John Sanchez joined the higher education community in 2009 where he was hired to establish the Office for Tax Services at Tufts University. His timing aligned with the advent of the newly-redesigned Form 990. In his current role of five years as Manager of Tax Services, John is responsible for all university tax matters including operational compliance, tax policy, and planning. Related to bond compliance, John manages Private-Use and UBI reporting along with educational outreach for staff and faculty. He also serves as a member of the University Post-Issuance Bond Compliance team. Prior to higher-education, John spent over 20 years in the Boston area working in the private sector holding various corporate tax and accounting roles for three fortune-500 companies in high-tech, publishing, and the financial services industries. A majority of his progressive professional experience came from 13+ years at Nortel Networks/Bay Networks where he worked within the corporate controller’s organization in various tax and accounting roles. John’s corporate tax experience covers all facets of federal, state, and international compliance matters as well as settlement, negotiation, and managing large-case IRS and State tax audits. Other areas of expertise include international reporting, consolidations and world-wide financial integration in more than 40 […]
Ed Oswald, a partner in the Washington, D.C., office, is a member of the Tax Group. Mr. Oswald’s practice concentrates in the taxation of municipal finance including healthcare, public power, higher education and nonprofit issues, housing financing, IRS audits of tax-exempt bonds, and arbitrage matters. His practice also includes advising on post-issuance tax compliance matters including working with non-profit borrowers of tax-exempt bonds on new IRS Schedule K annual reporting matters. Mr. Oswald served in the Office of Tax Legislative Counsel at U.S .Treasury Department, where he developed policy, legislative initiatives and regulations affecting public finance.
Justin is the chairman of the UFV Alumni Association board of directors, an honorary chairman for the UFV Campaign Cabinet, and is a former elected-member of the UFV Board of Governors. He has served on over two dozen non-profit, academic, municipal, and political boards and committees. Justin is a senior partner with Giesbrecht, Goodrich & Co.; a consulting firm specializing in advocacy, communications, and public relations. Previously, Justin served as a political and public affairs radio and television host, and as a communications officer at the BC Legislature where he coordinated various media and communications initiatives. Justin regularly advises representatives from all three levels of government (including mayors, provincial cabinet ministers and federal cabinet ministers), works closely with various non-profit organizations on local initiatives, has been a keynote speaker at events in Canada, the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore, and has guest lectured at several universities.
Keith Ellis has been recognized nationally for his efforts in hazing prevention, risk management education, and leading change in fraternity and sorority communities across the southeastern United States. Keith brings passion to the topic of prevention education and community change and has led workshops for students and professionals at numerous regional and national conferences. In 2011, Keith joined the faculty of the Novak Institute for Hazing Prevention where he engages participants in conversations of partnership, policy, research, and applying prevention science to the topic of hazing. Keith is committed to the creation of environments where students, faculty, and staff can come together in partnership and shared responsibility. Keith is currently pursuing his doctoral degree in educational policy evaluation from the University of Kentucky, focusing on issues relative to Greek letter organizations, hazing, and the law.
Randy directs the umbrella unit (CASP) within WMU that includes serving veteran students, students without a declared major, and first-generation students, as well as providing academic services such as service learning, tutoring, and writing assistance. Randy’s career spans more than fifteen years in secondary education and higher education. His time in higher education include roles in residence life, student conduct, and his current role. Randy holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education administration. His research interests include leadership, how students connect to the university, and how masculinity shapes student success.
Jillian manages the daily operations of the 49er Finish Program including: academic advising, conducting marketing and outreach, generating reports and tracking data, managing program assessment and evaluation, and collaborating with academic departments. She serves as the central resource for students through providing personalized advising services to assist students in successfully completing their degree.
Ashley directs the digital marketing, strategy, and engagement for alumni affairs and development at Cornell University. She has been working in higher education digital strategy and web design since 2007. Prior to joining the digital team at Cornell, Ashley spent more than five years at her alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology, where she led social media strategy for undergraduate admissions. Through speaking, writing and research Ashley offers insights into contemporary issues in enrollment, fundraising, and communication technology. She hosts workshops for digital campaign planning, content strategy, and writing for the web. Ashley serves as producer and host on the Higher Ed Live network where she explores innovations and trends in higher education.
Ellen M. Babbitt, an attorney in private practice in Chicago, Illinois, has over thirty-five years of experience as a counselor, litigator, and appellate advocate. Since 1991, she has concentrated on the representation of colleges, universities, and other institutions of higher learning. She regularly assists educational institutions and their administrators in drafting and updating institutional policies, including board bylaws, faculty handbooks, academic integrity policies, faculty codes of conduct, grievance procedures, ADA accommodation processes, and other compliance protocols. Ms. Babbitt also has extensive experience representing institutions in government investigations, lawsuits, and administrative proceedings scrutinizing compliance with statutory, governance, contractual, and accreditation requirements. Her practice encompasses work on behalf of public and private institutions, including graduate and professional schools, universities, colleges, religious schools, and museums. She frequently presents at conferences, seminars, and webinars sponsored by NACUA and other higher education policy associations, addressing significant legal issues affecting higher education.
Michelle serves as a faculty mentor and Associate Dean at DePaul University’s School for New Learning (SNL), which has been delivering competency-based education for over forty years. Prior to coming to SNL, she was a faculty member at the City Colleges of Chicago. Her research focuses on adult learners and writing instruction.
Jennifer has been at Rio since 2004 and has served as biology faculty as well as an instructional designer and the faculty chair for eLearning design. In addition to serving as the co-principal director for the Predictive Analytics Reporting Framework Grant, she is the principal investigator for the Next Generation Learning Challenges Wave IIIb Grant, All Roads Lead to Student Success. She also works closely with academic affairs leadership and the faculty of the college on learning innovation. Current projects include analytics, personalized learning, credit for prior learning, and competency-based education efforts.
