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2020 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

Online

The Essential Virtual Event for the Higher Ed Marketing Community

Higher ed marketers like you have always faced fast change. Yet in the last several months, no industry has had to pivot quicker with shrinking resources. A global pandemic mixed with social movements have forced campuses to shift focus to engage with students, parents and alumni to prove the value of higher education in creating a better tomorrow.

For more than 30 years, the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education has been the most robust place for professionals to come together as a community to share their challenges and collaboratively find solutions to help their schools innovate.

This year is no different. We’re taking the Symposium virtual and creating an experience where you can interact with peers while hearing from some of the top minds in higher education. This is more than a Zoom call. It’s a full-featured event that brings together all of the key elements of past live gatherings so you can make an impact on your campus.

Marketing skills are more important now than ever. You can create a better tomorrow.


Keynote Speakers

Michael J. Sorrell

President, Paul Quinn College

Kim Scott

Author and Co-Founder, Radical Candor


Keynote Panel: The State of the Institute

We’ll discuss the challenges and opportunities of 2020, from COVID and social justice movements, to the election and cancel culture, and what that means for the college experience of 2021 and beyond.

Wayne A. I. Frederick

President, Howard University

Ann McElaney-Johnson

President, Mount Saint Mary’s University

E. Gordon Gee

President, West Virginia University


What’s Included

  • Two live keynote sessions and one keynote panel discussion
  • 15+ breakout sessions with live Q&A (also available on-demand)
  • 9 additional on-demand only breakout presentations
  • Interactive roundtable discussions
  • Access to live extended marketing sessions (also available on-demand)
  • Live and on-demand content from solutions providers
  • Exhibit hall access to connect with 40+ vendors
  • Multiple networking opportunities to make new connections

Member Price

$199

Non-Member Price

$299

After completing registration, you will receive a purchase receipt. We will email you access information closer to the start of the event.

By registering for this event, you agree that your contact information, including email address, will be shared with our sponsors.


Group Pricing

3-5 Attendees

Save 10%

6+ Attendees

Save 20%

Contact customersupport@ama.org or (800) 262-1150 for questions.


Content Marketing Virtual Training Add-On

With all the pivots your school is facing, content marketing is playing an increasingly crucial role. Boost your skills with this 3-hour interactive, limited-size virtual training happening November 10.

  • $69 AMA Members | $89 Non-Members
  • Choose this add-on during check-out


Need to Convince Your Boss?

We know budgets are tight and you’re watching every dollar spent. That’s why we’ve created this template to help you show your supervisor the value you’ll get from attending.


AMA Members Get Best Pricing and More

Not only do AMA members get discounts on events like this one, but they also receive exclusive content, downloadable tools, unlimited digital access to AMA academic journals and newly added benefits every week. It’s all for a low price of $149/year. (That’s only $12.42/month.)


Senior Leader Experience (Invite Only)

The Senior Leader Experience is an intentionally programmed time where top institution-level campus marketers can share challenges, exchange ideas and make connections to build a lasting support system. If you are the most senior marketer on your campus, you can click here to learn more and request an invite.


Higher Ed Marketer of the Year Awards

Every year, we recognize individuals and teams who show extraordinary leadership and achievement in the field of higher education marketing and are brought to you by the AMA Foundation and its founding sponsor Lipman Hearne.


AMA Event Policies

Day 1 | All Times CST

Special Thanks to our Daily Sponsor Adobe

Be sure to check our Adobe’s presentation in the Solutions Center!

Networking & Exhibit Hall Open

Connect with 40+ solutions providers offering insights and tools to help you make an impact on campus.

Extended Marketing Session

Marketing Applied to Higher Education - Real Fast!

This session will take the principles of marketing and apply them to marketing universities and colleges in a whirlwind! The session is content heavy, highly energetic and interactive. It is guaranteed to set the stage and increase learning for newer attendees over the next few days.

Tom Hayes

Dean and Professor of Marketing, Xavier University

Extended Marketing Session

Redesigning for Growth: Innovations and Post-Covid Best Practices in Commflow Strategy

Let’s face it, marketing and enrollment leaders often struggle to find common ground. For higher education institutions to thrive in a post-COVID world, the resources, ratios, and tactics between enrollment and marketing must be reconsidered to ensure the best chance for enrollment success.  This session will dive deep into effective comm-flow and marketing practice redesign, the shift and focus on yield, and best practices in student segmentation, marketing and enrollment cycle strategies, measurements, and data-driven research techniques that will improve your ROI for this cycle and beyond.

Scott Ochander

Partner, Chief Marketing Officer, Carnegie Dartlet

Eric Page

VP Enrollment and Marketing Strategy, Carnegie Dartlet

Networking & Exhibit Hall Break

The Future of Recruiting and Enrollment in Higher Education

Three top industry leaders will present on The Future of Recruiting and Enrollment in Higher Education. Each presenter will share their thought leadership for 15 minutes, followed by a live Q+A with all three leaders.

How Artificial Intelligence Efforts Boost Higher Ed Enrollment; Presented by: Marvin Oey, Acquia

Staying Strategic During a Pandemic: Enrolling the Rice University Class of 2024…and Beyond; Presented by: Matt Cyr, Primacy, Neha Agrawal, Director of Enrollment Marketing and Communications, Rice University, and Carla Johnson, AVP Client Services, Primacy

Optimizing Revenue: Online and Graduate Enrollment; Presented by: Charles Ramos and Dawn Hiles, RNL

Marvin Oey

Senior Solutions Engineer, Acquia

Matt Cyr

VP of Strategic Practices and Managing Director of Education, Primacy

Charles Ramos

Vice President, Graduate and Online Enrollment Management, RNL

Dawn Hiles

Senior Vice President, RNL

Extended Marketing Session

Five Building Blocks of Successful Leadership

We’re always emerging as leaders. That’s because the pursuit of leadership excellence is as elusive as it is never-ending – especially these days. This lively workshop will inform, inspire, and learn from those leading marketing and communications organizations and those who plan to do so.

Dr. Jessica McWade will facilitate a highly participatory session providing attendees with  strategies, tools, and examples for understanding and improving the five building blocks of successful leadership: 1) emotional intelligence, 2) interpersonal communication, 3) persuasiveness, 4) market awareness, and 5) effective decision-making.

What better time than right now to reflect on and build our leadership capabilities?

Jessica McWade

President, McWade Group

Extended Marketing Session

The Power of Data

Data has long been a buzzword, but the real power of data isn’t about gathering more data — it’s about gathering better data. This session will uncover how to ask the right questions that produce the most meaningful, actionable, and insightful research, and how to benchmark and measure that data over time to inform crucial brand health metrics and inform strategic decision making.

Andrea Kruszka

Director, Strategy & Accounts, SimpsonScarborough

Kristen Creighton

AVP, Strategy & Accounts, SimpsonScarborough

Meredith Simpson

AVP, Research, SimpsonScarborough

Day 2

Networking & Exhibit Hall Open

Connect with 40+ solutions providers offering insights and tools to help you make an impact on campus.

Wellness Hour

In Real-Time Only

Designed to kickstart your day with connection and mindfulness.

Dreaming in the Midst of a Nightmare: Marketing Tomorrow from the Frontlines of a Pandemic

In Real-Time Only

We are all living through the most difficult period in modern history. Everywhere we turn we are faced with discord, disruption, and disappointment. Inherent in the role of marketing professionals and leaders is the ability to communicate, and belief, that next will be better than now. But what happens when we do not know when our next will begin or how it will be better than now? How do we market a better tomorrow when our now is so difficult? Join Paul Quinn College President Michael J. Sorrell as he answers these questions and more during his talk “Dreaming in the Midst of a Nightmare: Marketing Tomorrow from the Frontlines of a Pandemic.”

Michael J. Sorrell

President, Paul Quinn College

Brand & Content Strategy Breakout Session

Marketing with Conviction: The New Standard in Higher Ed

Many higher ed institutions today are looking outside of the category for marketing communications leadership, processes, creative inspiration and tactical thinking. But what is the point if our efforts lack conviction or courage? By setting a high bar for brand platform development—to not just define the category but defy it—the University of Arizona was able to inspire and compel its team to create a human brand, rather than a higher ed brand. Bravery and consistency were prioritized at every stage of the process, illuminating many specific insights that could be applied at any institution.

Christian Carl

Executive Creative Director, 160over90

Steve Moore

SVP, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, University of Arizona

Audience Engagement Breakout Session

Using Neurodesign to Increase RFI Conversions

Nearly $2 billion is spent annually on higher education marketing in the U.S. Given the scale of this investment, shouldn’t we do whatever it takes to get the most out of it? The emerging field of neurodesign can help do just that. While there’s a lot we don’t know about the brain, we do know a bit about its functions and human cognition that can be leveraged to boost RFI performance. Learn how to use this information to create designs that motivate prospects to take action—and get more bang for their buck.

Andres Zapata

EVP of Strategy, idfive

Deborah Kohl

Professor, University of Baltimore

Measurement Research Breakout Session

The Latest Innovation in Brand Research is Social Listening

Marty Neumeier famously wrote, “Brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.” Now that up to 50% of word-of-mouth conversation happens online, you can accurately capture and analyze what they say about your brand or your competitors.

Learn how multiple institutions—from small private to large public—have used social listening as a mixed-methods research methodology to understand how online conversation reflects and impacts their brand, uncover opportunities to clarify campus messaging, leverage key audiences and quantify brand development. You’ll also receive a framework to describe or conduct this methodology yourself.

Liz Gross

Founder, CEO, Campus Sonar

How It's Made Breakout Session

Addressing Transfer Students’ Digital Needs

When done well, a transfer-centered website can reduce common transition barriers and may even promote a more equitable transfer pathway for students from historically underserved populations. Unfortunately, the wide variation in the quality and accuracy of transfer websites indicates that institutions lag in their efforts to understand and support their transfers. In this session, we’ll explore best practices for creating a comprehensive, transfer-centered website. You’ll learn how to design a content strategy specifically tailored to meet your transfer students’ needs and leave with a personalized roadmap for launching your project.

Janet Marling

Executive Director, National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students

Voltaire Santos Miran

Chief Executive Officer, Head of Client Experience, mStoner

Industry Experts Breakout Session

Martech Maturity Model: Creating a Tangible Data Framework, Starting with Google Analytics and your CRM

The ability to capture, aggregate, report on and generate insights from marketing data for faster decision-making is one of the most pressing challenges in higher ed. In this session, we will explore an approach to integrating marketing data that can drive efficiency, cost-savings, and revenue growth.

Dan Antonson

Associate Director, Marketing Technology & Analytics, Collegis Education

Networking & Exhibit Hall Break

Innovation Showcase

Three top industry leaders will present on Pivoting Your Virtual Strategy.  Each presenter will share their thought leadership for 15 minutes, followed by a live Q+A with all three leaders.

Navigating Virtual Life: How to Manage through Chaotic Times while Seeing the Big Picture; Presented by: Fernando Bergas-Coria, Ologie

How Higher Education Has Pivoted: What Going Back to School Looks like Now; Presented by: Chris Wu, David Kees, and Oliver Seldman, Pantheon

Delivering Social Listening Insights to the Industry at Large; Presented by: Steve App, CampusSonar

Fernando Bergas-Coria

Director, Integrated Marketing, Ologie

Chris Wu

Web Developer, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

David Kees

Senior Full Stack Developer, Georgetown University

Oliver Seldman

Customer Success Manager, Pantheon

Steve App

Business Development Manager, CampusSonar

Brand & Content Strategy Breakout Session

Insights on What's Next from Real-Time COVID-Era Marketing

Did COVID-19 change the trajectory of higher ed marketing or did it expedite what was already happening? We have collected data and lessons learned from making in-the-moment adjustments to strategy and messaging throughout the pandemic, and we will use those insights to answer that question. In this session, our panel of higher ed experts discuss key takeaways from 2020 to uncover what did and didn’t work from real-time marketing in the COVID era. Attendees will learn to reflect on their marketing strategies from this year, look to data-driven insights and structure a workable strategy for turbulent times moving forward.

Kim West

Chief Marketing Strategist, University of Missouri - Kansas City

Matthew Walters

VP of Client Services, VisionPoint Marketing

Steven Partridge

VP for Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation, Northern Virginia Community College

Audience Engagement Breakout Session

Boston University’s Student-Run Campaign: Provocative with a Purpose

This session offers a behind-the-scenes look at a bold student-to-student public health campaign and the lessons our team has learned in redefining COVID-19 communications. F*ck It Won’t Cut It is a student-run initiative rooted in the idea that saying “F-it” to the smallest protocols can lead to big consequences. With the support of university leadership, we strategically discuss “taboo” topics on social channels and campus ad placements to inspire smart behavior and teach safe alternatives. Our student team will share best practices in understanding a target audience, leveraging stakeholders and being provocative with a purpose.

Hailey McKee

Director of External Affairs, Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Hannah Schweitzer

Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Mac Wylie

Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Shubhangi Verma

Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Effective Leadership Breakout Session

How Marketing and Enrollment Should Work Together

In the best of times, marketing and enrollment need to have clear agreements on how they work together or don’t. Layer in a pandemic, elections, protests and those pesky shifting demographics and it’s a whole new world.


Join us for a spirited discussion among some of higher ed’s most experienced (and unabashedly vocal) marketing and enrollment pros. They’ll get real about how their teams are structured to get the results they need— how they collaborate, share resources, leverage partnerships or, in some cases, how they stay out of each other’s way.

Jenny Brower

President, Mindpower Inc.

Joffery Gaymon

VP for Enrollment, Auburn University

Kevin Kropf

EVP of Enrollment Management, Drury University

Mary Baglivo

VP for University Relations, Pace University

Timothy Hussey

Chief Communications Officer, Harvey Mudd College

How It's Made Breakout Session

Marketing for Online Programs with the 2019 AMA Higher Ed Team of the Year

Once upon a time, in a reality far in the distant past, higher education was a stable, healthy and change-averse societal institution. Controversy, alternative models and COVID-19 have softened the once rock-solid foundation of our traditional education system. Institutions moved quickly to offer courses online or were forced to do so against their will due to the recent pandemic. Will anything ever go back to the way it was? Probably not, so getting used to marketing and enrollment for online programs is a must.

Arbazz Nizami

Digital Marketing Manager, Claremont Lincoln University

Joseph Sallustio

EVP, Chief Operating Officer, Claremont Lincoln University

Rina Dakanay

Marketing and Communications Manager, Claremont Lincoln University

Physically distanced, personally connected

In the midst of a pandemic, prospective students face an often overwhelming new reality characterized by a major lack of personal connections, economic challenges, and health concerns. Learn how Arizona State University developed communication strategies to meet rapidly changing circumstances and help students persist on their academic journey. This discussion offers ideas you can implement at your own college or school.

Brad Baertsch

Senior Director, First-Year Domestic and International Recruitment Admission Services, Arizona State University

Matt Faison

Assistant Director, Digital Engagement Provost and Enrollment Services Communications, Arizona State University 

Kerstin Gallardo

Email Marketing Coordinator Provost and Enrollment Services Communications, Arizona State University

Brad Schleicher

Director, Industry Solutions Higher Education Marcom, Salesforce.org

Networking & Exhibit Hall Break

Roundtable Sessions

In Real-Time Only

The symposium offers a variety of round table discussions to allow attendees the space to discuss, share best practices and expand your understanding on a range of important topics. The sessions are moderated by an experienced discussion facilitator, but the discussion is all yours! Attend one or more round tables and be ready to ask questions, share ideas and dive deep into subjects all while making new contacts.

Topics Include:

  • Marketing to Non-Traditional Students 
  • Grad Programs
  • Colleges of Business
  • Brand Strategy
  • Small Schools
  • Marketing to Underrepresented Students 
  • Women in Leadership
  • Content Strategy
  • New to Higher Ed
  • Social Justice
  • Diversity & Equity
  • Student Recruiting During a Pandemic
  • Social Media Management
  • Marketing Online Programs
  • Ethics of Crisis Communications
  • What Have You Learned: 2020
  • Engaging Alumni and Donors During a Pandemic

Day 3

Networking & Exhibit Hall Open

Connect with 40+ solutions providers offering insights and tools to help you make an impact on campus.

Radical Candor: Creating a Culture of Feedback

In Real-Time Only

We believe that the relationships you have with other team members is at the center of your success — individually and collectively. And, at the heart of these relationships is Radical Candor, a simple framework developed to help you build a culture of great feedback.

Radical Candor is the ability to give feedback in a way that challenges people directly and shows you care about them personally. It will help you and all the people you work with do the best work of your careers and build stronger working relationships. Kim Scott will introduce you to concepts, vocabulary, and tactics you can put into practice immediately.

Kim Scott

Author and Co-Founder, Radical Candor

Brand & Content Strategy Breakout Session

The Power of Storytelling Post-COVID-19

With prospects evaluating programs much differently post-COVID, it is critical for institutions to tell “their story” in a compelling, genuine and authentic way. Great stories in enrollment marketing have “stickiness,” draw our attention and spur us into action. But what makes a great story great, especially in a time like the present?


We will uncover how marketers can collaborate with stakeholders (internally and externally) to harness the power of stories to attract prospects. We will cover:
• Science behind great storytelling
• Using emotionality in higher education marketing
• Key components for great stories for higher education marketing

Alex Baranpuria

Co-Founder & Vice President, Ivy Exec

Andrea Shaw

Assistant Dean of Marketing & Communication at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

Audience Engagement Breakout Session

Latinx Learners: The Biggest Untapped Segment in Higher Education

The Latinx student market is one of the few growing prospect pools in higher ed, yet many colleges and universities struggle to connect with the traditional and adult learner candidates comprising it. To help schools better approach the Latinx market, Lipman Hearne has partnered with Univision, the country’s largest provider of Spanish language media content, to identify demographic and cultural insights about the Latinx student market for both traditional and adult learners. Through this work we have created a set of marketing personas to help colleges better understand these learners and how to best communicate and connect with them.

Kirsten Fedderke

Senior Vice President and Board Chair, Lipman Hearne

Lisa DeBiasi

Research Director, Univision Chicago

Effective Leadership Breakout Session

How to Support Your Social Media Managers for Long-Term Success

West Virginia University surveyed hundreds of higher ed social media managers just weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic to get a better sense of the community.


Our findings show that the higher ed social media community is generally struggling. In fact, 47% say they do not have the support or resources to ensure good mental health. That will likely lead to high turnover rate within our industry. The presentation will give best practices from leaders in the industry on how to properly understand the stressors your social media managers may be under and how to best support.

Tony Dobies

Senior Director of Marketing, West Virginia University

How It's Made Breakout Session

How to Make the Most of Your Marketing Efforts During a Spending Freeze

Adapting to change isn’t new to marketers—but a spending freeze in the months leading to August (our biggest month for new enrollment) was something we hadn’t anticipated in the marketing department for The University of Alabama’s online degree programs. What did we do during the halt?

Our 10-person marketing team saw this as an opportunity to evaluate our lead communication strategy more than ever. And while there were lots of factors in play, our results were much better than frozen in August: a 34% increase in online graduate student enrollment and a 17.9% increase in overall online enrollment.

Amy Nichols

Content Coordinator for Online Learning, The University of Alabama

Jessika White

Marketing Manager, Online Learning, The University of Alabama

Industry Experts Breakout Session

Networking & Exhibit Hall Break

Innovation Showcase

Three top industry leaders will present on Branding & Advertising in the New Normal.  Each presenter will share their thought leadership for 15 minutes, followed by a live Q+A with all three leaders.

How to templatize design on campus; Presented by: Christina Sanders, Lucidpress

The Brand Experience; Presented by: Bill Thorburn, Thorburn, A Stamats Company

Advertising to High School Students in 2020: Best Practices from 187 Higher Ed Marketers; Presented by: Matt Diteljan, Glacier Marketing

Christina Sanders

Inbound marketing manager, Lucid

Bill Thorburn

CEO/ Chief Creative Officer at THORBURN

Matt Diteljan

Co-Founder & CEO at Glacier

Brand & Content Strategy Breakout Session

Activating Brand Narratives and Aligning Content for Performance

How can a new brand affect funnel performance? At the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, these concerns were mitigated by a brand-activation and content strategy that drives personalized engagement throughout the enrollment funnel.
Join Mendoza’s Chief Marketing Officer and Teaching Professor of Marketing Tim Bohling and his team as they present how they took a new brand from concept to launch to activation in 12 months, across 12 graduate business programs.


In this session, you’ll learn how Mendoza’s content marketing team developed and activated its “Grow the Good” brand narrative, increasing both organic and paid content performance.

Amanda Jacobson

Assistant Director of Content Marketing, Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame University

Tim Bohling

Chief Marketing Officer, Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame University

Audience Engagement Breakout Session

Retention Marketing: Higher Ed’s New Frontier

The gloves are off. The higher ed landscape is changing: 75% of Gen Zers say that college isn’t the only way to get a good education. The 2008 birth dearth has shrunk our pool of 18-year-olds by 15%. NACAC’s ethic code changes mean colleges can poach our students like never before—and that was all before COVID-19.
In this new frontier, retention marketing is paramount. UC Davis Student Affairs Marketing and Communications has focused on retention marketing for over a decade. This presentation looks at our successes and identifies ways to build your own successful retention marketing efforts.

Andrew McDaniel

Associate Marketing and Communications Director for Student Affairs, UC Davis

Jennifer Vaughn

Senior Designer for Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at UC Davis

Measurement Research Breakout Session

National Survey Results: What Are High School Students and Parents Thinking?

Be the first to learn results from the next-phase national survey on “What College-Considering High School Students and Their Parents Believe is Important in Choosing a University Today,” following up on our spring survey covered by CNN, CBS, CNBC and Inside Higher Ed. Attendees will learn the latest on how COVID-19 is affecting 2021 decision-making.


David Demarest, former Stanford University communications executive, and Brian Tierney, veteran marketing executive, are trusted advisors in crisis and higher education. Together, they will discuss long and short-term implications of COVID-19 and communications strategies for capturing—and keeping—attention in today’s critical environment.

Brian Tierney

CEO, Brian Communications

David Demarest

Professor, Former Vice President for Public Affairs, Stanford University

Effective Leadership Breakout Session

Get Real: Authentically Reinforcing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Your Digital Marketing

When your institution commits to cultivating an inclusive, diverse community, your communications are both a critical window into your community and a tool to advance your DEI goals. Presenting authentic diversity and priorities around inclusion on the website may yield affinity and engagement among key audiences while demonstrating a commitment to equity.

But to communicate sustainably and consistently about diversity, you need a framework for continually affirming relevant editorial choices—because people expect it, but also because it is the right thing to do. To succeed, your communications operation needs to be aligned, without demanding undue labor from underrepresented persons.

Georgiana Cohen

Director of Digital Strategy, OHO Interactive

Earn an A+ in your digital marketing strategy

With education institutions continuing to face uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to connect digitally with prospective students and parents. Meanwhile, the digital landscape continues to get more fragmented, therefore finding and making these connections is getting even more challenging. Join Adtaxi’s webinar to learn how to overcome these challenges and get on the right track for your marketing success.

  • Finding and influencing prospective students and parents
  • Developing a more personal connection with your marketing
  • Generating success outside of your typical digital marketing channels

Lindsy O'connor

Senior Sales Director, Adtaxi

Megan Bucur

Client Services Manager, Strategy, Adtaxi

Networking & Exhibit Hall Break

Networking Event

In Real-Time Only

Designed to end your day with connection and fun.

Day 4

Networking & Exhibit Hall Open

Connect with 40+ solutions providers offering insights and tools to help you make an impact on campus.

Higher Ed Marketer of the Year Awards Ceremony + Panel Discussion

The AMA Foundation Higher Education Marketers of the Year Awards, sponsored by Lipman Hearne, honors extraordinary leadership and achievement in the field of higher education marketing. Join us for an informative panel, moderated by Peter Barber, Executive Vice President, Lipman Hearne, with Higher Education Marketers of the Year Awards recipients as they share their perspective on leading in times of change and pivoting with purpose as the industry continues to evolve. Join us for key takeaways on how their award-winning work can be applied to any organization.

Peter Barber

Executive Vice President, Business and Account Development, Lipman Hearne

Networking & Exhibit Hall Break

Innovation Showcase

Three top industry leaders will present on The Everchanging World of Marketing in Higher Education.  Each presenter will share their thought leadership for 15 minutes, followed by a live Q+A with all three leaders.

How Higher Ed Creatives Can Quickly Pivot Priorities; Presented by: Molly Clark and Elise Hauser, inMotionNow

Automating + Scaling Personalized Enrollment Marketing; Presented by: Ardis Kadiu, Element451

Thinking Cap Agency; Presented by: Tim Gerstmyer

Molly Clark

Director of Marketing, inMotionNow

Elise Hauser

Senior Marketing Manger, Product & Content, inMotionNow

Ardis Kadiu

CEO, Element451

Tim Gerstmyer

President, Thinking Cap Agency

The State of the Institute

In Real-Time Only

Join leaders from a variety of institutions as they discuss the challenges and opportunities of 2020, from COVID and Black Lives Matter to the election and cancel culture, and what they envision as the college experience of 2021 and beyond.

 

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick

President, Howard University

Dr. Ann McElaney-Johnson

President, Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles

Dr. E. Gordon Gee

President, West Virginia University

Roundtable Sessions

In Real-Time Only

The symposium offers a variety of round table discussions to allow attendees the space to discuss, share best practices and expand your understanding on a range of important topics. The sessions are moderated by an experienced discussion facilitator, but the discussion is all yours! Attend one or more round tables and be ready to ask questions, share ideas and dive deep into subjects all while making new contacts.

Topics Include:

  • Marketing to Non-Traditional Students 
  • Grad Programs
  • Colleges of Business
  • Brand Strategy
  • Small Schools
  • Marketing to Underrepresented Students 
  • Women in Leadership
  • Content Strategy
  • New to Higher Ed
  • Social Justice
  • Diversity & Equity
  • Student Recruiting During a Pandemic
  • Social Media Management
  • Marketing Online Programs
  • Ethics of Crisis Communications
  • What Have You Learned: 2020
  • Engaging Alumni and Donors During a Pandemic

On-Demand

Brand & Content Strategy

‘Nontraditional’ Learners Are the New Normal

Higher education today is seldom, if at all, a linear, traditional journey. But why is it still perceived that way?
For some, college begins at one point and takes a break at another, only to begin again years later. For others, college is completed while juggling jobs and parenting responsibilities. And now because of COVID-19, other learners may take a gap year, or transfer to a more affordable school closer to home.


This has always been the norm at Portland State University where the majority of students are nontraditional. It’s time to embrace the fact that nontraditional has become ordinary.

Julie Smith

Director of Marketing at Portland State University

Brand & Content Strategy

The Show Must Go On.

Providing central “air cover” communications to convey your purpose and value—even during a pandemic

Having launched its evolved institutional brand in late January, Purdue understood the need for focus and deliberate content during a global pandemic. While actively communicating about COVID, they launched a campus-wide strategic marketing campaign called “air cover,” utilizing  8 pillars of its core value proposition to guide 400 campus communicators and drive desired brand perceptions, particularly with admitted students and families, during a pivotal yield period.

In this session, you’ll hear from Purdue about how it embraced its new brand platform and digital marketing channels during COVID-19 and how it shaped what they are doing differently campus-wide today.

Bill Faust

Senior Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, Ologie

R. Ethan Braden

Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Purdue University

Audience Engagement

Generating Demand Throughout the Funnel

Generating leads for graduate and online programs is an expensive proposition. Universities are investing significant resources to generate leads, but they often come from one or two primary sources with little consideration for how leads convert through the funnel. In this session we’ll explore a comprehensive lead sources strategy that leverages multiple sources and increases ROI.

Dawn Hiles

Senior Vice President, Ruffalo Noel Levitz

John Pyle

Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President of Enrollment, Webster University

Audience Engagement

Student-Centered Enrollment Communications

According to a recent PwC report, 65% of U.S. customers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising. Young people in particular make decisions based on feelings, emotions and experiences. As marketers, there is a tremendous opportunity to impact enrollment with a personal, student-centered approach to communications with prospective students and families. This session is all about strategies, tips and real-life examples for making your marketing and communications more personalized and human. Spoiler alert: It works! We’ll explain how Siena and other colleges have achieved record freshman enrollment using this approach.

Allison Turcio

Director, Digital Strategy, Siena College

Jeremy Tiers

Director of Admissions Services, Tudor Collegiate Strategies

Audience Engagement

Email Overload: What We Send vs. What Students See

We’re all familiar with email overload and as marketers, we do our best to push out information that is timely, strategic and relevant, not just contributing to the noise. But when we conducted a comprehensive internal email audit of a large, decentralized university, we flipped the lens on traditional marketing metrics—CTRs, open rates, etc.—and asked the question “What are students hearing?” instead of “What are we saying?” The result is a set of insights and best practices for communicating with our most discerning audience: current students.

Jenny McMahon

Director, Marketing and Communications, New York University

Audience Engagement

Lessons of 2020: Sustainable Social Media at UVM

In a world where it’s impossible to know what tomorrow will bring, how can higher ed communicators hope to stay strategic (and sane)? In this session, we’ll share what helped us, the University of Vermont, weather the storm of 2020: a social media strategy centered around an ethos of sustainability. Sustainable social media, which we define as efficient, collaborative, and audience-focused, helped us cultivate community, recruit and retain students, and bolster our reputation in uncertain times. Plus, we’ll share lessons learned that are shaping our plans for the long road ahead.

Andrea Estey

Digital Content Strategist, University of Vermont

Riley Lantz

Digital Content Associate, University of Vermont

Measurement Research

Use Data to Optimize Your Content

Where do you find the real insights in your data and how do you use those to provide measurable changes to content performance? This session will provide specific things to look for in your analytics and data and show you how to improve your content performance based on your findings.

Brian Piper

Director of Content Strategy and Assessment, University of Rochester

Effective Leadership

The Power of Social Media Managers in 2020

Can a social media manager change the course of college’s institutional voice? Columbus College of Art & Design faced vocal criticism from current students and recent alumni over a delayed response to the Black Lives Matter protests in May 2020. CCAD’s social media manager came equipped to present senior leadership with a path forward that involved listening, apologizing and taking action. The result was a bridge that rebuilt trust between students, alumni and the college. In this session, you’ll hear about how including your social media manager in larger key institutional conversations can help save your institution’s reputation.

Jill Moorhead

Vice President for Marketing & Communications, Columbus College of Art & Design

Lisa Steward

Digital Analyst, Columbus College of Art & Design

How-To

The Enrollment-Optimized .edu

College websites are often expected to serve many masters, including prospective students, faculty and nonacademic staff—a fact that virtually guarantees a suboptimal user experience and diminished ROI. The surest route to addressing this problem is rigorous goal-setting, a process that often (and appropriately) results in tuition revenue growth being adopted as the main organizing principle for the .edu. Counterintuitively, this narrow focus helps ensure productive working relationships with the full range of key .edu stakeholders. This presentation shows these ideas in action, via a case study of a website redesign undertaken by Nova Southeastern University in partnership with EAB.

Kamilah Lewis

Director of Accounts and Strategy, EAB

Kyle Fisher

VP for PR and Marketing Communications, Nova Southeastern University

Michael J. Sorrell

President, Paul Quinn College

Ranked on Fortune’s 2018 list of the world’s greatest leaders, Michael Sorrell transformed struggling Paul Quinn College in Dallas into one of the most innovative colleges in America. An attorney and former White House staffer, Sorrell brought a bold new vision to Paul Quinn, focusing on academic rigor, experiential learning and entrepreneurship. He also pioneered what he named the “urban work college model,” based on Paul Quinn’s dramatic success. Inspiring, straight-talking, and with a compelling and hopeful story to tell, Sorrell received a standing ovation at SXSW Education for his dynamic delivery and groundbreaking approaches to reinventing the future of American higher education.

When Sorrell took the helm of Paul Quinn in 2007, enrollment had been declining for more than five years and the college was on the verge of being shut down. Today, it is considered a shining model of urban education and most years, has a waiting list. He bolstered admissions standards, stepped up recruitment, demolished abandoned campus buildings and turned the football field into an organic farm that feeds the neighborhood and the Dallas Cowboys.

Sorrell has received numerous awards and recognition for his civic and educational leadership. He is the only three-time recipient of the HBCU Male President of the Year award and was named one of America’s 10 Most Innovative College Presidents. He also received Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and PUSH/Excel’s Education Leadership Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and the A. Kenneth Pye Award for Excellence in Education from Duke University’s School of Law.

Kim Scott

Author and Co-Founder, Radical Candor

Kim Scott is the author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing your Humanity and the co-founder of Radical Candor LLC. A former CEO coach for several tech companies, including Dropbox, Qualtrics and Twitter, she has also managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo and started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow. In addition to Radical Candor, she is the co-creator of the workplace comedy series and digital learning program The Feedback Loop as well as the author of three novels and the forthcoming leadership book Just Work: Get Sh*t Done, Fast & Fair, available March 16, 2021 from St. Martin’s Press.

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick

President, Howard University

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick was appointed the seventeenth president of Howard University in 2014. He previously served as provost and chief academic officer.  Most recently, the Howard University Board of Trustees selected Dr. Frederick to serve as the distinguished Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery.

Dr. Frederick has advanced Howard University’s commitment to student opportunity, academic innovation, public service, and fiscal stability. He has overseen a series of reform efforts, including the expansion of academic offerings, establishing innovative programs to support student success and the modernization of university facilities.
Dr. Frederick received his B.S and M.D. from Howard University.  Following his post-doctoral research and surgical oncology fellowships at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Frederick began his academic career as associate director of the cancer center at the University of Connecticut. Upon his return to Howard University, his academic positions included associate dean in the College of Medicine, division chief in the Department of Surgery, director of the Cancer Center and deputy provost for Health Sciences. He also earned a Master of Business Administration from Howard University’s School of Business in 2011.

Dr. Frederick is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, abstracts, and editorials and is a widely recognized expert on disparities in healthcare and medical education. His medical research focuses on narrowing racial, ethnic and gender disparities in cancer-care outcomes, especially pertaining to gastrointestinal cancers.

Dr. Frederick was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Humana Inc. He is a member of surgical and medical associations including the American Surgical Association and the American College of Surgeons.

In 2017, he was named “Washingtonian of the Year” by Washingtonian magazine and in 2015 was named “Male President of the Year” by HBCU Digest.

Dr. Ann McElaney-Johnson

President, Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles

Dr. Ann McElaney-Johnson is the 12th president of Mount Saint Mary’s University, the only women’s university in Los Angeles. She has over 30 years of experience and is recognized as a thought leader for the advancement of women and a champion for innovative teaching and learning.  As president, she identified gender equity, wellness, and diversity and inclusion as her top priorities.  She serves on several executive boards including: Chair of the Board for the Women’s College Coalition, Advisory Board Member of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, Member of the Board of St. Joseph Center, Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Vice Chair and Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees for the College of Holy Cross. After majoring in French literature at Holy Cross, she earned a master’s degree in French from Middlebury College and a Ph.D. in French from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. E. Gordon Gee

President, West Virginia University

Currently serving for a second time as president of West Virginia University, Dr. E. Gordon Gee has been a leader in higher education for more than three decades. In 2009 Time magazine named him one of the top 10 university presidents in the United States. Recently, the website Great Value Colleges named him the nation’s top university president. In addition to his service at West Virginia University, Gee served as president of The Ohio State University (twice), Vanderbilt University, Brown University, and the University of Colorado.

Born in Vernal, Utah, Gee graduated from the University of Utah with an honors degree in history and earned his J.D. and Ed.D. degrees from Columbia University. Before starting his career in higher education, he clerked under Chief Justice David T. Lewis of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and was a judicial fellow and staff assistant to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he worked for Chief Justice Warren Burger.

He is the co-author of over a dozen books, including his two most recent, Leading Colleges and Universities and Land-Grant Universities for the Future. He has also authored many papers and articles on law and education. His service on education-governance organizations and commissions is extensive. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the National 4-H Council, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America and Board of Directors of the American Council on Education – the nation’s largest higher education organization. He served as chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors Executive Committee for the 2017-18 year.

Jessica McWade

President, McWade Group

Jessica McWade is President of McWade Group and previously served as EVP, Maguire Associates. She specializes in leader, team, strategy, and brand development. She was also Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications, Raytheon; Director, Corporate Communications, Textron; and Director, Corporate Affairs, BankBoston.

Jessica is past president of the World Affairs Council of Boston and trustee of SEA Education Association. She earned an Ed.D. from George Washington University and also holds degrees from Harvard, NYU, and Boston University.

She’s author of the 2017 book This Moment: Reflections on Leading, Learning, Laughing, and Living and delivered a TEDTalk on leadership in 2018.

Tom Hayes

Dean and Professor of Marketing, Xavier University

Tom Hayes is the Dean and Professor of Marketing at Williams College of Business, Xavier University (42 years), Xavier’s first Director of Institutional Advancement (Marketing) Founder, Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education co-founder, SimpsonScarborough (retired) CASE recipient of Crystal Apple Award for excellence in speaking and Alice Beeman Award for contributions to the field in writing. Author of three books on marketing of higher education, Editor of Journal of Marketing for Higher Education (22 years), Associate Editor (7 years and counting). He has given over 250 presentations including twelve keynote speeches across five continents on the marketing of higher education.

Scott Ochander

Partner, Chief Marketing Officer, Carnegie Dartlet

Scott Ochander pioneered a consensus-building reputation and change management research model in sectors where stakeholders matter, like universities and health care. Now he’s bringing transformation to companies and industries of all shapes and sizes. As a former Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing, Scott is regarded as an expert in reputation and enrollment strategy in higher education. He has substantial international business and partnership development experience and has traveled to and developed business relationships with entities in more than 55 countries. In addition, Scott has worked extensively in brand development, completing hundreds of projects across industries and leading reputation strategy programs at some of the largest and most influential organizations in the nation, demonstrating tangible results that move the needle.

Alex Baranpuria

Co-Founder & Vice President, Ivy Exec

Alex Baranpuria is Co-Founder & Vice President of Ivy Exec, a niche online community of 2.5 million+ global business leaders. Alex launched Ivy Exec’s Higher Education Division in 2012, which serves as a digital marketing channel for over 50 institutions seeking to reach it hard to reach demographic: Experienced business professionals and adult learners. Ivy Exec’s education partners have found the community to be fertile ground for sourcing leads for their offerings and building awareness for their education brands and programs. Alex’s organization provides direct support to recruitment, admissions and marketing teams at business schools, as well as to their agencies. Alex has presented / will be presenting at the following: 2018 & 2020 Executive MBA Council Annual Conference, 2019 Converge Digital Marketing Conference for Higher Education, 2020 GMAC Annual Conference, and the 2020 Quirks Conference for Market Research.

Allison Turcio

Director, Digital Strategy, Siena College

Allison Turcio is Director Digital Strategy at Siena College. She leads the content strategy team and manages integrated marketing campaigns that help Siena achieve its enrollment goals. She has received Marcom, Educational Advertising and Education Digital Marketing awards for her work. In 2020, she was named an Albany Business Review “40 Under 40” and Siena’s Administrative of the Year. She is working on her Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership at Northeastern University. She has a master’s degree in communications from The College of Saint Rose and a bachelor’s degree in English from Siena College.

Amanda Jacobson

Assistant Director of Content Marketing, Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame University

Amanda Jacobson joined the University of Notre Dame in January 2020 as Assistant Director of Content Marketing for the Mendoza College of Business. She has more than eight years’ experience in strategic marketing-communications and news media.


Prior to the University of Notre Dame, she guided development communications and internship program initiatives within the City of South Bend’s arts and culture division; assisted with strategic marketing-communications for the Indiana University Foundation; and worked in marketing for a Penguin-Random House publisher.


She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University-Bloomington in 2011 with dual minors in Spanish and fine arts studies, and an academic specialization in news writing and editing.

Amy Nichols

Content Coordinator for Online Learning, The University of Alabama

Amy Nichols is the Content Coordinator for Online Learning at The University of Alabama. She is responsible for drafting marketing content and executing social strategy. Prior to her current role, she was the Presidential Communications Specialist and managed all of Dr. Stuart R. Bell’s communications, including speeches, public messaging, and correspondence.

Nichols has her bachelor’s in English and master’s in communication studies and is currently working toward her Doctor of Education in higher education administration. She has two children and looks forward to exploring the experiences of online students who are mothers in her doctoral research.

Andrea Estey

Digital Content Strategist, University of Vermont

As Digital Content Strategist at the University of Vermont, Andrea Estey brings the stories of UVM to life online. Since 2016, Andrea has pioneered an integrated approach on digital channels, managing the university’s editorial content and overseeing the strategy of its flagship social media. She works with communicators around campus to craft sustainable, audience-focused campaigns. UVM’s Instagram has been ranked among the top five most engaging DI school accounts for four years running, with a strategy centered on user-generated content. Her background is in copywriting and mission-driven communications.

Andrea Kruszka

Director, Strategy & Accounts, SimpsonScarborough

Andrea leads research, strategy, and creative projects that help clients make decisions based on data-driven insights.

American University (M.A. Public Communications)
University of Alabama, Huntsville (B.A. Communications and Spanish)

Andrea Shaw

Assistant Dean of Marketing & Communication at the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

For over 25 years, Andrea Shaw has been involved in the educational arena with experience in University Marketing, Admissions, Career, and Student Services as well as Educational Publishing and Technology in both the non-profit and for-profit markets. At Santa Clara University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Andrea is the Assistant Dean of Marketing & Communication at the Leavey School of Business, driving the values of a Jesuit education grounded in compassion and conscious living. She currently teaches Marketing Strategy at Southern New Hampshire University and has taught Marketing Strategy and Organizational Behavior at the University of the Pacific and Babson College. She has an Economics degree from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Virginia. 

Andres Zapata

EVP of Strategy, idfive

Andres ensures progress through communication-based on connection, understanding, and clarity. He has actively led interactive projects for clients such as The Johns Hopkins University, Cornell University, the University of Maryland, Colgate University. 


In addition to leading idfive, Andres teaches User Experience and Interaction Design for the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Graphic Design MFA program.

Andres was a recipient of the American Marketing Association’s “4 Under 40 Emerging Leaders” award, has an MBA from Johns Hopkins and is pursuing a Doctorate in Information and Interaction Design. 

Andrew McDaniel

Associate Marketing and Communications Director for Student Affairs, UC Davis

Andrew McDaniel is an award-winning marketing and communications professional with a penchant for storytelling across multiple channels and platforms. He has a BA in communications from Flagler College and certificates in journalism and management from Georgetown University and the University of California, Davis.


Andrew has worked in journalism, marketing, public relations and communications. He has written more than 600 articles, produced 23 nationally-syndicated radio documentaries and has written advertising copy for international companies, including Chiquita and Ocean Spray.

Currently serving as Associate Marketing and Communications Director for the Division of Student Affairs at UC Davis, Andrew co-led the launch of UC Davis’ first Sexual Violence Education and Awareness campaign in 2016 and the UC Davis NOW mobile app in 2018.

Arbazz Nizami

Digital Marketing Manager, Claremont Lincoln University

Arbazz is an award-winning higher education marketer and social entrepreneur. He is the Digital Marketing & Analytics Manager at Claremont Lincoln University, Arbazz has earned his stripes as a master of social media marketing, lead generation, analytics, and taking advantage of the micro-moment. He is also the Founding President of Sahaba Initiative, a nonprofit he began at the age of 17 to provide low-income families with financial assistance, food, and a support network to overcome poverty in San Bernardino, the second largest poorest county in the US. His organization has provided over 500,000 meals and over $450,000 to low income families.

Bill Faust

Senior Partner and Chief Strategy Officer, Ologie

Bill oversees the research and strategy function at Ologie. In this role he works with clients to help them uncover market insights and effectively position their brands. With a unique background in design, research, and business, he spends most of his time developing research studies and corresponding strategies that improve enrollment, alumni and donor engagement, and institutional reputation. He has worked with a wide range of institutions, including Elon University, Virginia Tech, Purdue University, Kenyon College, College of William and Mary, Grinnell College, and Northwestern University.

Prior to Ologie, Bill spent 12 years at global branding agency Fitch Worldwide, ultimately as North American CEO, where he oversaw more than 300 consultants in offices from Boston to Seattle. He holds a bachelor’s degree in design from The Ohio State University and an MBA from OSU’s Fisher College of Business.

Brian Piper

Director of Content Strategy and Assessment, University of Rochester

Brian Piper is Director of Content Strategy and Assessment for the University of Rochester Department of Communications. Brian has been doing SEO and web content development since 1996. He has created online training programs for hundreds of companies including Xerox, Carestream, Kodak and Volvo. He has spent the last six years focusing on data analytics, digital marketing and content strategy.


When he’s not creating data visualizations, he teaches wingsuit skydiving and spends time with his wife and six children. 

Brian Tierney

CEO, Brian Communications

As CEO of Brian Communications, a national strategic communications agency, Brian has worked with the University of Chicago, Villanova University, Saint Joseph’s University, and University of Pennsylvania. Other major companies represented include Uber, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, PokerStars and Independence Health Group.

A sought-after marketing executive, Brian regularly offers advice to the higher education industry in national outlets. He is Chairman of the Poynter Institute which provides training to 100,000+ journalists each year, former publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News and former Entrepreneur in Residence at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Christian Carl

Executive Creative Director, 160over90

As Executive Creative Director at 160over90, Christian leads creative on major accounts including the University of Arizona and Anheuser-Busch. Christian joined after 4 years of heading up the Global Dell account at Y&R New York. Prior to that, he was the ECD at Havas leading the work for Dos Equis, New York Life, Charles Schwab, and ASUS. Before New York, he was at Arnold in Boston where he worked on Volkswagen, Volvo, Timberland, and Ocean Spray. He’s won Cannes Lions, Clios, Effies, and a Yellow Pencil.

Dan Antonson

Associate Director, Marketing Technology & Analytics, Collegis Education

Dan helps higher education institutions leverage marketing technology to grow enrollment. Dan knows higher education data and the technology systems that create and drive insight. His role at Collegis allows him to connect and activate data. Dan has more than 10 years of experience in digital analytics, marketing attribution and measurement, and he has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Minnesota.

David Demarest

Professor, Former Vice President for Public Affairs, Stanford University

David Demarest has enjoyed a distinguished career in both the private and public sector. He currently serves as Senior Advisor at Brian Communications, overseeing higher education marketing efforts.

As Stanford University’s Vice President for Public Affairs, David spent 14 years leading government relations, community affairs and communications.

David continues to teach at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business on leadership, strategy and communications. He lectures in Stanford’s Executive Education program for business leaders and teaches an undergraduate course, Making Sense of Strategy.

Formerly, David led corporate communications at Bank of America and Visa and served as the White House communications director.

Dawn Hiles

Senior Vice President, Ruffalo Noel Levitz

Before joining RNL in 2013, Dawn Hiles served as vice president of enrollment management and dean of admissions at Drury University (MO). While in this role, and she credits the RNL partnership as an integral factor in achieving record-breaking results.

During her time as vice president for enrollment management, Drury
experienced the three highest years of enrollment in the university’s
138 year history, while simultaneously increasing the class profile and
net tuition revenue.

Additionally, she brings perspective from her training at the
Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard
University and her selection as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. This unique combination of experiences provides Ms. Hiles with tremendous insight into the complexities of higher education and the role of campus leadership. She brings a data-driven approach to identifying solutions and strategies that benefit the entire institution.

Deborah Kohl

Professor, University of Baltimore

With over four decades of research experience in brain-behavior relationships, Dr. Kohl puts her training (MD and Ph.D.) to work every day as she studies the relationship between the brain and user behavior.

Dr. Kohl earned her Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, with a specialization in cognitive neuropsychology, from The Johns Hopkins University, and teaches user interface and interaction at the University of Baltimore. 

Elizabeth Johnson

Chairman, SimpsonScarborough

Elizabeth Johnson founded SimpsonScarborough in 2006 with the vision of creating a higher ed marketing agency that puts research at the center of marketing strategies. Over the last 30 years, Elizabeth has helped more than 300 institutions research, develop, and implement plans to increase visibility, strengthen enrollment, raise money, and advance higher ed brands —from flagship universities and Ivy League institutions to small liberal arts colleges and regional state schools.

She is a staunch advocate for the role of CMO within higher ed and the need to integrate marketing across the enterprise for colleges and universities to thrive despite the many challenges facing the industry. Elizabeth is a trusted resource within the higher education marketing community, having presented more than 200 workshops and papers at a veritable alphabet soup of higher education-related conferences and symposia, and chairing the American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education from 2007-2011.

Her work is fueled by an enduring belief that higher ed changes the world, and that US colleges and universities play an essential role in solving the world’s most pressing problems —like curing cancer, alleviating poverty, and ending systemic racism. Elizabeth is a proud alumnus of James Madison University where she earned her B.S. in Mathematics and Fordham University where she earned her M.B.A. with a concentration in Marketing.

Emily Doerr Offerdahl

Director of Marketing and Communications, Undergraduate Admissions, Portland State University

Emily is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Portland State’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions and oversees admissions marketing and communications, campus visits, and new student programs. She has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Willamette University and a master’s degree in Strategic Communications from American University. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, serving in the Kayes region of Mali from 2007 to 2009. She previously held positions at the Foreign Agricultural Service at the USDA and USAID. She ran digital communications for the successful campaign to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in Oregon. She lives in Portland with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Eric Page

VP Enrollment and Marketing Strategy, Carnegie Dartlet

With more than 15 years of experience leading and executing cutting-edge communications and marketing strategy, Eric Page brings a bold approach to identifying solutions for Carnegie Dartlet’s clients. He has expertise in strategic planning, organizational dynamics, higher education enrollment and marketing, media and public relations, digital marketing, social media, website design, storytelling, and content marketing strategy. Eric previously led the admission recruitment and marketing team at the University of Iowa, where he engineered a 17% growth in enrollment over a two-year period. He holds a BS in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls as well as a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from St. Ambrose University.

Georgiana Cohen

Director of Digital Strategy, OHO Interactive

Georgy Cohen has spent nearly 20 years wrangling digital content for universities, newspapers, and a host of other organizations. She is director of digital strategy at OHO Interactive, a full-service digital agency based in the Boston area. Georgy previously worked at Tufts University and Suffolk University, in addition to running her own independent consultancy to higher education. She speaks frequently, including keynote addresses at HighEdWeb Pittsburgh 2014 and HighEdWeb Arkansas 2011. Georgy’s background is in journalism, including a three-year stint working in the fast-paced online newsroom of The Boston Globe.

Hailey McKee

Director of External Affairs, Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Hailey McKee is a second-year graduate student at Boston University studying public relations. She serves as a public relations manager for the F*ck It Won’t Cut It campaign and is the Director of External Affairs for PRLab, the nation’s oldest student-led PR agency. Originally from Dyersburg, Tennessee, Hailey earned a Bachelor of Arts in public policy and a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism from the University of Mississippi in May 2019. After graduation from Boston University in December, Hailey will seek public relations opportunities in Washington, D.C.

Hannah Schweitzer

Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Hannah Schweitzer is an undergraduate senior at Boston University studying advertising with a minor in history from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She serves as the strategist and project manager on the F*ck It Won’t Cut It campaign and is the president of BU’s student-run ad agency, AdLab. Previously, she served as AdLab’s VP of Strategy. While interning at various agencies, Hannah has produced work for clients including Burger King, U.S. Department of Defense, Gorton’s Seafood, Visit Colonial Williamsburg, Travis Roy Foundation, and Rogel Cancer Center. Hannah will graduate in December 2020.

Hannah Schweitzer is an undergraduate senior at Boston University studying advertising with a minor in history from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She serves as the strategist and project manager on the F*ck It Won’t Cut It campaign and is the president of BU’s student-run ad agency, AdLab. Previously, she served as AdLab’s VP of Strategy. While interning at various agencies, Hannah has produced work for clients including Burger King, U.S. Department of Defense, Gorton’s Seafood, Visit Colonial Williamsburg, Travis Roy Foundation, and Rogel Cancer Center. Hannah will graduate in December 2020.

Janet Marling

Executive Director, National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students

Janet has been affiliated with NISTS since its establishment in 2002 and has researched, written, and presented about transfer student success extensively. She was named executive director in 2011, and from 2014-2017 also served as Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at the University of North Georgia. Janet is a past appointed Board Member for the National Association for College Counseling (NACAC) and is an affiliate member of the Council for Standards in Higher Education (CAS). Janet holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of North Texas, an M.S. in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a B.S. in psychology from Texas Christian University.

Jason Simon

CEO, SimpsonScarborough

Jason loves figuring out complex organizations, telling their stories, and driving change and examination. With more than 15 years of experience leading marketing efforts in higher education, his expertise in brand strategy and positioning was recognized by the American Marketing Association (AMA) when he was named Higher Education Marketer of the Year in 2013.

In addition to corporate and agency branding experience, Jason previously served in marketing communications leadership roles for the University of California System and North Carolina State University. In both roles, he launched ground-up efforts to build a case for marketing, assemble and guide successful internal teams, and establish brand and positioning strategies.

Jason is a graduate of North Carolina State University where he earned his B.A. in Communication. 

Jennifer Vaughn

Senior Designer for Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at UC Davis

Jenn Vaughn worked for boutique design agencies, startups and Fortune 500 companies before pursuing her dream job in higher education. As Senior Designer for Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at UC Davis, she leads brand strategy across all divisional departments, channels and segments. A first-generation college student, Jenn earned a BA in public communication from American University.

For 20 years, Jenn has art-directed integrated marketing campaigns across print, digital and social and led rebranding efforts for large-scale, corporate identity systems. Jenn has won numerous marketing and higher education awards, including CASE District VII Circle of Excellence’s highest honor, Grand Gold.

Jenny Brower

President, Mindpower Inc.

Jenny joined Mindpower over a decade ago and, today, serves as its President and Co-Principal. A strategist, talent cultivator and connector at heart, she is heavily involved in many Mindpower client engagements. For over 15 years Jenny has partnered with institutions coast-to-coast, from large public universities to small liberal arts colleges, leading major brand-building and campaign initiatives. A graduate of Vanderbilt in Spanish and Fine Arts, Jenny has spent her career in publishing, talent management and agency work. She is based in Atlanta, but travels (and Zooms) extensively to serve her clients and team throughout the year.

Jenny has presented at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, CASE III, GISA, Index Conference, National Coalition for Girls’ School Conference, and NAIS. She is a past member of the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education steering committee. 

Jenny McMahon

Director, Marketing and Communications, New York University

Jenny is a strategic marketer who has spent the last ten years in marketing roles at New York University working across the student lifecycle. She draws on data-driven insights to craft compelling brand narratives, and seeks to communicate complex institutional priorities as engaging brand experiences.

Early in her career, Jenny had the distinct honor of working to recruit the inaugural classes of NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai, and has lead marketing efforts for the most-applied-to private University in the United States for the past 5 years.

Jenny holds an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business, an MA from the American University of Paris, and a BA from NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Studies

Jeremy Tiers

Director of Admissions Services, Tudor Collegiate Strategies

Jeremy Tiers is the Director of Admissions Services for Tudor Collegiate Strategies (TCS) and leads their efforts in partnering with colleges and universities across the country. Over the past six years he has helped thousands of admission and marketing professionals grow and improve through comprehensive training workshops. TCS also creates personalized enrollment communications that help colleges increase engagement, and be more relational and less transactional.

Jeremy has spoken at, and been the keynote speaker for, numerous
NACAC affiliate conferences. He’s also spoken multiple times at the NACAC National Conference, eduWeb Digital Summit, is a frequent guest on Higher Ed webinars and podcasts, and is the editor of a well-known weekly college admissions and marketing email newsletter.

Jessika White

Marketing Manager, Online Learning, The University of Alabama

Jessika White is a Marketing Manager for the division of Online Learning at The University of Alabama, where she is responsible for the strategic direction of business and education programs.

Most recently, White served as the Communications Specialist for The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations, where she led award-winning campaigns. Before that, White served as the Communications Specialist for the Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission, where she implemented strategies focused on enhancing economic development through destination promotion.

White, a two-time graduate of The University of Alabama, holds a master’s in Sport Management and bachelor’s in Telecommunication and Film.

Jill Moorhead

Vice President for Marketing & Communications, Columbus College of Art & Design

Jill Moorhead became Columbus College of Art & Design’s Vice President for Marketing & Communications in March 2019 after serving as the college’s Creative Director and Executive Director of Marketing & Communications. She built the college’s marketing team and has helped to produce award-winning content, develop effective digital marketing strategies, and launch several websites.Moorhead’s retail marketing background includes work at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and The Hills Markets. She is an award-winning writer and serves on multiple nonprofit boards. She completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher training program in 2020 and received a bachelor’s degree in Interactive Multimedia from the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University.

Joffery Gaymon

VP for Enrollment, Auburn University

Joffery Gaymon serves as Vice President for Enrollment at Auburn University. Gaymon provides vision and leadership to Auburn’s student recruitment and enrollment efforts, including strategic direction, oversight, and support to admissions and scholarship administration. Gaymon joins Auburn from the University of West Florida, where she served as vice president for enrollment and student affairs. Under her leadership, enrollment grew, student test scores improved and retention of first-time college students increased. Gaymon implemented many innovative initiatives while at West Florida, leveraging technology to improve communication with prospective students, increase departmental efficiencies and empower student success. 


Gaymon received a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public administration from Georgia College and State University and a doctorate in higher education administration from Northeastern University. She also completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at the Harvard School of Education.

John Kiralla

SVP, Marketing, Communications, External Relations at Loyola Marymount University

John Kiralla is Loyola Marymount University’s spokesperson and oversees marketing, communications, external relations, and public affairs functions and strategies. His division leads teams that improve relationships with internal and external stakeholders, elevate the university’s reputation, advance the university’s visibility efforts, and position its brand for global impact, including: communications, marketing, media, and public relations, government and public affairs, crisis communications, internal communications, web, and digital solutions, creative and design, and the university’s radio stations. 

Kiralla and the LMU MarComm team have been honored for their work on LMU.edu, social media, and other MarComm products by the Webbys, CASE, Graphis, W3, AMA, SPD, UCDA, and other international awarding bodies. LMU Magazine, the nation’s most recognized university magazine, has received over 47 awards since 2011.

John Pyle

Chief Innovation Officer and Vice President of Enrollment, Webster University

As the chief innovation officer, John grows approaches to innovation across the university with its services, programs and campuses to foster ongoing enrollment and revenue growth. John also advances approaches to business incubation, entrepreneurship, strategy execution, partnerships and joint venture development to competitively position Webster in the rapidly changing higher education sector. John also served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Vice President of Enrollment at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and similar roles at Aurora University and Hamline University.

Joseph Sallustio

EVP, Chief Operating Officer, Claremont Lincoln University

Dr. Joe Sallustio has brought his leadership to a broad range of educational institutions including a regionally accredited non-profit university, a regionally accredited for-profit university, and a nationally accredited for-profit college, giving him a unique and effective breadth of knowledge in higher education administration. In today’s ever-evolving and competitive higher education landscape, this diversity of experience is necessary to successfully lead a university into the future.

With nearly two decades of experience in higher education operations, Joe has led teams in marketing, enrollment, finance, financial aid, student services, student affairs, human resources, accreditation/Title IV compliance, business-to-businesses relationships, and product strategy for on-ground and online universities. Specifically, his extensive experience in scaling marketing and enrollment activities have driven the success of many of the institutions he has served.

Joe received his Ed.D. in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University.

Julie Smith

Director of Marketing at Portland State University

Julie Smith is the Director of Marketing at Portland State University. She leads brand marketing efforts that support the university’s strategic goals, enhance its reputation, and inspire enrollment, engagement and investment in Oregon’s leading urban research institution.

Smith values collaboration with campus stakeholders and is dedicated to helping improve college access and attainment for students from underserved communities. In partnership with admissions, her team implements holistic campaigns that weave brand, digital, content, social, advertising, earned media and recruitment communication. Smith’s team won dozens of industry awards including a Gold Medal for the successful “Four Years Free” campaign from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).


Smith also launched PSU Online in partnership with PSU’s Office of Academic Innovation to expand enrollment through flexible and online degree programs. And, she developed the Let Knowledge Serve marketing campaign in 2016 that helped raise $50 million to transform lives.

Kamilah Lewis

Director of Accounts and Strategy, EAB

Kamilah Lewis is Director of Accounts and Strategy for EAB’s Agency Services division, a full-service firm specializing in college and university marketing. Kamilah’s purview includes the full spectrum of the Agency’s digital offerings, including the design, implementation, and management of college websites.


Kamilah’s background includes a long and distinguished career in brand management. Across the past 15 years, she has worked on the client side as a brand manager for some of the world’s top consumer brands and on the agency side leading launches, advertising campaigns, and PR initiatives for brands such as Excedrin, PediaCare, Summer’s Eve, VSL#3, Fleet Laboratories, and more than 50 small businesses from multiple industries.


Kamilah holds an MBA with a concentration in brand advertising. Her other distinctions include two Sabre Awards for family-focused digital advertising campaigns.

Kevin Kropf

EVP of Enrollment Management, Drury University

Kevin Kropf has worked in higher education for over 26 years including positions at Baldwin Wallace University, Albion College, Hendrix College, and Baker University. In 2016, Kevin joined Drury University and has overseen a 13% increase in undergraduate enrollment during his tenure. Kevin is known for developing admission professionals and enhancing campus visit programs to increase the authenticity of the experience. Kevin holds degrees from Kenyon College, Baldwin Wallace University and his doctorate from Baker University. Kevin, his wife Meredith and three children reside in Ozark and enjoy visiting National Parks, reading, and sports of all kinds.

Kim West

Chief Marketing Strategist, University of Missouri - Kansas City

At the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kim West leverages her lifelong career in marketing everything from small businesses to corporations to nonprofit organizations. As Chief Marketing Strategist for UMKC, Kim leads overall university marketing including strategic planning support, marketing communications planning, brand integrity, integrated marketing efforts, online marketing initiatives, market research, and more. Kim collaborates across the university with departments to ensure enrollment and marketing goals are met, projects are kept on budget, and actionable insights are leveraged against the university’s objectives.

Kirsten Fedderke

Senior Vice President and Board Chair, Lipman Hearne

Kirsten is a Senior Vice President and Board Chair at Lipman Hearne. She leads the agency’s enrollment marketing practice, helping colleges and universities from across the country better connect with their key audiences. She regularly provides strategic counsel on diversity and more to a wide range of clients, including Northern Arizona University, the University of New Orleans, Rutgers University, University of Dayton, Mercer University, and the University of Iowa Law School.

Kristen Creighton

AVP, Strategy & Accounts, SimpsonScarborough

Kristen leads institutions through complex integrated projects, shaping research studies, revealing the hearts of brands and developing strategies that allow them to reach the right audiences.

Northwestern University (M.S. Journalism)
James Madison University (B.A. Communications)

Kyle Fisher

VP for PR and Marketing Communications, Nova Southeastern University

A member of Nova Southeastern University’s senior management team, Kyle provides strategic and integrated public relations counsel, planning, and leadership in the areas of branding, institutional visibility, enrollment marketing, advertising, Web and social media, internal communications, advancement communications, crisis communications and public relations. She and her team are responsible for defining NSU’s brand strategy and building robust partnerships with internal and external audiences to advance the university’s strategic goals, mission and vision. Key priorities include collaborating with university officers, deans, and enrollment leaders to attract and enroll qualified prospective students to NSU’s bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and professional-degree programs. Kyle also partners with NSU’s Division of Advancement and Community Relations to promote the school’s recently launched philanthropic campaign, Realizing Potential, the largest such campaign in the university’s history. A true believer in lifelong learning, Kyle is certified in SCUBA and is a high-performance road-track driving enthusiast.

Kyle Henley

VP, University Communications, University of Oregon

Kyle Henley is a veteran communications leader who became vice president for university communications in September 2015. His portfolio includes brand management, development communications, digital communications, marketing communications, public affairs communications, and KWAX, the university’s classical music radio station.

Henley came to the UO from Colorado State University, where he was assistant vice president for strategic communications. He was an award-winning journalist for more than a decade before moving into public relations and communications, with experience in both the corporate world and agency environment. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications at Northern Colorado University.

At Oregon, Henley is charged with communicating the university’s academic excellence to a broader audience, sharing stories of research and faculty achievement with the world.

Lisa DeBiasi

Research Director, Univision Chicago

Lisa DeBiasi is the Research Director for Univision Chicago Local Media’s TV, radio and digital properties. She has worked in the media and market research space for the past 15 years with a focus on TV, radio and digital audience analytics, local market research and consumer insights. Lisa holds a BS in Consumer Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Lisa Steward

Digital Analyst, Columbus College of Art & Design

Lisa Steward (they/them) is a Digital Analyst at Columbus College of Art & Design. They manage the institutional social media accounts as well as provide comprehensive analytics to departments across the college. Lisa started their career as a Community Manager for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams and now has 10 years of experience in social media and crisis management. They take a very customer-centered approach to managing an online voice for the college.

Liz Gross

Founder, CEO, Campus Sonar

Dr. Liz Gross is a data-driven educator who specializes in creating entrepreneurial social media strategies in higher education. She helps colleges and universities launch modern market research strategies using social listening. Liz is the founder and CEO of Campus Sonar, a specialized social listening agency that matches high-value social media intelligence and engagement opportunities to organizational strategic initiatives.

Liz is also an award-winning speaker, author and strategist who was named to the 2019 GRIT Future List, and a 2018 Mover and Shaker by Social Shake-Up Show.

Liz has more than 15 years’ experience spanning the private and public sector. She received a Ph.D. in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education at Cardinal Stritch University, a master’s degree in educational policy and leadership from Marquette University, and a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Mac Wylie

Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Mac Wylie is a recent graduate of Boston University. In May of 2020, he received his undergraduate degree in Advertising. He serves as one of the Art Directors for the F*ck It Won’t Cut It campaign. He was previously employed as a Creative Intern at the Boston run agency Connelly Partners working for various clients such as Gortons Seafood, The New England Aquarium, Alfresco, & Kayem Meats. He was born & raised in Saint Peters, Missouri, and moved to Boston to attend Boston University in 2016.

Mary Baglivo

VP for University Relations, Pace University

Mary Baglivo began her role as Vice President for University Relations at Pace University in January 2020. Prior to joining Pace, she founded The Baglivo Group, a brand consultancy for higher education, not-for-profit, and commercial organizations. Her previous higher education roles included Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing at Rutgers University and CMO and VP of Global Marketing at Northwestern University. Before her work in higher education, Mary had a 30-year career in advertising and held CEO positions at Saatchi & Saatchi, Arnold and J Walter Thompson.


In 2011, Mary received the AAF Diversity Achievement Award, Industry Career Achiever, and in 2006 was named New York Advertising Woman of the Year by the Advertising Women of New York.

Mary holds an MS in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University, Medill School, and a BA in English, Phi Beta Kappa from Rutgers.

Matthew Walters

VP of Client Services, VisionPoint Marketing

As Vice President of Client Services at VisionPoint Marketing, Matt wears multiple hats. He’s ultimately responsible for ensuring VisionPoint’s team delivers extraordinary work and customer service across all our client projects. Additionally, Matt’s a gifted content strategist and consultant who helps clients devise and implement integrated strategies that give their content direction and purpose. Matt also contributes to VisionPoint’s conference presentations around the country, speaking on content strategy, integrated marketing and website governance, among other timely and relevant subjects.

Meredith Simpson

AVP, Research, SimpsonScarborough

Meredith leverages custom research that leads to meaningful and actionable data to solve problems, answer difficult questions, and drive strategic decision-making.

University of Richmond (B.S. in Business Administration)

Peter Barber

Executive Vice President, Business and Account Development, Lipman Hearne

Peter Barber is a nationally recognized marketing professional with nearly 30 years of leadership experience at global agencies and in education-related and nonprofit organizations. As executive vice president, Peter plays an integral role in leading client engagements and agency marketing efforts. Additionally, he oversees the internal efforts of the Business Development team. Prior to joining Lipman Hearne, Peter served for seven years as vice president and account director at DDB Chicago where he was responsible for marketing and strategic leadership on the McDonald’s account. He also managed the agency’s pro bono programs, including the “Get Your GED” effort in collaboration with the Ad Council and the American Council on Education. Additionally, Peter has worked with several major agencies and companies, including Bozell Chicago, Life Fitness, Budget Rent a Car Corporation and Leo Burnett.

R. Ethan Braden

Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Purdue University

R. Ethan Braden serves as Senior Vice President and the chief marketing officer at Purdue University. Ranked the #6 most innovative school in America by US News and World Report, Ethan leads a marketing and communications community of more than 300 individuals in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap by passionately positioning, promoting and preserving the precious Purdue University brand worldwide.

Previous to Purdue, Ethan worked for Eli Lilly & Company where he served in a variety of senior marketing and sales leadership roles, managing some of Lilly’s and the pharmaceutical industry’s most successful, life-changing brands.

Ethan earned his MBA from the University of Notre Dame and his bachelor’s degree from Willamette University.

Riley Lantz

Digital Content Associate, University of Vermont

As Digital Content Associate at the University of Vermont, Riley Lantz serves as the primary manager behind UVM’s award-winning flagship social media channels. Since joining the UVM central communications team in May, Riley has played an integral role in developing the university’s COVID-19 social media strategy while continuing to focus on community building, brand awareness and reputation management. She works closely with communication partners around campus and provides expertise in social media metrics and creative content development. Riley’s digital marketing experience comes from working in the outdoor industry, but she brings her passion to higher education as a UVM alumnus.

Rina Dakanay

Marketing and Communications Manager, Claremont Lincoln University

Rina Dakanay partners with higher ed institutions, small businesses and non profit organizations to amplify their brand and communities online and off. She has spent over a decade working in PR and Marketing and has worked part time as an Advertising Instructor.  She is the Marketing Communications Manager at Claremont Lincoln University – part of the (AMA) American Marketing Association’s marketing team of the year.  Rina believes in the power of empathy and storytelling–that one’s life experiences are meant to be shared to help and engage with others, and that one’s unique gifts and talents can make a direct impact in their communities and in shaping the lives of others–particularly the youth, who are awakening to their own potential and champion inside.

Rina is a proud Inland Empire native and first-generation Pilipina-American.  Her social impact work focuses on youth employability, inclusion, and diversity through her service on the Board of Directors for the Youth Action Project (YAP) in San Bernardino, CA and on the Advisory Council for the Center Against Racism and Trauma (CART) in Riverside, CA.  She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from UC Irvine, her MBA from University of Redlands, and is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Education from the American College of Education in Instructional Technology.

Shubhangi Verma

Boston University AdLab/PRLab

Shubhangi Verma is a graduate student pursuing her Masters in Advertising at Boston University, from Dubai, UAE. She serves as the social media strategist for the F*ck It Won’t Cut It campaign and is the Director of Strategy for AdLab, a student-run advertising agency at BU, where she oversees accounts like Hill Holliday, AMP Agency, Hasbro and Full Contact. Over the Spring semester, she gained recognition from the One Club for her work on The North Face. Originally from India, she completed her Bachelor’s in Business Administration majoring in Marketing and Human Resource Management from Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies, in Pune, India. Shubhangi will graduate in December 2020.

Steve Moore

SVP, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, University of Arizona

Steve Moore is responsible for the strategic communication of university accomplishments to a diverse group of stakeholders and for building an influential brand that motivates the students, faculty, staff and supporters to become part of the effort to advance the Arizona enterprise.

He was the first chief marketing officer at Texas A&M University and vice chancellor of marketing and communications for the Texas A&M System. Moore also served as vice president of communications, marketing, public relations and public affairs at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Moore began his corporate marketing career with Coca-Cola. His successes included initiating Coca-Cola’s first NASCAR team sponsorship and the company’s foray into English soccer. While working for IMG, a sports marketing agency, he led the research, sales and marketing for the redevelopment of London’s Wembley Stadium, an $800 million enterprise that was IMG’s second-largest venture and its first successful international seat license program.

Steven Partridge

VP for Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation, Northern Virginia Community College

As Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Innovation at the nation’s second largest community college, Steven collaborates with businesses, government entities, educational leaders, and non-profit drivers to extend the reach of NOVA’s workforce development division to regional partners. In his time at NOVA, Steven has successfully rebranded NOVA’s workforce development program and launched new pathways for the division to expand and continue increasing NOVA’s brand awareness. 

Tim Bohling

Chief Marketing Officer, Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame University

Timothy Bohling joined the Mendoza College of Business in January 2019 as Teaching Professor of Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer.


Previously, he served as Marketing Professor of Practice and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at George State University’s Robinson College of Business.

Tim is an accomplished global business leader, educator and scholar, having held several Vice President and C-suite positions leading marketing transformation and entrepreneurial business-building at IBM, HCL Technologies, Stratasys and Georgia State University.

Tim presented at the 2019 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education and is published in a number of scholarly journals including Marketing Science and the Journal of Marketing Research. He earned his executive doctorate in business from Georgia State University and holds both an MBA and BBA from the University of Houston.

Timothy Hussey

Chief Communications Officer, Harvey Mudd College

For nearly eight years, Timothy Hussey has served as Harvey Mudd College’s Chief Communications Officer, serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet and overseeing all branding and marketing, communications and public relations efforts.

Prior to joining Harvey Mudd, Hussey spent five years as senior director of communications and marketing for Emory’s School of Law. Over the past 25 years, Hussey has worked for a variety of organizations, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Agnes Scott College, Southern Polytechnic State University, Georgia State University and Troy University.

Hussey has served as a presenter at many conferences on topics ranging from branding to Web writing to reaching international audiences through interactive advertising. He is a member of PRSA, CASE and AMA.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Troy University in Troy, Alabama, majoring in print journalism with a public relations contract.

Tony Dobies

Senior Director of Marketing, West Virginia University

As the Senior Director of Marketing at West Virginia University, Tony Dobies has positioned the University as a leader in creative marketing and social media. He is a vocal advocate for new and innovative approaches to marketing in higher education and has spoken at numerous national conferences on the importance of social media in marketing and communications.

At WVU, he leads a team of talented social media managers, market researchers, advertisers, marketing strategists, brand and trademark licensing experts. Together with his team, he designs and manages marketing projects and initiatives to help reach the University’s highest goals, especially in regard to recruitment.

In 2015, he was named a “30 under 30 Rising PR Star” by PR News. He graduated from WVU in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and again in 2017 with a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications. 

Voltaire Santos Miran

Chief Executive Officer, Head of Client Experience, mStoner

Voltaire shapes all aspects of mStoner’s individual projects, overall planning, and company-wide management in his role as Chief Executive Officer and Head of Client Experience. A natural storyteller, Voltaire enjoys teaching others how to tell stories and using his expertise in information architecture, content strategy, and governance to move institutions from a project mindset to a process mindset. Voltaire spent 10 years in development and alumni relations working on print publications, alumni magazines, capital campaigns, and website launches before starting mStoner with Michael Stoner and another business partner. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern University and his MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

Marvin Oey

Senior Solutions Engineer, Acquia

Over the course of Marvin Oey’s career as a Civil Engineer and a Solution Architect, he has had the opportunity to interact with technologists in all sectors – from startups to large enterprises across industries and with all levels of government. He enjoys digging in technically to deepen his understanding of an organization’s current and desired states and required capabilities to help develop solutions that will help them succeed. He builds trusted advisory relationships with customers and partners, whether it is leading a whiteboarding session in front of a CMO, enabling partners on a technical solutions, or building or delivering custom demos.

Matt Cyr

VP of Strategic Practices and Managing Director of Education, Primacy

Matt Cyr is VP of Strategic Practices and Managing Director of Education at Primacy, where he is responsible for helping the agency’s college and university clients successful—from branding and website redesigns to enrollment marketing and beyond. He has worked with a wide variety of schools, including UCL (University College London), MIT, Rice, Cornell and Boston College. Matt previously led digital marketing and strategy efforts at Clark University, Northeastern University and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Charles Ramos

Vice President, Graduate and Online Enrollment Management, RNL

Charles Ramos is a veteran of higher education, with over 24 years of experience as an enrollment professional and consultant. He has affected positive change that has equated to increased enrollment and sustainable revenue growth in the undergraduate, graduate, online and non-traditional markets for over 100 institutions across the United States and Canada. He started his career at Saint Louis University where he began building his enrollment management expertise. Through time spent as vice president at Ruffalo Noel Levitz and in outreach services at ACT, Inc., he was deeply immersed in consulting in the areas of recruitment, retention and strategic enrollment management, as well as managing some of the largest partnerships for RNL.

Charles has both his BA (History) and MA (Higher Education Administration) from Saint Louis University. He is bilingual and welcomes conversations in either English or Spanish. He currently lives in Des Moines, Iowa with his wife and two young children.

Dawn Hiles

Senior Vice President, RNL

Before joining RNL in 2013, Dawn Hiles served as vice president of enrollment management and dean of admissions at Drury University (MO), where she partnered with RNL. While in this role, and she credits the RNL partnership as an integral factor in achieving record-breaking results. During her time as vice president for enrollment management, Drury experienced the three highest years of enrollment in the university’s 138 year history, while simultaneously increasing the class profile and net tuition revenue.

Dawn also served as the vice president of alumni and development at Drury, aided by years of fundraising experience with Fortune 500 companies earlier in her career. Again, she credits a partnership with RNL as a key factor in reaching the highest levels of annual fund giving and alumni engagement while serving in this role.

Additionally, she brings perspective from her training at the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University and her selection as an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow at Washington University in St. Louis. This unique combination of experiences provides Dawn with tremendous insight into the complexities of higher education and the role of campus leadership. She brings a data-driven approach to identifying solutions and strategies that benefit the entire institution.

Fernando Bergas-Coria

Director, Integrated Marketing, Ologie

Fernando is a seasoned marketing professional who specializes in identifying and satisfying the needs of both clients and his team. With a strong background in digital marketing and branding, his capacity to convert an audience is surpassed only by his dedication to his work. He’s equal parts client-facing advocate and digital nerd, certified in Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Facebook AR Studio. His client portfolio includes Nationwide Insurance, Grinnell College, American Electric Power, Ohio State University Athletics, WD-40, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Chris Wu

Web Developer, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Web Developer, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

David Kees

Senior Full Stack Developer, Georgetown University

Senior Full Stack Developer, Georgetown University

Oliver Seldman

Customer Success Manager, Pantheon

Customer Success Manager, Pantheon

Steve App

Business Development Manager, CampusSonar

Steve is a natural marketer, speaker, and relationship builder. He’s successfully launched a student-blogging platform, an agency podcast, and a higher education online magazine, all with the mission of bringing people together through content. In leading Campus Sonar’s business development efforts, Steve works with campuses to meet strategic institutional goals, and enjoys sharing his knowledge and expertise with the higher education community.

Steve has spoken at the CASE Social Media and Community Conference, CASE Annual Conference for Publications Professionals, eduWeb Digital Summit, HighEdWeb, National Small College Enrollment Conference, the Southern Regional Education Board annual meeting, and others.
Steve has more than 10 years’ experience in higher education. He received a master’s degree in communication management from Temple University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Stonehill College.

Christina Sanders

Inbound marketing manager, Lucid

Christina joined Lucidpress with years of marketing experience under her belt. She serves as inbound marketing manager developing both B2B and B2C marketing channels. Most recently she worked as a campaign manager at 97th Floor, a digital marketing agency where she managed integrated marketing campaigns. Christina graduated from BYU’s public relations program.

Outside the office, you’ll find Christina teaching piano lessons or cooking a new recipe she found on Pinterest.

Bill Thorburn

CEO/ Chief Creative Officer at THORBURN

As the founder of Thorburn, Bill is the voice and the eyes for many clients today. He actively manages many projects, bringing an elevated vision to the assignment. For the past two decades, Thorburn has been honored in every industry publication, from Communication Arts to I.D. Magazine. The firm has been named one of the most influential design firms in both North and South America by the international publication Graphis.

An internationally recognized designer, Bill’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. He has also had individual exhibits in Japan and London and regularly exhibits fine art in galleries around the United States. Bill started his career as a graphic designer working with couture brands and today still admires Japanese designers. He holds a BFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design and has served on the board of trustees for the college for over a decade.

Matt Diteljan

Co-Founder & CEO at Glacier

The founder and CEO of Glacier has over 8 years of experience in the higher education advertising space, executing over 1000 higher ed advertising campaigns. Since founding Glacier, the company ranked 42nd on the Macleans Growth 500 list and was a finalist for the Calgary Commerce company culture award. Matt has previously been a keynote speaker at various higher education conferences on select topics such as influencer marketing and high school advertising.

Molly Clark

Director of Marketing, inMotionNow

Molly is the Director of Marketing at inMotionNow. With over 10 years of marketing experience, Molly has focused her career on marketing operations, branding, and cross departmental collaboration. Even though she sits on the marketing side of the house, Molly loves working with creative teams.

Elise Hauser

Senior Marketing Manger, Product & Content, inMotionNow

Elise Hauser is a product and content marketer with a passion for telling brand stories. She has produced inMotionNow’s annual Creative Management Report for 4 years, webinars, content sessions for major industry events reaching audiences of 11,000+, and of course, countless blog posts. When Elise isn’t writing about the marketing and creative industry at inMotionNow she is teaching economics and hanging out with her cat, Tucker, at her home in Raleigh, NC.

Ardis Kadiu

CEO, Element451

Ardis Kadiu combines his extensive technology and higher-education experience to lead Element451. The enrollment marketing CRM grew out of his passion for creating solutions that help admissions teams focus on building relationships with prospective students rather than managing software.

Element451 relieves colleges of the limitations and usability issues that come with technology that either wasn’t designed for higher-ed or hasn’t kept pace with advances in technology and user experience.

Ardis holds a BS in Computer Engineering and an MS in Digital Media as well as an MBA from New York University Tandon School of Engineering.

Brad Baertsch

Senior Director, First-Year Domestic and International Recruitment Admission Services, Arizona State University

Senior Director, First-Year Domestic and International Recruitment Admission Services, Arizona State University

Matt Faison

Assistant Director, Digital Engagement Provost and Enrollment Services Communications, Arizona State University 

Assistant Director, Digital Engagement Provost and Enrollment Services Communications, Arizona State University

Kerstin Gallardo

Email Marketing Coordinator Provost and Enrollment Services Communications, Arizona State University

Email Marketing Coordinator Provost and Enrollment Services Communications, Arizona State University

Brad Schleicher

Director, Industry Solutions Higher Education Marcom, Salesforce.org

Director, Industry Solutions Higher Education Marcom, Salesforce.org

Lindsy O'connor

Senior Sales Director, Adtaxi

Lindsy O’Connor has worked in digital advertising consulting for over 10 years. After graduating from Penn State, she began her career in the Corporate Sales department at Augusta National Golf Club. From there, she went on to expand her digital expertise by advising brands across the country on ways to engage consumers and drive sales. She joined the Adtaxi team in 2010 and has been an integral part of the company’s growth. When not working, Lindsy can be found traveling the globe with her husband and two daughters.

Megan Bucur

Client Services Manager, Strategy, Adtaxi

Megan was born in Oklahoma, and moved to Southern California with her family as a teenager. She graduating from Chapman University and continues to call SoCal home. For more than a decade, Megan has worked in digital advertising – ranging in roles from managing accounts directly within specific platforms, running point on omni-strategies, and managing teams across departments. Outside of work, Megan spends most of her time experimenting with cooking and taking her dog to the beach!

Tim Gerstmyer

President, Thinking Cap Agency

Tim is an industry expert in digital and social media lead-generation strategy with a 25-year track record of conceiving and implementing innovative campaigns. In 2019, his accomplishments in enrollment marketing launched Thinking Cap Agency from parent company, Refuel Agency. Tim’s innovative development of student data solutions have proven a dramatic increase in the quality of student inquiries that directly impact enrollment outcome, with his approach to leveraging research to inform strategic direction being the cornerstone of his success.

 

 


Presenting Sponsors

 

 


Premium Sponsors

 

 


Industry Experts

 

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Sponsors

 

 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commitment Statement

As members of, and companies that work with, higher education communities across our nation and abroad, the AMA Higher Education Conference Planning Committee stands in solidarity with our Black, brown and indigenous colleagues. We hear you. We see you. We stand with you in the call for justice, accountability, and reform. We share the heartache, frustration, and anger brought on by the violence against people of color across this country. Like many of you, we understand that all lives can’t matter unless, and until, Black lives matter. 

The members of this committee are committed to doing all we can to ensure that this conference reflects the diversity of our industry, and we are committed to doing our part to move toward equity. We will make mistakes and when we do, we will own them and strive to be and do better.

In order for this country to truly heal, all of us must do the work. Individually and collectively. We must educate ourselves, listen, and actively and consistently demand better. As higher educators, we owe it to our students, our fellow educators, and the universities that we serve to do more than make statements – our lives and our decisions must intentionally reflect the missions and visions of our institutions and organizations. 

As a volunteer committee that plans professional development for higher ed marketers, we promise to work even harder to secure more diverse voices and representation in our call for proposals, our keynote speakers, our presenters and the content they deliver, in our roundtable topics and networking opportunities, and on the planning committee itself. There are myriad opportunities for volunteer roles throughout the conference. Please let an AMA staffer or committee member know if you have an interest in being involved. This is not our conference, it is your conference. 

As you continue serving your constituents and students, and continue on your own journey, please consider asking some growth-minded questions:

  • How have you challenged your own understanding of diversity? How have you challenged your own bias?
  • Are you well-resourced in the areas of anti-racism work? If not, ask for what you need. Ours is a teaching and learning community. 
  • How do you demonstrate a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your marketing and communications tools? Are you moving beyond diverse photography selections?
  • How do you demonstrate a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your hiring practices? Are your hiring committees an accurate reflection of your community? How are you seeking more diverse candidates? How do you welcome diverse candidates into your community? How is diversity encouraged and reflected in your leadership?
  • What are you doing to create an environment that fosters diversity and equity?
  • Have you required diversity, equity, and inclusion professional development opportunities at all levels of your department and organization? Are you adequately funding those opportunities?
  • What have you done to welcome more diverse voices, of all kinds, into your decision-making processes?
  • How have you intentionally consumed and shared media by people of color? Of diverse perspectives? If you have platforms, are you sharing that space?

Thank you for the opportunity to work together to improve our professional and personal communities. 

 

2020 AMA Higher Education Conference Planning Committee

Alexa Poulin

EVP, Marketing & Digital, Carnegie Dartlet

Betsy Bugg Holloway

Vice President for Marketing and Communication, Samford University

Christie Harper

Associate Vice President, Enrollment Marketing and Communications, University of Arizona

Dave Sonntag

Associate Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Gonzaga University

Jamie Ceman  

Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Communications, Chapman University

Lisa Jordan

CEO/Wise Woman, Mindpower Inc.

Luke Anderson

CMO, University of Florida

Myla Edmond

Marketing and Communications Director, University of California Education Abroad Program

Nick DeNardis

Director of Digital Communications, Wayne State University

Rob Zinkan

Vice President, RHB

Tim Jones

Founder, Tim Jones MarComm

W. Chris Hudson

Vice President/Lead Presenter, (Consultant) Hudson & Associates Consulting

 

2020 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education