Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO

Adrienne King

Dr. Adrienne King joined Indiana University in June 2023 as the new Associate Vice President of Marketing. She leads the university’s marketing strategy in support of the institution’s strategic goals, focusing on delivering a unified, brand experience fueled by research, data, and integrated marketing communications. She has nearly 20 years of experience in higher education marketing and communications, advancement, and alumni and community engagement, having previously served in similar leadership roles at the University of Toledo, Murray State University, Idaho State University and West Virginia University Institute of Technology. She received her doctorate in higher education administration and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University, after earning bachelor’s degrees in graphic design and public relations from Marietta College. She also is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership America executive program and a 2021-22 American Council of Education Fellow.

Alan Stein, Jr.

Alan Stein Jr., is an experienced keynote speaker, author, and well-known performance expert who spent 15 plus years working with some of the highest performing NBA players on the planet, including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and the late Kobe Bryant. Five years ago Alan transitioned to working with executives and Fortune 500 companies like Pepsi, Starbucks, and American Express on both individual and organizational performance. He teaches proven principles on how to utilize the same approaches in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level. Alan is a proud graduate of Elon University and has authored two books - ‘Raise Your Game’ and ‘Sustain Your Game’.

Alejandra “Ale” Sosa Pieroni

Alejandra “Ale” Sosa Pieroni is a thought leader and higher education professional with seventeen years of experience in enrollment management, specializing in marketing and recruitment, financial aid practices, and strategic enrollment planning. She currently serves as the executive vice president for enrollment management, marketing and student success at Georgia Southern University.

Alison Paz

Alison Paz is a marketer and communicator with extensive experience handling complex marketing strategies, public relations, large-scale events, new media ventures, publishing, advocacy, non-profits, and community outreach. Her career spans diverse sectors including higher education, entertainment, publishing, business-to-business, retail, and health. Throughout her career, Alison has demonstrated a keen aptitude for embracing emerging technology to enhance customer experiences and drive organizational success.

Allie Kuenzi

Allie Kuenzi, Social Media Director at UNC Charlotte, is focused on blending engaging content, timely delivery, and audience insights into actionable digital communication strategies. Allie graduated from Clemson University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Communications, and recently earned a master’s degree in digital communication from UNC Chapel Hill. Previous to her current role, Allie crafted the digital presence of sports teams and non-profits in the Charlotte area, including work for the ACC Digital Network.

Alonda Thomas

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 2016, Alonda 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.

Andrew Careaga

Andrew Careaga is the retired chief marketing and communications officer for Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T), a STEM-focused public research university in Rolla, Missouri. During the university's name change from the University of Missouri-Rolla to Missouri S&T, Careaga was instrumental in managing communications and branding initiatives. In 2009, he was named International Brand Master of the Year by Educational Marketing Group Inc., primarily in recognition of his role in coordinating Missouri S&T's name change communications effort.

Ashlea Jones

Ashlea Jones is the interim senior director of storytelling and director of executive communications at Miami University (Ohio). Previously, she served in various communications roles at Winston-Salem State University – a historically Black university that is part of the University of North Carolina System.

Bart Caylor

Bart has worked with global brands such as AT&T, IAMs Pet Food, Motorola, RCA, and GE. With nearly 30 years in design and marketing, he has spent 25 years in web design and digital marketing, 20 years working with education clients. His goal is to partner with his clients to provide them expertise and solutions facing the challenges of the ever-changing marketing and communication landscape.

Brent Shock

As Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success at Miami University, Brent Shock provides leadership to the offices of Admission, the Bursar, Student Success, Student Financial Assistance and the One Stop. Shock began his career in Miami’s financial aid office in 1992 and served as counselor, assistant director for student employment, and associate and senior associate director of systems prior to becoming director in 2011.

Brian Eubank

Licensing is an often underappreciated yet crucial aspect of a university's marketing and brand strategy; however, it can be a powerful tool for brand reinforcement and revenue generation. In this episode, Jaime sits down with Brian Eubank, Executive Director of Licensing at Old Dominion University, to discuss how universities can extend their brand's reach far beyond campus borders.

Brian Piper

Brian Piper has been optimizing digital content performance since 1996. He is the co-author of the second edition of Epic Content Marketing, an international keynote speaker, and an educator. He is currently the Director of Content Strategy and Assessment at the University of Rochester. Brian grew up on a rabbit farm in Dogpatch, Arkansas and now lives in Rochester, New York, with his wife and six children. He is an adventurer and spends his time mountain biking, whitewater kayaking, and teaching wingsuit skydiving.

Bryce Hoffman

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 Assistant 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.

Carol Bowser, JD, is a workplace conflict expert. After practicing employment law for several years, Carol founded Conflict Management Strategies when she realized a lawsuit can’t deliver the level of resolution and satisfaction that is gained when people are actively involved in creating solutions to their workplace conflict.

Christian Ponce

Christian Ponce is the senior director of marketing at Miami University (Ohio). Christian came to the United States from Honduras to pursue an American higher education. After completing his bachelor's degree in communications and French and his master’s degree in integrated marketing communications, he launched a marketing and advertising career that spans 20 years.

hristy Jackson

Christy Jackson is the deputy chief communications officer and executive director of strategic communications at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, working with a team of professionals who execute the University’s media relations, issue management, crisis communication, campus and community communications, and content development and storytelling efforts. She joined UNC Charlotte as the first director of communications for the Division of Business Affairs in March 2016, where she also served as a crisis communication manager for the University.

Dave Hunt

Dave Hunt is an award-winning higher education marketing leader, currently serving as the creative director for Old Dominion University’s Division of Digital Learning. In his role, Dave oversees creative, web, content strategy, and social media. Prior to his current role, Dave stood up the digital marketing operations for Miami Online, a division of Miami University (Ohio). He has also served in creative and communications strategy roles at Wake Forest University, Virginia Tech, and Lawrence University. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

Denise Lamphier

Denise Lamphier is the executive director of communications and marketing at Central College in Pella, Iowa. She’s also a proud mom of a first-year college student who happens to be the owner of one yellow flying disc.

Dr. Belinda Mouradian

Dr. Mouradian started her career in clinical health practice at local hospitals in South Florida. She then transitioned to higher education in 2009 and worked as an adjunct, then moved to a tenured faculty position, and later became the Nuclear Medicine Program Director. Dr. Mouradian revised the entire curriculum and successfully brought the program to receive initial programmatic accreditation as well as significantly improving the licensure pass rate to 100% on first attempt. Dr. Mouradian became extremely interested in heightening her involvement with the accreditation process and became an ABHES evaluator in her early years of teaching in higher education. ABHES has been an instrumental part of her life as she has gained an immeasurable wealth of knowledge through the robust visits she has participated in for almost 10 years to date. After receiving tenure and working as faculty for nearly a decade, Dr. Mouradian moved into administrative roles as the District Director for Instructional Design and the Associate Dean for Health Sciences. She served as a Master Quality Matters Reviewer and a faculty facilitator where she avidly worked with training faculty on how to use the learning management system as well as how to transition courses to various instructional deliveries. Dr. Mouradian holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, a Master of Science Degree in Higher Education with a focus in online instruction. She currently holds a district administrative position overseeing all allied health science programs across five campuses at Palm Beach State College.

Georgy Cohen

Jaime Hunt

Jaime Hunt is the Founder of Solve Higher Ed Marketing, a consulting firm, and is the host of Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO.

Jamie Ceman

amie Ceman is the Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Communications for Chapman University. Jamie began her role as vice president on February 6, 2018. She came to Chapman with 20 years of marketing and digital experience in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Chapman, she served as the Assistant Chancellor of University Marketing and Communications at the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. Originally from the Midwest, Jamie’s career includes e-business consulting in the private sector and e-commerce marketing for two national brands prior to entering higher education in the University of Wisconsin system.

Jason Simon

Jason Simon is the Chief Executive Officer at SimpsonScarborough. His specialty is brand building in higher education. Jason can be reached on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Jim Rogers

James (Jim) Rogers brings three decades of experience in modern marketing strategy and execution to the helm of 3 Enrollment Marketing

Jodi Phelps

Jodi Phelps is the City of Fayetteville's Chief of Staff. In her role, Phelps develops enterprise-wide solution processes and performance results; provides highly responsible and complex administrative support to the City Manager; provides strategic planning; policy development, strategic communication, organizational performance management, project management and continuous improvement and promotes accountability and consistency in reporting across all organizational levels.

Joe Master

Joey Schmit

With a background in marketing strategy and brand management, Joey Schmit's career spans several industries, including higher education, arts, and media, with storytelling at the core of his work. Joey oversees global enrollment marketing across NYU’s degree-granting campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. His team supports full student lifecycle communications, guiding students from initial interest through to graduation, and leads the following functions at the University: Undergraduate and Pre-college Marketing, Strategic Student Communications, Online Education Marketing, and Experiential Marketing. Previously, Schmit led a marketing team at BRIC, a driving force behind several of Brooklyn’s most widely renowned arts and media programs. Earlier in his career, he held marketing roles at the NYU Stern School of Business and Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures Marketing. Schmit earned a BA from Arizona State University and an MA from NYU.

Josh Dodson

Joshua Dodson knows higher ed inside and out. His career experiences as an adjunct instructor, a university director of digital marketing, a web analytics strategist, and a co-founder of a higher ed marketing firm make Josh a powerhouse knowledge resource. Josh’s expertise also makes him a sought-after speaker. He has delivered more than 20 presentations, keynotes, and workshops at national higher ed marketing conferences and taught more than 500 students as a faculty member with HigherEdExperts.

Joshua Charles

Joshua Charles is a digital strategist and marketing leader at Rutgers Business School. There, he leads a team of three, overseeing website strategy and technology. With nearly a decade of leadership experience, Charles has been able to grow remote-first workflows that he established four years before the pandemic when the rest of the world was forced to pivot. He has continued to experiment, learn, and adapt to meet the evolving challenges of leadership in higher education. In addition to his work with Rutgers, Charles is a volunteer and Board Member for HighEdWeb and a strong advocate for professional development opportunities for staff. Find him on Twitter, LinkedIn, and in HighEdWeb Slack channels.

Josie Ahlquist

Dr. Josie Ahlquist has been exploring the intersection of leadership and the digital world since before most major companies and institutions ever sent their first official tweets. As a consultant, educator, researcher, and author, she has helped thousands of individuals and organizations transform their relationship with technology. She has a unique talent and passion for helping her clients lead online with empathy, purpose, and authenticity.

Katie Angstadt

Katie Angstadt is a partner at CRA / Admired Leadership where she provides counsel and coaching to senior leaders and teams, advising them during their greatest leadership challenges. Her expertise in leadership, change, and strategic communication makes her a go-to advisor to her clients during their most crucial moments, including mergers, acquisitions, and integrations, pivots in strategy, leadership changes, and during crises.

Kimberly Osborne

Kimberly Osborne is a seasoned integrated marketing communications professional focused on brand marketing, public relations, technology, sponsorships, advertising, and higher education. She is currently the associate vice chancellor of integrated marketing communication at UNC Greensboro.

Kristi Eaves-McLennan

A leader and visionary in the higher education marketing field, Kristi Eaves-McLennan has conducted two successful branding campaigns at Meredith College, as well as launched a profitable trademark licensing program at the College. The leader of almost twenty marketing and events professionals at Meredith College, Eaves-McLennan motivates her team to continue developing the College’s brand and facilitate successful enrollment and fundraising campaigns.

Lauren Griswold

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.

Matthew Lenihan

Matt earned his bachelor’s degree from Siena College in 2005, then delved into the private business sector in NYC, gaining insights into talent pipeline management. Transitioning to Florida in 2014, he pivoted to higher education, focusing on workforce connection and incumbent worker training. At Polk State College for five years, Matt championed customized workforce training and served on key committees, contributing to the College's accreditation self-study. He earned his Master of Arts degree in Career and Technical Education from USF in 2019, enhancing his expertise in workforce education. Joining Saint Leo University in 2020, he rose to Director of the Saint Leo East Pasco Education Center in 2021, expanding corporate partnerships and spearheading recruitment efforts amidst the pandemic. He then moved to Palm Beach State College in 2022 as Director of Business and Community Relations, tasked with fostering external and internal relationships to bolster the College’s presence in Palm Beach County.

Michael Lamphier

Michael Lamphier is a proven higher education marketer, corporate executive, and company owner with thirty-two years of experience in creating and executing winning sales and marketing strategies for several global brands. Currently leveraging artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to revolutionize brand marketing, enrollment management marketing, and content generation for graduate business education at one of the nation’s leading business schools.

Myla Edmond

Associate Vice President, Communications and Marketing at California State University, Dominguez Hills Myla Edmond is an innovative collaborator with more than 15 years of higher education marketing and communications experience. She has a deep understanding of departmental interdependence having created and led marketing strategy for academic affairs, alumni relations, and international education. She builds teams of leaders and strategic partners by focusing on disruptive thinking, emotional intelligence, active inclusion, and comprehensive integration. Myla currently leads the communications and marketing strategy at California State University, Dominguez Hills. She resides in Southern California and loves traveling, reading fiction, and writing short stories, novels, and essays.

Patricia Maben

Patricia Maben’s passion to support colleges and universities through the success of their students from recruitment to graduation.

Rachel Reuben Senor

Rachel Reuben Senor is a seasoned veteran in marketing and communications in the higher education industry. She has worked on staff in leadership positions in both public and private institutions. She fuses her experience into a comprehensive, strategic approach to marketing that identifies challenges and develops creative solutions to improve marketing processes.

Renee Seltzer

Sarah Goldfarb

Sarah Goldfarb joined RW Jones in October 2022 after eight years at the University of Delaware. As Senior Director of Digital Communications at UD, Sarah elevated the University's digital presence and overall reputation by leading organic and paid social media efforts as well as website strategy and other digital marketing projects. During her tenure, she led a successful and pioneering student ambassador program on social media — influencer marketing before influencers were a thing.

Terry Flannery

Terry Flannery has spent her entire career in higher education. She was the first marketing director and chief marketing officer at the University of Maryland, the first Vice President of Communications at American University. She has led some of the most successful brand campaigns in all of higher education, including American University’s WONK and University of Maryland’s Fear the Turtle.

Thom Chesney

Thom Chesney’s career in higher education has spanned nearly 25 years. Most recently, he served as the President of Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa. At Clarke, he orchestrated changes in enrollment management systems which led to enrollment growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also expanded shared governance, increased professional development opportunities, and developed board education for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Prior to Clarke, Thom served as President of Brookhaven College in Dallas, Texas; as Associate Provost and Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas; and as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at Collin College in Plano, Texas. Thom holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Florida State University and an M.A. in English–Creative Writing from Minnesota State University.

Tracy Playle

Tracy is CEO and Chief Content Strategist at Pickle Jar Communications. She is also a public speaker and coach. Since founding Pickle Jar Communications she has worked with over 200 education institutions around the world to help them advance their approach to content strategy, content design and content marketing. The best version of Tracy comes out to play when she’s running workshops, training sessions, coaching individuals and teams or delivering presentations and conference keynotes. She dedicates herself to develop others to become powerful content professionals. She is also the founder of ContentEd and Utterly Content. And she is the author of The Connected Campus: Creating a content strategy to drive engagement with your university (2020).

Victoria O'Malley

Dr. Victoria O’Malley has marketing experience in non-profit, B2B, and B2C environments, with particular focus on higher education marketing. Victoria serves as the Chief Marketing Officer at Colorado School of Mines and previously led marketing and branding efforts at the University of Colorado Denver as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Brand Strategy and prior to that, as the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications at the University of Denver's University College. She is a freelance marketing consultant and offers strategic insights, creative tactics, and analytics knowledge to students, stakeholders, and clients.