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2023 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

Chicago, IL

Thank You For a Great Conference

It’s marketers like you who keep our higher education community growing and thriving.

We can’t wait to see you for next year’s event on November 10-13, 2024, in Las Vegas! Sign up to stay informed as event details are released.


Building a Brighter Future for Higher Ed Together

For more than 30 years, the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education has been a premier event that paints a vibrant picture of the evolving higher education landscape.

Our program of peer-reviewed content will help you enhance your marketing strategy, build strong brands, improve your reputation, achieve enrollment success and maintain financial strength.

This event isn’t just a conference; it’s a community. It’s a dynamic space where knowledge meets action, serving as a valuable resource capable of sparking significant change by marketers like you who keep our higher education community growing and thriving!

Quick Links


A Glimpse of What to Expect


Conference Highlights

Peer-Reviewed Content

With a focus on innovative best practices, this event is programmed by a committee of your peers to make sure you get the most relevant learning.

Interactive Workshops

Come early to attend pre-conference workshops focused on topics built around today’s most pressing trends and learn practical techniques to elevate your marketing strategy.

Intentional Collaboration

Our popular roundtable discussions are back! Pick a topic and join your peers to find solutions to the challenges you’re facing.

Spirit Day: Wednesday, November 15

Bring your favorite gear to wear and show your school colors. Spirit Day is always an attendee favorite!

Research Spotlight Sessions

Get the latest research, curated by our event committee, to understand what’s coming next for our industry. 

Solution Providers All in One Place

No event has more higher ed solution providers in one place. Cruise our exhibit hall and connect with companies that can help you broaden your impact.


Keynote Speakers

Tia Brown McNair

Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Student Success

Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center

Marcus Collins

Award-Winning Marketer and Cultural Translator

Best-Selling Author

Professor

Brad Stulberg

Researcher, Writer and Coach on Excellence, Well-Being and Sustainable Success


Pricing

Members

Early-bird (through Oct. 9): $1,299

Standard (after Oct. 9): $1,499

Non-Members

Early-bird (through Oct. 9): $1,499

Standard (after Oct. 9): $1,699

All sessions will be in-person November 12-15 2023, in Chicago, IL. This year’s event will not include a separate virtual conference.

Attending as a Group?

Receive a 15% discount on group registrations of 3+ attendees.

AMA Members Get the Best Pricing

Not only do members get discounts on training like this, but they also receive exclusive content, downloadable tools, unlimited access to AMA Journals, membership in networking communities and more.


Pre-Conference Workshops

Further invest in your future by adding interactive pre-conference workshops to your registration to gain the confidence and skill set you need to succeed. Onsite, you will choose two of the six available workshops built around today’s most pressing trends.


Senior Leader Experience (Invite Only)

The Senior Leader Experience at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education is an intentionally programmed time where top campus marketers can share challenges, exchange ideas and make connections to build a lasting support system. Be the leader who values growth, best practices, boosts morale and inspires a high-performing marketing team!


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.


Meet the Planning Committee

Becca Altimier

Executive Director, Client Engagement at Ologie

Bill Campbell

VP of Marketing and Communications/CEO at Chatham University

Myla Edmond

Lead for Communications and Marketing Strategy at California State University

Eddie Francis

Founder/Principal, Edify Ventures

Jaime Hunt

VP Communications and CMO for Old Dominion University

Stephen Jendraszak

AVP for Marketing at Emory University

Kate Ledger

Acting Vice Chancellor for Communications and Marketing at University of Pittsburgh

Santhana Naidu

VP of Communications and Marketing at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Teresa Valerio Parrot

Principal, TVP Communications

Jenny Petty

Chief Marketing Communications Officer at the University of Montana

Kin Sejpal

VP of Marketing and Communications/CMO at University of Redlands

Nicole Szymczak

Senior Director of Communications and Marketing for Michigan State University Health Sciences

Alonda Thomas

CCO and AVP for Marketing and Communications at Jackson State University

Kevin Tyler

Director of Community Engagement at SimpsonScarborough


SUNDAY (ALL TIMES IN CT) | CHICAGO, IL

Pre-Conference Workshop

Marketing 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 as they attend the rest of the Symposium.

Pre-Registration Required: Choose two of the six available workshops. Your selection occurs on-site. Learn more.

Tom Hayes

Xavier University

Pre-Conference Workshop

Artificial Intelligence, Legal Considerations, and Marketing: Exploring the Legal Terrain of AI in the 2020s

Delve deep into the intricate relationship between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the marketing industry! This presentation offers pragmatic insights into legal concerns pertinent to the everyday utilization of AI, tailored for both beginning and experienced marketers engaged in the frequent use of AI platforms. We will cover topics directly related to U.S.-based marketing professionals to equip you with a holistic understanding of AI’s impact on the legal aspects of your profession including:

  • Application of Generative AI to Marketers
  • Intellectual Property Issues and AI
  • Privacy Rights and AI
  • Discrimination and AI
  • Liability and AI
  • Disinformation, Defamation and AI
  • International Legal Issues and AI
  • The Value of Internal Regulation and AI Platforms
  • Future Legal Issues of AI (Legal Personhood and Carbon Footprint)

Pre-Registration Required: Choose two of the six available workshops. Your selection occurs on-site. Learn more.

Cayce Myers, Ph.D., LL.M., J.D., APR

Virginia Tech

Pre-Conference Workshop

Let's Do a Podcast. Ok, But Why and How?

You hear that somebody wants to start a podcast. A professor wants to get their research out, the admissions office wants to highlight community experiences or the president wants to communicate their initiatives.

Ok, that’s exciting! But where does the podcast fit with your communications strategy? And how will you do it sustainability with limited bandwidth and resources?

This is an interactive workshop where we will develop a high-level podcast strategy together. Along the way we will take a look at successful podcast models across a range of show types (admissions, alumni, student, professor and president). By the end of this workshop you will have enough to evaluate campus collaboration opportunities to amplify your communications strategy with podcasts.

Sponsored by: University FM

Pre-Registration Required: Choose two of the six available workshops. Your selection occurs on-site. Learn more.

Robert Li

University FM

Senior Leader Experience

The CMO Lifecycle (Career Change and Adaptation) Panel

Get Interviewed, Get Hired, Build a Team, Build a Brand, Survive a Transition (or Not), Rinse and Repeat! The day-to-day responsibilities of a Higher Education CMO can be exhilarating, stressful, tedious, rewarding and fun – all at the same time! The CMO Life Cycle Panel will explore the journey of CMOs from various types of institutions who will share their highs, their lows and their best practices to help existing and aspiring CMOs plan for the future. Subjects will include: How to manage a university transition, leaving on your own terms and how to handle a layoff.

Moderator: Alonda Thomas

Pre-Registration Required: Request your Senior Leader Experience Invitation now.

Luke Anderson

Emory University

Anne Coyle

Russell Reynolds

Bryce Hoffman

University of New Hampshire

Alonda Thomas

Jackson State University

Senior Leader Experience

Seeing Around Corners: Buckle Up for What’s Ahead

The biggest question leaders have as they reflect on the unprecedented changes of the last three years is: “What’s next.” In a fireside chat with Teresa Valerio Parrot, we will share data from Stagwell’s consumer, business and societal research and explore:

  • The pulse of America today
  • The pulse of society today
  • What it means to education and marketing

Ray Day

Stagwell

Teresa Valerio Parrot

TVP Communications

Pre-Conference Workshop

How to Create Emails People Want

Each of us (easily) receives over one hundred emails each day. With all of this competition, how can you ensure your messages cut through the noise and get in front of your readers? In this workshop, you’ll see email examples from Cornell University’s advancement marketing team, which boasts industry-leading open and click rates. Learn how to curate quality content, and boost engagement and conversions through high-performing call-to-action emails. People still read email. But not the way you think. Ashley and Day will teach how to write subject lines, optimize links, and lay out email copy so your message is received.

Pre-Registration Required: Choose two of the six available workshops. Your selection occurs on-site. Learn more.

Ashley Budd

Cornell University

Dayana Kibilds

Strategy Director, Ologie

Pre-Conference Workshop

Developing Student Creators to Enhance an Authentic Content Strategy

No one can tell the authentic story of your institution better than students. But finding and hiring the right students, providing timely training, and establishing trust and your strategy with them is challenging. In this session, you will learn how to select students, build a robust training program, and construct a sustainable system to maintain a high-performing group of student content creators. Attendees will walk away with strategies to help students develop critical thinking skills relevant to social media and ways to empower them to make recommendations for the overall brand content strategy.

Pre-Registration Required: Choose two of the six available workshops. Your selection occurs on-site. Learn more.

Josie Ahlquist

Dr. Josie, Inc.

Jenny Fowler

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT

Cassaundra Moore

Washington University in St. Louis

Rachel Rodemann Putman

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

Pre-Conference Workshop

Brand Under Fire — Navigating The Issues Rich Environment of Higher Education

Jeff Hunt, a founding partner of Legend Labs, will address the communications challenges confronting higher education in an increasingly hostile and ever-changing issues landscape. He will highlight the importance of issues preparedness and world-class communications to help institutions effectively manage their reputations.

In an age characterized by extreme polarization, where one viral video can sink the reputation of an individual or an institution, crisis preparedness and response should be at the forefront of every leader’s agenda within higher education. Jeff has authored a book titled “Brand Under Fire: A New Playbook for Crisis Management in the Digital Age,” which serves as the cornerstone for his widely delivered lectures to organizations and universities nationwide. During his panel, Jeff will examine trends affecting higher education today and present powerful tools and strategies for crisis preparedness and management and reputation repair.

Sponsored by: Legend Labs

Pre-Registration Required: Choose two of the six available workshops. Your selection occurs on-site. Learn more.

Jeff Hunt

Legend Labs

James Wakefield

Legend Labs

Senior Leader Experience

Invite Only

The Senior Leader Experience is an intentionally programmed time where top campus marketers can share challenges, exchange ideas and make connections to build a lasting support system. Be the leader who values growth, best practices, boosts morale and inspires a high-performing marketing team! Learn more.

First Timer Reception and Orientation

Welcome Reception

MONDAY (ALL TIMES IN CT) | CHICAGO, IL

Yoga

Breakfast

Welcome + Keynote: Fulfilling Our Promise: From Equity Talk to Equity Walk

How do we build and strengthen our capacity to deliver on the promise of a postsecondary credential and degree? How are we translating the value of higher education and institutional goals for student success into our daily practices to promote higher levels of academic and social mobility? How are we developing as a student-ready professional learning organization that is responsive and reflective? In this session, participants will identify key steps for examining and for establishing equity-centered goals focused on achieving strategic priorities through deeper understanding of our individual and shared roles in fulfilling the promise of higher education for all students.

Tia Brown McNair

Keynote Speaker

Effective Leadership

Staying Strategic Through Constant Change

The only constant is change, so let’s discuss how to successfully navigate the shifts. Join five leaders representing small, large, public, private, R1 and regional universities to discuss real-life examples of staying strategic through change. We have successfully navigated presidential transitions, employee retention challenges, campus crises, complex budgeting, mergers and acquisitions, building new teams and completely reinventing divisions. We are excited to share practical advice and relevant ideas whether you are an individual contributor or the most senior marketing leader. Our session will be highly interactive, so we can discuss what is most on the minds of session attendees.

Christie Campbell

St. Edward's University

Christie Harper

University of Arizona

Angela Polec

La Salle University

Frannie Schneider

Creighton University

Brand & Content Strategy

Helping Old Dogs Show Off New Tricks

Universities today are constantly launching new initiatives, programs, centers, and even campuses. In some institutions, they face not only the challenge of positioning their new offerings to audiences, but also the challenge of ensuring that they live within the context of their storied pasts, traditions, and reputations. When does a new offering need to diverge from its parent brand? How do we ensure that moving forward doesn’t mean leaving everything behind? Sullivan’s Nicole Ferry and Virginia Tech’s Tracy Vosburgh share their insights, based on their experience working together to help higher ed organizations take flight with new ideas.

Nicole Ferry

Sullivan

Tracy Vosburgh

Virginia Tech

Evolving Higher Ed Landscape

Uplifting Under-Represented and Equity-Deserving Voices Through Inclusive Marketing

At the intersection of UBC’s vision to inspire people, ideas and actions for a better world and institutional mission to foster discourse, knowledge exchange and engagement, UBC mobilizes EDI-related research and expert knowledge to spotlight and encourage discourse around systems and impacts of discrimination. This session highlights the journey the Brand and Marketing team is on to build inclusive marketing capacities and diversify its content and storytelling to uplift under-represented, marginalized and equity-deserving voices at UBC and beyond. Marketing communications professionals will hear how a holistic inclusive marketing approach has helped UBC live its commitment to anti-racism and inclusive excellence.

John Lo (骆杰俊)

The University of British Columbia

Audience Engagement

A Win-Win Partnership Between Enrollment and Marketing

Heard this before? “When we exceed revenue numbers, THEN we will have surplus for marketing.” RIT’s Division of Marketing and Communications heard it year after year, until they tried something different. They partnered with Enrollment Management to frame enrollment and marketplace challenges together, highlighting how collaborative efforts successfully addressed these challenges and elevated RIT into a new peer set. Only then did the Board of Trustees and senior leadership start to see marketing as an essential part of the solution. Learn how to link your marketing objectives to enrollment’s revenue-generating goals to get more attention, more interest, and more action.

Cassandra Nickels

Rochester Institute of Technology

Colleen Peterson

Rochester Institute of Technology

John Trierweiler

Rochester Institute of Technology

Thought Leadership

Data Alchemy | A Panel Discussion: The Intersection of Data, AI, Technology and Human Intelligence to Optimize Engagement Throughout the Student Journey

In our quest to enroll best-fit students for educational institutions seeking to improve student outcomes, a diverse panel of marketing experts will discuss invaluable insights offered by data-driven marketing technologies and approaches in today’s dynamic and highly competitive environment.

  • Data-driven strategies to identify, target and engage ideal student prospects in the digital ecosystem.
  • The intersection of human intelligence and AI in the context of emerging data-driven marketing technologies.
  • Data privacy and implications in a cookie-less future.
  • Overcoming barriers to data optimization in a characteristically decentralized environment.

Prepare to be inspired, informed, and equipped as we embark on this enlightening panel discussion, where data is central to unlocking enrollment growth, retention, and engagement throughout the student lifecycle.

Sponsored by Advance360 Education

Aimee Bigham

MV Digital

Will Hajjar

Advance Local

Andy Monfried

Lotame

Erin Keane Scott

University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Randi Ungar

Advance 360 Education

Paul Westcott

L2, Inc.

Fireside Chat

How to Be the Campus Where People Wanna Work

We all have taken note of that place where we would love to work because of employees who looked fulfilled or maybe (even)…happy? Engaged employees are often marketing gold for organizations. Establishing your college or university as a great place to work can happen even with resource constraints or leadership challenges.

This interactive Fireside Chat will foster a meaningful, open conversation about recruiting and retaining talent. You will have the opportunity to engage with panelists, share their observations and challenges, and walk away with actionable ideas to make your campus where you want to work and where many others aspire to be.

Eddie Francis

Founder/Principal, Edify Ventures

Marc Harding

University of Pittsburgh

Alonda Thomas

Jackson State University

Lunch + Networking

Roundtable Discussions

Exhibit Hall Break

Fireside Chat

Who You Gonna Call? Busting Marketing Inefficiencies

The University of Arizona adopted an internal consulting model for connecting decentralized marketing offices across campus to the central university marketing team, revolutionizing its marketing approach and improving efficiencies across campus. By leveraging the expertise of these internal consultants, we empower decentralized marketing efforts to be more cohesive and aligned with our brand strategy. In this presentation, we will discuss our case study of identifying and leveraging internal resources, building a collaborative culture, and measuring the impact of our efforts. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and tools to help drive success in their own organizations.

Frank Camp

University of Arizona

Maya Patterson

University of Arizona

Jenna Rutschman

University of Arizona

Mike Southworth

University of Arizona

How It's Made

A Branding Blueprint for a State of Change

Is college worth it? In a rural state with one of the lowest college attendance rates in the country, declining state funding, and unknown public perception of higher education, learn how Boise State University partnered with SimpsonScarborough to take back control of their narrative. Taking inspiration from their iconic blue turf, see how they built a compelling brand strategy that reaches beyond the political landscape to connect and engage with diverse audiences in order to shift the value proposition of higher education.

Lauren Griswold

Boise State University

Jason Simon

SimpsonScarborough

Sara Wallace

SimpsonScarborough

Effective Leadership

The Role of Strong Brands in Reputational Recovery

Crises. Until recently, these were rare moments colleges hoped would never hit their campuses. No longer. Politicization of higher education, tensions between administrations and boards, random acts of violence all can spark events with significant reputational risks and potential impact. At a time when both the cost and purpose of higher education are questioned, marketing teams play a vital role in reputational recovery.Through multiple crises that made national headlines, University of Virginia and Michigan State University share lessons learned and suggestions for how marketing teams can earn a place at the table as partners before, during and after crises.

Carol Keese

University of Virginia

Heather Swain

Michigan State University

Audience Engagement

I’d Rather Recruit a Parent Than a Student

Choosing a university with a high school senior is one of the most significant decisions parents make, and the process is overwhelming. Parents face many options, and they want to ensure that their student gets the best education possible. As a result, universities must create effective content that resonates with parents and influences their decision-making process. In this session, we will discuss strategies for creating content that appeals to parents and guides them during the college selection process.

Mary Beth Marks

University of the Pacific

Jennifer Sparkman

University of the Pacific

Elizabeth Stevens-Bishop

University of the Pacific

Brand & Content Strategy

Higher Education Marketing in the Age of AI: How ChatGPT Helps You Work Smarter, Not Harder

The robots are coming. Just kidding. But AI and emerging trends like ChatGPT are already reshaping many higher ed processes. Is your team prepared for these changes? And how can we leverage this tech to increase your team’s effectiveness and drive engagement? Instead of fearing the rise of the machines, it’s time to embrace the future and harness the power of AI and machine learning to better our recruitment processes, maximize our staff’s time and energy, and meet student expectations. Dive into the cutting edge tech of prompt engineering and using AI to help generate more effective marketing.

Ardis Kadiu

Element451

Devin Purgason

Forsyth Technical Community College

Innovation Showcase

Shaping the Future: Navigating Students, Gen Z and Generation Alpha Preparedness in 2023

The State of the American College Student: 2023 | Fuseideas

Justin Vogt, Vice President/Group Account Director of Fuseideas, and Erin Francis-Cummings, President & CEO of Destinations Analysts, will present the findings from their perennial national survey of prospective and current college students. Now in its third year of fielding, this research shares critical trends built upon benchmarks established in 2021, providing insights on students’ personal motivations for choosing an institution, as well as identifying key emotional and behavioral factors impacting students today.

 

How-To Guide: Effectively Advertising to Gen Z | Glacier

Hear about the latest data from Glacier’s new 2023 High School Advertising research report! Glacier surveyed 1,000 high school students in the United States to gain deeper insights into the factors that affect their higher education decision-making process and the effectiveness of marketing strategies. We’ll review our findings and compare our 2022 results to 2023.

 

Preparing for Generation A | Digital Pulp

Join us as we explore Generation Alpha. This generation will be the most diverse in history and will expect more from how institutions engage and inspire them. They’ve been witness to a global pandemic that changed the world faster and more profoundly than anyone could have imagined. They are always connected and the line between life and technology is blurred. Independence is woven into their experience of the world as they navigate education, careers and work-life balance. An uncertain future is their norm, and meeting them where they are is a challenge we all need to address.

Gene Lewis

CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Digital Pulp

John Reid

President of Glacier

Justin Vogt

Vice President / Group Account Director Fuseideas

Evolving Higher Ed Landscape

Sweet Harmony: When Strategic Branding Meets Strategic Planning

To thrive in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape, universities need both a compelling vision for the future and an effective brand identity that resonates with prospective students, donors and influencers alike. Attendees will learn collaborative strategies to ensure marketing has a voice at the strategic planning table, including how to use marketplace perception data to inform the process. Using The University of Texas at San Antonio’s recent strategic planning process as an example, we’ll take a fresh look at the role of marketing in your university’s strategic plan, and how to integrate strategic plan initiatives into your brand strategy.

Grant De Roo

ADV Market Research & Consulting

Lisa Jasinski

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Anne Peters

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Audience Engagement

Student Mental Health: Marketing Makes a Difference

Knowing nearly three quarters of college students report moderate or severe psychological distress, our team created something new—Aggie Mental Health, a campuswide mental health marketing and outreach initiative. Our goals include: Reducing stigma and barriers to mental health care. Empowering students to seek help. Providing immediate and long-term resources for students, staff and faculty. Increasing usage of campus resources. Our session dives into the research and development of the key components of Aggie Mental Health—a centralized, user-friendly website; full-scale branding and marketing and a 30-student peer ambassador program as well as the successes we’ve seen so far.

Jennifer Butler

UC Davis

Andrew McDaniel

UC Davis

Jennifer Vaughn

UC Davis

How It's Made

Not Your Parents’ YouTube

YouTube has evolved from a hub for quirky videos to a powerhouse marketing platform that is the second-largest search engine in the world. With Washington State University grappling with enrollment challenges post-COVID, attention finally turned to its YouTube repository of Zoom recordings and town hall meetings. By instituting a recruitment-first content strategy, embracing YouTube’s new features, and introducing some much-needed organization, #WSU transformed its flagship YouTube channel. This is the story of how WSU took back control of its YouTube presence and optimized for Gen Z.

Cara Hoag

Washington State University

Brent Reser

Washington State University

Effective Leadership

Marketing Maturity Models as a Roadmap for Transformation

Transforming your approach to marketing and communications can feel like a daunting task. Leaders often understand the ideal end state: an innovative, data-driven, creative organization that strategically provides value, is operationally effective, and crafts omni-channel campaigns that put our audiences at the center. But achieving that vision can feel insurmountable if you find yourself in a situation that is reactive, transactional, and siloed. One way to address this challenge is to use a maturity model to guide your efforts.

Jaime Hunt

Old Dominion University

Research, Measurement & ROI

Tuition Transparency in Higher Education: A Mixed Methods Study

RWJ Research has conducted a series of studies to assess the value of higher education, the impact of advertised tuition prices, and the effect of scholarships on the application and enrollment decisions of prospective students and their families.

David Bushman

Bridgewater College

Jessica Neumann-Kersten

RW Jones Agency

Kevin Swartout

Rankin Climate

Innovation Showcase

How AI, Brand Action and Accessibility are Game Changers for Universities

The AI Advantage:  How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Creativity in Higher Education Marketing | Net Natives
Artificial intelligence (AI) is here — and it’s impacting higher ed marketing in a major way. So, how are your colleagues and students using AI? And how can you leverage the technology to take your marketing campaigns to a new level?

In this session, you’ll learn some of the ways Net Natives, a global higher ed marketing agency, is integrating AI into their work with university partners, and the pros and cons of using the technology.

Attendees will also get the scoop on some of the most useful AI platforms for higher ed marketers. Plus, you’ll learn how universities are leveraging the technology to be more efficient and creative, and how students are using AI for positive (and sometimes questionable) purposes.

By the end of the session, you’ll have a firm understanding of AI basics and will leave with solid strategies to leverage on your campus — and maximize your marketing results

Content: The Most Ignored Barrier to Education | Ologie
If I asked you to name one of the greatest barriers to education, what would you say?

I say: Content.

Good content can be an effective tool to create access for equity-deserving students. Bad content can be the barrier keeping them from understanding instructions, following processes, and feeling welcome at your institution.

Drawing from the personal story of a Latina teenager and Ologie’s most recent web study, this talk will showcase how traditional admissions content can exclude the very groups you want to include — and it will show you the role marketers can play in creating access at our institutions.

The Intersection of Brand and Revenue: The Kurt Vonnegut Effect | Zillion
Is it better for a brand to be or to do? Defining a brand through its identity or through its actions? While this isn’t a black-and-white question, the answer just may be. Because one of these options has the potential to generate affinity across wider audiences, which, in turn, drives improved results and greater revenue. In a challenging environment for higher education, having an active brand is a decided advantage.

Fernando Bergás-Coria

Ologie

Brian MacDonald

Zillion

Charlie Penrose

Net Natives

Keynote: Back to The Future: The Evolution of Brand

There is more change happening around us than ever before, and with these changes have come a host of new expectations—from how we engage with work, our health, our family and seemingly everything that touches day-to-day living. To no surprise, these changes have created new expectations with regard to brand and how we engage with them. Therefore, higher ed and business leaders must pay mind to these changes and consider how the evolution of brand impacts how they go to market. This talk provides a perspective by which we might view the implications of these changes to higher education and, ultimately, leverage the possibilities that with the aid of today’s hyperconnected technology.

Marcus Collins

Keynote Speaker

TUESDAY (ALL TIMES IN CT) | CHICAGO, IL

Morning Run

Pack your running gear to join your conference running buddies! Fitness Finders are leading a 4-mile run along the Chicago Riverwalk to kick off Tuesday morning! Check out the map for the run here: https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/2535432340/

Sponsored by: Fitness Finders

Breakfast

Senior Leader Experience

Collaboration, Conflation and Complexity: The Future of Integrating Marketing and Communications

“Don’t let the urgent get in the way of the important.” – Kay Yow

For leaders managing the marcomm function during today’s upheaval in higher education, communications often feels urgent – the endless effort to control the message in quick-moving, audience-driven social media. Meanwhile, the marketing function requires research, influence based on relationship building and strategic campaigns that require time. This session will take a deep dive into the organizational challenges and opportunities of integrating marketing and communications. Sometimes it feels like we, as leaders, are endlessly discussing the best organizational approach. But how can we innovate marcomm organizations for the future?

Jeneane Beck

University of Iowa

Kate Ledger

Old Dominion University

Rob Zinkan

RHB

Keynote: How to Excel When Everything is Changing - Including You

We are in a period of rapid and intensifying change. Yet our models for change, which all too often lead to futile resistance or over-controlling, are inaccurate and outdated. In this keynote, Brad Stulberg, author of the new book Master of Change, will share a new, research-backed, and better way to navigate change and life’s inevitable flux. He’ll focus on how to be in conversation with change: not completely giving up your agency, but also not resisting what is happening. You’ll leave this talk with an exciting new conceptual model for change, along with new skills to ride the waves inherent to your professional and personal life.

Brad Stulberg

Keynote Speaker

Brand & Content Strategy

Gen Z Uses Social for Search. Are you Ready?

According to a recent survey by Google, almost 40% of Gen Z is using TikTok and Instagram for search. More and more, prospective students are bypassing Google and other search engines to learn about colleges and universities via social media — and social platforms are doing everything they can to take and keep that traffic from Google. Do your social channels have the content that Gen Z is looking for? In this session, the team from Creighton University will share how they’re evolving and resourcing social platforms for changes in user behavior.

Kevin Coffey

Creighton University

Kristen Paulmeyer

Creighton University

Audience Engagement

Destigmatizing Mental Health: Student Affairs and Marketing Unite

Addressing the mental health needs on our campuses is pivotal to ensuring success for both our students and those who work at our institutions. Once we create the plan to address the needs, how do we effectively communicate the work? During this session, participants will:

  • Learn how Kent State University expanded mental health resources and services across an eight-campus system and an international campus.
  • Engage in discussion on developing effective marketing strategies for a comprehensive mental health campaign.
  • Apply practical examples from lessons learned through the lens of both a marketing professional and student affairs senior administrator.

Angelique Daniels

Kent State University

Taléa Drummer-Ferrell

Kent State University

How It's Made

Put the You in UX: DIY User Discovery

Trying to figure out the best way to organize your Student Life section? Curious whether prospective students will scroll your homepage on their phones? Caught refereeing between divisions about whose content deserves front-and-center placement? Let your end users weigh in. UX research may sound like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. We will walk you through the key elements of an effective research project. Then we’ll give a quick demonstration to show how achievable solid research can be with short time, slim resources, or a small budget.

Colleen Brennan-Barry

Northeast College of Health Sciences

Lamar Goodenough

Digital Wave

Effective Leadership

The CMO and CDO: Drive Change through an Authentic Partnership between Marketing and DEI

See how a strategic partnership between marketing and the diversity offices can measurably improve your institution’s brand perceptions and build cohesion across the organization – all while engaging diverse stakeholder groups of students, corporate partners, alumni, faculty, and staff. In this session, you’ll learn how to: Foster innovation and advance an inclusive culture. Engage internal and external stakeholders around DEI issues. Amplify diverse voices in your community. Build authentic and diverse brand campaigns. Navigate complex organizational structures to drive change.

Binnu Hill

Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin Madison

Typhaine Morrison

Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin Madison

Thought Leadership

Reaching Students in the Moments That Matter

The student journey has changed significantly over the last year. As students become more pragmatic in their approach to education, the way they’re moving through their enrollment journey and the most impactful media touchpoints have evolved. With that journey becoming more complex, education advertisers need to ensure they understand what students are prioritizing, how to best reach them throughout their journey, and how to drive efficiency in marketing efforts. Join Google to unpack how student mindset has shifted in the last year, how that’s playing out in demand trends, and how education advertisers can drive efficiency by meeting learners throughout their journey.

Sponsored by Google

Stefanie Stewart

Google

Fireside Chat

Shifting Faculty Perceptions of and Participation in Marketing

The expectations to build your campus brand and increase awareness of your institution’s offerings often require the buy-in and participation of faculty. Yet faculty can bristle at the idea of engaging in marketing efforts. A tenured professor and former interim dean, and a marcom leader have cracked the code for what works when proposing the concepts of brand-based initiatives and thought leadership to academics. Together they will share how to build trust, buy-in, and cooperation and provide tips for packaging opportunities that resonate with faculty and show results with key audiences.

Kenneth Carter

Oxford College of Emory University

Teresa Valerio Parrot

TVP Communications

Brand & Content Strategy

Building a Next Generation Brand

The New York Times deemed Texas “the Future of America” because experts predict the demographic shifts it’s experiencing will occur nationwide, making America more diverse. In the 2020 census, Texas added 4M new residents, 95% people of color. Many will be first-generation. Once a predominantly white institution, Texas State University has also transformed, with student demographics that mirror the state. This seachange created an exciting opportunity for TXST to revitalize its brand and meet the next generation of Texans. In this session, TXST’s marketing team will share strategies and learnings while leading the university’s first rebranding in over 17 years.

Elissa Fontenot

Texas State University

Kelly King-Green

Texas State University

Callie Lewis

Texas State University

Elias Martinez

Texas State University

Research, Measurement & ROI

Bridging the Trust Gap in Higher Education: Insights to Inform Marketing Strategy

“Enrollment cliff” is one of the key challenges threatening the financial and reputational sustainability of many institutions. This session provides an overview of the Most Trusted Universities survey, highlighting trust as one of the key brand health metrics for universities to unlock the potential for growth in enrollments and endowments. It shows the importance of marketing strategies that bridge the trust gaps among stakeholders by race/ethnicity, gender, first-gen, and Gen Z high school students. This session will also include interactive discussions with university leaders on their approach to building data-informed strategies that aim at measuring and improving brand health metrics.

Rahul Choudaha

Morning Consult

Isaac Muñoz

Texas A&M University

John Stafford

Stanford University

How It's Made

From Crisis to Community Connection

When concerns over sexual harassment hit social media, it presented not only a challenge, but an opportunity to build a campus-wide initiative and outreach campaign that raised awareness and took lasting steps to address the issue on campus and beyond. The SpeakUp initiative provides a case study of how issues can serve as a catalyst for bringing together campus constituencies, as well as the broader community, to make real change and have influence on critical topics.

Dina Abulfotuh

The American University in Cairo

Innovation Showcase

Embrace Your Authenticity & Empower Your Audience: How to Drive Meaningful Change on Campus

Leveraging Word-of-Mouth Narratives for Institutional Branding | Campus Sonar
The root of higher ed’s public trust problem is a generational shift from institutional to peer influence. Deeply understanding, amplifying and engaging with peer-to-peer conversations that hold high value for consumers is the key to rebuilding trust and should be at the center of institutional, marketing and enrollment strategy.

Our recent industry trends research and customized social listening revealed audience perception themes and big-picture context to help institutions understand the nuances in aligning their specific goals and unique identities.

Unlocking the Power of Creative Operations in Higher Education Marketing | Lytho
In today’s fast-paced world, higher education marketers face ever-increasing pressure to create and deliver high-quality, compelling content to their target audience. Creative operations can play a vital role in streamlining the content creation process, reducing cost and ensure that content is delivered on time and to a high standard.

In this session, we’ll explore how creative operations can help higher education marketers to overcome common content creation challenges, including managing multiple stakeholders, coordinate large-scale campaigns and maintaining brand consistency across different channels.

Key takeaways:

– Understanding the basics of creative operations and its benefits for higher education marketing
– Best practices for managing creative projects, including scoping, workflow, and stakeholder management
– Tips for optimizing your team’s efficiency and effectiveness in content creation
– Strategies for maintaining brand consistency across various campaigns and channels
– Real-world case studies of a higher education institution that has implemented creative operations into their marketing efforts.

Owning Who You Are | Up&Up
Join Up&Up for an enlightening presentation that highlights the importance of owning who you are as a college or university and how it can help you attract prospective students who are the right fit for your institution. In a competitive educational landscape, it is crucial for colleges and universities to create an environment where students can thrive and grow authentically. Up&Up believes that by celebrating your institution’s unique identity and values, you can attract students who resonate with your mission and vision. During this session, we will share practical strategies, compelling stories, and actionable insights to help you showcase your authenticity and connect with prospective students effectively.

In this presentation, you will:

1. Explore your uniqueness: Uncover the values that actually set you apart versus what everyone else is claiming. Discover truths about your institution that are specific to your audience’s needs.
2. From teacher to learner: Understand the importance of learning from your audience before attempting to influence their decision-making.
3. Walk in authenticity: Learn how to cultivate and carry out a truly unique brand that attracts your right-fit students by reframing “the norm”.

Molly Clark

Lytho

Liz Gross

Campus Sonar

Allison Lanier

Director of Client Services, Up&Up

Elliot Lollis

Account Executive - Brand Strategy, Up&Up

Lunch + Networking

Brand & Content Strategy

What Happens to Cinderella After the Ball?

In March 2022, Saint Peter’s University accomplished the greatest March Madness run in NCAA history, catapulting it to national prominence. But that kind of momentum can be short-lived – the next tournament can always bring a new belle of the ball. SPU took advantage of its unique opportunity to develop a new brand campaign– one that demonstrates that basketball victory is emblematic of the success within reach for everyone in the community, not just a lucky break. Moving fast required setting up buy-in for the process, engaging stakeholders strategically, and trusting the team. Learn how they did it.

Kirsten Fedderke

Yes& Lipman Hearne

Sarah Malinowski Ferrary

Saint Peter's University

Effective Leadership

Lessons in Leadership: Rebuilding culture with a banana

This is the true story of 20 colleagues picked to work together, survive leadership turnover, and have their lives upended by a pandemic to find out what happens when we stop the silos and start getting real. Oh, and a banana. Sara Miga and Julia Marco, two directors and marketing leaders from Skidmore College will tell a story and present a case study on how they — and their team — picked up the pieces of a post-pandemic workplace culture, re-aligned a team with a mission, and discovered the joy of a mystery banana.

Julia Marco

Skidmore College

Sara Miga

Skidmore College

Audience Engagement

Let's Get Personal: Perfecting the Prospect Experience with Web Personalization

Personalization is not just a buzzword, it’s the key to unlocking the perfect experience for prospective students and donors. Your website is your most visible marketing tool, but settling for one-size-fits-all content will leave you drowning in the sea of sameness. By tailoring your website to each unique visitor, you can cut through the noise and create meaningful connections that drive your audience to take action. In this session, we’ll get personal. We’ll discover the simple steps to creating remarkable personalized web experiences and explore how Ferris State University drove a 2800% growth in CTA clickthroughs using these tactics.

Eric Hazen

Ferris State University

Evolving Higher Ed Landscape

Empathy-Based Marketing: Co-Designing Strategies for Student Success

Marketers are often in the best position to look beyond competing staff agendas to stay mindful of student needs. When our service is grounded in real understanding of students, we can bring groups together to align support. We’ll explore marketing’s evolving role in the higher ed landscape, and the need for more retention-focused, empathy-driven marketing. The session covers: Journey mapping: Using qualitative research to understand the moments that matter during the first year. Co-designing with students: How to start with questions, not solutions, to engage students meaningfully. Alignment: How marketers can elevate student voices to align people, processes, and technology.

Jen Halls

IDEO

Jen Rhee

New York University

Camille Wilson

New York University

Thought Leadership

Content-First Enrollment Strategies

Most enrollment marketing teams think of content and paid media as separate and distinct efforts. They produce content to drive brand awareness and engagement, and invest in templated and salesy paid media campaigns to drive demand and leads that hopefully turn into applicants and enrollments.

The problem with this siloed approach is that graduate student prospects want to be engaged via authentic faculty, student, and alumni content at every stage of the marketing and enrollment funnel. Failing to leverage a content-first approach in paid media results in missing key opportunities to differentiate your brand and beat out the competition.

Content-first paid media strategies hook your prospects on the promise of actionable insights into an immediate problem they’re trying to solve at work (like wanting to become a better data analyst). They then spoil them at every step through engaging and authentic (aka non-salesy) content rooted in faculty, alumni, or student stories and learnings. This results in ads, nurture campaigns, social media, and other marketing tactics that stand out and allow your prospects to attach to actual people at your institution.

Citing examples from their work across the Tufts School of Medicine, Northeastern University, Babson College, the University of Cambridge, the University of New Mexico, and Assumption University, Viv Higher Education’s co-founder and CEO Suzan Brinker, along with Viv’s Director of People and Process, Audra DeLaney-Hall, will present winning strategies for creating content-first enrollment marketing campaigns that result in lower costs, higher engagement, and more enrollments than traditional paid media campaigns.

Sponsored by Viv Higher Education

Suzan Brinker

Viv Higher Education

Audra DeLaney-Hall

Viv Higher Education

Exhibit Hall Break

How It's Made

We ‘Bout That Action: Effectively Motivating Your Audience

Jackson State University has been a consistent winner for the past six years of participation in The Home Depot’s Retool Your School Competition. Through the campaign, the University has received campus improvement grants that have promoted sustainability and long-term benefits to the campus and students. Learn how JSU has garnered support for the campaign over the years from its students, alumni, and other constituents and how you can use similar tactics to motivate your audience in mini-campaigns.

Tangelia Kelly

Jackson State University

Kentrice Rush

Jackson State University

Evolving Higher Ed Landscape

AI Marketing: Because Who Needs Human Connection? **

Get ready to replace all your human connections with the magic of AI! In this presentation, you’ll learn how to turn students into mere data points using predictive modeling and chatbots. We’ll show you how to create campaigns that manipulate people’s emotions, so you can forget about genuine human connection altogether. Don’t miss out on the chance to become an AI marketing master and say goodbye to authenticity forever!

Title and summary written by Chat GPT. Actual discussion will feature humans talking about the opportunities and challenges of AI in higher ed.

Grant Heston

Virginia Commonwealth University

Christine Dellert Mullon

Sonder Says

Fotis Sotiropoulos

Virginia Commonwealth University

Jose Villalba

Wake Forest University

Research, Measurement & ROI

Informing Cabinet-Level Decision-Making with Social Listening

Your audiences are online, talking about your campus every day. How do you know what’s really said? And when your president, dean, or other leaders ask, how confident are you in response? Through social listening, you can accurately find and interpret the conversation and why it matters. This panel of CMOs, AVPs, and social listening experts will demonstrate how campuses leverage online data to inform cabinet-level decision-making. Combining new industry research with on-campus case studies, we will explain how social listening insights guide leaders in developing and aligning their strategies with the goals of the campuses they serve.

Lisa Baer

Rosalind Franklin University

Alastair Hayes

Campus Sonar

Matt Serrao

Utah Valley University

Katlin Swisher

Campus Sonar

Gabriel Welsch

Duquesne University

Innovation Showcase

Rethinking Your Enrollment Strategies: New Opportunities to Engage Prospective Students

Find Your People and Get to Know Them: Driving Engagement at Every Stage in the Customer Lifecycle | Marigold
In this session we’ll take a look at some of the successful omnichannel relationship marketing strategies that have helped global brands acquire and engage their target audience.
With an emphasis on zero party data, learn best practices that ultimately convert leads into lasting relationships.

Applying Awareness-based Marketing to your College Recruitment Strategy | Epicosity
You’re familiar with the traditional student recruitment funnel.

Did you know that it’s also outdated and wrong?

Allow us to introduce “Awareness-Based Marketing” – fueled by the five stages of awareness.

What are the five stages of awareness? They allow your team to meet students where they are in their recruitment journey, recognize their pain points, and offer viable messaging and brand touchpoints – they’re also at the very foundation of student recruitment and enrollment.

In our session, we will show you why and how this new model can help you understand more about your prospective students and best practices for reaching them. We’ll cover things like:

  • Student Insights
  • Persona Examples
  • History of the Stages
  • Awareness-based Content Plans
  • And more!

Not only that, but you’ll learn how to implement the Awareness-Based Marketing model into your enrollment strategy and help stakeholders understand the importance of rethinking the enrollment funnel.

Driving Enrollment with Rideshare Advertising | Carvertise
In this session, we will discuss how rideshare advertising can be an effective way to increase college admissions. With more and more people using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, it presents a unique opportunity for colleges to get their message in front of potential students.

We’ll begin by breaking down the basics of rideshare advertising, including the types of ads you can use and the benefits of using this platform. We’ll then dive into some real-world examples of colleges that have successfully leveraged rideshare advertising to increase their admissions.

From there, we’ll discuss the key elements of a successful rideshare ad campaign for colleges, including how to target students in a specific area and how to track the success of your campaign. We’ll also share some tips and tricks for making your ads stand out and engaging for potential students.

Nate Frick

Marigold

Sam Thorson

Epicosity

Sean Wyrobek

Carvertise

Fireside Chat

The Future of Brand Experience in Higher Education

Within many colleges and universities “brand experience” as a job title likely sits within Communications or Marketing. However, the factors that define how students, alumni, faculty and staff experience an institution extends well beyond the limits of the traditional structure. Learn from a panel of brand experience leaders navigating in their role as an advocate for those they serve across silos, leveraging innovation and building systems to support CX in HE.

Bill Campbell

Chatham University

Corynn Myers

SimpsonScarborough

Jenny Petty

Higher Ed Marketer of the Year Awards + Excellence in Higher Ed

Networking Reception

WEDNESDAY (ALL TIMES IN CT) | CHICAGO, IL

Breakfast

Audience Engagement

Going Viral: Students as Social Influencers

The data overwhelmingly shows that short-form mobile video platforms are preferred by Gen Z and Gen Alpha. But, the content also has to be relevant. Kenna Bartlett and Marlee Feacher, students at The Theatre School at DePaul University, will share their path to becoming TikTok influencers and leading an admissions-focused content creation team to viral success. We’ll discuss why your organic social media content matters, best practices for student-led teams, ideal workflow options, and of course, the lessons learned along the way. You’ll leave with actionable insights for creating or leveling up your own content creation team.

Kenna Bartlett

The Theatre School at DePaul University

Marlee Feacher

The Theatre School at DePaul University

Isabella Kruger-Seiler

The Theatre School at DePaul University

Jessica Shasserre

MediaCross

Effective Leadership

Be the Difference: Creating a Culture for Change

Ready to transform your role from managing promotion and messaging to leading change at your institution? Attend our interactive workshop to boost your skills in building relationships, establishing credibility, fostering collaboration, harnessing data and insights, and sustaining cultural change. Real-world case studies, group discussions, and individual exercises will provide you with actionable next steps tailored to your institution. Presented by experienced AMA presenters, don’t miss out on this game-changing opportunity to drive positive change on your campus.

Carrie Phillips

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Allison Turcio

Siena College

Thought Leadership

Spurring Content Success: UWyo’s Digital Asset Management Journey

Join us for this session where we’ll delve into the transformative journey of the University of Wyoming (UofW) in the realm of digital asset management (DAM) and content utilization, offering actionable insights for your own higher education marketing endeavors.

You’ll discover how UofW harnessed DAM to eliminate bottlenecks in their content management workflows. From the initial challenges of moving from an on-premise system to a cloud-based DAM system, the resulting improvements in productivity and ease of access, to showcasing the power of self-service content access through portals, you’ll learn how DAM has impacted every part of their content management process.

In this session, we’ll cover:

  • How marketers at UWyo used DAM to successfully orchestrate a website rebrand, empowering site authors to maintain brand consistency with ease across hundreds of pages.
  • How the team leverages metadata for content discovery, and its impact on achieving a more diverse image library and the ability to produce hyper-targeted campaigns.
  • How streamlining content access reduced photography costs, saved time, improved morale, and empowered creatives from across campus to participate in the university’s marketing mission.

Sponsored by Canto

Emily Haase Edgar

University of Wyoming

Ariana Keil

Canto

Fireside Chat

Top 10 Challenges of Higher Ed: The MarComm Solutions Edition

Embark on a thought-provoking journey with Scott Jaschik, a prominent voice in higher education, as he delves into the challenges facing our industry. In this fireside chat, Scott will explore marketing and communications strategies poised to unlock potential solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to become an active participant in shaping the future of higher education.

Scott Jaschik

Inside Higher Ed

Kin Sejpal

University of Redlands

Generation Alpha is Coming Keynote Panel

Although Gen Z continues to dominate today’s headlines, Gen Alpha is on the way: a group that will number 2 billion by 2025. It’s time to start talking about this cohort with your colleagues so that you can ask the right questions, identify better opportunities and set the stage for the largest and most diverse generation in our lifetimes — because you’ll be sending communications to these kids before you know it. This panel discussion will cover the opportunities and implications for higher ed as the oldest Alphas embark on their teenage years.

Kathryn Bezella

University of Pennsylvania

Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson

Northwestern University

Dayana Kibilds

Strategy Director, Ologie

Diana Toole

Shady Side Academy

Closing Remarks

The AMA is excited to partner with Promotional Products Work (PPAI) to bring a brand new award to this year’s Symposium: the Best Branded Merch in a University Marketing Campaign! See who wins this school spirit swag award during Spirit Day, Wednesday, November 15 at the Closing Remarks.

Marcus Collins

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Marcus Collins is an award-winning marketer and cultural translator. He is the former chief strategy officer at Wieden+Kennedy, New York, a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and the author of the best-selling book, For The Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want To Be. Collins is a recipient of Advertising Age’s 40 Under 40 award and an inductee into the American Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. Most recently, he was recognized by Thinkers50 and Deloitte among their class of 2023 Radar List of 30 thinkers with the ideas most likely to shape the future. His strategies and creative contributions have led to the launch and success of Google’s “Real Tone” technology, the “Made In America” music festival, and the Brooklyn Nets, among others. Before his advertising tenure, Marcus worked on iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple and ran digital strategy for Beyoncé.

Tia Brown McNair

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).

Brad Stulberg

Keynote Speaker

Brad is an internationally known researcher, writer, and coach on excellence, well-being, and sustainable success. He is the best-selling author of The Practice of Groundedness, Peak Performance and The Passion Paradox. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times and his work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Wired, Forbes, Outside, Time and more. In his coaching practice, Brad works with executives, entrepreneurs, physicians and athletes on how they define and pursue excellence and their overall well-being. Brad’s forthcoming book, Master of Change, will be published this Fall.

Dina Abulfotuh

The American University in Cairo

Dina Abulfotuh is vice president for marketing communication and public affairs at the American University in Cairo, a leading English-language, liberal arts university in the Middle East. Dina has more than 20 years of experience in higher education with expertise in communications, marketing, research-based brand positioning, crisis and issues management, fundraising and special events. Dina has led the centennial celebration and a capital campaign, as well as overseeing AUC’s cultural center and AUC Press. A Fulbright scholar, she holds a BA in journalism from Arizona State University and an MBA from AUC. An experienced higher education administrator, Dina has served on several strategic task forces, crisis response teams and chaired a number of working groups on key issues.

Dina served on the CASE Commission on Communications & Marketing (2019-2022) and chair of the CASE Asia-Pacific Advancement Conference in the Middle East in 2019.

Josie Ahlquist

Dr. Josie, Inc.

Josie Ahlquist guides leaders, organizations, and students to practice purposeful digital leadership through speaking, coaching, and consulting. Josie’s work is grounded in the grant-funded and award-winning research that has allowed her to train thousands around the globe as a speaker; provide consulting services to institutions and companies; and coach professionals in branding, voice, and positioning.

Josie was selected as a 2023 NASPA Pillar of the Profession, one of the highest honors for student affairs. Josie is a three-time LinkedIn Top Voice in Education, for five years has been recognized by Ed Tech Magazine as the “Top 50 Must-Read Higher Education Technology Blogs” and her podcast, Josie and The Podcast, has been featured by The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed. Her book, Digital Leadership in Higher Education: Purposeful Social Media in a Connected World, was listed as an Amazon #1 new release for college and university student life.

Luke Anderson

Emory University

Luke Anderson is the Vice President for Communications & Marketing at Emory University, where he has broad responsibility for advancing and protecting Emory’s global brand across three campuses, nine academic colleges and schools, and a robust academic health system spanning eleven hospitals, global health institutes and the National Primate Research Center. Prior to joining Emory in 2022, Luke was the Associate Vice President for Strategic Communications & Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Florida, and the Assistant Vice President for Communications at the University of Virginia, his alma mater.

Lisa Baer

Rosalind Franklin University

Lisa Baer is the AVP of Marketing and Communications for Rosalind Franklin University. She serves as the university’s marketing, public relations, advertising and communications strategist driving brand awareness and recognition. Before RFU, she worked in strategic branding and marketing for over fifteen years, running a successful agency and working with Northwestern University, Motorola Solutions and Blue Cross Blue Shield to develop powerful brand strategies and innovative campaigns. You can find her hiking, kayaking and walking her dog, Wellington, when she’s not promoting and telling everyone about RFU.

Kenna Bartlett

The Theatre School at DePaul University

Kenna Bartlett (she/they) is thrilled to be here at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education! Originally from Sarasota, Florida, they now live here in Chicago to pursue their degree. She is also the President and Founder of Planned Parenthood Generation Action at DePaul and is dedicated to using the arts to facilitate advocacy and social justice work in her community. Her professional interests lie in arts administration, non-profit management, stage management, and comedic producing. In their free time, Kenna can be found running lights for local comedy shows or rewatching Batman Returns.

Jeneane Beck

University of Iowa

As the Assistant Vice President for External Relations at the University of Iowa, Jeneane Beck has worked to transition her colleagues from a traditional news and publication model to a strategic marketing and public relations team. The organization has continually shifted resources to invest in new priorities from social and digital media to crisis communication and web strategy. In 2020, the team simultaneously managed campus-wide COVID-19 communication while also launching the university’s first-ever master brand strategy. In 2022, Jeneane hired the university’s first Chief Marketing Officer, further evolving the team and its work. Jeneane has a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State University and a M.A. in Strategic Communication from Iowa. Prior to joining Iowa, she was a political reporter for Iowa Public Radio, and State Relations Officer for the University of Northern Iowa.

Fernando Bergás-Coria

Ologie

As executive director of digital and media at Ologie, Fernando has spent his entire career in the digital media space. He specializes in identifying and solving complex marketing challenges, relying on smart tools, smarter people and over 14 years in the marketing field. Fernando’s capacity to convert audiences is surpassed only by his dedication to creating powerful, accessible digital experiences and bridging the gaps in access to technology. He’s equal parts client-facing advocate and digital nerd, currently focusing on first-party data usage for individualized campaigns vs. “catch-all” lead gen tactics.

Kathryn Bezella

University of Pennsylvania

Kathryn is Vice Dean, Director of Strategy & Innovation in the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. She’s spent more than 15 years in higher education, leading strategic initiatives involving enrollment management, business model evolution, market differentiation and digital transformation at the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School of Business, and the Curtis Institute of Music. She has presented at NACAC, GMAC, the Public Relations Society of America and the American Marketing Association. Throughout 2023-24, she’ll be part of the inaugural cohort for Digital Innovation for Equity & Excellence in College Admissions in partnership with the American Talent Initiative, National Education Equity Lab, Ithaka S+R, OnRamps and Stanford University. Kathryn holds degrees from Barnard College and the University of Pennsylvania.

Aimee Bigham

MV Digital

Aimee is the Chief Strategy Officer at MV Digital, a leading social impact and data-driven digital marketing agency. With more than 20 years of experience, her passion and expertise lie in leveraging data, media and messaging to create powerful connections between audiences and content that inspires action. Her innovative approaches and commitment to harnessing the power of technology and data to drive meaningful change has positioned her as a respected leader in the industry. Aimee’s strategic vision has been instrumental in driving MV Digital Group’s success in serving clients across various sectors, including politics, advocacy and higher education.

Colleen Brennan-Barry

Northeast College of Health Sciences

Colleen Brennan-Barry is vice president of marketing and communications at Northeast College of Health Sciences, where she oversees the College’s brand, web, digital, PR, and social media. Colleen has marketing and leadership experience at both private and public higher ed organizations and is a long-time presenter on topics such as digital marketing strategy, crisis communications, gamification, communication optimization, and project management. Colleen is also past president of the Higher Education Web Professionals Association, and serves on the Association’s annual conference planning committee. She holds an M.S. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication from Michigan Technological University.

Suzan Brinker

Viv Higher Education

Suzan has dedicated her career to helping higher education initiatives build strong value propositions and communicating them to the right audiences. Her work spans a variety of colleges and universities of various types and sizes, including Penn State, Northeastern, Babson, Tufts, the University of Cambridge, Bryant University, the University of New Mexico and Assumption University.

Suzan is a collaborative leader who understands how to navigate university environments. She has worked extensively with faculty, administrators, and senior leadership teams and is proud of her track record of increasing brand awareness and enrollments for initiatives targeting a diverse set of audiences, including: continuing education and lifelong learning; undergraduate and graduate students; domestic and international audiences; and broader university communities and employers.

Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson

Northwestern University

Lesley-Ann Brown-Henderson, Ph.D. (she/her/hers) is the inaugural Assistant Vice President and Chief of Staff for Student Affairs at Northwestern University. As Assistant Vice President and Chief of Staff Dr. Brown-Henderson oversees Student Affairs Marketing, Student Affairs Assessment and Planning and the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Additionally, she is responsible for managing VPSA communications, supporting the Student Life Committee of the Board of Trustees, coordinating the division’s fundraising efforts, and division-wide initiatives and events. Dr. Brown-Henderson has worked at Northwestern for 11 years and has been working alongside students, staff and faculty in higher education for over 17 years. Dr. Brown-Henderson earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Miami, master’s degrees in student Affairs Administration in Higher Education and Counseling Psychology, and her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Texas A&M University.

Ashley Budd

Cornell University

Ashley Budd is senior director of advancement marketing at Cornell University. She is based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., working remotely for the university as a marketing strategist and manager for the division’s alumni affairs and development marketing team. Known for her creative and innovative campaigns, Ashley is one of the most influential voices in education marketing and fundraising.
Dayana Kibilds is strategy director at Ologie, focusing primarily on enrollment marketing strategy for educational organizations. In her 12 years in the higher education sector, she’s led enrollment and digital innovation work at Penn State, Cornell, and Western University (Canada). She speaks regularly about enrollment marketing, productivity, and stakeholder management at global conferences such as CASE, HighedWeb, Confab, PSE Web, and ContentEd.

David Bushman

Bridgewater College

An accomplished academic leader, Dr. David W. Bushman draws upon his extensive experience in higher education administration and in the classroom as President of Bridgewater College. Dr. Bushman became the College’s ninth president in 2013. He was previously at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he was the founding dean of the university’s School of Natural Science and Mathematics. In this role, he oversaw numerous academic programs and new academic program development, and strategic and communications planning and fundraising for the school. Dr. Bushman earned his bachelor of science in biology from Loyola College in Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland with both his master of science and doctorate in entomology. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Bushman worked for several years in private industry as a research biologist and research fellow. He has been published in the field of entomology and undergraduate science education.

Jennifer Butler

UC Davis

As Executive Director of Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at UC Davis, Jen Butler oversees communications strategy and marketing for the Division of Student Affairs and its nearly 30 departments. Leading a team of MarCom professionals, she is responsible for the divisional brand strategy, taking a leading role in crisis communications and collaborating with departments campuswide to ensure they are maximizing reach with current students to effectively communicating their services and story.
Prior to UC Davis, Jen spent 15 successful years at the senior management level directing branding, marketing, sales and admissions efforts in corporate, non-profit and educational environments.

Frank Camp

University of Arizona

Frank Camp is the Director of Marketing Strategy focused on non-academic units at the University of Arizona. In this role he works with marketers across campus to create efficiency, collaboration and a more unified brand message. Frank has been with the University since 2012 and spent 8 years in the international office supporting international student recruitment and global programming.

Bill Campbell

Chatham University

Bill Campbell is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications/Chief Experience Officer at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. He provides strategic leadership and oversees all aspects of branding, marketing, public relations, and communications activities for the University, along with oversight of the Information Technology and Institutional Research departments as part of a multi-year initiative to improve the student and brand experience. Joining Chatham in 2012, Campbell helped lead the successful coed transition of Chatham’s 145-year-old undergraduate women’s college and served as the Vice President of Enrollment Management until 2013. In 2015, he was honored with the national American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Marketer of the Year (Innovator Award) for his efforts. Prior to Chatham, he worked for more than a decade at Clean, a brand and marketing agency located in North Carolina, in a variety of positions, culminating in his role as the vice president of brand strategy. He began his career in the nonprofit sector as the director of annual giving and operations for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. He holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois and a MBA from Western Governors University (WGU).

Christie Campbell

St. Edward's University

Christie Campbell, Vice President for Marketing and Communications at St. Edward’s University, joined the university in 2012 as Associate Vice President for Marketing with experience in education, non-profit and technology, a Bachelor of Arts in French and Art History from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. At St. Edward’s University, Christie oversees the marketing, communications and external affairs teams. Christie’s conference and webinar speaking experiences include: AMA Higher Education 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2022, Stamats Adult Student Marketing Conference, CASE Marketing and Branding, CASE District IV and HESIG in the UK.

Kenneth Carter

Oxford College of Emory University

Dr. Kenneth Carter is Charles Howard Candler Professor of Psychology at Oxford College of Emory University. He has published in both academic and lay publications, translating psychology research into engaging everyday language. His articles have been published in magazines such as Psychology Today and Women’s Health, and he has appeared on news programs such as, NPR’s All Things Considered, Short Wave and NBC’s Today show. He has delivered a TEDx talk on thrill-seekers and served as a consultant with Science North on Beyond Human Limits a traveling science exhibition the psychology and physiology of extreme sports. His most recent book is Buzz!: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils and Adrenaline Junkies (Cambridge University Press). When not teaching, speaking or writing, Dr. Carter prefers reading and relaxing on the beach to wingsuit flying or BASE diving.

Rahul Choudaha

Morning Consult

Rahul Choudaha, PhD is Associate Vice President of Higher Education Research Solutions at Morning Consult, a DC-based global decision intelligence company of 500+ professionals. Dr. Choudaha brings nearly 15 years of experience offering research, insights, and consulting to higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations. He has delivered over 200 sessions at professional conferences, including ACE, AAC&U, CASE, SXSW EDU and ASU+GSV. He has been quoted over 300 times in global media, including BBC, Bloomberg, Inside Higher Ed, NPR, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Choudaha earned his doctorate in higher education from the University of Denver. He also holds Insights Professional Certification (IPC), Master from the Insights Association.

Molly Clark

Lytho

As the Senior Marketing Director at Lytho, Molly Clark spearheads the development and execution of comprehensive marketing strategies to strengthen brand presence, generate high-quality leads and accelerate revenue growth. Molly possesses a deep understanding of the Creative Operations landscape and is adept at leveraging emerging trends and technologies to optimize marketing efforts.

Molly is a natural team player with excellent communication skills, enabling her to collaborate seamlessly across cross-functional teams, including product development, sales and customer success. She has a talent for aligning marketing initiatives with overarching business objectives.

Outside of work, Molly is busy chasing her toddler, snuggling her pup and enjoying a glass of wine with her friends and husband.

Kevin Coffey

Creighton University

Kevin Coffey leads Creighton University’s content strategy team, which creates multi-channel content campaigns that push the University and its brand forward. Kevin joined Creighton University in 2020, helping refocus the university’s social media efforts. After two years at the university, he was promoted to Director of Content Strategy, leading a team of content strategists, content developers and social media strategists.
Prior to Creighton, Kevin spent years in the newspaper business, much of it as an award-winning writer, blogger, editor and entertainment critic. During this time, he also kickstarted multiple successful businesses focused on ecommerce storefronts, original products and digital content including podcasts, websites, blogs and articles. Kevin received a BA in journalism and creative writing from Creighton University.

Anne Coyle

Russell Reynolds

Anne Coyle serves as a trusted advisor to colleges and universities as they seek senior academic and functional leaders.
Anne brings more than 15 years of executive search experience in the Social Impact and Education sectors at boutiques and another global firm. Throughout her career, Anne has cultivated a deep bench of connections to prominent academic leaders, including provosts, presidents and trustees.

Anne served as Director of Admissions at the Yale School of Management and at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. She also managed the global recruitment of PhDs, JDs and MDs for McKinsey. Anne started her career in the public sector, first in the NYC Mayor Koch administration and then in the federal government as a Presidential Management Fellow.

Anne received her BA in biological anthropology from Harvard College and her Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Angelique Daniels

Kent State University

Angelique Daniels is the director of marketing strategy and research for University Communications and Marketing at Kent State University and leads marketing research and strategy initiatives for priorities that advance Kent State’s Strategic Roadmap. She has also worked in roles that support first-year and transfer student transition and retention-based programs, as well as advancement and alumni communications at Kent State. She has taught journalism, mass communications, public speaking, and intercultural communication courses as an assistant lecturer. Angelique holds a bachelor’s degree in electronic media, speech and PR from Ashland University and a master’s in communication from The University of Akron.

Ray Day

Stagwell

Ray Day is Vice Chair of Stagwell. His role supports the integration, innovation and growth of Stagwell’s more than 70 global agencies, with a particular focus on communications, public relations, corporate affairs, reputation and directly serving as senior communications counsel for major clients around the world.

Ray is a recognized voice and leader in communications and public relations. He joined Stagwell in February 2020 with more than three decades of experience and insights as a chief communications officer leading global communications teams, brands and agencies. He is well-known for expertise in reputation building, content creation, data and analytics, crisis readiness and recovery, and communications team development.

Ray believes the successful companies, brands and leaders will be the ones that quickly shift their focus to the future of communications. This future, he says, will be defined by being digital, mobile, measurable and engaging – both in reaching stakeholders and in delivering compelling content.

Before joining Stagwell, Ray was IBM’s Chief Communications Officer, leading the company’s global Communications and Corporate Citizenship teams in more than 170 countries. His role included communications for all external and internal stakeholders.

Before IBM, Ray was Group Vice President of Communications and served 28 years with Ford. His accomplishments include transforming Ford’s communications model working with then CEO Alan Mulally. This led to the biggest improvement ever in the company’s corporate reputation and brand strength. He was cited as a key part the Ford transformation in the American Icon business book.

Ray’s global experience includes being based for four years in Europe, serving as head of Ford’s European Public Affairs, living in both Germany and the UK.

Before joining Ford, Ray was a reporter and editor in the Detroit area.

Ray has long been recognized on PRWeek’s Power List and the Holmes Influence 100. He serves on the Public Relations Society of America national board of directors and will be 2025 chair; is a past chair of The Seminar, an annual global forum for senior communications leaders and executives; and a member of the Page Society, Institute for Public Relations and PRSA Foundation. He has achieved Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) through PRSA.

He is a graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and currently serves on the Wayne State Board of Visitors.

Grant De Roo

ADV Market Research & Consulting

Founder and Principal | ADV Market Research & Consulting
As ADV’s founder and principal consultant, Grant conducts market research for colleges and universities around the country to inform strategic decisions. Before founding ADV, Grant was the Director of Research & Strategy at an education-focused marketing agency and previously worked in admissions at Elon University.

Audra DeLaney-Hall

Viv Higher Education

Audra is committed to transforming higher education institutions through process and purpose. Her industry experience spans niche study away programs to large research universities.

She has led cross-functional projects across strategy, media, content and web initiatives. Her previous experiences in admissions and enrollment at Williams College provide her an insight into various student experiences and allow her to address them with her institutional partners and agency team members. Audra believes that higher education institutions will see their most innovative ideas take hold only if they embrace people-first management styles and organizational practices rooted in strategy and sustained by mission.

Taléa Drummer-Ferrell

Kent State University

Dr. Taléa R. Drummer-Ferrell (Dr. D.), is the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Kent State University. The pillar she leads is Advocacy, Support, and Well-being. In her role, she oversees seven units, the care team, and the University’s initiatives on Mental Health and Well-being. Prior to her current role, she has held positions within diversity, athletics, and involvement. Dr. D. earned her bachelor’s from Miami University (OH) in Family Studies, her master’s from the University of Louisville in College Student Personnel, and her Doctor of Philosophy from Kent State University in Higher Education.

Emily Haase Edgar

University of Wyoming

Emily is the Associate Director of Creative Services at the University of Wyoming, providing creative direction and leadership to the UW Institutional Marketing team. She works collaboratively with partners across campus to maintain a consistent brand voice across all marketing initiatives. Prior to her current role, Emily held several different creative and marketing positions at UW and is a proud graduate of UW’s Visual Arts department. Emily believes that graphic design and marketing are powerful tools for delivering creative visions.

Marlee Feacher

The Theatre School at DePaul University

Marlee Feacher (she/her) is very grateful for the opportunity to be at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education! Born and Raised in Jacksonville, FL she now attends The Theatre School at DePaul University for her BFA in Acting. She has had several experiences with leadership roles within her educational environments as well as in the workplace. Marlee strives to further social justice and equity through the arts and loves to study African and Black Diaspora Studies to further those goals. In her free time Marlee can be found growing in her photography skills and hanging out with friends.

Kirsten Fedderke

Yes& Lipman Hearne

Kirsten Fedderke is a Senior Vice President with Yes& Lipman Hearne, and leads the agency’s enrollment marketing practice. In her 20-year communications career working with nonprofit organizations, Kirsten has focused on identifying her clients’ unique strengths and turning those strengths into real results. She has helped countless clients strengthen their brands, enrollment numbers, and market positions.
Kirsten holds a B.A. in art history and French from Smith College and an MBA with a finance emphasis from Loyola University Chicago.

Sarah Malinowski Ferrary

Saint Peter's University

Sarah Malinowski Ferrary is Vice President for Communications and Marketing for University Communications at Saint Peter’s University (Jersey City, NJ) where for the past 13 years she has provided vision and leadership for the University’s internal and external communications.

Prior to joining higher education, she worked on the agency side, with experience including corporate communications, crisis communications, consumer marketing, philanthropic, internal communications, employee relations, corporate social responsibility, legal, business-to-business, healthcare, technology and financial relations. She also held stints as a reporter for The Jersey Journal and in communications for the New Jersey Cardinals, the former minor league affiliate for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Nicole Ferry

Sullivan

As Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Sullivan, Nicole helps organizations communicate their POV with pride and raise their ambitions while honoring audiences’ needs and experiences. Nicole applies decades of experience in her work with higher education institutions, helping them evolve branding, support admissions, build fundraising communications, and elevate their digital experiences. Her clients at Sullivan include Duke University, Stanford University, and Virginia Tech, along with other organizations like American Express, Goldman Sachs, and LinkedIn. Prior to joining Sullivan, Nicole held strategy roles in branding and advertising at Siegel+Gale, BBDO, and Grey Advertising. As a founding member of the McIntire Marketing Advisory Committee at her alma mater, the University of Virginia, Nicole provides input to faculty on curriculum, industry insights, and hiring trends.

Elissa Fontenot

Texas State University

Elissa Fontenot is the digital director in TXST’s Division of Marketing and Communications. Elissa has over a decade of experience in digital marketing, including content strategy, digital advertising, and email marketing. She currently shapes the content strategy for a half-dozen of social media accounts at TXST, the institution’s digital advertising efforts, and high-profile web properties. She also leads the digital education related to social media topics for professional staff through monthly work groups.

Jenny Fowler

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT

Jenny Li Fowler is the director of social media strategy at MIT. She is responsible for developing and executing Institute-wide social media initiatives and campaigns. She provides social media consultation and direction for more than 200 departments, labs, and centers and helps advise and navigate communications crises from the department to the Institute level. She manages MIT’s flagship Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts. Prior to coming to MIT, Jenny was the web editor and social media manager at Harvard Kennedy School.

Eddie Francis

Founder/Principal, Edify Ventures

Eddie Francis has over a decade of marketing and communications experience in higher education. Recently, he served as the director of communications and marketing at Dillard University, Louisiana’s oldest Historically Black College/University. There, he led the development of the “Write Your Legacy” brand evolution campaign, he expanded the university’s licensing agreements; and he created, produced and hosted Dillard’s first podcast, “Conversations on the Oaks.”

Prior to Dillard, Eddie led marcom at New Orleans’ only public HBCU, Southern University at New Orleans as well as Paul Quinn College in Dallas. At SUNO, he spearheaded the 2011 public relations campaign to defeat the State of Louisiana’s proposal to remove SUNO from the Southern University System. Eddie also created SUNO’s first set of institutional marks and brand guidelines. He also helped launch SUNO’s sports hall of fame.

Because of his perspectives, Eddie has appeared on several podcasts and panels to discuss higher ed marcom. He has participated in panel discussions for Campus Sonar, the Association of College & University Housing Officers–International, and Centerfield Education. He has also appeared on “The Enrollify Podcast,” “Higher Voltage,” “The HBCU Nation,” and “Thought Feeder.” Leveraging his combined marcom and talent acquisition background, Eddie hosts the Enrollify Podcast Network’s “I Wanna Work There!”

Eddie has been honored with the Press Club of New Orleans’ Best Radio Entertainment Feature award for his interview with Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza. He was also selected as one of New Orleans Magazine’s “30 People to Watch.”

The New Orleans native earned his Master of Professional Studies in strategic leadership from Tennessee State University and his Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from Loyola University New Orleans. Eddie is a member of the American Marketing Association where he serves on the planning committee for the Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. He is also a member of the International Leadership Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Most importantly, Eddie is the proud husband of Dr. Halima Leak Francis and the proud father of Stevie.

Nate Frick

Marigold

Nate Frick, Enterprise Strategist at Marigold, is a seasoned digital business leader and a zero party data innovator. Today he consults for many of Marigold’s global roster of clients, providing strategic, cross-channel marketing and actionable recommendations to brands such as Bass Pro, Air New Zealand, Tailored Brands and Hill’s Pet/Colgate.

Lamar Goodenough

Digital Wave

Lamar oversees Digital Wave’s user research activities, helping the project team observe and understand user behaviors, and uncovering opportunities to improve user experiences. Her focus has been on planning, administration, results reporting, and findings analysis for higher educational and healthcare not-for-profit accounts. Part of Digital Wave since 1999, Lamar has a Nielsen Norman Group Certification in User Experience. She has been a key player on projects for Jefferson University, Community College of Baltimore County, and Northeast College of Health Sciences. Lamar has a Master’s (MA) degree in creative writing from Temple University.

Lauren Griswold

Boise State University

Lauren Griswold, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Boise State University
Lauren Griswold is currently serving as the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for Boise State University. Lauren is an innovator and storyteller who has worked in higher education at both the community college and university levels. She has expertise in building brand reputation, as well as leading and creating strategy and successfully scaling it across enterprises for local, national and global organizations. Lauren holds a master’s in communications from Arizona State University.

Liz Gross

Campus Sonar

Liz Gross is the founder and CEO of Campus Sonar, a higher ed consulting firm that partners with campuses to enact changes informed by digital and social intelligence. She is an award-winning speaker, author and strategist with more than 15 years’ experience in higher ed and strategic social listening programs. 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.

Will Hajjar

Advance Local

William (Will) Hajjar is an executive with more than 25 years experience driving business strategy through decision science, market intelligence and opinion research. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Louisiana State University (LSU) having studied econometrics with Dr. Carter Hill and marketing analytics with Dr. William Black. He currently serves as the Head of Advanced Analytics & Business Intelligence for Advance Local, part of a century-old media and consulting company based in New York City. Will brings creative and innovative solutions to a range of clients across most major verticals. In addition to his private sector work, Will teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in Business Strategy, Consumer Behavior, Data Science and Research Methods at Kean University and Saint Peter’s University. His approach blends academic theory with practical applications to prepare students to think critically through real-world problems.

Jen Halls

IDEO

Jen is a Design Director in IDEO’s Learning and Work practice focused on navigating complex systems to identify levers for change and creating conditions for new innovations to successfully launch and sustain. She specializes in partnering with higher education institutions to design student-centered programs, products and support, and working with organizations of all sizes to design and facilitate learning experiences that foster employee engagement, collaboration and development.

Prior to IDEO, Jen’s career was focused on K-12 education. She taught high school math, worked on teacher recruiting and development at the Boston Public Schools and led partnerships at an edtech startup.

Marc Harding

University of Pittsburgh

As Vice Provost for Enrollment, Marc Harding leads the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. In his 30-year career, Marc has also held enrollment positions at the University of South Florida, Virginia Tech and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Marc is nationally recognized for his enrollment expertise and is regularly invited to present at national conferences, including the College Board, American Marketing Association, the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the ACT Enrollment Planners Conference. He covers a variety of topics, including multicultural student recruitment, transfer students, marketing and innovation, training and development, and current trends. Marc earned his bachelor’s in communications with minors in Chinese and psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. He earned his M.Ed. in educational leadership policy studies and is pursuing his doctorate in educational leadership from Iowa State University.

Christie Harper

University of Arizona

Christie Harper is Vice President, Campus Brand Engagement at the University of Arizona. She leads the development and deployment of student-focused communications that keep current and prospective students informed about, inspired by and engaged with the University of Arizona throughout their educational journey. In her prior position as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Marketing and Communication, she was responsible for all undergraduate and online enrollment marketing initiatives university wide.

Previously, she served as Assistant Vice President for University Marketing at California Lutheran University. There, she led all marketing initiatives for undergraduate and graduate enrollment, advancement, athletics and university brand development.

Christie has more than 30 years of experience in branding and marketing, both inside companies and with agencies. Prior to joining Cal Lutheran, she was founder and president of brand consulting firm Brand Endeavor and served in a senior leadership role at Siegel+Gale, a leading global brand consulting firm. While there, she led major brand strategy initiatives for clients such as Lexus, Microsoft, Chevron and Technicolor. Christie earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from UCLA, and an M.A. in Communication Management from The Annenberg School at USC. She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events and has served as the co-chair for the American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Symposium.

Alastair Hayes

Campus Sonar

Alastair Hayes is marketing director at Campus Sonar. Over his international career, Alastair has served at c-suite level for marketing and communications, and worked closely with founders in a variety of education-focused organizations. Championing an open-minded and empathetic approach to leadership, Alastair has helped his teams achieve national marketing awards for digital marketing, and transformed departmental results. In his spare time, you can find him on a tennis or pickleball court, or hiking in his home state of Vermont.

Tom Hayes

Xavier University

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

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 for speaking excellence and has had two books published by CASE. They are Marketing Colleges and Universities from a Services Perspective published in the 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 was published in March 2008.

Eric Hazen

Ferris State University

Eric Hazen is the Director of Digital Marketing at Ferris State University. He leads a dynamic team of content creators and web developers in telling the Ferris State University story through powerful digital experiences. His team oversees the university’s digital presence and the development of distinctive, highly personalized content that focuses on organic acquisition and conversion rate optimization. Eric holds a BA and MFA from Columbia College.

Grant Heston

Virginia Commonwealth University

Grant J. Heston is Vice President for Enterprise Marketing and Communications for Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health. He oversees marketing, branding, communications, events, social media and special projects for the university and health system.

Binnu Hill

Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin Madison

Binnu Palta Hill has spent the last 24 years in the UW System teaching, consulting and designing programming that enhances inclusion through strategic leadership and organizational cultural dexterity. Since 2008, she has led The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Wisconsin School of Business where she works closely with the Dean to develop a DEI strategy to enhance inclusion, and diversity among students, faculty, and staff. A distinguishing factor in her approach is the combination of academic research and lived experience to dissect core issues related to identity differences. Ms. Hill teaches inclusive leadership in the Wisconsin MBA Program and Executive Education. She also serves as the director of DEI programs for the Center for Executive and Professional Development.

In May 2015, Ms. Hill represented WSB at the White House as Wisconsin became one of the first business schools to commit to best practices for increasing opportunities in business for women and preparing a culturally competent 21st century workforce. She has served on a number of advisory boards including the AACSB Diversity Board, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, and the Information Technology Academy. In recognition for her contributions to UW-Madison and the Madison community, she received the UW-Madison Outstanding Woman of Color award, Wisconsin Innovation Award, and the Wisconsin Alumni Association Leadership Award.

Ms. Hill has been a guest speaker at over 150 conferences throughout the United States and Europe, including the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), Women and Leadership Symposium, and AACSB International Diversity Forum. She has been a consultant for over 40 corporations including Cooper Robertson, Grant Thornton, and M3 Insurance. Her engagements range from one-hour keynotes to recurrent hands-on workshops to strategy development. She has been a featured speaker in National Broadcasting Association’s Leadership Lab series. Her work on ‘Building Inclusive Business Cultures” has also been featured in The Capital Times, Biz Education and NBC15 news.

Cara Hoag

Washington State University

Cara Hoag is a marketing and communications professional with more than a decade of experience in higher education marketing. Currently, she is the Enrollment Management Marketing Director at Washington State University and teaches as an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University’s School of Business. Previously, Cara was Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications at Gonzaga University. Before her time in higher ed, Cara worked in account management roles at several marketing agencies. She is passionate about authentic brand marketing and strategies that focus on what the audience needs at that moment.

Bryce Hoffman

University of New Hampshire

Bryce Hoffman is the Assistant Vice President, Integrated Marketing at the University of New Hampshire. Previously, he spent nearly nine years at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he served in a variety of capacities, including as Associate Vice Chancellor of Marketing. He has also worked in marketing and communications roles at Cornell University and SUNY Plattsburgh. After earning his degree in journalism from Eastern Michigan University, he was a reporter for nearly five years. Bryce also holds a master’s degree in communication from Cornell.

Claudia Howard

Google

Claudia Howard is currently Head of Industry, Education at Google, supporting Higher Ed and Ed Tech companies reach their business goals. Previously she was a Sr. Account Executive supporting government partners, working closely with many of the civilian service agencies, most recently leading the COVID-19 Vaccine Public Education Campaign with the Department of Health and Human Services. Before Google, Claudia spent her career in television and entertainment in various marketing positions at The Weather Channel, FOX Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery (formerly Turner). She earned her MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Claudia resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband and two young sons.

Jaime Hunt

Old Dominion University

Transformation has been a hallmark of Jaime Hunt’s career. In her more than 18 years working in higher education, Jaime has proven herself to be a strategic, entrepreneurial, and innovative leader. Advancing higher education communications and marketing and — as she says — “busting silos” to achieve business objectives are her passions.

Prior to joining the Old Dominion University in 2022, she served as vice president and chief communications and marketing officer at Miami University (Ohio) and vice chancellor for strategic communications and chief marketing officer for Winston-Salem State University. She has also served in public relations, marketing, digital strategy and media relations leadership roles at three other institutions.

Jaime is a prolific thought leader with regular columns in Forbes, VoltEDU, and Inside Higher Ed, and is the host of a popular podcast on the Enrollify network: Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO with Jaime Hunt.

Jeff Hunt

Legend Labs

Jeff Hunt specializes in crisis management and preparedness, branding, CEO communications and reputation management. During the course of his 35-year career, he has worked with DuPont, IBM, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Dell, Nike, Whole Foods and many other companies.

Jeff has lived throughout the world and navigated many cultures on behalf of clients. Prior to Legend Labs, Jeff co-founded PulsePoint Group and before that was president of Cohn & Wolfe, a global public relations firm formed following a merger with GCI Group. He has also served as CEO of GCI and Read Poland Associates. He spent 18 years at Burson-Marsteller, ultimately serving as chief operating officer for Europe, with responsibility for 16 offices throughout the continent. He also established the firm’s presence in Korea and Mexico.

Based in Austin and a graduate of The University of Texas, Jeff serves as adjunct professor of Strategies in Public Relations at the university’s Moody College of Communications and is a frequent lecturer at its McCombs School of Business.

Scott Jaschik

Inside Higher Ed

Scott Jaschik was one of the three founders of Inside Higher Ed. Until he retired at the end of July, he led, with Doug Lederman, the editorial operations of Inside Higher Ed, overseeing news content, opinion pieces, career advice, blogs and other features. Scott is a leading voice on higher education issues, quoted regularly in publications nationwide, and publishing articles on colleges in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Salon, and elsewhere. He has been a judge or screener for the National Magazine Awards, the Online Journalism Awards, the Folio Editorial Excellence Awards, and the Education Writers Association Awards. Scott served as a mentor in the community college fellowship program of the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media, of Teachers College, Columbia University. He was a member of the board of the Education Writers Association. Scott grew up in Rochester, N.Y., and graduated from Cornell University in 1985. He lives in Washington.

Lisa Jasinski

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, Office of the President | UTSA Lisa is a scholar-practitioner of higher education leadership, who oversees the development of UTSA’s ten-year strategic plan having served previously in a similar role at Trinity University. She is a former American Council on Education Fellow and Fulbright Specialist in Finland. Lisa is the author of the forthcoming monograph, Stepping Away: Returning to the Faculty After Senior Academic Leadership (Rutgers University Press).

Ardis Kadiu

Element451

Ardis Kadiu is the Founder and CEO of Element451. After graduating from NYU with an MS in Digital Media and an MBA, Ardis helped found Spark451, a higher-ed communications company, and began realizing his vision to transform traditional and outdated student recruitment with the tools of the future. With more than 15 years of higher education experience, he designed what is now known as the Element451 student engagement CRM. In 2018, Element451 broke away from Spark451 to focus solely on the business line of developing intelligent, modern CRM solutions for higher education professionals, combining his extensive technology and higher ed experience.

Carol Keese

University of Virginia

As Associate Vice President for Communications at UVA, Carol Keese is responsible for marketing and brand strategy, leading initiatives that advance the reach and reputation of one of the nation’s most iconic public Universities. Carol has previously served as Vice President at Children’s National and Senior Director of Public Affairs at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Carol has presented at AMA, SCSXedu, AAU and in 2017 her team received the AMA Marketing Team of the Year Award.

Ariana Keil

Canto

Ariana Keil is Sr Growth Marketing Manager at Canto. Ariana has a background in both B2B sales and marketing, which gives her an appreciation for GTM strategies that holistically target the entire buyer’s journey and a passion for sales and marketing department collaboration. She is passionate about harnessing the power of content to drive revenue.

Tangelia Kelly

Jackson State University

Dr. Tangelia Kelly is Director of Marketing in University Communications at Jackson State University (JSU). She is a highly creative, award-winning, and results-driven Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) with over fifteen years of higher education experience. A proven leader in her field, Kelly has a record of accomplishments in developing and leading marketing strategies, University goals and objectives.

Kelly received her marketing degree from Jackson State in 2004, her Master’s in Business Administration from Belhaven University in 2006, and her Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision with a concentration in Higher Education from Jackson State in 2016.

Dayana Kibilds

Strategy Director, Ologie

Day is strategy director at Ologie, focusing primarily on enrollment marketing strategy for educational organizations. In her 13 years in the higher education sector, she’s led enrollment and digital innovation work at Penn State, Cornell, and Western University (Canada). She regularly speaks about enrollment marketing, email strategy, productivity, and stakeholder management at global conferences, including CASE, HighedWeb, Confab, PSEWEB, and ContentEd. She’s currently co-authoring a book about email to be released in 2024.

As a lifelong immigrant who has lived in 6 different countries, equity and diversity are really important to her. She sees content as a tool for equity, and part of her motivation to work in higher ed is to help marginalized students access the educational institutions they deserve to be a part of.

Kelly King-Green

Texas State University

Kelly King-Green is a creative director with over 22 years of experience in integrated brand marketing, with the last 11 years focused on higher education. She has a strong mix of creative direction and operations experience and currently leads a team that produces strategic, high-impact branded content for Texas State University. She deeply understands the creative process and how to craft powerful stories that engage and motivate audiences.

Isabella Kruger-Seiler

The Theatre School at DePaul University

​Isabella Kruger-Seiler (she/they) is a proud DePaul University graduate, having received her B.M. in Performing Arts Management from DePaul’s School of Music (SOM) in 2020. They have been working in higher education for nearly five years, first as a student admission worker in the School of Music before serving as an admission counselor at Southwestern University in Texas.

Aside from her experience in higher education, Isabella has also been involved with theatre and the arts most of her life, working with multiple theatre companies such as the Alley Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, and the Georgetown Palace Theatre while also attending intensive festivals at Interlochen Center for the Arts, Tanglewood, and the Eastern Music Festival. From acting on stage, to stage managing, to playing cello, theatre and the arts are such a strong part of who they are.​

Allison Lanier

Director of Client Services, Up&Up

Allison’s curiosity for the sales process began as a teenager while working in the retail environment. Years later, she graduated cum laude from the University of South Carolina, Aiken Campus, and quickly realized her excitement for sales had developed into a true passion.

At Up&Up, she uses her passion for people to create positive, effective, and rewarding client onboarding experiences. As the Director of Client Services for Up&Up, Allison works to understand our client’s goals and helps to oversee the strategy to get them there.

Allison spends her free time advocating for the Immune Deficiency Foundation to spread awareness for those living with a Primary Immune Deficiency like her son, Sebastian.

Kate Ledger

Old Dominion University

Kate Ledger is passionate about driving enrollment marketing, developing and promoting powerful brands, and building and leading strong teams. Currently serving as the Associate Vice President for Marketing and Outreach at ODUGlobal, Kate joined Old Dominion University in 2023 and is excited by the value placed on marketing at ODU. She spent most of her 20-year career at the University of Pittsburgh, progressively increasing the size and scope of her teams. Most recently she served as Acting Vice Chancellor for University Communications and Marketing and was named the 2022 Higher Education Marketer of the Year, an award sponsored by the American Marketing Association Foundation and Yes& Lipman Hearne. She launched the university’s first master brand in 2019 and the first university-wide brand campaign in 2022 as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Marketing while at the same time leading COVID-19 communications for the university.

During her time as Executive Director of Marketing and Engagement in the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, Kate led the marketing and on campus visit teams, helping to increase the quality of Pitt’s incoming class and exceed enrollment goals each year. Among many creative projects, she helped the team implement Salesforce, automate more than 800 segmented emails and rebrand the campus visit program.

Kate served as the marketing and communications leader in the Katz Graduate School of Business, College of Business Administration, Office of the Provost and the Swanson School of Engineering at Pitt. She also learned valuable lessons in the agency and corporate worlds. Kate earned her B.A. from Penn State University and M.Ed. from Pitt.

Kate continues to push on raising the value of marketing in higher education through volunteer leadership for the American Marketing Association and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

She and her high school sweetheart are raising their two awesome kids and spunky dog in Pittsburgh.

Callie Lewis

Texas State University

Callie Lewis is the Project Manager in TXST’s Division of Marketing and Communications. Callie has over ten years of experience in event management and planning, which she leverages to manage over 200 concurrent projects and traffics all incoming work within the unit. In her time at TXST, Callie has led the team through the first campus-wide brand training conference, two on-campus brand activations, and the launch of a brand templating platform. A proud TXST alum, she graduated with honors with a degree in Mass Communication with a focus in public relations.

Gene Lewis

CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Digital Pulp

Gene began his career in digital marketing when the blink tag was still popular. His fascination with the experiments and puzzles of the early web bloomed into an obsession with digital media. It’s a focus that is fundamentally driven by his love of technology, a passion for clarity in communication and the power of engagement. Gene is a founding partner of Digital Pulp and now leads the agency’s creative force—and is celebrated as a thought leader by his peers in the industry. Gene studied English at Vassar College and emphatically insists that there aren’t two spaces after a period. Dedicated to learning his clients’ professional language and adapting to their needs, he balances concerns of marketing, design, branding, technology and content to communicate with precision and transform ideas into experiential realities.

Robert Li

University FM

Robert Li is the co-founder and owner of University FM, the higher ed podcast agency. His journey in audio storytelling began as a DJ at the University of Michigan radio station.

He now partners with colleges and universities to create podcast shows that resonate with their community and serve their strategic priorities (e.g. alumni/donor engagement, admissions, research, etc.). These institutions include UC Berkeley, Howard University, and Middlebury College. The through line is elevating the voices within institutions.

He has spoken at CASE, SXSW EDU, PSEWeb, HighEdWeb, and ACSN.

When he’s not “working” you can find him training for his next triathlon 🏆

John Lo (骆杰俊)

The University of British Columbia

John C. Lo (骆杰俊) is Senior Director, Brand and Marketing at the University of British Columbia, one of the world’s top universities for global impact and taking actions to reduce social inequalities and discrimination. John leads a multi-disciplinary team that oversees branding, advertising, design, social media, content marketing, and digital communications. In addition to his role at UBC, John currently serves on the Board Advisory Council for the Financial Resilience Institute, a non-profit organization focused on improving the financial resilience of Canadians, as well as on the Communications and Marketing Commission for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education [CASE].

Elliot Lollis

Account Executive - Brand Strategy, Up&Up

Self-proclaimed resident cheerleader, Elliot brings her gift of encouragement with her experience to her role. A self-starter and former entrepreneur, she ran her own brand and strategy agency for 5 years, exercising her passion for brand identity design that’s rooted in strategic planning and purpose. She brings this professional experience client side to help create the biggest win for everyone.

Her ultimate goal at Up&Up is to serve clients beyond their expectations, creating a stable environment of trust that results in continued growth. Because of this, you’ll find she’s a serial question-asker and considers it to be one of her strongest attributes. Elliot’s curiosity is rooted in understanding individuals and institutions on a deeper level and protecting the human aspect in all the work we accomplish together.

She’s a go-with-the-flow kind of person that sees the good in everything. To Elliot, it’s her biggest honor to work alongside and serve passionate people who long to better the lives of those around them.

Brian MacDonald

Zillion

Brian is a creative leader with a long history of award-winning work in print, broadcast, digital and social media channels. Brian brought his consumer-packaged-goods background to many higher education brands, grocery and consumer services. Previously at Ogilvy & Mather, Brian worked on global consumer brands such as Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty, American Express’ Realize the Potential campaign, Hellmann’s, KFC, Magnum Ice Cream and Scotiabank. And at Leo Burnett, Brian worked on a wide array of brands across the local/global spectrum, including P&G’s laundry portfolio, Kellogg’s snack foods and cereals, Wrigley’s gum and mints, and Visa. Brian has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a Master’s Degree from the Johns Hopkins University.

Julia Marco

Skidmore College

Julia Marco is the Director of Marketing and Engagement at Skidmore College. She is a brand and marketing strategist that’s spent the last decade working at the intersections – communications and culture, big ideas and execution details. She’s an expert at weaving together the literal and conceptual, the tactics and the people, to surprise and delight. Like magic, she sees what others miss. Julia earned a bachelor’s from Nazareth College in English and a master’s from Syracuse University in public relations. She has spoken and led workshops for local chambers of commerce as well as regional AMA, SMPS, and PRSA chapters.

Mary Beth Marks

University of the Pacific

Throughout her career, Mary Beth has worked to improve student recruitment and retention efforts at a variety of institutions. Prior to her current role at the University of the Pacific, she held leadership positions in admissions and recruiting at the University of New Orleans and Sul Ross State University. She has presented at regional and national conferences as well as appeared as a guest on higher education podcasts.
Marks also works as an associate consultant at Ruffalo Noel Levitz and provides consulting services to CampusESP, a parent platform.
She moved to California over a year ago where she enjoys trail running, surfing and skiing along with 300 days of sunshine.

Elias Martinez

Texas State University

Elias Martinez serves as AVP for Marketing at TXST, leading the AMA’s 2022 Higher Education Marketing Team of the Year. While at TXST, his team has been recognized by the CASE Circle of Excellence and the Webby’s Anthem Awards, honoring the best purpose and mission-driven work. Before joining TXST, he served as AVP for Brand Strategy at Colorado State University, where he led brand marketing. The UCDA named his group at CSU “Best In-House Team” in 2016.
Before working in higher education, Elias helped solve business problems for Nike, Google, General Mills, Cheerios, Betty Crocker, Wheaties, Purina, and Nordstrom at Zeus Jones, a digital marketing and branding firm. His work has been featured on Good Morning America, NPR, ESPN, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, Fast Company, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Communications Arts, and the front page of Reddit.

Andrew McDaniel

UC Davis

Andrew McDaniel is an award-winning marketing and communications professional with a penchant for storytelling across multiple channels and platforms. Currently serving as Associate Director for Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at UC Davis, he led the launch of UC Davis’ first Sexual Violence Education and Awareness campaign and the UC Davis NOW mobile app.
Andrew has worked in journalism, marketing, public relations and communications, where he authored hundreds of articles, produced 23 nationally-syndicated radio documentaries and has written advertising copy for international companies. He has a BA in Communications from Flagler College and certificates in Journalism and Management from Georgetown University and UC Davis.

Sara Miga

Skidmore College

Sara Miga is the Senior Director of External Relations and Strategic Communications at Skidmore College. Her 15-year career has always been mission-driven. From women’s issues and food insecurity, to higher education development, communications, and marketing, Sara is an expert at inspiring others to find, clarify, and unite around a purpose. She’s also the most positive person in the room. Sara earned a bachelor’s from Skidmore College in political science and women’s studies and a master’s from The Ohio State University in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

Cassaundra Moore

Washington University in St. Louis

Cassaundra Moore is the executive director of new media strategy at Washington University in St. Louis. Cassaundra leads WashU’s central social media strategy in an ongoing effort to engage, inform and connect with the university’s core audiences. Through partnerships across the WashU campus community, she has developed and led the creation of meaningful and compelling content that assists in telling the university’s story.

Cassaundra leads the governance of social media best practices, crisis communications and assists with providing guidance for executive leadership who create social media channels Before WashU, she manager multiple roles involving client engagement, including social media, video, client education and events.

Andy Monfried

Lotame

Since founding Lotame in 2006, Andy has been focused on building the world’s leading data management technology. Andy led Lotame’s successful ad network for several years, targeting thousands of campaigns valued at millions of dollars, all delivered and executed through the Lotame platform. In 2011 he shuttered the ad network to focus the company on its original vision: a full featured, SaaS based DMP. Under Monfried’s leadership, Lotame has grown into 100+ person company with offices in the U.S., E.U. and APAC. Prior to founding Lotame, Andy was an executive with Advertising.com from 1999-2005.

Typhaine Morrison

Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin Madison

Typhaine is the Chief Marketing Officer for the Wisconsin School of Business at UW-Madison. She has worked on campaigns for NBC Universals, Nickelodeon, and global media brands.
Typhaine led the global lifestyle and fitness brand Shape Magazine and was one of the youngest Editor in Chief in New York, serving in a multi-faceted role to launch the brand in international markets. During that time, Typhaine partnered with brands like Reebok to elevate brand partnerships and drive consumer value. Awards and presentations: 2023 Inspiring Programs in Business Awards by Insight into Diversity Winner of multiple Advertising Federation Awards at the local and regional districts in the following categories: branded content, integrated campaigns, social media campaigns, out-of-home advertising, and microsites. 2023, 2021, 2019, 2018 Marketing in the Digital Age, MKT 355, Guest Speaker Spring 2023, Fall 2022. Maximize your advertising to demonstrate ROI, Stamats Higher Education Conference, 2017

Christine Dellert Mullon

Sonder Says

Christine Dellert Mullon is founder and chief strategist at Sonder Says, a communications and thought leadership group with that helps clients redefine their message, reach the right audiences and inspire change.

Isaac Muñoz

Texas A&M University

Isaac I. Muñoz is Associate Vice President of Marketing, Strategy and Insights at Texas A&M University. In his role he has the privilege of leading the Web and Digital Experience, Brand and Creative Services, Social Media, Recruitment Marketing and Analytics and Insights teams.

Before joining Aggieland he was the head of Customer Engagement for DIRECTV Go Latin America (then part of AT&T). While on this role he led Business Intelligence, Content Management, Content Curation, Visual Curation, Customer Relationship Management, and Customer Care.

Before joining the world’s largest Telcom, AT&T, he was a Senior Business Consultant of Customer Insights at Southwest Airlines. Here he supported Brand Management, Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Cross Channel Planning and Delivery, Community Outreach, Corporate Sales, International Expansion and Diversity & Inclusion.

His research has been published in the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Advertising Education, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, the ARF (Advertising Research Foundation), and two chapters on the 3 Volume book entitled, “We Are What We Sell: How Advertising Shapes American Life. . . and Always Has”, a chapter on the Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies, and most recently a case study in the 3rd edition of Hispanic Marketing: A Cultural Perspective titled “Southwest Airlines Lands in Puerto Rico”.

His PhD is from the University of Texas at Austin.

Cayce Myers, Ph.D., LL.M., J.D., APR

Virginia Tech

Cayce Myers is a Professor of Public Relations and Director of Graduate Studies at the School of Communication, Virginia Tech. His work focuses on media history, political communication, and laws that affect public relations practice. He is the author of Public Relations History: Theory Practice and Profession and Money in Politics: Campaign Fundraising in the 2020 Presidential Election. He is also the coauthor of the 4th and 5th editions of Mass Communication Law in Virginia and has also published over sixty peer reviewed articles, book chapters, law review articles, and trade press articles about public relations history, public relations strategy, political campaigns, and laws and policies that affect public relations practice.
In addition to his public relations scholarship, Myers is accredited in public relations, and is active in several public relations and communication organizations including the Arthur W. Page Society, Public Relations Society of America National Board of Directors, Legal Research Editor for the Institute for Public Relations, the National Press Club, the PR Museum, and the Commission on Public Relations Education. He was previously a member of the Universal Accreditation Board and the Board of Ethics and Professional Standards in PRSA. He is also a frequent commentator about public relations, political campaigns, and legal issues, having been quoted in several media outlets including Time, Bloomberg, Fox News, the Los Angeles Times, the Hill, and the Associated Press.

Corynn Myers

SimpsonScarborough

Corynn is an award-winning marketer with a concerning amount of enthusiasm for brand and customer experience.

As SimpsonScarborough’s Associate Vice President of Strategy Planning, Corynn oversees the coordination of cross-functional teams and the coordinated development of effective brand and marketing strategies by ensuring experience is at the core of every solution.

Previously, Corynn worked with national and international brands in healthcare, tourism, transportation and SaaS to develop content and customer experience strategies and, as the Associate Director of Marketing at the University of Michigan, she developed and managed the university’s in-house digital marketing services.

Jessica Neumann-Kersten

RW Jones Agency

Neumann-Kersten earned her master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Denver in communication studies, with a research focus on new media. Jess is a first-generation student and earned her bachelor’s degree in media, culture, and communication from New York University. In addition to her role at RWJ Research, Jess is an account director at RW Jones, working with various institutions and organizations on their communications strategies.The RW Jones Agency has presented at a number of marketing and higher education-specific conferences.

Cassandra Nickels

Rochester Institute of Technology

Cassandra Nickels is RIT’s Associate Vice President for Marketing Strategy, where she leads the university’s marketing strategy, branding, and intelligence. She works with college and divisional marketers to achieve strategic goals for their respective areas. Before serving in this role, Cassandra was the Director of Marketing for RIT’s College of Science.

Teresa Valerio Parrot

TVP Communications

Principal, TVP Communications

Teresa often says that while her husband is her true love, her alma mater was her first love. Higher education is her home. She is known for honesty juxtaposed with optimism; the two combine to provide communications counsel focused on transparent leadership and relationship building. Teresa helps higher education executives truthfully share excellence and genuinely own mistakes, because she knows honesty is present in all sound proactive and crisis outreach.
Previously, Teresa served as vice president for SimpsonScarborough. She counts almost 10 years of service at the University of Colorado, including an officer-level appointment.

She is co-host of the Trusted Voices Podcast and co-editor of Call to Action for Inside Higher Ed.

Teresa earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Colorado, and a doctorate from Southern Methodist University. She holds accreditation in public relations from PRSA.

Maya Patterson

University of Arizona

Maya Patterson is the Marketing Manager for Colleges with the University of Arizona’s central marketing team, working closely with the Arizona Online Marketing portfolio in addition to supporting main campus marketing strategic initiatives. She’s worked as a higher-ed marketer and communicator for 4 years in many university units, including research- and community-focused units and academic colleges.

Kristen Paulmeyer

Creighton University

Kristen Paulmeyer is the Marketing Director at Creighton University. Her team of marketing strategists focuses on the marketing initiatives of the individual schools and colleges across multiple platforms to reach and engage their target audiences. Kristen joined Creighton University in 2022 and has since led their second-annual retention campaign and aims to drive student lifecycle marketing efforts.
Prior to Creighton, Kristen worked in the healthcare sector, with experience in sales and more recently focusing on lead generation and developing new product/service marketing and consumer engagement plans to improve patient experience and retention. Kristen obtained her MBA from University of Nebraska-Omaha.

Charlie Penrose

Net Natives

Charlie Penrose is Net Natives’ creative director. With a background in the creative industries, he established the agency’s creative department eight years ago, and continues to manage its strategic development and portfolio of resources. Charlie oversees the delivery of creative solutions for clients, encompassing strategy, content, design and copywriting. He has led the delivery of high-profile creative campaigns in the U.S., U.K., and globally, working across digital, TV and traditional media.

Anne Peters

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Associate Vice President, University Marketing & Special Projects | UTSA Anne has over two decades of experience in higher education marketing and communications with a career that spans a wide variety of institutions, from residential liberal arts colleges to large public research universities. In her current position, she oversees UTSA’s institutional brand, website development, presidential communication collateral and university special events.

Colleen Peterson

Rochester Institute of Technology

Colleen Peterson is an accomplished Enrollment Management professional with 30 years of experience. She currently serves as the Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management at RIT where she oversees student recruitment, admissions, financial aid, enrollment marketing, enrollment systems, and data analytics.

Jenny Petty

Jenny Petty left the corporate world where she worked with some of the world’s biggest brands including Dolly Parton, Family Guy, Harley Davidson, Phantom of the Opera and The Ellen DeGeneres Show and joined the world of higher ed almost a decade ago. She currently serves as the Vice President of Marketing Communications, Experience and Engagement at the University of Montana. In her role as the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, she oversees brand strategy, digital innovation, enrollment marketing, creative services, trademark and licensing and strategic communications as well as the public media arm of the University and the alumni association. Before coming to Montana, Petty was the Director of Enrollment Marketing at the University of Wyoming, where she was a key, driving force behind The World Needs More Cowboys campaign. She finds joy in building teams and helping others grow, as well as flexing her creative muscles whenever she can. She’s a graduate of the Reynolds School of Journalism and the University of Nevada and has a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University where her studies are focused on the intersection of Servant Leadership and the marketing profession. She’s the host of “The Servant Marketer,” a podcast featuring marketing leaders, marketers, creatives, academics and entrepreneurs and shares thoughts on how marketers and leaders can serve first at servantmarketer.co.

Carrie Phillips

University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Carrie Phillips, Ed.D, is the Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at UA Little Rock. She is part creative, part analyst, but fully curious to solve higher education challenges. She earned her doctorate from Texas Tech, studying how universities are using marketing to mitigate the enrollment cliff. After finishing her doctorate, she is now carrying on about higher education and leadership on her website andcarrieon.com. She has presented nationally at multiple conferences including HighEdWeb, AMA, CASE and more. Carrie is a member of the American Marketing Association, holding the Professional Certified Marketer credential. She is also chair-elect of CASE District IV.

Angela Polec

La Salle University

Angela Polec, Ed.D. serves as Vice President of Marketing and Communications. She joined the University’s Executive Cabinet upon her arrival to La Salle in April 2019, and previously served as Assistant Vice President of Strategic Communications and Marketing and temporarily as Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing and Communications from February 2021 – August 2022. In her role, Dr. Polec leads the development and management of the University’s brand, and oversees strategic communications, digital strategy, marketing, media relations, enrollment marketing and University events.

Prior to arriving at La Salle, Dr. Polec served as the Executive Director of Marketing and Communications at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) since 2015. In this role, she oversaw branding, enrollment marketing, digital strategy and strategic communications. Dr. Polec played a leadership role on a number of college-wide initiatives. She worked on the college’s Integrated Planning and Advising for Student Success (iPASS) project team, was a core member of the institution’s enrollment management leadership team and served on the college-wide curriculum committee. Dr. Polec also co-chaired the college’s strategic planning committee leading the development of the college’s five-year plan.

Prior to her time at MCCC, Dr. Polec served as the Director of Marketing for Temple University, managing the second phase of the Temple Made brand campaign. In earlier roles at Temple, Dr. Polec oversaw the digital presence for the university’s advancement division including web, email and social media.

Dr. Polec has presented at several national conferences and has co-authored an article and book chapter on the use of predictive analytics in student success initiatives. In 2022, she was recognized as one of The Philadelphia Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. She holds an M.S. and a B.B.A. in marketing from Temple University and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Management at the University of Pennsylvania, with her dissertation focusing on the role of the chief marketing officer in higher education.

Devin Purgason

Forsyth Technical Community College

Devin Purgason, Executive Director of Marketing and Student Care at Forsyth Technical Community College, has dedicated his career to empowering lives through education. With expertise in CRM, digital marketing and professional photography, Devin’s leadership has made a significant impact at Forsyth Tech. Honored with Winston Salem’s Under 40 Leadership Award and selected for the American Association of Community College Future Leader Institute, Devin holds degrees in theology, historical theology and digital media and marketing. His creativity and purpose-driven approach have led to numerous successful initiatives at Forsyth Tech, where he’s also an adjunct English professor.

Rachel Rodemann Putman

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

Rachel Rodemann Putman is the Director of Communications at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, where she oversees digital and social media strategy, external communications direction, public and media relations, internal messaging, crisis management and executive communications.

After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, she spent close to a decade as a journalist and joined the world of higher education in 2014, finding her passion at the intersection of story-telling and education.

She manages a team of incredible student workers each year on the UAFS campus who run TikTok, Instagram, website and LinkedIn campaigns. With her student team, she’s claimed a number of social media impact awards including a CASE Grand Gold award in 2022 for a direct-to-student social media outreach campaign titled Mental Health Monday.

Last academic year her team’s efforts gained the small regional public more 5.9 billion impressions across earned media.
Offline, Rachel mentors her students with an open-door policy that lasts well after they’ve graduated. She is an advisor for the IDEAL Women student organization which combats bias against women of color in the professional world, and is active on multiple university committees including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Campus Climate committees. This fall she was elected to her third term on UAFS Staff Senate and named to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal Forty under 40 class.

She spends her time at home with her musician husband Cory, their two children, Sara and Kyler, their German Shepherd dog, Atticus, and an ever-growing slate of foster puppies.

John Reid

President of Glacier

John Reid is the President of Glacier, a youth advertising agency focused exclusively on higher education. Drawing on twelve years in the industry, John knows how important it is to keep on trend with the Next Generation and how to share his knowledge in a fun, engaging presentation.

Brent Reser

Washington State University

Brent Reser has spent his entire career in higher education social media. He is currently in his fourth year as the social media strategist at Washington State University where he develops the organic and paid strategies for the institution’s flagship accounts. Prior to WSU, Reser spent six years leading the social media program at Coastal Carolina University. He started his career at the University of Montana where he managed the social media presence of the department of athletics.

Jen Rhee

New York University

Jen Rhee is the director of Strategic Student Communications for NYU’s division of Global Enrollment Management and Student Success. In her role, she develops communication strategies to support retention and enhance the student experience for more than 27,000 undergraduates across 10 schools and global campuses.

Prior to joining NYU, Jen was the associate dean for Strategic Initiatives and Communications at The New School’s Parsons School of Design. Jen received her BA in English and Studio Art from Wesleyan University and a MA in Media Studies from The New School.

Kentrice Rush

Jackson State University

Kentrice S. Rush is the digital media manager at Jackson State University (JSU). During her time at JSU, the HBCU has achieved much success on social media, including its Facebook page ranking third among NCAA Division I universities nationwide. Kentrice’s videography has been shared by Time Magazine and YouTube Originals, and her photography has been used in stories by The Washington Post, CBS Sports, and the TODAY Show.

Kentrice holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing from Jackson State University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in marketing from Clark Atlanta University.

Jenna Rutschman

University of Arizona

Jenna Rutschman is the Director of Marketing Strategy focused on colleges at the University of Arizona. In her role she works with the college marketing and communications teams across campus to provide branding and strategic insights as well as resources that help the colleges align with the overall University marketing campaigns and brand. Jenna joined the University in 2017 and was previously the lead marketer at the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and the College of Science prior to her current role.

Frannie Schneider

Creighton University

Frannie Schneider is the Associate Vice President for Marketing at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. She joined Creighton in 2021, bringing more than 15 years of marketing and content strategy experience in higher education. Her expertise includes positioning teams for a constantly evolving marketing landscape. At Creighton, Frannie leads a marketing team focused on driving growth and increasing the brand engagement and awareness. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism. She has presented at several AMA and CASE conferences.

Erin Keane Scott

University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Erin Keane Scott is a marketing and branding expert out to use her powers for good. With a decade of experience working in higher education and non-profit settings, she is an agile storyteller and a data-informed strategist. Erin’s work has taken her to the red carpet at the Tony Awards, behind the mic during public radio pledge drives and backstage with high-ranking government officials and celebrated journalists. Erin began her marketing career at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. Since 2021, she has led the marketing team at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Kin Sejpal

University of Redlands

Kinnari “Kin” Sejpal is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications/Chief Marketing Officer at University of Redlands where she oversees brand management, enrollment marketing, and communications and digital teams. Before joining Redlands, Kin served as the Associate Vice President, Marketing and Creative Services at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Among her many accomplishments there, Kin developed RIT’s brand strategy and launched its first national reputation campaign.
Kin started her career in the U.S. by joining Purdue University’s Office of Marketing and Media where she held progressively responsible roles in the areas of advertising, marketing strategy, and marketing intelligence.
Dedicated to advancing higher education and the importance of marketing in shaping the perception of our industry, Kin serves in prominent positions with CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) and AMA (American Marketing Association).

Kin has an M.B.A in Marketing and Strategic Management, and an M.A. in Communications from Purdue University.

Matt Serrao

Utah Valley University

Matt is the associate vice president of marketing at Utah Valley University. Matt is a supporter for cross communication and breaking down silos to better organizations holistically. Matt has over a decade of experience proving results in digital marketing and communications and has experience working with nonprofit organizations, global corporations, startup companies and higher education institutions. In addition to his role at UVU, Matt is a board member for the Heart Home Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to helping families and children who have congenital heart disease. Matt is from `Aiea, Hawaii and a proud Native Hawaiian. He also loves cookies.

Jessica Shasserre

MediaCross

With more than 20 years of experience in higher education and marketing, Jessica is an expert in developing best practices for effective enrollment and recruitment marketing initiatives. Drawing heavily from her time behind the admissions desk, she now uses that frontline experience to lead a team of talented strategists, consultants, and creatives. She sees every project from multiple perspectives, and works closely with clients to develop strategic, integrated approaches to addressing today’s higher education recruitment challenges. As producer and co-host of MediaCross’ podcast, Higher Ed Matters, Jessica is quick to share her insight on a variety of higher education topics.

Jason Simon

SimpsonScarborough

Jason became SimpsonScarborough’s CEO in 2020 and over the past nine years has led the agency’s growth while championing the value of higher education and ensuring the agency’s work has lasting impact.
Before joining SimpsonScarborough, Jason served in marketing communications leadership roles for the University of California and NC State University. He was honored as the American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Marketer of the Year in 2013 and is regularly invited to speak at and lead industry events and training.

Fotis Sotiropoulos

Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Fotis Sotiropoulos, Ph.D. is provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds an academic appointment as professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering in the VCU College of Engineering.

Mike Southworth

University of Arizona

Mike Southworth is the Director of Marketing for Arizona Online and sits within the Campus Brand Engagement team, part of the university’s central marcom department. His responsibilities include enrollment marketing for Arizona Online and the Near You Network (the university’s distance network). Prior to entering the higher ed space, he worked in private sector marketing and sales roles based in Italy and the U.S.

Jennifer Sparkman

University of the Pacific

Jennifer Sparkman has spent almost a decade in higher education marketing developing strategies and crafting content to engage prospective students and parents. She serves as the Director of Audience Engagement Strategy for Enrollment Marketing at University of the Pacific, where she oversees strategy for using interactive digital channels and social media to create community and amplify the diverse stories of the Pacific community. Prior to joining Pacific, she led content and social media strategy and helped execute multichannel marketing campaigns at University of California, Merced, and spent most of her career as a journalist before her move to higher education.

John Stafford

Stanford University

John Stafford is Assistant Vice President for Digital Strategy at Stanford, the most senior digital communications role in the university. John is responsible for all aspects of creating a world-class digital communications function: setting the group’s strategy, building analytics and insight programs, counseling on crisis communications, leading multi-channel messaging initiatives, and advising colleagues across the University. He received a Master’s Degree in Communication from Stanford, a B.A. in History from the University of San Francisco, and was a founding advisor to Stanford Medicine X.

Elizabeth Stevens-Bishop

University of the Pacific

Elizabeth Stevens-Bishop is director of content strategy for enrollment marketing at University of the Pacific where she oversees storytelling and communication with current and prospective families.

Elizabeth arrived at Pacific in 2017 after a career in journalism that included managing an online community of moms in Northern California for Gannett called MomsLikeMe.

At Pacific, Elizabeth’s team has built a network of contributors for academic, career, and mental health services, admission, and student life to provide a steady stream of valuable content to families when they need it.

As a parent of a college student, Elizabeth has insight into the concerns families have about their child’s experience as well as the costs and outcomes of a college education.

Elizabeth’s mantra is “remain teachable.”

Stefanie Stewart

Google

Stef Stewart is Head of Industry of Education at Google. The daughter of an immigrant father, Stef experienced firsthand the global impact of higher education on future generations. She is passionate about partnering with Higher Ed Universities and the Ed Tech Industry to make education universally accessible for all, and advancing business outcomes through technology. Previously Stef was a Head of Industry leading Google’s Programmatic Media team for the Google Display Network and DV360 product. Her team was responsible for key product improvements in performance and measurement. Stef also held various roles supporting Home and Consumer partners at Google. Before Google, she spent over a decade at Brand.net, a programmatic display platform, and at Valassis Communications Inc. where she was named Top Consultant of the year (2013) and Top Digital Consultant of the year (2014). Stef earned her MBA from the University of Notre Dame Mendoza School of Business and two Bachelor’s degrees in Advertising and in Journalism from Michigan State University.

Stef is born and bred midwesterner currently chasing joy in the suburbs outside of Chicago with her husband and three favorite children.

Heather Swain

Michigan State University

Vice President, Marketing, Public Relations and Digital Strategy – Michigan State University Swain is responsible for MSU’s branding, marketing, creative, digital and experience strategy, and analytics and insights functions. She has worked in higher education for 25+ years and in senior leadership positions for more than 20 years. Swain oversaw development of the university’s Spartans Will campaign, and under her leadership MSU’s communications work has been recognized with numerous awards, including Tellys, Emmys and Addys, as well as top recognition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Swain has presented at AMA and CASE and in 2016 received the AMA Higher Education Marketer of the Year Award.

Kevin Swartout

Rankin Climate

Swartout leads RWJ Research, bringing deep research and academic expertise after spending more than 15 years teaching and conducting research on university campuses. Kevin received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a concentration in social psychology. He most recently served as a professor in the Department of Psychology at Georgia State University. His research focuses heavily on the influencers and psychology of decision-making. A significant portion of his work has centered on identifying and engaging distinct and diverse subpopulations.Swartout has presented multiple times to the American Psychological Association. Most recently, Dr. Swartout presented at the 2023 NADOHE Annual Conference and will be presenting at the Association for Institutional Research Forum Annual Conference (May 2023).

Katlin Swisher

Campus Sonar

Katlin Swisher is a senior strategist at Campus Sonar. She uses data storytelling to help campuses build trust with their audiences, support strategic planning and branding, and inform organizational change. During her decade on campus, she led initiatives in admissions, orientation, and marketing communications. A proud Mountaineer, she holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in higher education and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from West Virginia University. She is an instructor of media and leadership studies and has presented research at AMA’s Higher Ed Symposium, American Educational Research Association, Association for the Study of Higher Education, National Rural Education Association, and College & University Public Relations and Associated Professionals, among others. In her spare time, you can find her hiking in West Virginia’s beautiful state parks and traveling the world as a clarinetist with the WVU Alumni Band.

Alonda Thomas

Jackson State University

Alonda Thomas is the Chief Communications Officer and Associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications at Jackson State University. She manages a team of 12 dynamic innovators, and is responsible for university brand and reputation management, marketing, media relations and strategic communications. In 2021, she spearheaded the unveiling of the JSU Elevate Strategic Plan 2021-2016, which focuses on six pillars: Student Success, Academic Prominence, Research Excellence, Athletics Program Support, Improve Campus Aesthetics, and Enhance the JSU Brand. Under her leadership the team helped surpass the $500,000 fundraising goal for JSU Day of Giving campaign by producing a series of marketing videos to garner donations during the one-day event. The division has been recognized for several awards, including finalist for the 2022 PRNews Platinum Award for Marketing Communications and a finalist for the 2022 PRSA Bronze Anvil Award for Best Use of Social Media.

Thomas previously served as director of public relations and interim vice president of communications at Howard University. During her tenure, the Office of University Communications received several awards, including the Public Relations Society of America 2021 Bronze Anvil Award for Executive Communications, the 2020 Bronze Anvil Award for Twitter Engagement, and the PRWeek 2020 Best in a Crisis Award.

In 2016, Thomas served as a publicity consultant for Liquid Soul, an entertainment and sports marketing company in Atlanta. She led the PR strategy for a variety of clients, including ABC Network, CNN, Walt Disney Studios and Fox Searchlight. She executed national urban press outreach for the highly acclaimed Spike Lee film “Chi-Raq,” and CNN’s award-winning docu-series “The United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell.” She also developed the PR campaign strategy and crisis management for season 2 of ABC’s hit sitcom, “black-ish,” which increased the show’s viewership among its target demographic and led to multiple award nominations.

In 2013, Thomas served as director of media relations and interim chief communications officer at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University where she was responsible for the overall direction of the university’s media relations program, including managing the return of the Marching “100.”

Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. She received her master’s degree in integrated marketing and management communications from Florida State University where she served as a university fellow and taught public speaking. She was recently appointed to serve on the planning committee for the American Marketing Association. Additionally, Thomas is a sought-out speaker on the subjects of media relations, branding and crisis communications. Follow her newsletter, “Don’t Quote Me: Tips and Quips by PR Strategist Alonda Thomas” exclusively on LinkedIn.

Sam Thorson

Epicosity

Ready to talk about student recruitment? As a growth strategist, Sam’s top priority is always your bottom line–and how to leverage data and insights to drive strategy and creativity. He’s a silo-smashing collaborator who elevates projects by digging in to understand your school, students and competition. He oversees all strategies, but his true passion is to think beyond the here and now to focus on what’s next–especially when it comes to digital and social media. On any given day, Sam is responsible for account planning, audience research and segmentation, campaign success and monthly reporting/analysis. Sam has been with Epicosity since 2018, having previously worked as a content and CRM strategist. When Sam’s not crushing institutional recruitment goals, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three kiddos on their family farm.

Diana Toole

Shady Side Academy

Diana Toole serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Shady Side Academy, a distinguished coed independent school in Pittsburgh, PA. With a footprint encompassing four campuses across Pittsburgh, Shady Side Academy offers instruction from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, with an optional boarding program at the high school level. Boasting an expansive career spanning 15 years, Diana has honed her expertise in the nuanced sector of non-profit marketing and communications. Her portfolio includes tenure in cultural organizations, higher education, and notably, a decade-long specialization in the K-12 independent school landscape. Leveraging a data-centric approach, she has orchestrated highly successful strategic marketing campaigns that have elevated digital brand presence, deepened community engagement and garnered industry recognition. Her initiatives have been acknowledged with multiple awards, underscoring her role as a catalyst for institutional innovation and excellence. Diana’s proficiency isn’t limited to her professional sphere; she is an avid fitness enthusiast, nutrition coach and passionate outdoorswoman. She cherishes her off-hours by sharing quality moments with her husband, their one-year-old Gen Alpha son, and their two dogs.

John Trierweiler

Rochester Institute of Technology

John Trierweiler is RIT’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, 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. Prior to joining RIT, John was Chief Marketing Officer for the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Allison Turcio

Siena College

Allison Turcio, Ed.D., is Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at Siena College. She leads college-wide marketing, market research, and enrollment communications efforts. Her work has won numerous awards and has been presented at High Ed Web, American Marketing Association’s Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education and other conferences. Allison was selected for the Albany Business Review 40 Under 40 and Siena College’s Excellence in Administration award in 2020. She holds a doctorate degree at Northeastern University and holds a master’s in Communications and bachelor’s in English.

Randi Ungar

Advance 360 Education

Randi brings 23 years of digital media and marketing experience to Advance 360 Education. Having started her career within the Advance family, she understands the value data has in shaping and executing digital strategies for higher education institutions. As the digital landscape shifts towards a cookie-less world, Randi is passionate about how Advance 360 Education’s first-party data can become a powerful asset and differentiator for many schools to deliver more personalized and results-driven marketing campaigns. From targeting to finding best-fit students to understanding enrollment trends, Randi’s expertise in data-driven marketing, and deep understanding of data segmentation, has helped frame the way Advance 360 Education supports our partners in driving leads, increasing enrollments and shaping overall marketing strategy.

Jennifer Vaughn

UC Davis

Jenn Vaughn’s career spans two coasts over 20+ years via boutique design agencies, tech startups and education non-profits. Currently serving as Senior Brand Manager for Student Affairs Marketing and Communications at UC Davis, she leads brand strategy across all divisional departments, channels and audiences. Jenn has won numerous marketing and higher education awards, including CASE District VII Circle of Excellence’s highest honor, Grand Gold. In addition, she is a frequent speaker on industry-related topics such as Marketing to Generation Z and Design & Accessibility. A first-generation college student, Jenn earned a BA in public communication from American University.

Jose Villalba

Wake Forest University

Dr. José Villalba, Chief Diversity Officer and vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at Wake Forest University. He is responsible for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Intercultural Center, the Women’s Center, the LGBTQ+ Center and the Diversity Education Unit.

Justin Vogt

Vice President / Group Account Director Fuseideas

With 25 years of marketing and advertising experience, Justin brings a unique blend of account service, business development and operations management to Fuseideas. Having worked across many categories during his career, Justin has grown a special concentration in higher education and consistently delivers a strong commitment to strategic vision, organizational growth, continuous innovation and evolution for his clients such as Georgetown University, University of North Carolina Charlotte, and University of Baltimore to name a few. In 2021, Justin spearheaded the State of the American College Student, a perennial research study focused on providing insights on current and prospective students’ personal motivations for choosing a higher education institution, as well as identifying key emotional and behavioral factors impacting students in a post-pandemic society. Justin grew up in the advertising business in account service and business development in Philadelphia and has spent the last 17 years driving growth and success for agencies and consultancies in Boston. Justin holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Franklin & Marshall College, and currently resides in Medfield, MA with his family.

Tracy Vosburgh

Virginia Tech

As Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Tracy elevates, aligns, and integrates marketing and communications work across Virginia Tech. She has served as the university’s top communicator since joining the Advancement leadership team in 2015, following her time at Cornell University. During her tenure at Virginia Tech, Tracy has led several initiatives that support key priorities, including refreshing their brand, launching a new web presence and video platform, creating a media relations team, and more. Tracy’s background also includes broadcast management positions at Penn State Public Broadcasting, ABC/Kane Productions, National Geographic Society, and McNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.

James Wakefield

Legend Labs

James Wakefield focuses on brand strategy, reputation management and product design under the firm’s Ventures arm. At Legend Labs, James has led branding projects for the West Coast Conference and Dustin Johnson, and has overseen communications strategy development and implementation efforts for clients including Johns Hopkins University and the Pac-12 Conference.

Prior to Legend Labs, James operated in a hybrid role as Creative Director and Director of Strategy at PulsePoint Group, a communications and brand consulting firm. James oversaw a team of designers, developers and animators to deliver world-class creative and digital experiences for clients including Penn State University, Virgin Australia and Purdue University. As a Director of Strategy, James was a leader in the firm’s brand reputation and crisis management practice, leading engagements with clients like Tokyo Electric Power Company in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

James has built a career on the use of digital listening technology to shape proprietary strategies in brand reputation management and vulnerability analysis. He operates at the intersection of data, strategy and design to build platforms that enable more effective threat detection and subsequent issues response.

James is a graduate of The University of Texas and is based in Austin.

Sara Wallace

SimpsonScarborough

Sara is Vice President of Strategy at SimpsonScarborough and has spent the past 15 years navigating the ever-shifting media, brand, and marketing strategy landscape at agencies supporting higher education, healthcare, retail, and tourism.
Sara oversees SimpsonScarborough’s strategy division, which uses data-driven approaches to create brand, marketing, and media deliverables that achieve institutions’ short- and long-term goals. In the past, she has served in a variety of roles supporting higher education, including adjunct instructor and guest lecturer. She has also led the strategy, activation, management, and measurement of integrated campaigns with dozens of institutions across the country.

Gabriel Welsch

Duquesne University

As vice president for marketing and communications at Duquesne, Gabe 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 and fundraising and alumni relations. While there he led campaigns that raised more than $95 million. He is past president of the CUPRAP: College and University Public Relations and Associated Professionals board of directors and is a regular conference presenter on topics related to fundraising and marketing. He holds two degrees in English from Penn State.

Paul Westcott

L2, Inc.

Paul Westcott is L2’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. Over Paul’s nine-year tenure at L2, he has overseen the rapid growth company’s footprint in academia, consumer research, corporate government affairs, automotive, media and B2C marketing in addition to the company’s already substantial footprint in the political marketplace. L2 is also the largest provider of constituent contact data to members of Congress with over 350 U.S. Representatives and Senators utilizing L2. Prior to joining L2, Paul worked in the media space for NBC News, Fox News Channel and iHeartMedia. At iHeart, Paul started as a Senior Digital Editor, creating and managing editorial content for a network of over 850 websites. Paul attended Fordham University and holds both a BA and MA in Political Science.

Camille Wilson

New York University

Camille Wilson is the Associate Director of Strategic Student Communications. In her role, she is responsible for the content strategy and managing the Student Design Fellows program. She’s spent the last 12 years in Higher Education working to nurture and inspire student leaders by supporting their holistic growth and development. Before coming to NYU, she worked in Residential Life helping first year students make meaningful transitions to college in NYC.

Camille received her Bachelors in Psychology from Temple University and both her Master of Education and Master of Arts in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University.

Sean Wyrobek

Carvertise

Sean Wyrobek has spent the better part of the last decade working for some of the largest outdoor advertising companies in the U.S. Now a key member of Carvertise, the largest rideshare advertising company in America, he has been instrumental in helping drive the company’s explosive growth over the past few years.

Rob Zinkan

RHB

Rob Zinkan, Ed.D., is Vice President for Marketing Leadership at RHB, a higher education consultancy founded in 1991. He leads the firm’s practice in institutional marketing, guiding colleges and universities toward greater relevance and organizational capability. Rob joined RHB in 2019 after more than two decades in higher education administration with a focus on reputation and resource development and intra-organizational alignment. He spent 17 years at Indiana University in a variety of senior roles from campus-level vice chancellor to system-wide associate vice president. Rob is a recent AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education committee member and CASE commissioner (Commission on Communications and Marketing). He is co-author of the 2021 book <em>What Makes a Strategic Plan ‘Strategic’?</em> and contributes to Inside Higher Ed’s “Call to Action” blog. Rob also teaches graduate courses in both strategic communications and higher education leadership.

Event Location

Sheraton Grand Chicago
301 East North Water Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 464-1000


Room Reservations

Please feel free to book at the Sheraton Grand Chicago, where the Symposium is being held, just be aware the price will not include the special AMA rate.


Area Attractions, Events and Tourism

Visit Sheraton Experiences for Hotel and local attractions. Choose Chicago provides additional destination information.


Transportation

Please refer to the Chicago Transit Authority.


ADA

The AMA is committed to providing all attendees equal access to our meetings. If you are an attendee with a disability and require program accommodations, please contact the AMA Support Center at (800) AMA-1150. A member of our staff will ensure that appropriate access arrangements are made. If you have specific disability-related needs for your hotel sleeping room, please communicate those directly to the hotel when you make your reservation. To provide the highest quality of service to all attendees, we require that details of all access requests be communicated to our office at least 14 days in advance of the beginning of the meeting.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Thought Leaders

 

Innovation Showcase Sponsors

 

Sponsors

 

Exhibitors

160over90 • Archer Education • Akero • Atmosphere TVBeacon Technologies • Bowstring Studios • Campus 360CCA • Concept3D • Cygnus Education • Datawrkz • Digital WaveDME DeliversEcho DeltaEducation Dynamics • Effectv, A Comcast Company • Element451 • Encoura • Halda • Hannon Hill • Hanover Research Council • High School Counselor Connect • idfive • ihire • Inside Higher Ed • Truly Engaging • Magellan Promotions • MediaCross, Inc.The Morning ConsultNew CityNicheOHO • PPS • Primacy • Riipen • Ring Digital • Rowan Education Partners • RW Jones • Simpson Scarborough • Spark451 • SquizTerminalfourTondro Consulting • Unibuddy • UPCEA • VisionPoint Marketing • ZAG Creates
 

Further Invest in Your Future with Interactive Workshops

November 12, 2023 | Chicago, IL

Imagine how much more you could achieve with the latest tools and strategies! The pre-conference workshops are interactive and focused on tangible takeaways to implement into your daily work.

Choose two of the six available workshops*, all built around today’s most pressing trends. You’ll learn practical techniques to elevate your marketing strategy and gain the confidence you need to succeed.

Learn more about Pre-Conference Workshops and see the options offered in the Higher Ed Agenda tab.

*Your selection occurs on-site.

 

2023 AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education

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