Tonantzin Oseguera, Ed.D., is the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Engagement at the University of California, Merced.
Ujima Smart Start: Early Move-In for Black Students to Enhance Retention and Enrollment in Higher Education
Latosha Traylor, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Sociology and Faculty in Residence in Housing and Residential Engagement at California State University, Fullerton.
Lila Ojakaar is a senior at Elon University studying psychology with a minor in criminal justice. She is actively engaged in academic research, collaborating with a faculty member on the study of alibi believability and examining its influential factors.
The Student Veteran Experience in Higher Education
Scot Lingrell, Ph.D., is the first-ever Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs in the University System of Georgia. He has worked in the University System of Georgia for more than 20 years, most recently as vice president for enrollment management at Georgia Southern. Prior to that, he was the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at The University of West Georgia. He started his career in Ohio and Michigan, earning his Master’s in College Student Personnel at Bowling Green State University and his Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University. Lingrell was the first recipient of the AACRAO SEM Award of Excellence for outstanding achievement and visionary leadership in SEM at four-year institutions in 2009.
Interview with Scot Lingrell
Stephen Schultheis, Ph.D., currently serves as the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Middle Georgia State University. He joined Middle Georgia State University in April 2022 and has been engaged in higher education for 24 years in various roles, including enrollment management, student affairs, and academics. Within his current role and at prior institutions, Dr. Schultheis has successfully led efforts to develop and implement strategies aimed at increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation rates.
He earned his master’s degree at Columbia University in Higher Education Administration and his doctorate in Executive Leadership at St. John Fisher College. His dissertation was titled “Evaluating an Academic Support Program for Urban At-Risk College Students at a Private Urban College.”
He has presented at multiple conferences on admissions, retention, student success, and enrollment management topics and has been published in Strategic Enrollment Management Quarterly.
Theresa Groff is the Registrar at Arapahoe Community College (ACC) in Littleton, Colorado. Theresa has been in higher education for 23 years, all at ACC. She held various roles at ACC, starting in Workforce/Community Programs managing corporate training and grants before moving into Student Affairs. Always the first to volunteer, Theresa has assisted in various departments over the years—Advising, Financial Aid, Institutional Research, Scheduling, Curriculum, etc.—allowing her to learn all aspects of the student experience and reporting.
Over the past several years, Theresa expanded her professional knowledge beyond the walls of ACC. She’s chaired the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) Registrars Council for over four years, along with serving on various CCCS implementation committees and task force. Theresa is a member of Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) Registrars Council and General Education Council and was a member of the General Education Certificate task force. She just joined a Colorado Commission on Higher Education subcommittee on transfer. Theresa recently joined the RMACRAO Board last year, seeing it as an opportunity to challenge herself and meet new people.
When not working, Theresa enjoys hiking (hoping to avoid a bear), hanging out with her dogs, and brewing kombucha in her kitchen.
Rickiea Cohen, MBA is an experienced higher education professional with over 7 years of leadership in registrar services, enrollment management, and admissions. She currently serves as Assistant Registrar-Residency at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where she acts as the Campus Classification Officer, overseeing residency determinations in compliance with University System of Maryland and state policies, while also developing training programs to support institutional compliance and operational efficiency.
Rickiea holds a Bachelor of Science from Lincoln University with a dual major in Mass Communications and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus, along with a Certificate in Leadership and Management. Her professional work reflects a strong commitment to equity, student access, operational excellence, and collaborative leadership within higher education.
A committed leader within professional organizations, Rickiea currently serves as President- elect, for the Chesapeake and Potomac Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (CAPACRAO), Past Vice President of Communications for CAPACRAO, she is also an active member of AACRAO, serving as a member of the AACRAO Awards and Nominations Committee and the Black Caucus. Additionally, Rickiea serves as Membership Chair for the AALU Baltimore Metropolitan Chapter and is a longstanding member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.
NASFAA Financial Aid Administrator, Certified™ (FAAC)
Ediz Kaykayoglu, Ph.D., is currently the Founder and President of BEAK Education and Consulting company. Dr. Kaykayoglu’s prior services include Vice Chancellor for Enrollment & Strategic Initiatives, Dean of Extended and Global Education, Associate Provost, Extended Learning and Outreach, Executive Director, Office of International Studies & Programs, and Director of Education Abroad. He has significant experience in distance/online learning, intercultural communication, cultural intelligence, international education, and strategic enrollment management. Dr. Kaykayoglu has a Ph.D. in educational psychology and a M.S. of technology, both from Kent State University, and a B.S. of computer engineering from Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, Turkey.
From SEM Planning to Implementing: Quality Control Strategies
Jaclyn Duerr, Ed.D., impassioned by her own transfer student experience, acts as an advocate and agent for student success initiatives at the university level. She has been collaborating and creating retention services and programs for thirteen years, currently serving as the Director of the IDEA Engineering Student Center at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Duerr specializes in engineering student success, transfer student success, academic difficulty, and sense of belonging among commuter students. Within our technology-saturated culture, Dr. Duerr seeks to create accessible, cutting-edge, student-centered programs and services in efforts to build students’ connection to the university, other students, and their goals. Dr. Duerr has her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from California State University, Fresno, master’s in counseling for higher education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, bachelor’s in psychology from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and an associate’s from Santa Barbara City College.
Mentorship Their Way: How an Adaptable Mentorship Program Enhances Transfer Students’ Sense of Belonging
Tessa Benedict-Philipp is committed to reducing educational barriers and building more equitable, student-centered systems in higher education. Since beginning her higher education career in 2019, she has worked across a range of university programs focused on access, equity, and student support. Benedict-Philipp currently serves as the Assistant Director of UC San Diego’s Triton Transfer Hub, where she supports more than 8,000 transfer students and leads efforts to create inclusive, community-driven spaces that empower student success. Her passion for serving diverse and multicultural student communities was shaped by her experience as a graduate assistant with San Diego State University’s EOP SOAR Mentorship Program and the San Diego Community College District’s PATHS program. Across all her work, Benedict-Philipp is driven by a deep commitment to equity, community-building, and student belonging.
Ane Turner Johnson, Ph.D., is a professor of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Research at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey. Her work focuses on governance and policymaking in higher education.
Published Articles:
Amanda Coltri, Ed.D., is Director of Digital Strategy and Engagement at Bryn Mawr College. Her research interests include transition-to-college social support, the evolution and future of digital student support services, the impact of new technologies on higher education communications strategies, and asset-based support models for first-generation students. Dr. Coltri earned her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College, her M.S.L. from Northeastern University, and her Ed.D. from Rowan University.
What, How, Why? Addressing the Many Common Pitfalls of Onboarding Platform Implementation
Ashmita De, Ph.D., is a Research Analyst in the Education Insights, Data and Research department at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). She is part of the Enrollment Planning and Reporting unit, specializing in enrollment projections through advanced statistical and machine learning-based methods. De received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Alberta.
Evaluating the Impact of Entrance Awards on Yield Rates Using Machine Learning
Alexander A. Ondrus, Ph.D., is a Senior Research Specialist in the Education Insights, Data and Research department at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). He is responsible for the Enrollment Planning and Reporting unit in NAIT’s Education Insights department. His primary interest is the application of statistical techniques, including machine learning, to better understand the student lifecycle. Ondrus received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Alberta.
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