Mission Admissions

People in this episode

Jeanne Brett

Jeanne Brett is the DeWitt W. Buchanan, Jr. Distinguished Professor Emerita of Dispute Resolution and Organizations for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Brett is a negotiation scholar and educator. Her award-winning book, Negotiation Globally, now in its 3rd edition, was recently joined in 2022 by Searching for Trust in the Global Economy written with Tyree Mitchell.

Interviewee

Aaron Cook

Aaron is the Senior Assistant Director of Out of State Recruitment at the University of Missouri. He's been at Mizzou since 2005. His journey started in the School of Medicine, then the Trulaske College of Business, and now in the Office of Admissions within the Division of Enrollment Management. While Mizzou's campus is located in Columbia, MO, Aaron is regionally based in Kansas City and supports a staff of 12 regional representatives and test market representatives. He also serves GPACAC as a Professional Development co-chair.

Interviewee

Adrienne Barnes

Adrienne Barnes is the founder of Best Buyer Persona and a well-known B2B SaaS content marketing consultant. When she’s not helping companies identify and understand their target audiences, Adrienne uses her customer research skills to create unique content marketing strategies. She’s worked with amazing companies such as Catchpoint, Monday.com, Audiense, Stripe, Demio, Unbounce, and Smartling.

Interviewee

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.

Interviewee

Amanda Booth

Amanda Booth is the Director of College Counselor for Wichita Collegiate School in Wichita, Kansas. She’s been in that role for almost 4 years, and prior to moving to the high school side, Amanda spent 13 years working in college admissions at multiple schools. Amanda also currently serves on the Executive Board as Past-President for GPACAC which is the Great Plains Association for College Admission Counseling.

Interviewee

Andrew Roth

Andrew Roth is the Founder and CEO at dcdx, a Gen Z consulting firm. As a Gen Z'er himself, Andrew's purpose in starting the company was to bring Gen Z voices to the table. This has led Andrew and the dcdx team to build a network of over 100,000 Gen Z'ers, fueling their work with some of the world's top brands like Google, Chipotle, Denny's, Hinge and more. On top of all this, Andrew is just the average Gen Z'er. He mindlessly scrolls TikTok, questions his eternal anxiety, and orders Chipotle online to avoid talking to people behind the counter.

Interviewee

Andy Murphy

Andy Murphy is the Associate Director of Marketing at Siena College, an adjunct professor teaching Consumer Behavior, and the Executive Vice President for Programming at the AMA NY Capital Region Chapter. He has spent nearly a decade in higher education overseeing the organic and paid marketing strategy for Siena.

Interviewee

Angie Cooksy

Angie Cooksy Ed.D serves as the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. During her 15 years in higher education she has developed a passion for growing and supporting other professionals in the field. Her portfolio includes developing a leadership program for women in enrollment management titled Elevate and serving as the founder and host of the podcast "Elevating Admission Voices". She is committed to highlighting the work of all, operating with the mission that "There is room at the table for everyone. Scoot over and pull up a chair.

Interviewee

Anna Dearmon Kornick

Anna Dearmon Kornick is a well-known Time Management Coach, wife, mom, and podcast host who helps busy professionals master time management so they can stop feeling overwhelmed and start spending time on what matters most. Building on more than a decade of experience in the fast-moving, high-stakes world of political and crisis communications, Anna knows a thing or two about using time well.

Interviewee

Anne Johnson

Anne Johnson, an Alabama native, found a career in higher education after moving to Fargo, ND in 2013. As a first-generation college student, her educational journey was non-traditional, and she found purpose in supporting students and leading a team. She has spent the last ten years serving in various leadership roles in college admission and has spent the last several years overseeing recruitment staff as the Associate Director of Admission at North Dakota State University.

Bertita Barrientos

Bertita Barrientos, originally from El Salvador, found a career in higher education after moving to Arkansas to attend college in 2013.

Interviewee

Brian Switay

Brian is the Assistant Director of Transfers at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ. Having been at TCNJ for 5 years this October, Brian has helped to successfully change the transfer landscape of the institution. Prior to TCNJ, Brian spent almost 6 years at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, including being an admissions counselor and most recently the Assistant Director of Recruitment. Brian has a passion for helping students, colleagues, friends, and family. A native of New Jersey, Brian is an alum of Wilkes University in Pennsylvania where he holds both Undergraduate and Masters degrees.

Interviewee

Carlos Cano

Carlos Cano began his Higher Ed career in 2010 as an Admissions Counselor at his alma mater, William Paterson University, and would become their Assistant Director of Admissions in 2016, overseeing the recruitment efforts for the entire admissions team. In 2017, Carlos moved on to SUNY Maritime College as the Assistant Director of Admissions for Communications.

Chas Williams

Chas came to Clemson in 2011 as a student and they haven't made him leave yet.

Interviewee

Christina Garnett

Christina Garnett is the Principal Marketing Manager at HubSpot. An award-winning community builder and advocacy strategist, Christina uses audience intelligence and social listening to learn more about audiences and determine needs and behaviors. Her work serves to help brands better connect with their current customers, potential customers, and fans. Christina is featured in HubSpot Academy's Social Media Certification course and social listening courses, and she’s a partner for On Deck's Community Builder Program, teaching a module on advocacy as a community growth lever.

Interviewee

DJ Menifee

DJ Menifee is the Vice President for Enrollment at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA and leads an admission and student financial service division to support current and prospective students and their families through the admission, financial aid and student accounts process. DJ has 15 years of admission/enrollment experience working with first-year, transfer, international and graduate populations while having served at regional and national liberal arts, a national private comprehensive, and regional public institutions. Outside of his enrollment leadership position, DJ also serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer for Menifee Duarte Consulting Group and host for the Hues of Leadership podcast.

Interviewee

Deb Biche-Labbe

Deb Biche-Labbe is currently the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Thomas College. She returned to the coaching ranks in the fall of 2011 after serving as the college’s Director of Athletics for three years. Prior to becoming the Athletic Director at Thomas, Deb coached at St. Lawrence University, Davidson College, as well as Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

Dr. Jay Jacobs

Dr. Jay Jacobs assumed the role of Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Vermont in January 2021.

Interviewee

Drew Carr

Drew currently serves as the Director of Enrollment Operations at Nebraska Wesleyan University as well as the Technology Chair at Great Plains Association for College Admissions Counseling (GPACAC). He has been at Nebraska Wesleyan since January 2013 after graduating as a student. Drew initially served as an admissions counselor for two and a half years before moving to the operations side. Since then, he’s worked his way up to the Director level managing all aspects of their CRM, Slate.

Interviewee

Eric Hoover

Eric Hoover, a senior writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, has written extensively about college access, admissions, and student diversity for two decades. His journalism has also appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, and Nautilus. Eric has received numerous journalism awards and is a two-time winner of the Education Writers Association’s Eddie Prize, which recognizes distinguished reporting on the challenges facing low-income and first-generation students. He lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife, Emily. Follow Eric on Twitter at - https://twitter.com/erichoov

Interviewee

Heather Strecker

Heather Strecker started her career in secondary education teaching and coaching before taking the leap into Higher Education about 10 years ago. Throughout that time she has held a multitude of roles in the admission office, starting as an admission counselor, and working in operations, campus visits/events, and graduate education before taking on her current role as the Senior Director of Admission.

Interviewee

Jay Baer

Jay Baer is a customer experience and digital marketing pioneer, expert, advisor, researcher, and analyst. He has spent nearly 30 years helping the world's most iconic brands gain and keep more customers. A 7th-generation entrepreneur, Jay has written six best-selling books, and founded five, multi-million dollar companies. Jay is an inductee into the halls of fame for professional speaking and word of mouth marketing, and the creator of multiple award-winning podcasts.

Interviewee

Jeff Dugdale

Jeff Dugdale is the Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Planning and Leadership Development at Queens University of Charlotte. He also enters his 13th season in charge of the men's and women's swimming programs at Queens. During that time, Jeff has helped lead those programs to 14 team NCAA National Championships, and he’s had 124 swimmers win individual NCAA Championships.

Interviewee

Jeff Munneke

Jeff Munneke has risen through the ranks of the Timberwolves’ organization, serving in a number of different roles during his 33+ years. He became the organization’s Vice President of Fan Experience in 2012. Munneke oversees all aspects of fan experiences, which includes serving as the primary contact for all fan interactions with a focus on Wolves and Lynx season ticket holders and being the liaison with all Target Center partners. Munneke developed the vision of the service department(s) that he now on boards and trains to provide superior customer service through personal touches in the Friendliest Building in Sports.

Interviewee

Jennifer McClendon

Jennifer’s higher ed career began 16 years ago as a Regional Admissions Representative for the University of Missouri. In 2014 she moved into the Director of Admissions role at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK. Jennifer joined the Cowboy family at Oklahoma State University in 2018 and now serves as the Senior Associate Director of Recruitment, overseeing domestic, undergraduate recruitment efforts. Over the years, Jennifer has been an active member in a variety of Regional Admissions organizations and she’s currently serving in a ‘victory lap’ year as the Great Plains ACAC Past President.

Interviewee

Jennifer Radke

Jennifer Radke is an international speaker, author, trainer, and strategic business leader who currently serves as the CEO of the National Institute for Social Media, an organization that offers social media training and certification programs. Jen has an MS in Organizational Leadership, has been a certified Social Media Strategist since 2014, and is an instructor at both NISM and at St. Mary's University in Minnesota. She is also the mom of two teenagers, including a son who just started his first-year of college.

The Host

Jeremy Tiers

Jeremy Tiers is the Vice President of Admissions Services for Tudor Collegiate Strategies and the host of Mission Admissions.

Interviewee

Kerry Keating

Kerry Keating is the current Head of Business Development at TaskHuman, while also serving as the Chief of Staff and Culture. A 25-year Division 1 college basketball coaching veteran, Keating previously served 16 of those years as an Assistant, twice at his alma mater, Seton Hall, as well as Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Appalachian State, Tulsa, Tennessee, and UCLA.

Interviewee

Lindsay Hotmire

Lindsay Hotmire is a brand storyteller and story coach who helps solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and brands (including IHG, Disney, and Coca-Cola) nail their positioning, own their value, and cut through the noise to get their message to stand out. Creator of The UNbrand METHOD®, Lindsay’s unique, story-finding method has been featured at numerous events including the Content Marketing Institute, Inbound, and Content Marketing World, as well as with podcast audiences across the globe. Lindsay lives in the Midwest with her husband and is an almost empty-nester mom to four kids.

Interviewee

Lindsey Wilson

Lindsey Wilson is a well-known performance mindset coach, a former professional athlete (Drafted into the WNBA and played 8 years of basketball overseas), and the founder of Positive Performance Training and The Mindset Coach Academy.

Interviewee

Lucy Coopman

With a passion for empowering students to achieve their academic aspirations, Lucy's journey in higher education began in 2021 as a College Adviser with the College Advising Corps, where she spent two impactful years working directly with students in a Kansas City high school. As a proud member of Generation Z, Lucy uses a near-peer model to be able to create meaningful connections with students and bring a fresh perspective and vibrant energy to the realm of college admissions. Her approach is always personalized, empathetic, and rooted in the belief that every student deserves access to quality higher education.

Mandy Green

Mandy Green is a Vice President for Tudor Collegiate Strategies and a seasoned college soccer coach with 23 years of experience.

Interviewee

Marbue Brown

Marbue Brown is the author of the book Blueprint for Customer Obsession and founder of The Customer Obsession Advantage, a firm dedicated to helping companies achieve extraordinary business results through Customer Obsession. He is an accomplished customer experience (CX) executive with a track record of thought leadership and signature business results at some of the most iconic companies on the planet, including JP Morgan Chase, Amazon.com, Microsoft Corporation, and Cisco Systems.

Interviewee

Megan Tyler

Megan Tyler is the Director of Admission at Wofford College, a role that she’s been in since 2020. A proud graduate of Wofford, Megan first joined the college’s admission staff as a counselor back in 2015. During her time as a counselor, and then as a Senior Associate Director, Megan had the opportunity to lead Wofford’s Scholars Program, and was also the admissions liaison for new first year students.

Interviewee

Olivia White

Olivia serves as the Senior Assistant of Marketing and Content Strategy at St. Lawrence University. She joined the University Communications in April of 2020, bringing experience from across the marketing and communications landscape, including public affairs, journalism, and advertising. In her current role she also co-manages the University’s Student Marketing Team, and at the HighEdWed conference in 2022, Olivia co-presented Earth to Gen Zers: Building a Student Integrated Marketing Team that Speaks Their Language, which aims to help fellow higher education marketers build and manage a student team of their own.

Pasquale Romano Jr.

Pasquale is a firm believer in leading by example and cultivating a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Reece Baines

Reece is a rising high school junior who has spent this summer visiting many colleges and universities.

Interviewee

Rick Clark

For the past 15 years, Rick Clark led Georgia Tech’s undergraduate admission team serving as AVP and Executive Director. He recently transitioned to becoming Tech’s inaugural Executive Director for Strategic Student Access. Rick has also served on regional and national councils and boards, is currently a member of NACAC’s Committee on Leadership in College Admission, is co-author of the book and workbook “The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together”, and co-hosts his own podcast under the same name.

Interviewee

Rob Cross

Rob Cross has studied the underlying network dynamics of effective organizations and the collaborative practices of high performers for more than 20 years. Through research and writing, speaking and consulting, and courses and tools, Rob’s network insights are transforming the way people lead, work and live in a hyper-connected world. Rob is currently the Edward A. Madden Professor of Global Leadership at Babson College. He’s also co-founder and current Research Director of the Connected Commons, a consortium of over 100 leading organizations accelerating network research and practice.

Interviewee

Ross Szabo

Ross Szabo is an award-winning mental health speaker, author, and the Wellness Director at Geffen Academy at UCLA. Ross created a program at Geffen for students to learn about mental health once a week throughout their education from grades 6-12. Before coming to Geffen Academy, Ross was the Director of Outreach for the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign.

Interviewee

Sacha Thieme

Sacha Thieme serves as the Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of Admissions for Indiana University Bloomington, the flagship campus of the IU system, bringing over 20 years of undergraduate admissions experience to the role. In her current capacity, she serves as a member of the senior leadership team within the Office of Enrollment Management and is directly responsible for the leadership and advancement of strategy, policy, and operations for all domestic undergraduate admissions and first year experience programs. She has also been an active leader in the admissions community through her service on multiple boards and committees, including serving as President of the Association of Chief Admission Officers of Public Universities.

Stephanie Dickerson

Stephanie Dickerson is currently in her eighth recruitment cycle with UofL.

Interviewee

Tami Matheny

Tami Matheny is an author, speaker, the owner of Refuse2LoseCoaching, and a member of the Jon Gordon Team. As a mental game coach she helps people improve their confidence, focus, motivation, mental toughness, and teamwork. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Tami has completed a handful of marathons, and she’s also an avid cyclist.

Interviewee

Tara Durante

Tara Durante has a strong professional interest in the way colleges communicate with students and families about admissions and financial aid. An award-winning marketing professional who previously held the role of Director of Admissions Communications for Swarthmore College, Tara is currently the President of Caerus Communications, which was founded in 2019.

Interviewee

Tru Pettigrew

Tru Pettigrew is an engaging speaker, author, workshop leader, and an award-winning marketing executive with close to 20 years of experience at some of the nation’s top advertising & marketing agencies. Tru has established a strong reputation for helping organizations build bridges across racial, cultural, social, and relational lines, and he also currently serves as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.

Ty Garricken

Ty is a two-time graduate from Ball State University, earning a bachelor’s in Journalism Graphics in 2015 and a master’s in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education (SAAHE) in 2018.

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Mission Admissions

Ep. 52: Leadership Lessons And Ideas From A Middle Manager

Ep. 51: Social Media Marketing Strategies Every College Can Apply

Ep. 50: Winning The Customer Service Game

Ep. 49: Campus Visits and College Emails: Feedback for Higher Ed Straight From the Source

Ep. 48: Meet Emerging Leader - Bertita Barrientos

Ep. 47: Meet Emerging Leader - Ty Garricken

Ep. 46: A Blueprint For Growth: Leadership and Professional Development Guidance

Ep. 45: Using AI in Admissions and A Few Thoughts About Leadership

Ep. 44: Three Productivity Strategies You Need to Know About

Episode 43: Advice On Hiring, Onboarding, Building The Right Culture, And Firing

BONUS: Leveraging Creator Marketing in Higher Education: Insights from the Front Lines

Ep. 42: Life As A First-Year Gen Z Admissions Counselor

Ep. 41: Slate CRM - How To Step Up Your Game

Ep. 40: A Bad Habit That Needs To Be Broken

Ep. 39: Failing As A Young Leader And A Deep Dive Into 1-on-1 Meetings

Ep. 38: Addressing Mental Health And Communicating With Gen Z and Gen Alpha

Ep. 37: Territory Management: How To Succeed in 2024

Ep. 36: Developing And Retaining Your Staff, Plus The Power Of MindsetDeveloping And Retaining Your Staff, Plus The Power Of Mindset

Ep. 35: Imposter Syndrome, Content Marketing, and Personal Branding

Ep 34: Growing As A Leader And Career Advancement Advice

Ep. 33: AI, Dealing With Change, And Mission-Fit Storytelling

People in this episode

Jeanne Brett

Aaron Cook

Adrienne Barnes

Alan Stein, Jr.

Amanda Booth

Andrew Roth

Andy Murphy

Angie Cooksy

Anna Dearmon Kornick

Anne Johnson

Bertita Barrientos

Brian Switay

Carlos Cano

Chas Williams

Christina Garnett

DJ Menifee

Deb Biche-Labbe

Dr. Jay Jacobs

Drew Carr

Eric Hoover

Heather Strecker

Jay Baer

Jeff Dugdale

Jeff Munneke

Jennifer McClendon

Jennifer Radke

Jeremy Tiers

Kerry Keating

Lindsay Hotmire

Lindsey Wilson

Lucy Coopman

Mandy Green

Marbue Brown

Megan Tyler

Olivia White

Pasquale Romano Jr.

Reece Baines

Rick Clark

Rob Cross

Ross Szabo

Sacha Thieme

Stephanie Dickerson

Tami Matheny

Tara Durante

Tru Pettigrew

Ty Garricken

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