By Heather Zimar, Managing Editor, Journals and Publications, AACRAO, Live from #AACRAO2026
At a Monday morning panel session at the 111th AACRAO Annual Meeting, “Bold Transitions: Navigating Professional Change in Higher Education,” speakers Heidi Tuescher-Gille, Anne Eckenrod, and Kelly Norton of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Sara CW Sullivan of Cornell University, shared their experiences, insights, and strategies for embracing professional evolution.
There are so many changes and so many things happening,” Tuescher-Gille said. “This is an important conversation to have.”
Tuescher-Gille has worked in higher education for 20 years. Two years ago, she left her role as a director of admissions when she was laid off due to budget cuts. “That was soul-crushing to be honest,” she said. “It brought up a lot of feelings and self-doubt.”
But the change led her to pursue registrar work. “The change has been wonderful and exciting and has really recharged me,” she said.
Eckenrod shared that she began working in 2012 as a registration specialist and then as an assistant registrar and registrar. “Things were great until they weren’t,” she said. “I felt like I was putting out fires every day … I wasn’t feeling supported.”
It was around that time that Sullivan pointed her to some opportunities at UW-Madison. “She gave me just a little spark of hope that it could be better,” said Eckenrod, who soon applied and took a job there.
Norton’s career journey began as a student athlete at Michigan State, where she had an academic advisor “who really influenced my college career in a positive way and inspired me to be an advisor to student athletes.”
After working at different institutional types in the Midwest and in Florida, she gained knowledge about different structures and support systems to help students. While at UW-Madison, she started to become concerned about the direction of college athletics. “I started reflecting about my role, where my values aligned, and where opportunities were heading,” she said. “I also felt like I was mastering the work, and I wasn’t feeling as challenged as I used to be.” When a hybrid opportunity came up in the registrar’s office dealing with athletics, she took it.”
Sullivan began her career as a public middle school teacher, and then later shifted to the registrar’s office at the University of Iowa, where she attended as an undergraduate student athlete. After a decade there, she took a remote associate registrar position at Cornell University. “When I walked away, it was incredibly difficult.” But she noted that a career change doesn’t necessarily signal a tumultuous situation. “It’s just that sometimes you’ve got to push yourself.”
Panelists offered guidance to audience members, one of whom asked about job searching while location-bound. Eckenrod suggested looking for remote positions at other institutions. Sullivan recommended considering remote positions in locations they might like to live someday if the situation changes.
Norton stressed that when place-bound, it’s important to be your own advocate. “For me, I needed a change,” she said. “I was feeling stagnant. I didn’t feel like I was serving students in the way I wanted to serve students.”
Another attendee asked about the interviewing process. Tuescher-Gille said addressing her layoff was “an interesting dance … because I was still very vulnerable at the time.” She decided to focus on her interest in switching to registration from admissions and how her skill set could be transferred to that role.
Sullivan said she was excited to highlight her part in the great things she had done at her current institution, including “who I am, what I’ve done, and what I bring to the table.”
She added, “You have to trust your gut and feel your feelings. If something is giving you bad vibes, don’t do it.”
The panel addressed a final question: “How do you stand out in your cover letter or resume?”
Sullivan said the biggest mistake is using AI for your resume and cover letter. “It is so obvious; we can spot that a mile away,” she said.
She also suggested:
- Hit on the things that were in the job description.
- Make your cover letter a story.
- Have a master resume that includes everything you’ve done, and then pull the relevant content for particular jobs.
Tuescher-Gille added, “Update your resume every time you do your annual review; make that a part of your process every year.”
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