. in communications from Ithaca College.
Heather Zimar is responsible for the management, design, and production through all levels of AACRAO publications and journals. Heather also manages publication inventory, sales and distribution.
Education & Member Development Division Erika M. Watts is responsible for providing operational support and is the primary contact for conference and event registration customer service inquiries. With a remarkable tenure at AACRAO since 1997, Erika has been an integral part of the organization's growth and success. Her diverse expertise and dedication have led her through various pivotal roles in Membership, Human Resources, and Meetings departments. A Washington, DC native, Erika finds joy in exploring new destinations and cultures through her passion for traveling. However, nothing warms her heart more than spending quality time with her beloved family.
Erika provides operational support and is the primary contact for conference and event registration customer service inquiries.
Operations Division Orlando has worked with AACRAO since 2018. He graduated from George Washington University in 2019 with a Bachelor's Degree in International Affairs from the Elliott School at GW. He later earned his Master's in Public Administration from George Mason University. A proud Washingtonian - Orlando likes to run, spend time by the beach, and travel whenever possible.
Orlando serves as the primary customer service contact for AACRAO members, assisting with renewal and member maintenance projects and general operations.
Strategy & Planning Division Joseph places a priority on the needs of AACRAO members and utilizes his wide experience in marketing strategy and technology to support AACRAO's strategic goals. His primary responsibility is to ensure that AACRAO’s ongoing communication and marketing channels operate smoothly and effectively. In addition to this, Joseph works closely with the AACRAO team to ensure that messaging is dynamic, personal, and targeted wherever possible. An Ozark native, Joseph thoroughly enjoys the outdoors, kayaking, motorcycles, and general tinkering in his shop.
Joseph manages marketing initiatives for AACRAO’s various program offerings; including optimizing its web presence. In addition, Joseph serves as Editor of the bi-weekly newsletter, AACRAO Connect.
Strategy & Planning Division Paige Selman Boucher is a member of the Impact and Engagement department at AACRAO. She helps foster both digital and in-person engagement around strategic areas of professional development for AACRAO. She oversees several of AACRAO’s virtual engagement opportunities, including the AACRAO Exchange, the Collectives, and Caucus Gatherings, and works to establish, organize and coordinate communities of practice among AACRAO members. She works closely with the member volunteers, such as the Caucuses and Community and Content Facilitators. Paige joined AACRAO staff in 2023. Prior to AACRAO, she worked at The University of Texas at Dallas as the Peer-Led Team Learning Program Coordinator. She received a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration in 2020 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management in 2017, both from The University of Kansas. Paige currently works remotely from Dallas, Texas. She enjoys checking out local restaurants, drawing, and running.
Paige manages member-driven networks. She encourages collaboration throughout the membership empowering AACRAO professionals to leverage resources, professional functions, and personal identities.
Director, Office of the Registrar Working in higher education for over a decade in various roles in small, large, not-for-profit, and for-profit institutions has given me a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the office of the registrar and enrollment services. My role as an associate registrar and registrar has paved the way for my current position as the Director of the Office of the Registrar for AMDA's New York campus. The current role allows me to refine, develop, and implement policies pertaining to the registrar's office. One of the things that I enjoy the most is finding ways to engage our students, as our office is primarily in a remote setting. I am an active member of AMDA's Academic Council, an excellent way to contribute to the institution's broader mission as a recommending body.
Shannon currently serves as the Registrar at Fox Valley Technical College, located in Appleton, WI. She has served in various student services roles over the past 20+ years. She holds a Master of Science in Student Personnel Administration and is a doctoral candidate at Capella University's PhD in Educational Leadership program. Shannon was an AACRAO 2023 Congressional Hill Day Advocate.
Ramah (Ramie) Nation is the University Registrar and Advisor to the President for Accreditation at Baker University just outside of Kansas City, KS. Ramie has over 15 years of experience in higher education administration and her passion is reinvigorating processes and policies to actively advance the institution’s vision and strategic initiatives for student success. As a professional who has spent her career in private institutions, she has worn many hats and is well-versed in collaborating with all levels and areas of the institution. Ramie has twin 9 year-old daughters and a 3 year old son who light up her life. Ramie is currently serving as the Treasurer of KACRAO (Kansas) and was recently named Vice Chair of the AACRAO Recruitment and Marketing Committee. She hopes Hill Day will offer an opportunity to not only advance higher education as a whole, but to advocate for specific changes that will impact students, staff, faculty, and administrators.
Nathan Congleton joined the University of Kentucky in 2018 as an Associate Registrar. He supervises curriculum maintenance, course and classroom scheduling, and is the primary point of contact in the Office of the University Registrar for FERPA related inquiries. Nathan received his MA in Leadership Studies from Western Kentucky University, and a BA in English from Eastern Kentucky University. Prior to working within the Registrar field, he also worked in Admissions. Overall he has 15+ years of experience in higher education. Nathan is currently the President-Elect for KACRAO and is also serving as LAC chair for SACRAO 2024. Nathan enjoys traveling and shares this passion with his wife Emily, and daughter Elizabeth.
Melissa Bevacqua is the Director of Admissions for Transfer Recruitment at George Mason University. Previous to this, Melissa served as Director of Undergraduate Admissions for the last 6 ½ years, during which time, George Mason has recorded historic enrollment growth. She has been recognized as leading an award-winning team at George Mason University. Melissa brings twenty-two years of enrollment management experience from large, public, comprehensive, R1 institutions to small, private, liberal arts schools. Melissa presents her work at national and regional conferences, and maintains professional memberships with NACAC, AACRAO and their affiliates. She has served on several affiliate committees. Melissa has also served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Administration and Human Resources at The University of Scranton, and was recognized as a recipient of the Provost’s Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Melissa graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Spanish, and earned a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from The University of Scranton. She received the Outstanding Human Resources Administration Graduate Award.
Megan has worked in higher education since 2015. She began her career at Butler Community College as an Admissions Counselor, focusing primarily on student recruitment. After four years, she transitioned to the role of System Admin, where she managed the college’s CRM. In 2021, Megan joined the Institutional Research and Effectiveness team at Butler, serving as the quantitative research analyst. Megan joined K-State and the Global Campus in August of 2022 as the Director of Recruitment. Along with her professional employment in higher education, she has also made contributions to KACRAO, the Kansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, as College Planning Conference Chair, Vice President for Professional Development, President-Elect, and President of the association. She received the Beth Tedrow Outstanding New Professional award in 2019. Megan graduated with a Master of Science in Education, with an emphasis in Higher Education Student Affairs from Fort Hays State University in 2020. She also holds a Master of Professional Studies in Organizational Leadership (2016), a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership (2014), both from Fort Hays State University, and an Associate of Science in Liberal Arts (2012) from Butler Community College.
Jill L. Manuel Jill is an Exploratory Academic Advisor at George Mason University where she also served as a Graduate Specialist for more than 3 years. Jill began her tenure in higher education in the Virginia Community College System where she learned the true diversity of the college and university student. Having been a non-traditional, or “contemporary” student herself, Jill has learned first-hand the need for holistic student support and equitable access to resources. Jill earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of South Alabama and a master’s in Higher Education Administration and Student Development from George Mason. Currently enrolled in a PhD program in Education with a focus on Higher Education and a research interest in students with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Jill hopes to provide students with holistic support to facilitate student success, however they may define that success. Jill has been fortunate to participate in Hill Day and the Baden-Württemberg Seminar with AACRAO in the past and is grateful for the continued opportunities provided by AACRAO.
I have worked in Higher Education for just over ten years in a variety of settings (for-profit, non-profit, and public). I am currently at the University of Minnesota and have worked in the Office of the Registrar there for 3 years. I have recently joined the Athletics team within the office. Outside of work, I enjoy gardening, the food scene in the Twin Cities, and exploring the Minnesota State parks.
Jacquelyn is an Assistant Registrar for George Mason University. She enjoys using her strategic skillsets to positively impact the growth of her team. She specializes in administration and is responsible for creating efficient and productive systems in her organization. She is a positive contributor who uses her contagious attitude to encourage those around her, to lead positively in both their professional and personal communities. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and family gatherings.
I've worked in higher education admissions for 22 years with 15 of those years at the community college setting and seven years at the university level in my current position as as an Assistant Director of Admissions at Fort Hays State University. I currently serving as President-Elect for Kansas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers after having served in several leadership positions in the organization.
It has been my privilege and pleasure to work for more than 30 years in the Registrar’s Office at the University of Florida, one of the largest and most comprehensive public universities in the US. After graduating with a bachelor’s graduate from the University of Florida, I found my first job at my alma mater. Little did I know at that time that the “job” would become a career and a passion that would last the entirety of my life! During my tenure, I have been charged and challenged with responsibility for virtually every facet of the operation of the office, working with numerous new system implementations and integrations and have had the honor of mentoring many professional staff members. Fostering of professional growth is a key value of mine and is evidenced in my regular attendance and participation as a presenter at state, regional and national conferences. I have spent the past six years supporting FACRAO as a member of the executive committee, including two terms as President. I have served as VP for Communications and Recognition, LAC committee member and on programming committees for SACRAO. I have also served AACRAO as volunteer coordinator for the annual conference in Orlando in 2018 as well as on programming committees for many years.
Started my education journey working at Emporia State University as an Admissions Counselor for Transfer students. Worked at ESU for 10 years, Allen County Community College 3 years as Director of Outreach Student Services, 16 years at Flint Hills Technical College as Dean of Enrollment Management. I have been involved in KACRAO for 22 years, and I am now Past President of KACRAO. I stay active in the community and help students whenever I can. I believe we can make a difference and provide the opportunity to educate students and parents.
I began my career working with student-athletes as an academic counselor and tutor coordinator at the University of Tennessee in 2006. Moving to Texas in 2015 to become the Assistant Registrar for Athletic Certification I quickly learning all of the inner workings of the Registrar and became Associate Registrar in 2016. During this time, I oversaw the Records, Registration, Transcripts, Transfer Credit, Degree Conferral, and customer service areas of the office implementing Perceptive Content workflow to remove paper processing of incoming forms. In 2020, I became Deputy Registrar while working to automate and streamline processes for a better student and staff experience during the global pandemic. Since then, we have developed online forms, implemented Salesforce CRM, Courseleaf for course scheduling, and Marching Order for an enhanced Commencement experience. In addition, we are finalizing PeopleSoft workflow and have automated some academic standing processes while continuing to work on others. In my spare time, I work as a fitness instructor at Pure Barre Frisco where I am trained in 5 class formats and love assisting our clients on their fitness journey. I enjoy cooking, football, barre classes, and spending time with my friends and family!
Angela Goodwin has been working in higher education for eight years now. She currently serves as the Associate Registrar at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Angela participated in her first AACRAO Congressional Hill Day as an AACRAO Advocate in 2023.