Sara Wachter-Boettcher

Sara Wachter-Boettcher is an author, speaker, coach and strategist dedicated to changing design and tech for good. She’s the founder of Active Voice, a coaching and training company helping organizations build radical, courageous leadership practices.

Her most recent book, Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech, was named one of the best tech books of the year by Wired. She also wrote Design for Real Life (with Eric Meyer) and Content Everywhere, and has been published in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and McSweeney’s. Find her at home in Philly, on Twitter @sara_ann_marie or at sarawb.com.

Aaron Draplin

Aaron Draplin of the Draplin Design Co. lives and works in Portland, Oregon. He makes graphic design stuff for rock bands, comedians, restaurants, sporting goods and leftie politicians. He’s traveled the world telling his story, with over 450 speaking fiascos under his belt. He co-created Field Notes with his older brother Jim Coudal, and their memo books are sold in over 2,500 stores worldwide. His seven Skillshare classes are raging along, teaching students all over the world. He recently released his first two typefaces on ddcfonts.com. His first book titled “Pretty Much Everything” came out on May 17, 2016 on Abrams Books and is in its eighth printing. The roster of DDC Merch is up to 285 products, which you’ll find at DDC merch tables or in his online shop. Aaron prides himself on a high level of craftsmanship and quality that keeps him up late into the wet Portland night.

Christie Harper

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 enrollment, advancement, athletics and brand development.

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. Christie earned a B.A. from UCLA, and an M.A. from USC.

John Denker

John Denker is Vice President, Marketing, at the University of Arizona. He is responsible for developing and distinguishing the University of Arizona brand to motivate students, faculty, staff and supporters to help advance the Arizona enterprise.

John has an extensive background in marketing and branding across multiple industries. He began his career as a marketing analyst in the newspaper industry and has consistently helped organizations achieve their goals through data-driven decisions and well-done branding. John transitioned from media to higher education in 2015 when he joined the University of Arizona.

He serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Visit Tucson – the Tucson Arizona Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau.

He earned a Doctor of Business Administration from St. Ambrose University and a Master’s degree in Economics from Eastern Illinois University.

Scott Ochander

Scott Ochander pioneered a consensus-building reputation management model in sectors where stakeholders matter, like universities and health care. Now he’s bringing transformation to companies and industries of all shapes and sizes. As a recently active Vice President for Enrollment and Marketing at a university, Scott is regarded as an expert in reputation strategy implementation in the higher education space. Few people have worked so extensively in brand development, with a career tally of more than 30 brand development projects and counting. Scott has led reputation strategy programs at some of the largest enterprises in the nation, demonstrating tangible results that move the needle.

Renea Morris

Renea Morris, M.Ed., APR, is the Vice Chancellor for Marketing & Communications at the University of Denver. She’s responsible for leading a team in developing strategies for implementing a cohesive brand narrative to boost enrollment and enhance the visibility of the University. With more than 25 years of strategic marketing and communications experience, she’s worked in nonprofit and corporate sectors as well as public higher education. She most recently served as chief marketing officer at Ohio University and previously co-founded a nonprofit formed in response to the Rodney King riots.

Katie Jensen

Katie Jensen  is Associate Vice President of Insights and Analytics at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.  Her work at St. Thomas has ranged from examining enrollment journeys for prospective students, to refining marketing messages through consumer feedback, to guiding the institution’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Climate survey. Prior to St. Thomas, Katie spent 13 years studying the consumer motivations behind food purchase decisions and applying those insights to a variety of audiences and brands, including Quaker, Yoplait, Pillsbury and Cascadian Farm. Katie holds a BS in Marketing with an emphasis in Marketing Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kymm Martinez

Kymm Martinez  is the first-ever VP of Marketing, Insights & Communications (MIC) and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the University of St. Thomas, a top 20 national Catholic university and the largest private university in Minnesota. In the past four years, St. Thomas has revolutionized the university’s approach to marketing and communications. The MIC Department has transformed from a decentralized, non-digital marketing function into a powerful, centralized department with upgraded performance, capacity and sensitivity to diversity, equity and inclusion. Prior to St. Thomas, Kymm had a 20-year marketing career at General Mills. She has a B.A. from Mt. Holyoke College and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School at Northwestern University. A frequent guest speaker and author, Kymm has been featured in Adweek, podcasts, authored articles on inclusive recruiting and been interviewed on DEI topics.

Lindsi Glass

Lindsi Glass,  CDMP, is the Associate VP of Digital Strategy and Analytics at Utah State University. In her current role, Glass oversees the implementation of various digital initiatives, provides recommendations and direction for data-driven decisions using Google Analytics, and has oversight of web and social media. Prior to USU, Glass was AVP of Marketing and Branding at Coastal Carolina University.

Before her time in higher education, Glass worked in professional sports for Churchill Downs Racetrack and the Florida Panthers. At Churchill Downs, Glass was responsible for the annual Kentucky Derby event mark and the popular mint julep glass.

Glass is a certified digital marketing professional through the Digital Marketing Institute and AMA. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Oklahoma and a master’s degree from Ball State University.

Ben Renard-Wiart

Ben Renard-Wiart is the Director of Web Strategy at Utah State University. During his 17 years at USU, he’s been instrumental in the success of usu.edu.  Including overseeing the strategy for high-priority and highly-visible pages, website branding, and four major website redesigns since 2005, he was also responsible for the development and implementation of multiple web applications such as USU’s degree finder, campus calendar and the newly launched Utah State Today.  Prior to Utah State, Ben held positions as an online course designer and web development instructor while also working as a freelance web designer. Although a native of La Rochelle, France, Ben calls Logan, Utah, home and spends his weekends mountain biking in the various canyons of Cache Valley.

Matt Gerrish

Matt Gerrish is Utah State University’s Assistant Director of Social Media, leading one of the highest-ranked collegiate social media presences in the nation. He has worked as a full-time social media professional in higher education for more than eight years, also serving as a new media consultant for the Utah High School Activities Association and Utah School Boards Association, managing their social media communications. Matt earned his master’s degree in Professional Communication, and previously worked as a journalist at the Standard-Examiner for four years. During the evenings, Matt is also an adjunct professor in Weber State University’s Department of Communication. In his spare time — whenever he can find it — he spends time with his wife and two sons, regularly exploring U.S. National Parks, playing with LEGOs and cheering on his beloved Seattle Seahawks.

J.C. Huggins

J.C. Huggins is the AVP for brand and digital strategy at the University of South Carolina. He manages teams focused on brand strategy, content strategy, digital strategy, social media strategy and marketing research. J.C. leads the effort to influence perceptions of the University of South Carolina brand by telling the South Carolina story through owned, earned and paid media and through immersive experiences — promoting South Carolina’s national brand as the state’s flagship university.

Briana Alamilla

Michael Grewer

Michael Grewer, assistant dean of students and director of campus life at Augsburg University, as well as an adjunct instructor in both social work and leadership studies. He received his PhD in higher education from the University of Minnesota, and has worked in student affairs for 14 years in various functional areas including orientation, student leadership development, student advising, LGBTQIA+ student support, veteran student support, conduct, Title IX and policy development.

Rob Zinkan

Rob Zinkan is Vice President for Marketing Leadership at RHB, a higher education consultancy. Rob joined RHB in 2019 after more than 20 years in higher education senior administration with a focus on reputation enhancement, resource development and intra-organizational alignment. He spent 17 years at Indiana University, most recently in a system-wide role as Associate Vice President for Marketing where he brought brand and organizational coherence to the activities of 350-plus distributed marketing and communications professionals across a nine-campus, 100,000-student institution. He also served in campus-level roles as Vice Chancellor for External Affairs and Assistant Dean for Advancement. A regular contributor to Inside Higher Ed’s “Call to Action” blog, Rob holds a doctorate from Creighton University, a master’s from Xavier University and a bachelor’s from Wabash College.

Julie Zito

Brett Calvert

Brett Calvert is the Senior Executive Director of University Marketing at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a role he has held since 2013. Prior to his current work in higher ed marketing, Brett served Vice President of Marketing at Visionworks of America, Vice President of account services at a boutique advertising agency and as the National Sales Manager for ABC affiliate KSAT-12 TV.

Anne Peters

Anne Peters is the Associate Vice President for University Marketing and Special Projects at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She 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 the institutional brand, website development, presidential communications and university special events.

Jennifer Chrisler

Jennifer is a senior administrator with 20+ years of public and private sector experience focused on  creating and implementing strategic initiatives, building coalitions, and generating  personal and financial support for institutions and movements. A recognized leader in  advancing complex issues on both state and federal levels. Proficient in strategic planning, fundraising, board partnership, constituent communications and marketing, program building, staff hiring and supervision and budget management. She is a consultative consensus-builder and problem-solver with exceptional communication skills.

Beth Steele

Kristen Lainsbury

Becca Altimier

Becca leads Ologie’s client engagement team, working closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges, goals, and objectives. With more than 10 years of experience working in higher education, she brings a deep understanding of the industry to the agency. Her Ologie clients have included Cornell University, University of Kentucky, University of Missouri, Ashland University and the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Holly Duncan

As the Chief Communications Officer at Converse University, Holly Duncan oversees the day-to-day and strategic management of marketing and advertising, website design and content, social media, media relations and crisis communications. She came to Converse in July 2019 to strategically guide the 130+-year-old historically women’s institution through its rebranding process as it announced plans to admit men into its undergraduate residential cohort and change its name from College to University.

Her mission-driven, customer-focused and data-powered approach has resulted in proven success guiding organizations towards relevancy, sustainability and profitability. Her 16+ year career spans corporate, nonprofit and agency settings with concentrations in brand marketing, consumer marketing and strategic partnerships.

Holly earned her MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business school where she was a Social Enterprise Fellow with an emphasis on sustainable business and women’s initiatives.

Her time outside Converse is spent with her husband, toddler son, and rescue dogs.

Jenny Brower

Jenny Brower is one of Mindpower’s Principals. She began her career in publishing and talent management, moving into the agency world almost two decades ago. She has worked extensively with colleges and universities, schools and other organizations doing good in the world, serving as a strategic partner and facilitator of major brand-building initiatives and campaigns. When not diving into a research assignment, strategy document, or onsite with clients, she is a proud supporter of Atlanta’s art and music scenes. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the mother of twins. Jenny has presented at multiple AMA, CASE, SACAC, and GAIS conferences over the years and is a former AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education steering committee member.

Stephen Jendraszak

Shelley Willingham

Shelley (she/her) is a serial entrepreneur and business strategist with more than 20 years of corporate and small business experience. In 2003, Shelley founded the National Organization for Diversity in Sales and Marketing (NODSM), a company focused on helping corporate America recognize the increasing purchasing power of diverse segments and helping them market to these groups without using stereotypes or being offensive.

In 2006 she partnered with FORTUNE magazine on a special diversity section highlighting her work in this space. Shelley speaks at various business events and conferences, coaches and consults aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners, and is a frequent on-air contributor to CNBC.

At The Diversity Movement, Shelley leads the client acquisition strategy and execution while supporting each of the TDM business units in the development of their respective strategies. Her focus is on enhancing customer value, building competitive differentiation, and driving revenue and profit growth.

Why DEI? “I can’t imagine any forward thinking company that wants to position itself for growth not embracing the value of DEI. The business case is clear. DEI initiatives increase the bottom line, drive innovation, attract more talent, and create more opportunities for growth. Simply, it just makes good business sense.”

John Endrud

John Endrud has more than 20 years of higher education experience and is passionate about working with universities to establish successful partnerships and market innovations. Endrud is a growth-minded leader who is skilled at bringing market strategy and business development to organizations while embracing the entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation.

Prior to joining Collegis, Endrud served as chief business officer of Academic Programs International following a successful career with Wiley Education Services, where he served as the senior vice president of market strategy and was part of the organization prior to the 2006 acquisition of Deltak. Endrud has strong ties with Collegis Education having previously worked for Collegis and Eduprise.

Bill Faust

Simon Barker

Holding senior roles at Edelman, Visa and Marsh & McLennan prior to founding BMCG in 2014, Simon has provided crisis management counsel in response to protests, cyber-attacks, high profile product recalls, workplace violence events, natural disasters and a broad range of ethical, financial and social issues. His experience working side-by-side with clients in technology, industry, finance, healthcare, and higher-ed both nationally and internationally ensures that he understand the risks, stakeholder demands, and opportunities a serious issue or crisis provides.

Erin Bossen

An Emmy award-winning journalist and media and public relations strategist, Erin brings to BMCG a keen understanding of the nature and speed of modern media. Most recently, as senior director of media and public relations and a trusted advisor to senior leadership for one of California’s top-ranked private universities, Erin developed plans for and responded to a variety of high-stakes issues. Erin offers our clients real-time, discerning advice aligned with their core values and principles.

Jason Cody

Jason brings over 20 years of experience in journalism, media relations and crisis communications to BMCG. In his most recent role at a top AAU research institution, Jason led the launch of a new internal communications initiative and served as university spokesperson for a variety of issues, including COVID-19, protests, racial unrest, sexual assault, freedom of speech, active aggressor, bomb threats, flooding, and data breaches. With an insider’s understanding of news cycles, editorial decision-making, and effective media outreach/advocacy, Jason provides practical and actionable advice and experience to our clients.

C. Hawkins

C. Hawkins. C. serves as the Director of Student Engagement and Philanthropy within Northeastern University’s Advancement division. He has been a student and alumni engagement professional for more than 20 years. C. has spent the past 6 years focusing on student engagement and philanthropy, in the university’s Alumni Relations office. He has dedicated his career to creating award-winning programming and events in which students and young alumni develop a life-long relationship with their alma mater.

Lauren Donaghue

Lauren Donaghue. Lauren is a higher education Client Success Manager at Cvent and has 6 years of experience working with event technology in higher education. Lauren partners with many of Cvent’s higher education clients leveraging Cvent for in-person, virtual and hybrid events for all audiences.

Christina Sanders

Christina joined Lucidpress with years of marketing experience under her belt. She serves as inbound marketing manager developing both B2B and B2C marketing channels. Most recently she worked as a campaign manager at 97th Floor, a digital marketing agency where she managed integrated marketing campaigns. Christina graduated from BYU’s public relations program.

Outside the office, you’ll find Christina teaching piano lessons or cooking a new recipe she found on Pinterest.

Bob Rafferty

Bob Rafferty is a 20-year higher education marketing veteran, having worked in leadership positions both on-campus and on the agency side, most recently serving as the managing partner of Knowble Media, before it was acquired by SimpsonScarborough in July 2019. Bob oversees the creative and digital divisions at SimpsonScarborough and works with clients to develop dynamic digital strategies to help institutions meet their strategic goals. Bob has been a guest speaker at the American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Symposium and has won several innovation awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

Ben Arendt

With more than 20 years of higher education experience, from student affairs and teaching to coordinating visit programs and leading enrollment programs, Ben Arendt knows how to tackle the unique challenges faced by clients and turn their specific challenges into opportunities for success. An imaginative and enthusiastic problem solver, he is committed to understanding the people, goals, and priorities that make up the unique identity of each client community and connecting them to Carnegie strategies that drive results. Ben holds a BA in Communication from Taylor University and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University.

Meaghan Cahill-Dunn

Meaghan Cahill-Dunn is a member of the digital team and secures new partnerships with institutions and helps execute digital campaigns from media planning, copy and creative advisement, optimization recommendations and analysis. Ms. Cahill-Dunn comes to the table with over 15 years of experience in media sales and marketing experience spanning broadcast, digital and experiential, holding positions at CBS Radio, Monster.com as well as positions at publishers and agencies in business development. She has been responsible for securing relationships with major institutions and brands to create and execute thoughtful and impactful campaigns nationally. Ms. Cahill-Dunn received her BA in Journalism from Dominican University and lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Jason Stevens

Jason Stevens is the senior digital strategist serving Northeastern US and key accounts across the country, he manages media strategy, implementation as well as analytics and reporting for a robust portfolio of both undergrad and grad clients. Mr. Stevens has worked in digital marketing for over 15 years. He launched a digital agency for a large traditional mass media company and has helped usher thousands of businesses and organizations through marketing and branding transitions to thrive in the digital space. Mr. Stevens received his BA in Philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville and lives in Illinois.

Cameron Chelo

Cameron Chelo is a Solutions Engineer at Acquia and is currently based in Denver, Colorado. As a Solutions Engineer, Cameron helps Acquia customers and prospective customers find solutions to their complex Digital Experience challenges through the value of Acquia’s Digital Experience Platform in order to meet their visions and goals.

Cameron developed his passion for Customer Experience and all things commerce growing up in a family of restaurateurs. A passion which eventually led him to join a technology company devoted to improving the digital experience in the food service industry and finally brought him to Acquia where he has been for roughly 2 years.

Kamilah Lewis

As a two-time Sabre Award Winner for digital advertising campaigns, Kamilah Lewis has a solid foundation in traditional and digital brand marketing, ecommerce, and consumer goods.  As a Principal and Consultant with EAB’s Agency Services Division she brings adaptive strategic leadership to help drive EAB partnership results, value, and quality consumer engagements.  During her career she has been on the client side as a brand manager for some of the top consumer brands in the world, and on the agency side leading product launches, ecommerce campaigns, and digital marketing initiatives for brands such as Excedrin, PediaCare, Summer’s Eve, VSL#3, Fleet Laboratories, The Doctors talk show, Hawaiian Airlines, and more than 50 small businesses spanning 22 industries. Kamilah earned her BS in Marketing from the University of Maryland and eventually an MBA with a concentration in Brand Advertising. Kamilah is often a featured presenter and panelist speaking on digital marketing and consumer-to-web strategy.

Sarah Carpenter

Sarah Carpenter has a storied career over the last 18 years with professional experience in Meetings & Events, SaaS, Healthcare, Natural Resources and Sales. Currently a Manager of Account Executives at Cvent her passion lays in collaborating with clients to elevate their events with technology – no matter the size.