An Invite-Only Event for Senior Higher Education Marketers
November 9, 2025 | National Harbor, MD
The Senior Leader Experience at the 2025 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education offers an exclusive opportunity tailored for top campus marketers. It’s a unique chance to collaborate with peers to address shared challenges, exchange groundbreaking ideas and forge lasting connections. Be the leader who values growth and best practices, boosts morale and inspires a high-performing marketing team!
Register for the Symposium then request your invitation before spots fill up to have this exclusive in-depth experience with your top-level peers. Titles might include:
- Vice President
- Associate Vice President
- CMO, CCO, CEO
- Dean
- Vice Chancellor or Chancellor
This is not an all-encompassing list of titles—feel free to contact us below if you feel you qualify!
CMOs Leading through Disruption, Building Brand Awareness and Reputation
CMOs are facing multiple, simultaneous disruptions: the emergence of AI, global loss of trust in institutions, and politicization across sectors including higher education. This year’s exclusive event will spotlight effective approaches for managing risk, building brand awareness and strengthening reputation with compelling examples from within and from outside higher education.
Why Attend
- Shared Challenges, Collective Solutions: Engage in rich, in-depth discussions about the pressing challenges facing higher education marketing today.
- Insights from Industry Leaders: Learn directly from peers who are shaping the future of higher education marketing.
- Empower Your Team: Return to your institution equipped with fresh insights and strategies to boost morale and drive your team to achieve peak performance.
Pricing & Invitation Request
AMA Member: $399
Non-Member: $499
Register for the Symposium then request your invitation! This limited-space event is reserved for people with the most senior institution-level marketing role on campus. If this describes you, click below to request an invitation.
The deadline to request an invitation is November 5, 2025.
Please note: The Senior Leader Experience and the Pre-Conference Workshops occur simultaneously, so you cannot register for both.
“It was a really good opportunity to talk to different colleagues, meeting at the same level and talking about the different challenges that they are experiencing and planning some good ideas about what potentially we could implement at our institution.” —LeeAnn, Past Attendee
Symposium Registration Required
Registration for the 2025 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education is required to participate in the Senior Leader Experience. Beneficial to Senior Leaders, the Symposium will have curated sessions to continue building your leadership skills.
What You’ll Get
- Curated content from top practitioners in the field features presentations tailored to address the industry’s most significant and emerging issues, ensuring you stay at the forefront of marketing excellence.
- Dedicated discussion time to engage in meaningful conversations with other senior-level professionals to discuss strategic initiatives, operational challenges, and leadership topics. These discussions are more than just exchanges of ideas—they are strategic sessions that equip you to make informed decisions and implement effective solutions.
- Opportunities to build valuable connections with other Senior Leader Experience attendees at exclusive networking events, where you can share advice and discuss common challenges.
Agenda
All Times in ET
Noon – 1:00 PM
Lunch and Networking
1:00 – 1:15 PM
Welcome and Introductions with Senior Leader Experience Committee and Facilitator
Facilitator
Loretta Cooper, Principal, Clarity Consulting LLC
1:15 – 2:30 PM
Part I, Inside Out
Part I, Inside Out, features a panel of university leaders from public and private institutions including Johns Hopkins, University of Oregon and St. Edward’s University whose recent actions demonstrate effective, surprising, or outside-the-box thinking. They will share thought starters for candid conversation and actionable progress among more than 100 CMOs from across the country demonstrating the potential for CMOs to impact the audience, institution and industry.
Speakers
Marina Cooper, Senior Associate Vice President, Integrated Marketing and Brand, The Johns Hopkins University
Carol Keese, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, University of Oregon
Christie Campbell, Vice President for Marketing and Communications, St. Edward’s University
2:30 – 2:45 PM
Building an AI-Ready Reputation and Revenue Roadmap
Marcom is a driving force behind both reputation and revenue. With nearly 60 percent of students searching brand before programs, institutions must act quickly to integrate messaging and align strategy across enrollment, advancement, and communications. This session introduces a framework for building an AI-ready reputation strategy that meets the demands of today’s learners and tomorrow’s technology. Learn how to integrate brand across functions, scale trust, and compete in a digital-first, search-driven landscape. Walk away with a roadmap to strengthen institutional positioning and turn reputation into a measurable growth engine.
Sponsored by RW Jones
Speakers
Brent Ramdin, CEO, EducationDynamics
Jamie Ceman, Senior Executive Vice President of Brand and Marketing Strategy, RW Jones Agency
2:45 – 3:00 PM
Networking Break
3:00 – 4:30 PM
Part II, Outside In
Part II, Outside In, brings a sharp lens from beyond higher ed as Kate Linkous, Edelman Executive Vice President, takes us on a deep dive into the state of trust, exploring how the public’s overall levels of trust (and distrust) in institutions have contributed to where higher education finds itself in 2025. Focusing on growth, attendees will explore lessons learned from other industries that are applicable to higher ed. A robust Q&A discussion will cover the challenges and nuances that higher ed marketing leaders face as they communicate with stakeholders and work to shore up trust in today’s complex and polarized environment.
Speaker
Kate Linkous, Executive Vice President, Edelman
4:30 – 5:00 PM
Preview of the Senior Leader Experience: Monday – Wednesday + Closing
5:00 – 6:00 PM
Senior Leader Experience Reception
10:20 – 11:10 AM
Panel Discussion with Industry Editors
Senior Leader Experience attendees are encouraged to attend an invite-only panel discussion with editors of the important trade publications covering our industry, including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and Hechinger Report. Hear perspective on the issues facing higher education from those shaping the coverage and conversation, and engage with them in what should be a lively and candid Q and A.
Speakers
Sarah Brown, Senior Editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Nirvi Shah, Executive Editor, The Hechinger Report
Sue Greenberg, Inside Higher Ed
Carol Keese, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, University of Oregon
Maya Minter, Publisher, The EDU Ledger
7:30 – 8:30 AM
Senior Leader Experience Breakfast: Raising Your College’s Profile
Colleges and universities across the country are struggling to communicate the value of higher ed to students, families, and lawmakers. But innovative institutions are succeeding in getting that message to their audience. Hear from Francie Diep, a Senior Reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education, as she shares lessons she learned from researching Raising Your College’s Profile—The Chronicle’s report on how institutions are breaking through the noise to boost their visibility, reputation, and impact. Join us to learn what works and how your campus can stand out.
Sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education
Speakers
Francie Diep, Senior Reporter, The Chronicle of Higher Education
10:20 – 11:10 AM
A Private Conversation with Ray Day and Vanessa Otero
Following the Tuesday morning keynote, What the Data Says About the Future of Marketing and Reputation, please join a smaller group conversation for Senior Leaders Experience participants to dialogue with the speakers.
Speakers
Raymond Day, Vice Chair, Stagwell
Vanessa Lea Otero, CEO & Founder, Ad Fontes Media
8:30 – 9:20 AM
Creating The Caring Community: A Conversation With Kevin McClure
You are encouraged to bring a member of your team.
Speaker
Kevin McClure, Professor of Higher Education and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership
Lee Gardner, Senior Writer, The Chronicle of Higher Education
Thank You to Our Sponsor
Questions?
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the AMA Support Center team at customersupport@ama.org or (800) 262-1150.