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.
David Burge has served as Vice President for Enrollment Management at George Mason University since July 2015.
Before coming to Mason, he served as Executive Director of Admission Services at Arizona State University and oversaw the execution of a new student enrollment strategy for undergraduate and graduate, domestic and international students.
Other professional experience includes the University of Kansas and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, holding senior leadership roles within each institution’s Office of Admissions and Scholarships.
He is currently the immediate past-president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), a professional organization of more than 15,000 school counselors and college admission professionals. Prior to serving in the NACAC Presidential Cycle, Mr. Burge served as President of the Great Plains Association for College Admission Counseling, an affiliate of the national organization.
He has recently served on a number of panels/sessions focusing on the role and impact of public higher education – the Social Mobility Symposium, TargetX User Conference, and as the welcome speaker at the annual meeting for NACAC.
A native Kansan, his academic background includes two degrees from the University of Kansas: an undergraduate degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Educational Policy and Leadership.
Joshua Childs, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Educational Policy and Planning program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy at The University of Texas at Austin. His research examines the role of interorganizational networks and cross-sector collaborations to address complex educational issues.
Digital Swag and College Students: Exploring 21st Century Digital Admissions, Recruitment, and Yield Collateral
Kristin Woods, Ph.D., is currently the Senior Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), which includes leadership of the Offices of Admissions, Financial Aid & Scholarships, International Engagement, and Student Success & Retention. Her professional experience and research interests include orientation and first-year programs, recruitment and college choice, community college transfer initiatives, retention and student success, co-curricular assessment, and academic and career services. She holds her Ph.D. from Iowa State University, M.A. from Bowling Green State University, and B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa.The Impact of Interventions for Students Readmitted After Academic Suspension
Deirdre Bucher Heistad, Ph.D., has been at the University of Northern Iowa since 2000 and serves as the Executive Director of Undergraduate Studies. The Undergraduate Studies division includes the Office of Academic Advising, Community Engagement, Study Abroad, the Office of Academic Advising, Honors and Scholars Programs, UNIFI general education, academic assessment, and academic support programs. Dr. Heistad has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, a D.E.A. degree from Paris IV-Sorbonne, and an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Iowa. The Impact of Interventions for Students Readmitted After Academic Suspension
Megan Vogt-Kostner works as the Senior Research Analyst in the Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness at UNI, as well as teaching as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Social Work. In her primary role at UNI she works alongside campus partners to support their strategies of evaluation and assessment while making data informed decisions. Her main research interests include the assessment of first-year initiatives, student success after graduation, and campus-wide surveying. Megan has presented at many regional and national conferences on the success of peer led support programs and the effectiveness of data visualization when reporting. Megan holds a M.A. and M.S.W. from the University of Northern Iowa and a B.A. from Buena Vista University. The Impact of Interventions for Students Readmitted After Academic Suspension
Chrissy Holliday, Ph.D., is the Senior System Liaison for Rural Education and Workforce Development Initiatives at Colorado State University Pueblo. She earned her Ph.D. in higher education leadership from Colorado State University in 2020 and holds a master’s degree in education from Capella University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communication/print media from Campbell University. Her research interests focus on college access and affordability, college-going culture, and first-generation student challenges. Her published articles to date have focused on research related to first generation college-going culture, which applies directly to her work as a university administrator focused on enrollment and access.The Deciders: Understanding the First-Generation College-Going Experience in Support of Enrollment and Diversity Efforts
Sharon K. Anderson, Ph.D., is Professor of Counseling and Career Development at Colorado State University. In 1993, Anderson earned her Ph.D. from the University of Denver in counseling psychology. She became a licensed psychologist in 1995. Her experience as a practitioner includes: private practice with adults and the elderly, supervision of master’s level students and those seeking licensure, and consultation regarding ethical issues in practice. Anderson has taught the master’s level ethics course for counseling students for more than 25 years, teaching and mentoring a multitude of students. She has co-authored or co-edited other ethics books used by psychologists (Foundations of Ethical Practice, Research and Teaching in Psychology and Counseling) and life coaches (Law and Ethics in Coaching: How to Solve and Avoid Difficult Problems in Your Practice). She has contributed to more than 50 publications including books, book chapters, and refereed articles, most of them looking at the practice of professional ethics, teaching ethics, and issues of privilege.
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AACRAO Bio
Alex Underwood is the University Registrar at The University of Arizona, since May 2019. Prior to joining Arizona, Alex served as the Executive Director of Academic Systems and Student Records for City Colleges of Chicago, the largest community colleges district in Illinois serving over eighty thousand students a year. Alex’s previous roles at City Colleges included District Director of Academic Systems and Registrar of Malcolm X College. He has over 15 years’ experience in developing and implementing policies and procedures for academic operations, student records, curriculum management, and enrollment planning. Alex is someone who values the role that technology plays in the development of processes that maximize efficiencies for both students and the wider academic community. He has also served in several roles, including Registrar, at Kendall College in Chicago. He began his professional career as an Academic Advisor and believes this has rooted his life’s work in the student experience. Alex also serves as the Vice President of Professional Development for PACRAO, the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Melissa Frey currently serves as the Registrar and Dean for the Department of Student Recruitment, Enrollment, and Graduation Services at Chemeketa Community College (Salem, OR). She is also the Director for the Chemeketa Accelerated Pathways to Success Title V Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions Federal Grant Program.
As the current President-Elect for the Pacific Association of Collegiate Admissions and Registrar Officers (PACRAO), Melissa is passionate about bringing forth conferences and other professional development opportunities focused on professional issues common to PACRAO’s members. PACRAO also provides an avenue for its membership base – more than 350 regionally accredited 2-year, 4-year, and graduate schools with an individual membership of 1,500 professional admissions officers and registrars – to contribute to the general advancement of higher education, their professions, and their individual careers.
Melissa holds a Master of Education (College Student Services Administration) and a BS (Business, Management, Marketing, and related Support Services), both from Oregon State University.
Kim Medina currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management at Colorado Mesa University (Grand Junction, CO). Kim brings almost 30 years of experience working to recruit students for institutions ranging from community colleges and small private institutions to large urban institutions. She has dedicated her professional life to assisting students, parents, and counselors to access post-secondary education.
A Colorado native, Kim holds an MA (Counseling) from the University of Phoenix and a BA (Social and Behavioral Sciences) from Colorado Mesa University.
Erin Hutchinson currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management at Earlham College (Richmond, IN). In this role, her primary responsibilities include the day-to-day operations of the Admissions office and the supervision of 10 team members. Erin is committed to increasing access to higher education for underrepresented students and supporting her team as they strive for their professional goals.
Prior to Earlham College, Erin spent close to five years as a college advisor at Deerfield Academy (Deerfield, MA) and almost a decade at Washington and Lee University (Lexington, VA) as the Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Scholarship Coordinator, and Coordinator of Minority Recruitment.
Erin holds a Master of Education (Education Administration) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a BA (Archaeological Anthropology) from Harvard University.
Business Development & Strategic Partnerships Division
Nicole directs all operational aspects of AACRAO Consulting's services as well as managing consultant activities, and contributing to the development of strategic department initiatives such as marketing, new business lines, and recruiting consultant expertise.
Mr. Brown is currently serving as the Curriculum Assistant Manager for Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Arizona State University and a Master of Arts in Library and Information Science for the University of Arizona. Jason has a professional career that spans both the non-profit and higher education arenas. Jason has served as executive-level support and as a curriculum coordinator at Pima Community College for the past sixteen years.
Dr. Deike has spent over 35 years in higher education as a university administrator and faculty member. Through his experience in student life, institutional research and enrollment management at several of the nation’s top institutions, Deike has developed a broad understanding of the complex challenges facing colleges and universities in the current higher education landscape. His career spans multiple institutions from a small private liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,100 students, to a large public flagship with a systemwide enrollment of 90,000 students on 24 campuses, to one of the world’s largest private universities with 50,000 students enrolled on three campuses and 11 academic centers around the world. Randy has been responsible for key aspects of the student experience and student success from first contact through graduation, which include admissions, financial aid, cooperative education and career development, student life, advising, registration, billing, academic information and systems, enrollment analytics, marketing and communication and finance.
Dr. Deike has a long track record of service to higher education including numerous opportunities to represent U.S. higher education nationally and internationally by partnering with the College Board, National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), International Career and College Counseling (IC3), the World Leading Schools Association (WLSA) and other U.S. higher education institutions. Recent examples include serving as a principal participant in the development of the College Board’s monograph, The Future of Enrollment Leadership, and serving as a member of the NACAC Task Force on Standardized Admissions Testing for International and U.S. Students. The breadth of Randy’s experience has led to media requests resulting in quotes or appearances in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Chronicle of Higher Education, the New York City NBC television affiliate and C-SPAN as examples.
Randy has traveled extensively in Asia, recruiting and presenting on higher education in the United States. He has also presented and served as a panelist nationally on topics related to access and affordability, international education, the future of work and the value of higher education.