FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 20, 2026
AACRAO Contact: Dr. Tina DeNeen, AACRAO Associate Executive Director for Education and Member Development
Contact: ascend@aacrao.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers welcomes 19 mid-career professionals as ASCEND Cohort 7 scholars, who will spend nine months (July 2026-April 2027) in an intensive program that builds leadership identity alongside strategic enrollment management expertise through a structured capstone, executive career coaching, and cohort engagement that drives social capital. These mid-career professionals represent two- and four-year institutions, both public and private, across the United States and Canada.
Higher education faces real challenges: demographic shifts, financial pressures, technology disruption, changing student expectations—challenges that require leaders. ASCEND develops a new generation of leaders to close the gap between expertise and leadership—to think strategically, communicate with conviction, build coalitions across divisions, and navigate ambiguity with resilience. “The gap is not in the competence of the professional, for we all acquire skills; it’s in development that supports connection and confidence aligned to the competence,” said Johnika Nixon, ASCEND Program Coordinator.
Results from prior cohorts show that ASCEND produces outcomes that matter, such as:
- Strategic Enrollment Management Knowledge: participants gain competency across the AACRAO Competency Set.
- Leadership Confidence: increased self-awareness, improved executive presence, reduced imposter syndrome, better boundary-setting.
- Collaboration & Change Leadership: enhanced ability to build coalitions, lead across institutional silos, and sustain change.
- Executive Communication: ability to articulate vision and strategic priorities to boards, faculty, and peer leaders.
- Practical Application: capstone projects that directly impact their institutions and position them as change agents.
- Resilience & Advocacy: greater willingness to advocate for themselves and others, enhanced resilience during organizational change.
This cohort has a 60% Millennial and 40% Generation X mix. “Whereas we recognize that the ASCEND Leadership Development Program is not simply developing leaders, it is creating a space where Millennial leaders can learn executive presence and institutional navigation from Generation X peers, while Generation X leaders gain exposure to emerging leadership approaches around collaboration, innovation, and change agility,” said Dr. Tina DeNeen, AACRAO Associate Executive Director for Education and Member Development. “I imagine that intergenerational exchange will be a strength of the cohort because it aligns directly with ASCEND’s mission of developing future-focused, systems-minded leaders.”
A Nine-Month Immersion in Leadership
Cohort 7 will engage in approximately 2-3 hours per week of blended learning—virtual modules, readings, and interactive sessions paired with monthly executive coaching from seasoned SEM leaders. But the real transformation happens at two key in-person moments:
October 31-November 4, 2026 | Baltimore, Maryland
AACRAO SEM. Scholars gather for the first time to do deep strengths work, meet their cohort in-person, and see leadership in action.
April 4-7, 2027 | Long Beach, California
AACRAO Annual Meeting. Scholars present their capstone projects, share what they’ve learned, and step into their evolved identities as institutional leaders capable of moving their campuses forward.
Learn more about ASCEND at aacrao.org.
share