Kayla Charles headshot

Kayla Charles

Director of Enrollment Management at Hillsborough Community College

Dr. Kayla Charles is the Director of Enrollment Management at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in Tampa, Florida. Since starting this role in 2017, she has managed the adoption of multiple technology systems to improve the student experience. She has also served in diverse roles at HCC and The University of Tampa in IT, Admissions, Financial Aid, and the Registrar's Office. Dr. Charles earned her MBA from The University of Tampa and her Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida.

Tim Winders headshot

Tim Winders

Vice Chancellor of Information Services (VCIS) at Purdue University Northwest

Tim Winders serves as the Vice Chancellor of Information Services (VCIS) at Purdue University Northwest. In his role, Winders provides leadership for the service delivery and integration of information technology across the institution. He provides strategic oversight of campus wide information technology activities and the sponsoring of IT committees. He works with IT service units across campus by delivering direction in preparing PNW in making appropriate choices in new and developing information technologies to foster high quality research learning services that meet curricular and scholarly needs of faculty, students, staff and community.

As VCIS, Winders has implemented IT strategic planning, zero-based budgeting, and IT governance. He established the IT Security department, implemented digital accessibility standards and training, established student employee standards and benchmarks, and hosted the first-ever Northwest Indiana CIO Roundtable at PNW. Winders is an executive sponsor of system-wide IT initiatives and was instrumental in the success of the Purdue System Cloud (PSC) resulting in a system-wide annual savings of over $4M.

Winders represents the University’s information technology interests by serving as a member of the PNW Senior Leadership Team, PNW Web Advisory Committee, PNW University Budget Committee, PNW HLC Resource, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness Committee, PNW Emergency Planning Committee, PNW Strategic Enrollment Management Committee, Purdue IT Operational Oversight Committee and Purdue System-wide Summit Task Force. He chairs both the Chancellor’s AccessAbility Committee and the PNW IT Governance Committee.

Winders has presented to the Association of College and University Telecommunications Administrators (ACUTA), Jenzabar Annual Meeting (JAM), South Central POISE Users Group (SCPUG), Purdue University Northwest Information Services Student Association, Fourth International Conference on Lean Six Sigma for Higher Education, Crowe Horwath Risk Consulting Summit, and RTM Higher Education Congress conferences.

Additionally, Vice Chancellor Winders’ community outreach includes the South Shore Arts Board of Directors, Northwest Indiana Symphony Committee, South Shore Arts Education Committee, and South Shore Arts Finance Committee. He is past president of Levelland Morning Rotary Club, founding member of Youth Orchestras of Lubbock in Lubbock, Texas, and served as President of the YOL Board of Directors.

Prior to PNW, Winders served as Associate Dean of Information Technology at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. He has more than 30 years experience in technology and business and a successful, demonstrated background with over 25 years executive and hands-on experience in higher education technology management. The solution-oriented enterprise is a result of his visionary leadership.

Winders is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) candidate in Technology, Leadership, and Innovation at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. He holds a Master of Science (M.S.) in Business, Information Technology Management and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), in Biology, both from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He may be contacted at winders@pnw.edu.

Keith Gehres headshot

Keith Gehres

Registrar for Purdue University West Lafayette

Keith Gehres serves as Registrar for Purdue University West Lafayette. He began in this role in September 2018. Keith provides leadership for a variety of responsibilities within the Office of the Registrar, including: records, registration and graduation; academic and classroom scheduling; academic services; residency and FERPA; academic operational support; and credit evaluation. Prior to joining Purdue, he served as director of outreach and recruitment for Undergraduate Admissions at The Ohio State University and in various other positions within this office for fifteen years.

During his time in Undergraduate Admissions, Keith directed and supported recruitment and yield initiatives focusing on new first year and transfer students, for both domestic and international students. He earned a BA in Integrated Social Studies and a MA in Public Administration, both from Ohio State.

Lisa O'Connor headshot

Lisa O'Connor

Sr. Associate Registrar for Institutional Operations at University Support Services, LLC

Lisa O’Connor is the Sr. Associate Registrar for Institutional Operations at University Support Services,
LLC, which is the North American correspondence office for St. George’s University located in Grenada,
West Indies. Lisa has over 26 years of experience in the Registrar’s office and leads the registration and
graduation team which are responsible for all registration functions, grading, transcripts, academic
standing, graduation audits and diploma issuance for all schools and programs at St. George’s University.
Lisa is involved with automating processes and systems in the database, maintaining all student records
and collaborating with all departments to enhance support and effectiveness.

Carolyn Miller

Associate Registrar, St. George's University

Lee Westberry

Assistant Professor, Director of Program Development and Enhancement, The Citadel

Lee Westberry, Ph.D., serves as an Assistant Professor, Director of Program Development and Enhancement, and Program Coordinator for the Zucker Family School of Education at The Citadel. Dr. Westberry has served the last 21 years in Berkeley County Schools as a high school assistant principal, middle school principal, high school principal, Executive Director of Secondary Programs, and Executive Director of Accountability and Assessment.

Higher Education's Role in Preparing School Counselors for College Admissions Counseling

Elayne Vaughn

Coordinator of Recruitment and Admissions, University of Michigan


Elayne Vaughn coordinates recruitment and admissions for the Master in Urban and Regional Planning program at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Vaughn identifies as a Black first-generation college graduate from Detroit, MI. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Grand Valley State University, where she worked in admissions as a student employee. Shortly after, she earned her master’s degree in organizational leadership from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to joining Taubman College, Vaughn began her admissions career at the University of Oklahoma in the admissions and recruitment department.

Review of: Inside Graduate Admissions: Merit, Diversity, and Faculty Gatekeeping

Trista Wdziekonski

Executive Director of Graduate Enrollment Management, University of Michigan-Dearborn


Trista Wdziekonski, a higher education administrator for 22 years, is currently Executive Director of Graduate Enrollment Management at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She holds a master of arts in higher education from the University of Michigan and has previously worked at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Harvard School of Public Health, and Northwestern University.

Review of: A Problem of Fit: How the Complexity of College Pricing Hurts Students—and Universities

Neil Birt

Assistant Director, Western University of Health Sciences


Neil W. Birt is the Assistant Director of Learning Skills and Assessment in the Office of Learning Enhancement and Academic Development (LEAD) at Western University of Health Sciences. Prior to his ten years with WesternU, he spent five years with an online sustainable MBA program at Bainbridge Graduate Institute. His long history in higher education began in Japan where he was an assistant professor for six years after working for ten years at various colleges and corporations there.

Bolstering Graduate Healthcare Student Success Through Emotional Intelligence

Diane VanDyke

Director of Strategic Communications at Montgomery County Community College


Diane VanDyke is the Director of Strategic Communications at Montgomery County Community College, where she has worked in the marketing and communications department since 2010. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Ursinus College and is completing a master’s degree in communications and digital media from Southern New Hampshire University.

A Tale of Two Community Colleges: A Dual Enrollment Recruitment Outreach Strategy

Eric Devlin

Public Relations and Communications Coordinator at Montgomery County Community College


Eric Devlin is the Public Relations and Communications Coordinator at Montgomery County Community College. He brings with him more than ten years of experience in journalism and public relations. A graduate of La Salle University, he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in strategic communications from Penn State University.

A Tale of Two Community Colleges: A Dual Enrollment Recruitment Outreach Strategy

Stepheni Anderson

Interim Executive Director of Admissions, HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College


Stepheni Anderson, Interim Executive Director of Admissions, for HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, is an alumna of HACC. Her passion for helping future students to attend community college, comes from her personal experience. Stepheni graduated from Penn State York Campus in 2008 with an undergraduate degree in business administration and achieved her M.B.A from Walden University in 2015. She has worked in the admissions department at HACC for almost nine years.

A Tale of Two Community Colleges: A Dual Enrollment Recruitment Outreach Strategy

Tiffany Webber

Director, High School Programs & Educational Partnerships, MC3


Tiffany Webber, Director of High School Programs & Educational Partnerships, for Montgomery County Community College, is a first-generation graduate in her family with 20 years of higher education experience. Tiffany graduated from Temple University with a bachelor’s degree in speech communication. She continued her educational journey earning a master’s degree in organization management and is currently an Ed.D. candidate for Wilmington University’s Doctorate of Education (higher education administration). Born and raised in the very county that she currently services, it is her passion to promote accessible postsecondary education. 

A Tale of Two Community Colleges: A Dual Enrollment Recruitment Outreach Strategy

Michael J. Sparrow

Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, New Jersey City University


Michael Sparrow, Ed.D., is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership in New Jersey City University’s Community College Leadership Ed.D. program. His research interests include student onboarding and acclimation, student success initiatives, SEM, and equity in educational access and outcomes. Prior to joining the faculty at NJCU, Dr. Sparrow worked for more than a decade in administration in both student and academic affairs, and he most recently served as the dean of enrollment management and retention at Northampton Community College.

Supporting Adult Students with Improved Community College Enrollment Practices

Jennifer DeHaemers

Vice President of Student Recruitment and Retention, Central Michigan University.


Jennifer DeHaemers is Vice President of Student Recruitment and Retention at Central Michigan University. She has worked in higher education for more than 35 years, holding positions in domestic and international admissions and enrollment management at a community college and three public four-year institutions in Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan.

An Interview with Jeff Selingo

David R. Johnson

Associate Professor of Higher Education, Georgia State University


David R. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University. His research agenda examines how universities are shaped by changes in their institutional environments, especially as it relates to capitalism, religion and politics. His most recent work appears in Educational Researcher, Harvard Educational Review, and Innovative Higher Education.

Departure from College: The Role of the Social Network of Students

Leah Adinolfi

Dean of Student Engagement, Director of Assessment, East Tennessee State University


Leah Adinolfi is the Dean of Student Engagement and Director of Assessment in the Division of Student Life & Enrollment at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). She also serves as Adjunct Faculty in the Departments of Counseling and Human Services and Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis with ETSU’s Clemmer College. Dr. Adinolfi has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and non-profit organizations managing projects, developing resources and mobilizing young people and community volunteers. Since earning her Doctorate in Educational Leadership & Policy at Vanderbilt University in 2020, her research has continued to explore factors influencing college student persistence and success, with particular focus on the effects of relationships with faculty, staff and peers for diverse student populations and campus environments. 

Departure from College: The Role of the Social Network of Students

Photo of Angela Batista, founder of Batista Consulting Services

Angela Batista, ED.D.

Founder, Batista Consulting Services

A native of the Dominican Republic, Angela Batista grew up in Brooklyn, New York. A first-generation college student and professional, she is an experienced and successful educator and leader and the former vice president of student affairs and institutional diversity and inclusion at Champlain College. Batista has worked in K–12 and higher education institutions across the United States and held senior level positions at Oregon State University, the University of Southern Indiana, and Mills College. She also worked at the University of Vermont and Lynn University, is a former marriage and family therapist, and an experienced high school teacher, counselor, and administrator.

Batista founded Batista Consulting Services (BCS) in September 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. BCS is an international executive coaching, speaking, and consulting firm providing expertise and customized resources and services to individuals, teams, and organizations in higher education and in the private and non-profit sectors.