April Ruiz is currently Dean for Academic Equity, Inclusion, & Success and serves as interim Vice President for Equity & Inclusion at Wesleyan University. Prior to this, she held other dean roles at Williams College and Yale University, all of which allowed her to serve and center FGLI students. As someone who attended a highly-selective university as a first-generation and low-income student herself, she finds meaning in work that allows her to help FGLI students navigate these institutions as they are, while also effecting change at these institutions to make them more inclusive from within. She holds a PhD in Psychology from the University of St Andrews and a BA in Cognitive Science from Yale University.
Dr. Nichole S. Prescott is Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Texas System. She is responsible for leading and supporting student success initiatives system wide. Her work addresses the student success continuum, PK-20 and into the workforce, with special focus on strategy, policy, data, and partnerships. Equity-minded in her work, she targets historic inequities and systemic racism, including opportunity and achievement gaps for minoritized student populations. In 2019, Dr. Prescott was awarded the Friend of Education Award from CSOTTE, the Consortium of State Organizations for Texas Teacher Education. She is a proud citizen of the federally recognized Miami Nation of Oklahoma, and lives in Texas with her wife, two kids, two dogs, and four cats.
Kelly Campbell is the Interim Vice Provost, Accreditation Liaison Officer, and Co-Chief Diversity Officer at California State University, San Bernardino. She is responsible for student success, academic programs, curriculum development, the academic master plan, program review, accreditation, Graduate Studies, the Office of Academic Research, university libraries, the university strategic plan, academic scheduling, the Office of Community Engagement, the General Education program, the University Honors program, the university calendar, and DEI initiatives for Academic Affairs.
Mr. Olivier Boasson is the Head of the French schools department (USA and Canada) at French Embassy to the United States, Washington DC.
Previous assignments :
Graduate of :
Maria Kohnke is the Associate Vice President of Academic Services & Registrar at California Lutheran University. She has worked in the Registrar filed for 36 years. Maria has been Registrar at Cal Lutheran since Fall 1999.
Passionate about making social science relatable to real-time political events, Dr. Victoria DeFrancesco Soto is an analyst, academic, and social scientist with expertise in campaigns and elections, immigration, Latinos, women, racial and ethnic minority politics, and political psychology. A contributor to MSNBC and Telemundo, she is currently the Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas – working with university leadership to cultivate and expand diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Victoria brings an interdisciplinary lens to understanding policy development and its intersection with institutional and political contexts. Applying high-quality social science research to on-the-ground political realities, she provides a unique, outside-the-Beltway view to today’s real-world issues. Using her nuanced understanding of key electorates – including women, Latino, and youth demographics – she thoughtfully unpacks the factors shaping the political landscape and expertly analyzes the state of the nation’s politics and elections.
For close to a decade, Victoria has been a contributor to MSNBC and NBCNews.com, as well as Telemundo. Translating social science research into more relatable information for a wide variety of audiences, Victoria has previously provided on-air analysis for CNN, Fox, PBS, Univision, NPR, and has appeared on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher. She is also published in both academic and popular outlets such as The Hill, POLITICO, and Talking Points Memo.
Previously, Victoria served as Assistant Dean of Civic Engagement at the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs. In this role, she led a portfolio to build out civic life on and off campus with programs such as the LBJ Women’s Campaign School and the LBJ Civic Engagement Certificate program. She was selected as one of the University’s Game Changing faculty and oversaw the cultivation of a space that intentionally bridges communities and further integrates the policy world with the classroom. Victoria also served on the executive committee of the University of Texas’ Center for Mexican American Studies and chaired the campus climate committee for the Provost’s Council on LGBTQ+AEI.
Named one of the top 12 scholars in the country by Diverse magazine, Victoria previously taught at Northwestern University and Rutgers and received her Ph.D. in political science from Duke University, where she was a National Science Foundation fellow. A native of Southern Arizona, Victoria is of Italian-Jewish-Mexican heritage and lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and their children.
Taylor K. Odle, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research concerns issues in the economics of education with a specific focus on college access and success for traditionally underrepresented populations. Much of this work focuses on college admissions practices, financial aid, and advising and is done in close partnership with institutions, states, and nonprofit organizations.
Direct Admissions: Policies and Principles
Thong M. Trinh is an Edwin J. O'Leary Fellow and currently pursuing a doctorate study at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interest is higher education policy with a focus on finance. Thong has published on student willingness to pay, university budgeting, and related topics of higher education policy.
Jennifer A. Delaney, Ph.D., is a Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is also the Director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education and Director of the Higher Education Program. In addition, Dr. Delaney is a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education. She earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Stanford University, an Ed.M. in higher education from Harvard University, and a B.A. in English from the University of Michigan.
2020 SEM-EP Graduate
Brenda Schumann has over twenty years of experience in higher education and the enrollment management profession. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar at the University of Texas at Austin. Schumann previously served as the Deputy University Registrar and Director of Operations and Compliance at UT Austin, and Director of Registration and Records (Registrar) and Assistant Director of Admissions at Texas Lutheran University.
Her professional experience includes all aspects of the enrollment management portfolio–registrar, admissions, and financial aid–which allows her to apply her knowledge and skills in support of students and the University community. Schumann maintains active participation and membership in AACRAO, SACRAO, and TACRAO and presents frequently at various conferences on alternative credentials, digital badging, succession planning, leadership, competency-based hiring and evaluations, strategic planning, and project management.
In 2024, she was recognized with the AACRAO Thomas A. Bilger Award and is serving as the 2025-2026 Vice-Chair of the AACRAO Nominations and Elections Committee. In 2022, she chaired the AACRAO Workgroup that developed a report for the membership on Best Practices for the Implementation of Alternative Credentials.
Schumann has an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University, a Master of Education degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a PhD from Texas A&M University.
SEM Capstone Project: The capstone literature review focused on an outcomes-based approach to achieve results in supporting students for success. The literature review applies an outcomes based approach to the development and assessment of a Strategic Enrollment Management unit within an institution, in developing programming and support to assist in student persistence, and in developing an outcomes based approach for the changing role of the Registrar in the support of new teaching models, student mobility, learning outcomes, and academic credit and calendars
Review of: Rethinking College Admissions: Research-Based Practice and Policy
Pathway to Student Success.
2025 AACRAO Elections Candidate - 2026-2027 N&E Committee Member
Jessika Harris is an accomplished higher education professional with over 14 years of experience in academic administration, compliance, and student services. She currently serves as the Compliance & Special Projects Senior Assistant University Registrar at the University of North Carolina, where she plays a pivotal role in managing institutional compliance, student records, and strategic process improvements. Since joining UNC in 2017, Jessika has led initiatives to streamline enrollment services, enhance policy adherence, and improve operational efficiency across multiple departments.
Jessika began her career in higher education in 2010 at Laureate Education Inc., where she progressively advanced through roles in registrar operations, specializing in enrollment management, data analysis, and academic policy implementation. Her tenure in academic operations has honed her expertise in regulatory compliance, process optimization, and leadership development.
With a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Morgan State University, Jessika blends strategic thinking with a deep commitment to student success. She is also pursuing a law degree at Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, further expanding her expertise in governance and higher education policy.
An advocate for professional growth, Jessika is an active member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). She has participated in the Nominations and Elections Committee, contributing to the selection of association leadership and the advancement of AACRAO's mission. Additionally, she has engaged in leadership programs such as the ASCEND Leadership Program and has been involved with CACRAO. Jessika is also deeply committed to community service, volunteering with organizations focused on mentorship, outreach, and education.
Her dynamic career reflects her passion for creating equitable, efficient, and student-centered institutional policies. Through her leadership and expertise, she continues to drive positive change in higher education.
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