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2021 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education (Online)

An Online Event for an Industry Evolved

Part of the 2021 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education Hybrid Experience

The AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education is your chance to connect with other marketers to forge the path forward. The hybrid format of this year’s conference is designed to meet marketers where they are. With both in-person and online components of the conference, there are multiple ways to engage with the latest higher education content.


Already Registered? Here’s How to Access the Event.

The virtual Attendee Hub for the 2021 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education is now open. We’ll be using Cvent to host the event.

Step 1: Create a Cvent Account.

Step 2: Log in to Cvent.


A Robust Online Experience

Your time is valuable, so we’re building an experience to help you make connections and learn from peers. Content, case studies and facilitated discussions will focus on equipping you to make an impact on your campus.

What’s Included

  • 2 Keynotes
  • 4 Extended Marketing Sessions
  • 20+ Live Breakout Sessionss
  • Virtual Roundtable Discussions
  • Speed Networking Hour
  • Exhibit Hall Access With Online Partners
  • Select Recorded Content from the In-Person Event Plus 2 Additional Live-Stream Keynotes
  • On-Demand Access to All Content

Pricing

AMA Member

Early-Bird (Extended to Oct. 15)

$329

Standard

$399

Non-Member

Early-Bird (Extended to Oct. 15)

$429

Standard

$499

Want to attend with a group of 3 or more?

Fill out this form at least three business days in advance to get 15% off registration.


Keynote Speakers

B. Da’Vida Plummer

Co-Executive Director of Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics

Nathan D. Grawe

Author and Distinguished Teaching Professor at Carleton College

Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Author, Speaker, Coach and Founder of Active Voice

Aaron Draplin

Draplin Design Co. and Co-Creator of Field Notes


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.


In-Person Symposium Option for Director+

If you’re hoping to see your fellow higher education marketers face-to-face, we’re hosting a limited in-person experience in Denver from November 7-9. It’s designed for professionals who are leading teams and developing marketing strategies on their campus who typically have the title of Director or above. Content will focus on more advanced peer-to-peer learning with an emphasis on conversation and collaboration. Attendance is limited to 500 people, and Covid-19 vaccines are required. This online experience is also included with in-person registration.


AMA Event Policies

All Times Central

Virtual Workshop

Marketing for 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 of the Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education.

 

Virtual workshops provide an interactive deep-dive on specific higher ed marketing topics with top industry experts. You can anticipate hands-on instruction, in-depth discussion and actionable takeaways to immediately apply to your work back on campus!

tom hayes

Tom Hayes

Xavier University

Virtual Workshop

Take a Critical Look at Your Search Engine Marketing Strategy

If your institution utilizes an agency to handle your Search Engine Marketing efforts, then understanding the right questions to ask and the reports you should be looking at can mean the difference between reaching your target audience and wasted ad spend. At UNCG, they uncovered that more than 65% of clicks on Search Ads were coming from queries that contained “UNCG” or “UNC Greensboro”. By restructuring their campaigns into branded campaigns and prospecting campaigns with distinct keywords and negative keywords, they allowed their ad budget to go farther and reach a suspect audience that wasn’t actively searching for UNCG.

Virtual workshops provide an interactive deep-dive on specific higher ed marketing topics with top industry experts. You can anticipate hands-on instruction, in-depth discussion and actionable takeaways to immediately apply to your work back on campus!

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Travis Hauer

University of North Carolina Greensboro

Virtual Workshop

The Leader as Communicator: We're Communications Pros, but Does that Expertise Apply to our Practice of Leadership?

We know the communications and marketing professions quite well. Whether you’re leading a communications or marketing department or hope to do so, however, applying that expertise to your practice of leadership is essential.

Dr. Jessica McWade will lead a workshop with practical insights and inspirations in five areas: developing and sharing vision, serving as an advocate for your unit, being an effective public speaker, refining your interpersonal dynamics and engaging in active listening – both in person and virtually.

Virtual workshops provide an interactive deep-dive on specific higher ed marketing topics with top industry experts. You can anticipate hands-on instruction, in-depth discussion and actionable takeaways to immediately apply to your work back on campus!

Jessica McWade Photo

Jessica C. McWade

President of McWade Group, Inc.

Virtual Workshop

How Clear Stories Lead to Career Growth

In this session, we will discuss how the stories we tell ourselves and others shape our career trajectory. Join us to learn:

  • How to organize your career narrative.
  • How to communicate your value.
  • How to advocate for a promotion.
  • How to find more happiness in your work.

Virtual workshops provide an interactive deep-dive on specific higher ed marketing topics with top industry experts. You can anticipate hands-on instruction, in-depth discussion and actionable takeaways to immediately apply to your work back on campus!

Martin DePaul Headshot

Martin DePaul

Founder, Career Therapy

Virtual Keynote

B. Da’Vida Plummer’s Keynote Presentation delves into how Ignoring the depth of hurt levied when addressing any human being outside of the full measure of his/her/their identity inflicts harm whether it is done knowingly or unwittingly.  This truth is critical to successful communication on all levels –interpersonal, intrapersonal, journalistic and/or persuasive. Why?
Because Identity matters in all matters of gender, race and place.  Understanding how to first embrace before encoding to the decoder of any message is instrumental to marketing and all areas of communication studies.  The nuances will be explored revealing how just a few misplaced identifying pronouns and modifiers can not only make or break communication, but spark and fuel division.

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B. Da'Vida Plummer

Co-Executive Director of Fellowships, Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics

Higher Education Marketer of the Year Award Panel Discussion

The AMA Higher Education Marketer of the Year Award, sponsored by Lipman Hearne, honors extraordinary leadership and achievements in the field of higher education marketing. Join us for a panel with the 2021 winner, Timothy Bohling and the 2020 winner, Ethan Braden as they share their perspective on leadership, pivoting with purpose, and what lies ahead as the landscape of higher education marketing continues to change and evolve in a COVID-19 climate.

2021 Symposium for Marketing

Ethan R. Braden

Senior Vice President of Marketing, Purdue University

Marketing Strategy

A Student-Centric Approach to Higher Ed Marketing: Panel Discussion

Are you drowning in data, but lack the true insights needed to optimize your Higher Ed marketing programs? Join Salesforce, Volt, and industry experts to learn insights and introspection on what’s working (and what’s not!) in today’s education marketing landscape. We’ll also share findings from our latest student survey and show you how these marketing strategies stack against students’ real perceptions.

Sponsored by

Smashing Silos Not Pumpkins

Audience Engagement

Current Students Count: Using Marketing Tactics to Remove Enrollment Stumbling Blocks

When it comes to enrollment marketing, prospective students tend to dominate the conversation. But retention is an essential piece of the enrollment puzzle. What tactics are being used to target current students? In this session, you’ll hear about three marketing initiatives at UNC Greensboro that helped improve the experiences of current students and drive enrollment goals: A multichannel campaign to promote FAFSA completions; an integrated website designed to create a one stop shop experience… virtually; and a set of strategic comms that prevent student holds before they become a barrier.

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Katie MacInnes

University of North Carolina, Greensboro

The New Normal and Beyond

Tik-Tok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts- What Does Dancing Have To Do With Enrollment?

Social media is one of the great influencers across all age groups, but particularly those often found within the higher ed demographic. If universities truly want to stand out with their enrollment messages these days, they must avoid the me-too marketing syndrome that’s evolved over the past decade where every school’s ads and approach start looking and feeling the same. It’s important to at least get a baseline understanding of how to use these social channels to your benefit and start dipping your toes in the water.

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Arbazz Niami

Claremont Lincoln University

Digital Transformation

Enabling Digital Transformation with Better Data

Many institutions have struggled in their attempts to digitally transform and, as a result, have invested considerable time and money without achieving the desired outcomes. There are several key reasons for this, however, the ability to capture, aggregate, report on and generate insights from data for faster decision-making is one of the most pressing challenges. In this session, we will explore what digital transformation is, why it’s critical to higher education’s future and how colleges and universities can start realizing its benefits with the creation of a centralized data system.

Sponsored by:

Dan Antonson

Dan Antonson

Associate Director, Marketing Technology & Analytics, Collegis Education

How the Pandemic Changed Conversation About Higher Ed

As marketers return to campus, you’re tasked with how to make sense of the academic year that was 2020-2021. In this session, join Sonarians Liz and Steve as they share multi-year social listening data from a representative sample of US-based higher education campuses. With industry and marketing insights from before and during the pandemic, you’ll leave this session with the confidence to put pandemic-related metrics in proper context, a contextual understanding of your own campus results compared to the industry overall, and insights that can inform a pitch for a larger marketing investment on your campus.

Stephen App Headshot

Steve App

Campus Sonar

Liz Headshot 3

Liz Gross

Campus Sonar

Research, Measurement, and ROI

The Manifestation of Social Justice in Marketing Materials

This study was a critical discourse analysis of media produced by higher education institutions. The study aimed to uncover how universities manifest social justice discourses in their marketing efforts. Diversity discourses differentiate from social justice discourses in that they do not explicitly advocate for action that addresses inequities faced by marginalized groups. This study found that diversity discourses were rampant in university marketing websites, though the definitions of diversity were vague. This study also found that social justice discourses were more silent than diversity discourses. Through this presentation, Dr. Esra Hashem provides recommendations on how you can use your role in higher education marketing to advocate for social justice.

Esra Hashem

Esra Hashem

Director of Marketing and Communications, California State University, Bakersfield

The New Normal and Beyond

The Digital is Now- Making the College Search Acessible

As higher education has grappled with the effects of COVID-19, one reoccurring problem seemed to appear: how do you take the “campus” out of campus visit? Instead of seeing this as a problem, Rice University chose to take this a challenge to build a digital ecosystem that increased access to our content while employing honest and thorough communication strategies that meets students where they are. With a 26% increase in applications, students responded to this increase in accessibility we plan on continuing as a regular part of our strategies – a strategy that is easily replicable for any university.

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Neha Agrawal

Director of Enrollment Marketing and Communications, Rice University

CarlaJ

Carla Johnson

VP, Client Services

Audience Engagement

Securing and Ensuring Buy-In For Your New Brand

Higher Ed brands used to be articulated by a select few.  Once vetted, these brands were unveiled at a public celebration, replete with free t-shirts and branded snacks.  But, times have changed!  Our audiences increasingly react negatively to surprise reveals and take their dissatisfaction to social media. Even if the “big reveal” doesn’t blow up—it misses the opportunity to invite stakeholders into the change process.  Join us for a lively panel with three marketing experts who have successfully launched new or refreshed university brands. Learn how each created effective socialization processes, leading to universal brand adoption and success.

alexia

Alexia Koelling

Lipman Hearne

marina

Marina Cooper

Assistant Vice President for Integrated Marketing and Brand, Johns Hopkins University

Jeff McClellan

Jeff McClellan

Director of Publications & Graphics, Brigham Young University

Gabriel Welsch

Gabriel Welsch

Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Dusquesne University

Libby Morse

Libby Morse

Senior Vice President & Brand Strategist, Lipman Hearne

Innovation Showcase

The Time is Now: Reach your Students through the Right Channel

Join us to hear from three industry experts on innovative marketing and communication strategies to meet your students where they are and deliver a consistent, compelling, and memorable recruitment experience.  At this session, you’ll hear from Niche on Omni Channel Relevance, Lucidpress on Branding in Student Recruitment, and Glacier on Tik Tok Advertising and Higher Education.

Will New Headshot

Will Patch

Senior Enrollment Insights Leader, Higher Ed, Niche

Christina Sanders

Christina Sanders

Sr. Inbound Marketing Manager, Lucidpress

Audience Engagement

Elevating the Online MBA: A New Product Launch

The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business got ahead of their competition by creating the first online MBA program from a top-ten ranked business school, but the program launch faced some significant challenges: low awareness, concerns about online programs among elite candidates and selective admission requirements. Michigan Ross and Gatesman developed a position for the first-to-market program and accompanying campaign to drive awareness, inquiries and ultimately enrollment. This session is a case study on successfully launching a premium – and premium-priced – offering to meet a market opportunity, while navigating significant barriers and staying true to brand values.

Christy Kelly

Christy Kelly

SVP, Director of Account Management, Gatesman Agency

James Cleaver

James Cleaver

University of Michigan Ross School of Business

Brand and Content Strategy

Content Strategy on a Shoestring Budget

Relevant, authentic content is key to attracting students to a degree program and pulling them through the admissions funnel. This presentation will give you a toolkit to develop a content marketing strategy from the ground up with limited resources, starting with journey mapping and persona building. Learn how to authentically connect with prospective students through curated content across multimedia platforms. Finally, hear best practices on how to integrate degree marketing content across your school and university to expand audience and reach, build brand, and meet enrollment goals.

Candelier Emma 2020

Emma Candelier

Director of Communication, University of Virginia School of Data Science

Teresa Mannix

Teresa Mannix

Georgetown University McDonough School of Business

The New Normal and Beyond

Re-Imagining Student Search

Uncovering prospective student leads for the top of college/university recruitment funnels will be more challenging in a test optional environment. Historically, many prospective leads came from two places: test-taker lists (SAT, ACT, GRE, professional school exams, etc.) and in-person recruitment, such as admission counselor travel. These are both now in flux. In this session, we will discuss look-alike modeling and forensic lead generation as crucial student search tactics for the future. We will also explore communication best practices for top-of-funnel audiences at the undergraduate, transfer, graduate/professional and continuing education levels.

Nick Balk Casual Headshot

Nicholas Balk

Vice President of University Partnerships, enrollmentFUEL

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Jay Fedje

enrollmentFUEL

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Iris Godes

Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions

Research, Measurement and ROI

The State of Digital Marketing in Higher Ed

In 2020, mStoner conducted a survey to help improve higher ed’s understanding of digital marketing services, goals and resource allocation at colleges and universities. We explored how institutions organize themselves for digital marketing, who executes the work, how they fund it, and how they use various platforms.  What did we learn? That there’s tremendous opportunity for digital marketing to grow on campuses across the US.

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Daniella Nordin

mStoner, Inc.

Innovation Showcase Panel Discussion

Meeting Your Audience Where They Are: A Modern Survival Guide

Join 3 industry experts to learn more about the new model for marketing in the higher education landscape.  The discussion will focus on three pillars: 1)Targeting the right people (Primacy), 2) Creating Content (ClearMix) and 3) Engaging throughout the funnel (Gecko).

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Ian Folau

CEO of ClearMix

AaronB

Aaron Blau

VP of Education at Primacy

Todd Tribble

Todd Tribble

SVP at GeckoEngage

Virtual Roundtables

Join these robust conversations with your colleagues on some of the most pressing issues facing higher education. Walk away with solutions to some of your current challenges, as well as valuable connections with colleagues to share knowledge moving forward.

Topics Include:

  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion – Join this strategic conversation and discussion of the value of diversity, inclusion and equity in higher education marketing.
  • Social Media – We’ll discuss how the role of social media has changed during and post-pandemic and what future needs might look like.
  • International Marketing and Recruitment – How is marketing toward international students different your standard marketing? What factors influence reaching these students?
  • Influencer Marketing vs Paid Ad Marketing – As privacy concerns reshape paid ad marketing, join us for a discuss of how and if we are going to move toward (more) influencer marketing tactics
  • Women in Leadership – Join this open conversation about advancing your career as female professional.

The Women in Leadership roundtable is sponsored by:

The DEI roundtable is sponsored by:

Innovation Showcase brought to you by Ologie

Leveraging First-Party Data after a Third Party World. How data privacy will change the way we market to prospective students in the future.

With the current digital landscape, data privacy is a hot topic making it difficult for some marketers to continue reaching audiences as they have previously. Luckily, in higher ed, there is an understanding that prospective audiences are reaching out to schools to learn more and see if the college or university is a good fit. Learn how your school can leverage the right kind of data and meet your audiences where they are while keeping your integrity intact as you market to your potential students.

Sponsored by

Megan Hyde For Web

Megan Hyde

Digital Marketing Manager, Ologie

The New Normal and Beyond

What the pandemic taught us about .edu design

The sudden and extreme virtualization of student recruitment brought about by pandemic served as a fascinating
test–and validation–of the role that well-designed .edus play as a hub for recruitment-marketing activity.

This session will focus on three related stories: areas where .edus can match or exceed the impact of in-person recruitment interactions; how the rapid-cycle innovation forced on college websites by the pandemic has laid the groundwork for a more permanent sort of agility; and how .edus serve as a crucial lead-generation tool in the face of reduced standardized testing.

Kamilah Lewis

Kamilah Lewis

Director of Accounts and Strategy, EAB

Effective Leadership

Overcoming Pathological Resistance to Change

In a perpetually changing world, marketing communications offices must continually evaluate their approaches to stay competitive. Universities are complex and often subject to arcane rules or cumbersome policies that make these efforts more difficult. One constant we all must tackle is resistance to change. There is good news for leaders trying to change. The Beckhard-Harris change equation (Dissatisfaction + Vision + Concrete Steps > Resistance) can help you overcome the psychological costs of change that keep organizations chained to the past.

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Jamie Hunt

Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Miami University of Ohio

Research, Measurement, and ROI

Knowing What They Want: Findings From a Survey of Prospective Graduate Students

It’s never been more important to understand what today’s graduate students expect from the institutions and programs in which they enroll. The National Student Clearinghouse recently reported healthy YoY graduate student enrollment growth for spring 2021, following similar growth last fall – the two pandemic semesters. Both semesters beat graduate growth from the previous two semesters, implying that the pandemic has had a positive effect on graduate education. This stands in stark contrast to the multi-semester contraction that was reported at the undergraduate level during the pandemic and before.

Scott Jeffe

Scott Jeffe

Ruffalo Noel Levitz

David Cotter

David Cotter

Boston University

Brand and Content Strategy

Branding & Engagement

Today’s CMOs face many unpredictable disruptions that challenge the brand identities of their institutions. As universities face the challenge of “It’s Not Business as Usual”, university presidents and CMOs are becoming increasingly involved in strategic communication decisions to embrace rapid responses while optimizing resources and protecting their institutions’ brand identities. Challenging mandates demand redefining brand communications to build an agile culture that is responsive to value co-creation with a focus on a better understanding of the emerging expectations of internal and external stakeholders. This presentation offers insights from best practices on how universities are managing brand identity to sustain growth.

Dr. Hassan AMA

Salah Hassan

George Washington University

Presenting Session

Expand Brand Awareness and Alumni Engagement with Virtual and Hybrid Events

Join us for a session from our Platform Sponsor Cvent on brand awareness and alumni engagement in Higher Education.

It’s no secret that higher education institutions have had to modify nearly every aspect of their operations since 2020. In-person events at higher education campuses historically served as an incredibly valuable opportunity for the host institution to expand their brand awareness and engage various audiences through meaningful experiences. While shifting traditionally in-person events to virtual and hybrid introduced new challenges in planning, execution and engagement, it also opened doors for expanded brand awareness across diverse audiences — from prospective students and parents, to alumni and donors, scholars, community members and more. With virtual and hybrid events on the rise, colleges and universities are discovering the new benefits of expanding the reach and accessibility of events that were historically limited to in-person attendees. Join us for a panel discussion as we share lessons learned from virtual higher education events and the steps institutions are taking to prepare for a boundless future.

Sponsored by Cvent

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C. Hawkins

Director of Student Engagement and Philanthropy, University Advancement, Northeastern University

Lauren Donaghue

Lauren Donaghue

Higher Education Client Success Manager, Cvent

Alumni Engagement

How to Drive Student and Alumni Engagement with Hybrid Experiences

Attend “How to Drive Student and Alumni Engagement with Hybrid Experiences,” where ON24 Solutions Marketing Manager, Rachel Gordon, and Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing, Elena Hoffman, will show you how to transform the way you engage prospective students, alumni, and donors with a digital-first strategy built for a hybrid world.

You’ll learn how to combine in-person and digital elements to:

• Drive student enrollment and retention

• Achieve advancement and fundraising goals

• Reinvent the campus experience for a hybrid world

• Maximize return on engagement with personalized follow-up messaging and Netflix-style content portals

It’s time to bring together the best of both worlds.

Sponsored by

Sara Tyler Headshot

Sara Tyler

Account Executive, Enterprise – Higher Education, ON24

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Rachel Gordon

Solutions Marketing Manager, ON24

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Elena Hoffman

Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing, ON24

The New Normal and Beyond

"New Normal" Tactics that Shape Communities of Inspired Learners

As the world faced a growing pandemic, higher education institutions met a consequent challenge: recruiting top candidates without the customary handshakes, résumé hand-offs or business card exchanges that characterized the pre-COVID recruitment experience.  Despite this “new normal”, the Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business’ Marketing and Graduate Enrollment team leveraged its integrated, cross-functional structure to successfully attract a more diverse and robust class profile than ever before. Learn how this team achieved double-digit, year-over-year increases in enrollments across residential programs and attracted its highest numbers of female and underrepresented minority candidates through a truly digital-first approach to higher education marketing-admissions.

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Brian Connelly

Director of Marketing and Graduate Admissions, University of Notre Dame

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Maria Strutsman y Marquez

Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

How It's Made

But First, the First P: Creating a Product Category

“Can you promote our program?” This question may sound familiar. As might the answer. Marketing each program individually was not only inefficient but also unrealistic. Further, the question really became about packaging of the programs as compelling products. So, we launched a pilot: In partnership with Admissions, we identified programs that met a certain set of criteria and developed an area of study with a positioning strategy that laddered up to the master brand. Not only did each program see individual success but the effort bolstered overall brand awareness for the university.

RIT Webinar

Kin Sejpal

Associate Vice President for Marketing Strategy and Creative Services, Rochester Institute of Technology

John Trierweiler

John Trierweiler

Rochester Institute of Technology

Effective Leadership

Building a Better Higher Ed Marketing Team

Between April-May 2021 OHO Interactive led a research study to better understand the staffing resources marketing and communication departments have, to capture the current and future states of higher education marketing teams — including roles, skills and capabilities. In this session, we’ll share the survey results, including what new roles departments are hoping to add to their team, what skills they have or plan to add in their department, who the marketing/communications division reports to and much more.

Rachel Reuben Senor

Rachel Reuben Senor

VP of Account Strategy, OHO Interactive

The New Normal and Beyond

Beyond Okay: Integrating Wellness and Mental Health Into Social Media Marketing and Management

Texas Tech University’s “Beyond Okay” campaign focuses on student wellness in a holistic way as a way to address mental health concerns exasperated by COVID. This session will not only discuss integrating wellness into higher education social media messaging, but will also take the tenants from the campaign a step further to show practitioners how they can also incorporate wellness into their workflow to avoid burnout and focus on mental health.

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Ashley Marino

Texas Tech University

Keynote- The Agile College: Navigating Demographic Change

Nathan D. Grawe, author of Demographics and the Demand for Higher Education (2018) and The Agile College (2021), will briefly review recent demographic trends and their implications for higher education. Then, drawing on interviews with higher education leaders, he will share how proactive institutions are attacking demographic challenges through initiatives in recruitment, retention, academic programming and consortial collaboration. In  conclusion, Nathan will draw connections between responses to COVID-19 and adaptations designed to address demographic change.

Nathan Grawe 2

Nathan Grawe

Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Social Sciences and Economics, Carleton College

Livestreamed In-Person Keynote: From Burnout to Bounce Back: What Teams Actually Need to Thrive Right Now

Note: This Keynote Will be Livestreamed from Denver, Colorado, and will Takes Place at 8:30 MT.

Please note that this keynote will take place immediately following the Higher Education Marketer of the Year Award presentation, in the same room. You do not need to choose between the two- attend the HEMY presentation and stay to hear from our speaker! 

It’s been a tough time to focus on recruitment campaigns and homepage redesigns. Between 18 months of pandemic anxiety, racial justice reckonings, and increased uncertainty all over, there’s been a lot to distract us from our routines and goals. So as talk of a “post-pandemic” workplace gets louder, it’s tempting to simply try to put this time behind us. After all, we’re all tired of talking about COVID, right?

We can’t bounce back until we heal. If we don’t, our teams will pay a massive price: some people will burn out and turn cynical or quit. Others will let their unprocessed anxiety leak out as aggression and accusation. And still others will shut down, too scared to share their ideas or give necessary feedback. All of it will erode trust—and without trust, we can’t innovate or keep momentum.

In this talk, we’ll explore common challenges teams are facing right now—challenges like burnout, emotional exhaustion, and trauma. Then we’ll explore what it looks like to show up to those challenges with the vulnerability, courage, and compassion our teams need.

Sara Wachter Boettcher

Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Active Voice, LLC.

Closing Keynote: Behind the Scenes with the DDC: And other fibs, lies and perjuries.

Note: This Keynote will be livestreamed in the Attendee Hub from Denver, Colorado, in MT.

 

Get the inside scoop with Aaron Draplin and learn what goes on behind the scenes at the Draplin Design Co. From sketch to screen to file hand-off, he’ll give an in-depth walk through recent projects big, small and downright ugly. Sometimes, bigger isn’t better, and Aaron will show how the tiniest of projects can have a big impact. Loose and lighthearted, he’ll set the record straight on 9-page marketing briefs, communication tedium and offer up pointers on how to keep your chained-to-their-desk graphic designers curious and excited. His methods, momentum and mania in a fun, loose setting. Questions answered. Riddles solved. Enigmas discussed.

Aaron Draplin

Aaron Draplin

Founder, Draplin Design Co.

Nathan Grawe 2

Nathan Grawe

Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Social Sciences and Economics, Carleton College

Dr. Nathan Grawe is the Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Carleton College.  He is a labor economist whose work examines intergenerational connections in education and labor market outcomes.  Nathan’s book, Demographics and The Demand for Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018) examines how recent demographic shifts are likely to affect demand for higher education.  In a follow-up project, The Agile College (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2021), Nathan draws on interviews with higher education leaders to provide examples of how proactive institutions are grappling with demographic change.

plummer_davida

B. Da'Vida Plummer

Co-Executive Director of Fellowships, Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics

B. Da’Vida Plummer, Co-Executive Director of Fellowships at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics (FASPE), is a six-time Emmy award winning journalist and former dean of the Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communication at Hampton University.

Aaron Draplin

Aaron Draplin

Founder, Draplin Design Co.

Aaron Draplin of the Draplin Design Co. lives and works in Portland, Oregon. He makes graphic design stuff for rock bands, comedians, restaurants, sporting goods and leftie politicians. He’s traveled the world telling his story, with over 450 speaking fiascos under his belt. He co-created Field Notes with his older brother Jim Coudal, and their memo books are sold in over 2,500 stores worldwide. His seven Skillshare classes are raging along, teaching students all over the world. He recently released his first two typefaces on ddcfonts.com. His first book titled “Pretty Much Everything” came out on May 17, 2016 on Abrams Books and is in its eighth printing. The roster of DDC Merch is up to 285 products, which you’ll find at DDC merch tables or in his online shop. Aaron prides himself on a high level of craftsmanship and quality that keeps him up late into the wet Portland night.

Aaron’s keynote will take place in Denver, Co, at the virtual event, but will be livestreamed for all virtual event registrants.

Sara Wachter Boettcher

Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Active Voice, LLC.

Sara Wachter-Boettcher is an author, speaker, coach, and strategist dedicated to changing design and tech for good. She’s the founder of Active Voice, a coaching and training company helping organizations build radical, courageous leadership practices.

Her most recent book, Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech, was named one of the best tech books of the year by Wired. She also wrote Design for Real Life (with Eric Meyer) and Content Everywhere, and has been published in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and McSweeney’s. Find her at home in Philly, on Twitter @sara_ann_marie, or at sarawb.com.

Sara’s keynote will take place in Denver, CO at the in-person event, but will be livestreamed for virtual event registrants.

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Tom Hayes

Xavier University

Tom Hayes is the Dean of the Williams College of Business at Xavier University. In his forty-five years, he also served as Chair of the Marketing Department and as the Director of Institutional Advancement.

Tom was a founding partner of SimpsonScarborough. He founded the AMA’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. He was on the board of the local chapter for 10 years and served as VP twice on the national board of the AMA in the Services and Marketing Management divisions.

Tom has won CASE’s Crystal Apple award and has had two books published by CASE. They are Marketing Colleges and Universities from a Services Perspective (September 2009) and was the recipient of the Alice Beeman Award for scholarship excellence in its field and University Marketing Mistakes: 50 Pitfalls to Avoid co-authored with Roy Adler (March 2008). He also published Marketing Professional Services, with Philip Kotler in 2002.

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Travis Hauer

University of North Carolina Greensboro

While Travis has only been in the world of higher education for a little over one year, his background in digital marketing covers the past decade. His experience encompasses working for large corporations like Berkshire Hathaway Media managing SEM campaigns for dozens of businesses, to managing a single brand in the competitive landscape of ecommerce. In his free time he enjoys fly fishing, gaming and spending time outside with his wife Alex and two dogs, Mo and Stevie.

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Katie MacInnes

University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Katie has spent almost 20 years cultivating a breadth of marketing expertise across corporate, agency and non-profit sectors. From project management to data analysis, copywriting to website management, Katie has become a jill-of-all trades. She has managed accounts for theme parks and luxury resorts, but her heart is in higher ed. You can find her in Greensboro, NC plotting the next strategic way to recruit and retain students as the Director of UNCG’s Office of Enrollment Communications.

Katie has presented at: EduWeb 2019 – No Budget? No Problem!: How UNC Greensboro Managed a Website Redesign on a Shoestring [Winner: Best in Track]  SunGard Summit (now Ellucian Live) 2011 – BRM Campaigns: Build with the Future in Mind  and BRM Implementation: Minimizing Stumbling Blocks.

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Arbazz Niami

Claremont Lincoln University

Arbazz is an award-winning higher education marketer, social entrepreneur, and doctoral student. Arbazz specializes in digital strategy, big data and humanitarian action and increasing access to higher education through enrollment marketing. In his role as Director of Digital Marketing, Arbaaz has grown Claremont Lincoln University’s student acquisition by over 300% and was awarded the 2019 American Marketing Association for Higher Ed Marketer Team of the Year.

Arbazz is also the Founding President of Sahaba Initiative, a nonprofit that provides low-income families with support to overcome poverty in San Bernardino. The organization was awarded the 2018 California Nonprofit of the Year award. Through his work in digital marketing, Arbazz has raised more than $5 million for nonprofits. Arbazz was nominated to the board of the King Center Foundation. He was named American Advertising Federation’s 2016 Young Achiever of the Year Award and landed on the California 30 Under 30 list.

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Kamilah Lewis

Director of Accounts and Strategy, EAB

Kamilah Lewis is Director of Accounts and Strategy within EAB’s Marketing and Enrollment Solutions division. In that capacity, she oversees a wide range of digital-marketing project types, including the design, implementation and management of college websites. Kamilah’s particular areas of interest include search-engine optimization and audience segmentation as they apply to undergraduate recruitment marketing.

Esra Hashem

Esra Hashem

Director of Marketing and Communications, California State University, Bakersfield

Esra Hashem is the director of marketing and communications at California State University, Bakersfield. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism, a master’s degree in student affairs and a doctorate in educational leadership from California State University, Fresno. She has earned 15 awards and honors for her work in journalism and higher education marketing. Her research interests include: higher education branding, social justice, critical race theory, critical discourse studies, alumni relations, institutional philanthropy and neoliberalism.

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Neha Agrawal

Director of Enrollment Marketing and Communications, Rice University

Neha Agrawal is the Director of Enrollment Marketing and Communications at Rice University. She is responsible for developing the strategic marketing vision to achieve enrollment goals at the university. This includes developing a cohesive brand identity, overseeing production of all marketing material (print, social, web etc.), and determining methods to enhance communications for the enrollment division. Neha received her B.A from Northwestern University and her MBA from Kellogg School of Management. Prior to joining Rice University, Neha worked in marketing at PepsiCo and for a sales and marketing consulting company.

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Alexia Koelling

Lipman Hearne

Alexia Koelling is a communications planning specialist with more than 15 years of experience leading multifunctional teams. Throughout career in media strategy, consulting, and account management, she’s helped clients push through their biggest challenges, plan for the future, and surpass their own boldest goals. As Executive Vice President and Lipman Hearne’s director of account management, her expertise and tenacity are foundational ingredients in our clients’ success. She has worked on more than 30 client engagements including University of Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, Vanderbilt University, BYU and University of Tennessee.

Alexia holds a B.A. in history from the University of Chicago and is a Master Project Manager (AAPM). An avid runner, Alexia also serves as a volunteer running coach and pace leader for CARA and I-Run’s marathon program. Co-author “Navigating a brand ‘bounce back’ after a near closure: Sweet Briar College’s ‘fierce’ brand refresh,” Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing.

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Marina Cooper

Assistant Vice President for Integrated Marketing and Brand, Johns Hopkins University

Marina Harrison Cooper is Assistant Vice President for Integrated Marketing and Brand at Johns Hopkins University, leading the creation, execution, and management of its comprehensive marketing and branding program. Prior to her role at Hopkins, Marina was Vice President for University Marketing and Communications at Towson University, where she led all aspects of university communications and marketing aimed at advancing TU’s reputation for academic excellence and institutional impact, including a comprehensive rebranding initiative.

Marina holds undergraduate and graduate degrees (MBA) from University of Maryland and the IEM (Institute for Educational Management) from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

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Jeff McClellan

Director of Publications & Graphics, Brigham Young University

Jeff McClellan is Director of Publications & Graphics at Brigham Young University, where he leads a team of editors and designers in creating more than 400 publications and communication pieces annually (print and digital) to help BYU communicate with key external audiences. A magazine editor by training, he served as editor of BYU’s award-wining magazine for more than 15 years before assuming his current role.

Jeff also served on the CASE District VII Board of Directors for seven years (2010-2017) where he contributed to strategy, leadership and program planning.

Jeff holds B.A. in Journalism from Brigham Young University, as well as an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Gabriel Welsch

Gabriel Welsch

Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Dusquesne University

As Vice President, Marketing and Communications at Dusquesne, Gabriel Welsch oversees strategy and operations for media relations, Web communications, marketing, advertising, printing, publications and internal communications. Prior to his appointment at Duquesne, Welsch served in several executive functions at Juniata College overseeing marketing operations as well as fundraising and alumni relations. While there he led campaigns that raised more than $95 million.

He is past-president of the board of directors of CUPRAP: College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals, and is a regular presenter at conferences on topics related to fundraising and marketing.

A native of Maine, Welsch earned his bachelor’s and master’s of fine arts degrees in English at Penn State. He is the author of four books of poems, as well as scores of short stories, book reviews and essays appearing in national literary periodicals. He teaches writing occasionally for the Writer’s Center at the Chautauqua Institution.

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Christy Kelly

SVP, Director of Account Management, Gatesman Agency

As SVP, Director of Account Management at Gatesman, Christy leads strategic, data-driven teams to deliver creatively-charged and integrated work that provides clients smart solutions to their most pressing challenges.

A proven marketing and communications strategist, Christy brings over a decade of experience and a fresh perspective on how the intersection of advertising, marketing, and communications can come together synchronously to achieve remarkable results. An agency veteran, whose experience also includes the added benefit of working in corporate brand teams at State Farm and Discover.

Christy provides insight and oversight across the higher-ed practice, and she and her team provide a full range of best-in-class account service and leadership. From rebranding and positioning, to program launches and reputation campaigns and student enrollment and engagement, Christy’s passion and expertise are unrivaled. Her client experience includes Rochester Institute of Technology, Michigan Ross School of Business, Rutgers, Johns Hopkins and Case Western Reserve University.

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James Cleaver

University of Michigan Ross School of Business

James leads the University of Michigan Ross School of Business’ Brand Management and Marketing Intelligence team, responsible for developing, executing, and measuring the school’s degree program and overall brand marketing strategies. At Michigan Ross, James’ experience spans brand and marketing strategy, new program launches, growth strategies, marketing technology implementation and team design. He has also served as an adjunct lecturer, teaching undergraduate students.

Prior to joining the University of Michigan, James was Partner, Planning Director at Ogilvy & Mather New York, leading strategy for some of the U.S.’s most iconic brands: UPS, American Express and Kool-Aid. James is a graduate of WPP’s prestigious Fellowship program, during which he worked at group companies in London and New York. James is a graduate of St. John’s College at the University of Oxford.

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Emma Candelier

Director of Communication, University of Virginia School of Data Science

Emma Candelier is Director of Communication at the University of Virginia’s School of Data Science, previously serving as Assistant Dean of Graduate Marketing & Recruiting at the McIntire School of Commerce. She was instrumental in launching new programs within a competitive landscape while developing the customer journey from admissions through alumni. She previously worked in public relations for the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras and holds a bachelor’s degree in cello performance from Rice University.

As the Senior Assistant Dean for Communications at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, Teresa Mannix is responsible for content strategy, publications, design, social media, media relations, dean’s office communications and rankings. Prior to McDonough, she was Director of News and Public Information and university spokeswoman for the University of Mary Washington. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Mary Washington and a master’s degree in communications from George Mason University.

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Teresa Mannix

Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
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Nicholas Balk

Vice President of University Partnerships, enrollmentFUEL

Nick possesses nearly 15 years of enrollment management and enrollment marketing experience. As an enrollment planner, he has led successful Student Search campaigns, utilizing CRMs such as Slate to power a robust prospective student funnel. He has tackled projects related to strategic planning, CRM and predictive model implementations, financial aid leveraging and college accreditations.

Nick most recently served as Director of Admissions at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, overseeing all first-year, transfer and professional student recruitment. He also has served in enrollment management roles at MCPHS University and Boston University. An advocate for calculated risk-taking, Nick enjoys being a part of strategic change on college campuses.

Like most Bostonians, Nick is an avid sports fan, rooting for all Boston professional teams and especially for his beloved alma maters, Boston College (B.A.) and Quinnipiac University (M.S.).

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Jay Fedje

enrollmentFUEL

Jay is a seasoned leader of enrollment management, strategic planning, funnel development, university branding, targeted student search, CRM implementation, predictive modeling, financial aid leveraging, communication plan development, retention modeling, organizational structure and market expansion.

Over the course of 28 years in higher education, Jay has led strategies that have increased new student enrollment 40% while balancing financial aid, net tuition revenue and student profile. Jay’s career has spanned from time spent as a road warrior to the cabinet and boardroom. He has served as the of Director of Admissions at Bethel University, Dean of Admissions and Vice President for Enrollment Management at Drury University and the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Clarke University. Throughout his three-decade career, the demographics, recruiting landscape and enrollment strategies have changed dramatically.

Jay has found opportunities to serve several organizations including AACRAO, MNACAC, NACAC and on NACCAP’s Board of Directors.

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Daniella Nordin

mStoner, Inc.

As Director of Marketing, Daniella Nordin amplifies mStoner’s thoughtful research, strategic success and data-driven results. She uses her passion for data to drive marketing strategies and increase engagement for mStoner’s clients and higher education professionals.

Nordin brings more than a decade of experience with digital engagement, social media marketing, online fundraising and digital marketing to mStoner. Prior to mStoner, she helped nonprofits like the Girl Scouts find their audience on the right platforms and the right times. She spent nearly seven years as part of the marketing and communications team at Skidmore College, where she built the social media strategy from the ground up and found creative ways to share student stories.

Nordin earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from The Ohio State University and her master’s, also in communications, from the University at Albany, SUNY.

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Steve App

Campus Sonar

Steve App is the business development manager at Campus Sonar. A natural marketer and relationship builder, Steve has spent nearly 15 years in higher education, with equal time in campus and agency environments. Over the course of his career, Steve has successfully launched a student-blogging platform, an agency podcast and a higher education online magazine, all with a mission to bring people together through content. At Campus Sonar, Steve leads the business development efforts, working with campus professionals to identify appropriate social listening programs that will help meet strategic institutional goals. An amateur runner and professional donut connoisseur, you can often find him on Twitter tweeting Seinfeld gifs.

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Liz Gross

Campus Sonar
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Jamie Hunt

Vice President and Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Miami University of Ohio

Transformation has been a hallmark of Jaime Hunt’s career. In her 17 years in higher education, she has been part of four university rebrandings, five website redesigns, and in the development of an integrated marketing communications model at two institutions. She has extensive expertise in brand strategy, recruitment marketing, crisis communications, issues management, online innovation and media relations.

Jaime is currently the vice president and chief communications and marketing officer for Miami University of Ohio. Prior to her current role, Jaime served at Winston-Salem State University, Radford University, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and Northwestern Health Sciences University. Her background also includes more than four years as a print journalist.

Jaime has been a highly visible leader with volunteer service for a number of professional organizations. She has presented at regional, national and international conferences on a range of marketing communications topics. Her work has earned more than 30 awards.

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Scott Jeffe

Ruffalo Noel Levitz

Over more than 20 years, Scott has worked with almost 200 institutions in 40+ states to apply market data to strategic decision making in relation to graduate, adult undergraduate and online programs. With this focus on profiling the demands and preferences of non-traditional (working professional graduate, adult undergrad, online, etc.) students, Scott has developed a unique sensitivity to ensuring that programs align with student demand while upholding institutional mission and values. Scott was Carol Aslanian’s research partner for 23 years, first at the College Board, then at Aslanian Group and EducationDynamics. He holds a BA in History from St. Lawrence University and an MPA from SUNY Albany.

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David Cotter

Boston University

As Assistant Provost for Graduate Enrollment & Master’s and Professional Student Support, David Cotter leads efforts to ensure that Boston University’s graduate and professional programs are innovative, relevant, and successful in recruiting, retaining, and graduating excellent students. Much of David’s work is done in partnership with BU’s schools and colleges. He works closely with deans, directors, chairs, and faculty members across the University on such topics as new program creation, realignment of existing programs, enrollment and financial aid analysis, yield forecasting, marketing and recruitment, student services, career development, and budgeting and finance. He also oversees long-range graduate enrollment planning to meet demographic, disciplinary, workplace, and global change.

Much of David’s work throughout his career has focused on graduate education and its evolving nature in the marketplace.

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Salah Hassan

George Washington University

As a speaker and executive coach, Dr. Salah S. Hassan helped audiences around the world understand the influence of building strong brands on mobilizing performance. Dr. Hassan is a professor and director of graduate certificate in Marketing and Brand Management at the School of Business, George Washington University. He served as Marketing Chair for six years and served for five years as director of an international EMBA program. He spoke at industry conferences like Narrative PR Summit, World Youth Forum, and Global Higher Education Forum. Also, he spoke at the Branding Thought Leaders Conference, Harvard Business School’s Open Innovations Workshop, Kellogg School of Management, and the International EMBA program of Georgetown University. Dr. Hassan co-authored a regional edition of the widely acclaimed Marketing Management, with Philip Kotler & Kevin Keller. His clients represent a wide variety of industries where he helped them develop solutions and design powerful programs to sustain leadership.

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Brian Connelly

Director of Marketing and Graduate Admissions, University of Notre Dame

Brian Connelly  is Director of Marketing and Graduate Admissions for the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. In his role, he leads the College’s integrated marketing and graduate enrollment team in its efforts to recruit and build a community of inspired learners who grow the good in business. Prior to joining the University of Notre Dame, Brian served as Associate Vice President of college recruitment consultancy Ruffalo Noel Levitz (formerly Converge). Brian has previously presented at the American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education and currently serves on the board of AMA’s Michiana chapter.  

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Maria Strutsman y Marquez

Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame

María Stutsman y Márquez  is Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions for the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. In this role, she elevates the mission and brand equity of the College by working to shape the class profiles of its graduate business programs. Prior to joining the University of Notre Dame, María was Associate Director of Admissions for the Yale School of Management. She has also held leadership roles at the University of New Mexico and InsideTrack, a higher education recruitment consulting firm.

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Kin Sejpal

Associate Vice President for Marketing Strategy and Creative Services, Rochester Institute of Technology

Kinnari “Kin” Sejpal serves as the Associate Vice President for Marketing Strategy and Creative Services at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). In this inaugural role, she leads a team of branding, marketing intelligence and creative professionals. She also oversees college-level marketing functions and guides brand initiatives for RIT’s global campuses. In her 4+ years at RIT, Kin has led a successful rebranding initiative, kicked off a first-of-its-kind reputational campaign and helped launch a holistic and integrated web presence for the University. Kin comes from a higher education background; she previously worked at Purdue University, where she held a variety of roles within the marketing strategy area. While at Purdue, Kin earned Master’s in Communication and Master’s in Business Administration degrees.

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John Trierweiler

Rochester Institute of Technology

John Trierweiler is RIT’s Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, a position he has held since 2016.

Trierweiler is responsible for the university’s marketing and communications, including goal setting, strategic development, and tactical execution for marketing and branding, communications and PR/editorial, as well as digital and web. His Marketing and Communications Division works in close partnership with enrollment management, advancement, colleges, centers, programs, as well as other divisions that make up RIT.

Prior to joining RIT, Trierweiler served as chief marketing officer for the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Before working in higher education, he held executive marketing positions at companies including Cablevision Systems, Time Warner Cable, Bumble Bee Seafoods, and H.J. Heinz.

Trierweiler is a graduate of Michigan State University and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.

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Rachel Reuben Senor

VP of Account Strategy, OHO Interactive

Rachel Reuben Senor is a seasoned veteran in marketing and communications in higher education.

As VP of Account Strategy at OHO Interactive, Rachel brings new perspectives to clients on long-term strategy, organizational design and enrollment marketing. She leads and hosts monthly OHO U webinars, the annual OHO U Conference and Senior Marketing Leadership Summit, and monthly Brain Trusts with current clients.

Prior to joining OHO, Rachel ran her own senior marketing leadership consulting business for higher education for nearly five years. During her consultancy, she served as Interim VP for Marketing and Communications at California College of the Arts, and Interim Executive Director of Marketing for the San Francisco Art Institute. Before consulting she was the VP of Communication at Colgate University, Assoc. VP for Marketing Communications at Ithaca College and the Director of Web Communication and Strategic Projects at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

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Ashley Marino

Texas Tech University

Ashley Rose Marino (she/her) is the Program Manager for Communications, Marketing, & Design for the Risk Intervention & Safety Education (RISE) Department at Texas Tech University. She graduated from Baylor University in 2016 with her Bachelor of Arts with concentrations in Psychology, Sociology and ASL Interpreting. While there, she became a member of Phi Beta Kappa Zeta of Texas. In 2020, she graduated from Texas Tech University with her Master of Science in Environmental Design and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Innovation.

Ashley is the creative director of RISE, leading multi-faceted campaigns (backed by stats and science) to best communicate healthy lifestyles to the TTU and Lubbock communities. She believes the best way to connect is by meeting people where they are, which includes a heavy emphasis on communications via social media and using digital spaces to cultivate communities of support for college populations.

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Gregg Chalk

Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Dean College

Gregg Chalk has 20 years of marketing, strategic planning and partnership development experience spanning higher education and the private sector, serving in management roles for Reebok, Staples, Collette Vacations and Dean College. Currently serving as the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Dean, Gregg leads multiple divisions including marketing, the School of Continuing Studies, the Center for Business, Entertainment and Sport Management  and all retail operations.

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Iris Godes

Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions

Iris has been working in higher education for over 30 years, starting as a financial aid counselor and then adding admissions and enrollment management. She has worked at 5 colleges, covering almost every sector of higher ed; public and private, 4-year and 2-year, very large to very small. Iris has worked at Dean College for seven years in an enrollment management role. These days she is just trying to keep up with the huge changes in admissions brought on by the pandemic as well as staying up to date on the latest technology tools and digital tactics. One thing that has stayed the same throughout these 30+ years is the reward of offering young people the opportunity to transform into amazing adults and citizens after earning a college degree.

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Jessica C. McWade

President of McWade Group, Inc.

Jessica McWade specializes in leadership, team, strategy and message development. She was previously Executive Vice President at Maguire Associates, where she directed the market research, financial-aid modeling, and brand-development practices. She has advised dozens of colleges and universities for more than 20 years in higher education.

Jessica previously led worldwide communications and corporate affairs for Raytheon and Textron and directed global corporate relations for BankBoston. She was also a deputy press secretary to the Mayor of Boston and photographer to the Governor of Massachusetts. She also holds degrees from Harvard University’s Kennedy School (MPA-2), New York University’s Stern School (MBA), and Boston University’s College of Communication (BS) and studied at the Stockholm School of Economics.

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Martin DePaul

Founder, Career Therapy

Martin is a Career Coach, podcast host, and the founder of Career Therapy. With over a decade of experience in Corporate Branding and Professional Development, he helps job seekers turn procrastination into motivation in order to change careers with confidence. Learn more about his work and the Unstuck Monthly Career Coaching Program at www.careertherapy.com.

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Carla Johnson

VP, Client Services

As VP of Client Services, Carla partners closely with clients and the Primacy team to ensure business and brand objectives are being met both on a day-to-day basis, and against longer-term strategic needs. As the voice of the client to the extended team, Carla pulls from 17 years of experience delivering strategic and executional excellence from cross-functional, collaborative teams. Her clients in higher education include Rice University, University of Pittsburgh, Ursinus College, New York Institute of Technology. In the last decade-plus, Primacy has partnered with colleges and universities across the U.S. and in the U.K. on a wide variety of engagements, from branding and marketing strategy to website redesigns and enrollment marketing campaigns. Our work has won many awards over the years, including a 2021 Webby award for a custom virtual experience for Rice University.

Kamilah Lewis

Kamilah Lewis

Director of Accounts and Strategy, EAB

Kamilah Lewis is Director of Accounts and Strategy within EAB’s Marketing and Enrollment Solutions division. In that capacity, she oversees a wide range of digital-marketing project types, including the design, implementation, and management of college websites. Kamilah’s particular areas of interest include search-engine optimization and audience segmentation as they apply to undergraduate recruitment marketing.

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 spanning several industries.

Kamilah holds an MBA with a concentration in Marketing from American InterContinental University and a BS in Marketing from University of Maryland University College.

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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.

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Will Patch

Senior Enrollment Insights Leader, Higher Ed, Niche

Prior to coming to Niche in 2019 Will served 9 years at Manchester University in roles as an Admissions Counselor, Associate Director for Admissions Operations, Social Media Coordinator, and ultimately as Digital Strategist. Will surfaces tactical insights from user behavior and surveys to help higher ed build recruitment strategies. In addition to the Enrollment Insights blog, webinars, and podcast; Will is a frequent conference speaker and podcast guest. He has presented at NACAC, AACRAO-SEM, AMA Higher Ed, CASE V, EduWeb, and EMA. Will’s work has been featured in Forbes, Inside Higher Ed, CNBC, CNN, the LA Times, and The New York Times among other outlets.

Christina Sanders

Christina Sanders

Sr. Inbound Marketing Manager, Lucidpress

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.

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C. Hawkins

Director of Student Engagement and Philanthropy, University Advancement, Northeastern University

C. Hawkins. C. serves as the Director of Student Engagement and Philanthropy within Northeastern University’s Advancement division. He has been a student and alumni engagement professional for more than 20 years. C. has spent the past 6 years focusing on student engagement and philanthropy, in the university’s Alumni Relations office. He has dedicated his career to creating award-winning programming and events in which students and young alumni develop a life-long relationship with their alma mater.

Lauren Donaghue

Lauren Donaghue

Higher Education Client Success Manager, Cvent

Lauren Donaghue. Lauren is a higher education Client Success Manager at Cvent and has 6 years of experience working with event technology in higher education. Lauren partners with many of Cvent’s higher education clients leveraging Cvent for in-person, virtual and hybrid events for all audiences.

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Sara Tyler

Account Executive, Enterprise – Higher Education, ON24

Sara Tyler is an Account Executive with over 8 years of experience in the Higher Ed Technology space. At ON24, Sara partners with colleges and universities to help transform their digital and hybrid event strategies.

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Rachel Gordon

Solutions Marketing Manager, ON24

Rachel Gordon is a B2B Marketer with over 15 years of solution-focused experience.At ON24 Rachel leads the development of engaging industry go-to-market strategies through deep understanding of customer challenges and needs in order to design impactful positioning, messaging, and campaigns.

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Elena Hoffman

Senior Director of Platform Product Marketing, ON24

Elena Hoffman has over 10 years of product marketing experience focused on cloud technologies across SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS. As senior director of product marketing at ON24, Elena manages the Digital Experience Platform go-to-market strategy, platform positioning, and ongoing programs.

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Megan Hyde

Digital Marketing Manager, Ologie

Megan develops keen insights and comprehensive marketing plans, building and optimizing digital strategies, and incorporating a wide range of innovative tactics. Her background includes significant SEM experience with service-based industries. At Ologie, she has brought her skills to clients like Purdue University, the University at Albany, Manhattan College. UC Davis, Carnegie Mellon University, and Hartwick College.

Tim Bohling

Timothy Bohling

Chief Marketing and Graduate Enrollment Officer, Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame University

Professor Bohling is an accomplished global business leader, teacher and scholar. He has held several vice president and c-suite positions leading marketing transformation and entrepreneurial business building at IBM, HCL Technologies, Stratasys and Georgia State University while concurrently publishing several research papers in top scholarly journals.

2021 Symposium for Marketing

Ethan R. Braden

Senior Vice President of Marketing, Purdue University

Ethan Braden leads a central marketing staff of 60 individuals who cultivate, excite and unite a world-class marketing community. They develop, execute, evolve and protect the University’s brand strategy to enhance national and global visibility, engage alumni and donors, and recruit the very best students, faculty, staff and research partners. Previously, Ethan served Eli Lilly & Company for more than a decade in a variety of senior marketing and sales leadership roles in the US and throughout the Emerging Markets, managing some of Lilly’s and the pharmaceutical industry’s largest, life-changing brands, such as Cymbalta, Zyprexa, Prozac, Trulicity and Jardiance.

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Ian Folau

CEO of ClearMix

an Folau is the CEO of ClearMix. ClearMix creates video content for companies remotely, using professional producers and editors to bring to life real people and real stories. Prior to ClearMix, Ian held positions as Director of Tech Strategy and Managing Director of the Corporate Venture Fund at LMI. Before this, Ian was co-founder and CEO of GitLinks through its acquisition by Infor. He also served for a decade as an Officer in the U.S. Army.

Ian earned his M.B.A. with a focus on tech from Cornell and also holds degrees from West Point and Middlebury. Ian has served as a board member for CyberUp and The Climate Service.

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Aaron Blau

VP of Education at Primacy
Todd Tribble

Todd Tribble

SVP at GeckoEngage
Libby Morse

Libby Morse

Senior Vice President & Brand Strategist, Lipman Hearne

Libby Morse is a brand and conceptual strategy expert with more than 25 years of experience in communications. She has led projects in branding, advertising, enrollment management, philanthropic marketing and public awareness, providing big ideas of enduring value.

Libby joined Lipman Hearne from DDB Needham Worldwide-Chicago. In her spare time, Libby is a children’s books reviewer for Publishers Weekly, and prior to that she covered the honeymoon beat as a contributing editor to Brides magazine for more than a decade. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Chicago and has completed graduate work in drama at the University of Virginia.

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Login & Registration 

I’ve purchased a ticket on ama.org. How do I log in to the event platform?

Once you purchase a ticket on ama.org, an email will be sent directing you to complete the login process with Cvent. You’ll need to enter a NEW login unless you have already accessed Cvent for the Symposium. Enter the email address you used to purchase your ticket and click “next.” You’ll receive a confirmation email from Cvent. If it is before October 29, no action is required as the event platform will not be live until October 29. Access the login creation page here: https://cvent.me/XnwLY4

I’ve already registered in Cvent. Where can I find the link to log in to the conference?

You can access the Attendee Hub on a desktop device here: https://cvent.me/8Zwql5

We will also send an email the night before the conference begins with a login link for registrants to access the conference platform. We’ll send daily email reminders with how to access the platform. 

When I try to log in, the platform asks for a verification code. Where can I find this?

A verification code will be sent to the email address and/or mobile phone number used when creating your Cvent account. It should appear within a few minutes. You may want to check your spam or junk folders. If you have any problems finding your verification code, please reach out to our Customer Support team at customersupport@ama.org.

Navigating the Platform

How do I schedule a sponsor or exhibitor appointment? 

Navigate to the exhibit hall using the top menu tab. Choose a sponsor or exhibitor and you can schedule appointments or send a message directly from there. You can also schedule appointments on the homepage. 

 

How do I navigate to the event agenda or add sessions to my schedule? 

You can navigate to the agenda by clicking “all sessions” in the top blue menu bar. Add sessions to your calendar by clicking the red “Add” button next to any session. In the top menu bar, there is a calendar icon. Click this to view any sessions you have added. You do not need to add sessions to your agenda to attend them.

How do I access Gamification?

Get ready to have fun, make connections, get valuable resources and score points while you’re at it! Participate in the Symposium game through the app and you could win prizes! In the navy blue menu bar at the top of your screen, hover over “community” and click “game.” 

How can I see the attendee list?

Click on the Community tab at the top of the page, then Attendees. Here you will find a list and can message attendees who have opted to be visible in the Attendee Hub.

How can I communicate with other attendees?

Methods of communication include session chat, direct messaging, sponsor appointments and sponsor virtual booths.

I’m in the Attendee Hub and need help. Where should I go?

An AMA Help Desk virtual booth can be found on the homepage, as well as in the virtual exhibit hall. Please visit the booth to chat with an AMA team member during conference hours. 

On-Demand Content 

Will conference presentations be available on-demand?

All conference material, including presentations, will be available on-demand in the Attendee Hub within 24 hours. 

How long will I have access to the 2021 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education Attendee Hub?

The Attendee Hub will remain open and available for on-demand viewing through May 10, 2022. 

Technical Support & Recommendations

Can I access the virtual conference on a mobile device? 

No. The attendee hub is only available via a desktop device.

What browser works best?

We recommend using Chrome or Firefox.

How do I change my visibility settings?

In the top right corner, click on your initials and view profile. Here you can select visible to appear on the attendee list or hidden.

 

 

2021 Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education (Online)