Art Coleman is Managing Partner and co-founder of EducationCounsel LLC. He provides policy, strategic, and legal counseling services to national non-profit organizations, school districts, state agencies, and postsecondary institutions throughout the country, where he addresses issues associated with:
Courtesy of a Corporation for a Skilled Workforce
Melissa Goldberg is the Director of Competencies & Credentials leading CSW’s portfolio of work focused on dramatically expanding the use of competencies and non-degree credentials within learning and talent management systems to increase economic mobility for low-wage workers and address racial disparities. Melissa will continue to position CSW as a leader in a growing national movement to advance the use of competencies as essential currency within education and labor markets through the use of tools such as CSW’s CompXchange, by building systems of incremental credentials, and ensuring competencies and nondegree credentials increase equity and worker advancement.
For more than 20 years, Melissa has advised state policy makers, industry executives and college leaders on leveraging the strengths of these sectors to improve outcomes for students, workers, and businesses. She has counseled community college workforce leaders on improving student outcomes, facilitated state and regional strategic planning efforts, authored studies of effective workforce development practices, and provided technical assistance to foundations, federal agencies, businesses, and community colleges across the country.
Prior to joining CSW, Melissa’s work has taken her to national consulting organizations, Volta Learning Group and Workforce Strategy Center, as well as higher educational institutions. At Southern New Hampshire University she leveraged her research to inform the development of College for America, a set of online, competency-based certificate and degree programs targeted to working adults. She also spent eight years leading workforce development and business outreach at community colleges in the New York metropolitan region. Melissa received her master’s degree in public policy analysis from New York University’s Wagner School for Public Service and her bachelor’s degree in international affairs and Spanish from the University of Maine.
AACRAO Elections Position Statement (2024-2025 Nominations & Elections Committee)
If I'm elected to the Nominations and Elections Committee, I will use it as an opportunity to learn, network, and provide my experience and resources to the mission of the committee. My goal as a committee member is to increase access to information and resources and be a steward to the association. With this opportunity I hope to expand my knowledge, learn new things and network with other higher education professionals.
AACRAO Bio
Tashana Curtis’s twenty plus career in higher education has included work in various administrative and registrar roles in academic and student services at different institutions, and most recently the University of Maryland Baltimore where she is currently serves as the Associate Registrar for Enrollment Administration. Throughout her career, she has assisted in implementing student information systems and other programs to ensure student success. Tashana is student centered and focuses on student success. Tashana holds a bachelor's degree in Social Science from Troy University, and she is currently completing her master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
Ingrid Nuttall is the Deputy Registrar at Northeastern University. In this role, she works with all things records, student systems, and data. Ingrid is also co-founder of Just Education, a University of Minnesota research and outreach collaborative exploring how to reverse the ripple effect of incarceration in the state. She holds a bachelor's degree in history, a master’s degree in Mass Communication, and is currently finishing her master’s degree in public affairs (all at the University of Minnesota).
Michel Frendian is a consultant with Spelman Johnson. Based in Chicago, Michel leads searches across a range of institutional types and administrative functions, with a particular depth of practice in enrollment management, graduate and professional education, and student affairs.
Michel joined Spelman Johnson after 30 years in higher education. He most recently served as dean of enrollment management at the Erikson Institute in Chicago. Previously, he served as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs at San Francisco Art Institute, as director of international affairs at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and in residential life positions at DePaul University, Elmhurst College, and Occidental College.
Motivated by a deep belief that education and social impact organizations serve the greater public good, Michel is passionate about helping organizations recruit exceptional leaders. He develops close and effective working relationships with his clients to ensure that he thoroughly understands their mission, strategy, and culture. He is creative and meticulous in crafting searches, building deep candidate pools, and recruiting best-in-class leaders who add great value to their organizations. Clients appreciate his integrity, thoughtful counsel, and attentiveness throughout the search process.
Michel’s most recent board service includes two years with the National Deans and Directors of Social Work Admissions and six years with Positive Parenting DuPage, a regional collaboration that addresses the needs of young children and their families. He has held leadership roles with numerous professional associations, including the Association of University Housing Officers-International, American College Personnel Association, and NASPA—Student Affairs Administrators in Higher
Ellen Heffernan is president of Spelman Johnson, a premier executive search firm committed to serving education, advocacy associations, and social impact organizations. Ellen provides strategic and operational leadership of the firm and oversees its presidential/CEO search practice. Under her direction, Spelman Johnson has emerged as one of the nation’s most respected executive search firms. Over the course of its 30-year history, Spelman Johnson has conducted more than 1,700 searches in partnership with institutions of higher education, independent schools, professional associations, and non-profit agencies across the country. All of the firm’s consultants have significant experience in education and non-profit administration and executive search, which enables them to understand the strategic challenges and cultures of their client organizations, deliver robust and diverse candidate pools, and provide an unrivaled level of client engagement.
In addition to leading Spelman Johnson and working directly with clients on search assignments, Ellen serves on the faculty of several leadership development programs, including the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE) Leadership and Mentoring Institute, NASPA—Senior Student
Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, and College Board Middle State’s Mid-Level Institute professional development institutes. Ellen has published numerous articles and is valued for her thought leadership on talent acquisition, building organizational capacity, and issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She serves as an adviser to governing boards, presidents and chancellors, and other campus and system leaders and policymakers.
Ellen joined Spelman Johnson in 1996, after a 10-year career in higher education that included positions at Smith College and the University of Massachu setts Amherst. A recipient of NASPA’s Pillar of the Profession Award, given for sustained professional distinction in higher education, Ellen has received many honors and awards, including the AABHE’s President’s Award and the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International’s Parthenon Award and S. Earl Thompson Award, to name a few. She currently serves on the board of the National Association of Executive Recruiters and is a member of the American Council on Education
Wil Perkins is Graduate Registrar and Coordinator of Graduate and Professional Support at Harding University. His career in higher education began in 2010, and he has worked in academic affairs, institutional research, and the registrar’s office. At Harding University, he provides strategic leadership and partnership to graduate and professional programs.
He is a member of ArkACRAO, SACRAO, and AACRAO and has presented at their annual conferences. His 2021 SEM AACRAO presentation won the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Award. He also serves on the Client Advisory Board for CollegeSource and is a frequent presenter at their user conferences.
Dr. Perkins earned his B.S. from Freed-Hardeman University, his M.A. from Lipscomb University, his M.Ed. from Abilene Christian University, and his Ed.D. from Harding University.
Chad Sartini is the Director of Financial Aid, Veterans’ Affairs, and Records at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia. He has financial aid and SEM experience at both the community college and university level. He served as president of the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators and is actively involved on the board of the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Chad holds a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University, a master’s degree in social studies education from Teacher College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in political science and Russian studies from Washington and Lee University.
Review of: Financial Aid Leadership in Strategic Enrollment Management
Ashley Miller is the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at Old Dominion University. She has been in the research and insights industry for nearly 20 years spanning consumer packaged goods, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and academia. Miller was previously at Purdue University as the principal of marketing insights and analytics. She was the inaugural leader for a new office created in the Division of Enrollment Management at IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis), the Office for Enrollment Strategy & Insights. Prior to this, she held leadership positions at Indiana University (IU) and oversaw marketing research and insights for all seven IU campuses. Miller has a B.S. in marketing and a M.S. in data science, both from Indiana University, where she also is an adjunct professor for data science courses.
Delivering the Right Message for Maximum Impact in the Student Enrollment Journey
Christina Alcena (she/her/hers) is an innovative and strategic higher education leader with extensive experience working and learning within Canadian post-secondary institutions. She is an avid champion of student and employee recruitment, retention, and success, with a strong commitment to decolonization, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Christina has over a decade of experience in the field, where she has worked in progressively senior roles within student affairs and enrolment management.
Christina joins us from the Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, where she holds the position of Director, Division of Students as part of the Vice Provost, Student Experience & Enrolment Management senior leadership team. Within this inaugural role, she directs divisional leadership capacity for talent development, assessment and evaluation, integrated planning and resource management, special projects, channeling student voice into decision-making, and supporting leadership communications.
Christina previously worked at the Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, where she held the leadership positions of Associate Director, Advising & Career Services, and the inaugural Manager, Equity & Student Life. Within both dynamic portfolios, she led large strategic and operational projects, and successfully advanced new initiatives amidst the global pandemic, and the changing Canadian College-sector landscape. Christina has also worked in various student affairs roles at the University of Toronto (Woodsworth College, and Victoria University in the University of Toronto) and the University of Windsor.
Christina earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree (with Distinction) from the University of Windsor, a Master of Education in Curriculum, Teaching & Learning (Arts in Education) from the Ontario Institute for Students in Education, University of Toronto, and a certificate from Seneca College, in Student Affairs & Services. She is a doctoral student at the University of Toronto, where she is pursuing an EdD in Social Justice Education.
As a Black, Chinese-Bahamian first-generation Canadian settler, Christina is passionate about representing and giving back to her diverse communities and has the long-term goal of seeking out progressively senior executive opportunities within the College-sector, with the goal of becoming a President & Vice-Chancellor.
Outside of work, she strives to live a healthy lifestyle through therapy, fitness, and nutrition, and enjoys spending time with her partner and connecting with her family and friends.