Laura graduated in 2006 from the University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology & Criminal Justice. After graduation, she worked as a Junior Policy Analyst for the Ministry of Labour & Citizens Services before taking a position at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) as a Program Assistant. In 2008, Laura took a leave of absence from JIBC and moved to Ibaraki, Japan, where she taught English and western culture to students aged three to 65 in a private school. In 2009, Laura returned to Canada and rejoined to JIBC. She was the sole employee of JIBC’s Financial Aid Office for two years, where she also coordinated Convocation ceremonies and managed student communication and leadership in Student Services. Laura is currently working as an Enrolment Services Professional focussing on student financial support at UBC and pursuing her Master of Education, Post-Secondary Leadership studies.
Tom Grites currently has responsibilities for academic orientation programming, First-Year Experience efforts, transfer student initiatives, liaison with the Division of Student Affairs, and various other projects. He also teaches a seminar course for new transfer students each semester. He previously served as director of academic advising, interim director of teacher education, interim dean of social and behavioral sciences, and assistant to the vice president for academic affairs in his 35-plus years at Stockton. Dr. Grites was one of the founding members of the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and served as its president for two terms. He currently serves as a senior editor of the NACADA Journal and regularly provides other services to NACADA. Dr. Grites has written over 60 journal articles, book chapters, and professional reports; he has delivered more than 125 conference presentations; and he has conducted faculty development workshops and academic advising program reviews on over 130 campuses.
In her current role, Dr. Priest provides leadership and administration to 11 UCF units, over 140 employees, and a budget of over 18 million dollars. These units focus on the transition, retention, and graduation of UCF students. The units also provide transitional support services such as orientation, academic advising, career services, and learning support opportunities that empower students to succeed. Under her leadership SDES has been recognized nationally for the following awards and recognitions: NACADA Outstanding Institutional Advising Program, NACADA Outstanding Electronic Publication Award, NCLCA/LSCHE Website Excellence Award, NASPA Exemplary Program Award, and the Noel-Levitz Retention Excellence Award. Further, she was selected for the HERS Women’s Leadership Institute and the National Resource Centers’ Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award. In addition, she is the principal investigator for the Department of Education, Student Support Services grants. These grants, totaling over 2 million dollars, and were awarded by the department of education to provide opportunities and resources to low-income and first-generation students. Dr. Priest is a strong advocate for student success and works diligently in assisting students to reach their full potential.
Darryl has worked in admissions at Gettysburg College for over 25 years. He has extensive training and professional development experience and currently supervises a team of 26. He is passionate about the use of effective performance management techniques in the admissions office and is a frequent presenter at NACAC, PACAC, and the College Board.
Mr. Golson oversees the new Academic Support Center and previously served as the instructional specialist at Austin Peay State University. He was an important member of the team that redesigned two developmental courses, Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra, by integrating them with two college-level math courses, Mathematical Thought and Practice and Statistics. This project was part of the Tennessee Board of Regent’s Developmental Studies Redesign Initiative (2006-2009) which was undertaken in collaboration with NCAT. The redesign produced the Linked Workshop Model, which links individualized, computer-based instruction in workshops to traditional instruction in the classroom to allow students to earn core course credit while removing their mathematics deficiency. Martin is a recipient of Clarksville-Montgomery County School System’s Point of Light Award.
Kevin Crockett consults directly with campuses on strategy development for admissions, marketing, recruitment, retention, and student financial aid. He also develops and executes the Noel-Levitz business strategy. Before becoming president, Mr. Crockett directed the firm’s consulting services division, overseeing more than 60 full- and part-time consultants. An experienced enrollment manager, Mr. Crockett has served 200 institutions and systems such as University of Lynchburg (VA), North Park University (IL), Messiah College (PA), Aquinas College (MI), Niagara University (NY), the University of North Carolina System, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the University of Maine System, and the Louisiana Board of Regents. Prior to joining Noel-Levitz, Mr. Crockett served as dean of admissions and enrollment management at Cornell College (IA), where he enrolled the three largest consecutive entering classes in school history – culminating in record opening enrollment. A frequent speaker on enrollment management topics at higher education conferences, Mr. Crockett received the CASE “Heavy Hitter” designation for outstanding workshop presenters. He holds an MA in higher education administration from the University of Iowa with concentrations in policy analysis and leadership studies.
In his role as Senior Vice President, Kabbaz serves as the University’s first chief enrollment and retention officer and a member of the President’s Executive Cabinet and Council of Academic Deans. Kabbaz provides leadership to the Offices of Admission, Bursar, Career Center, Enrollment Communication and Marketing, Enrollment Operations, One Stop Services, Enrollment Research and Analytics, University Registrar, Student Financial Assistance, and the Student Success Center. He also serves as co-chair for the University’s Student Success Committee. Prior to his return to Miami in May 2011, Kabbaz served as Director of Admission at the University of Richmond. He also worked for the College Board in a number of capacities, including the role of chief educational manager overseeing higher education services for the Midwest and nationally as the senior director of College and University Services for the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. Prior to the College Board, Kabbaz served as Associate Director for Admission at Miami University and in a number of admission roles at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he earned both an undergraduate degree in accountancy and his MBA. Prior to his career in higher education, he served as a staff auditor at the accounting firm KPMG. Kabbaz is an […]
Since joining Cabrini College in 2010 as the Vice President for Enrollment Management, Dennis has successfully implemented a landmark tuition reduction strategy resulting in an increase in first-year and overall undergraduate enrollment following three consecutive years of decline. He has also strategized and implemented a multi-year retention plan resulting in freshman retention rate increases over the past two years. Before joining Cabrini, Dennis Kelly was vice president for Enrollment at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J., and prior to that associate vice president for Enrollment Management at Marywood University in Scranton, Pa. In 2006, Kelly’s team at Marywood was honored by the higher education consulting firm Noel-Levitz for marketing recruitment excellence; in July the team he led at Georgian Court received Noel-Levitz’s award for excellence in student retention. Kelly is the only higher education professional to have won both of these prestigious awards. His 30-year career also includes enrollment and academic positions at Centenary College and Berkeley College. A Vietnam-era veteran, Kelly was recognized by the White House and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for developing educational opportunities for families of American troops serving in Iraq.
Phil Schuman holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in addition to a BA in psychology from DePauw University. Mr. Schuman worked in the private sector in marketing and research, as well as serving with a non-profit agency, prior to joining Indiana University. At IU, Phil was initially assigned as a liaison for the senior vice president and chief financial officer, with many of his projects focusing on student loan debt. With the establishment of the Office of Financial Literacy in June 2012, Mr. Schuman was charged with implementing a range of programs across all campuses, including a 90-minute online learning module for all new students entering fall 2013 (7 campuses, 14,000 students), a one-credit-hour financial literacy course also available in fall 2013, and a recently-launched university-wide website (moneysmarts.iu.edu) designed to provide students with an introduction to financial literacy at IU.
Ethan Logan is the executive director for Undergraduate Admissions at Texas Tech University; serving as director since 2008. Prior to working in Enrollment Management, Dr. Logan had served the institution in a variety of capacities in Student Affairs and has worked in higher education administration for 15 years. During Dr. Logan’s tenure, Texas Tech enrollment growth and development has been positive; successively increasing for the last nine semesters. Dr. Logan’s professional interests involve Strategic Enrollment Planning; his research focuses on college choice and the analysis of predictive modeling of student enrollment. Additionally, he is interested in researching efficiencies and practices of recruitment and admissions nationally. Dr. Logan is an active member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and their regional bodies TACRAO/TACAC respectively. He is the current chair of the ApplyTexas advisory board (for the Texas common online application), and member of the Enrollment Services Efficiencies Committee for the Council of Public Universities Presidents and Chancellors.
