Mark was a Vice President of Operations for IBS, a software company, prior to joining Rutgers in 1999 where he was originally the undergraduate Dean of Students for Rutgers – New Brunswick until his current position in 2016, as the Dean for Graduate Student Life. Dean Schuster is affiliate faculty in American Studies, Educational Psychology of the Graduate School of Education, Psychology, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Rutgers. He has been actively involved connecting all graduate students with the medical school at Rutgers and RWJ, on the board of the “Gender Center of NJ” through an interdisciplinary series on Humanities and Medicine. Dean Schuster has been a keynote speaker on civility, social justice, the impact of travel bans on graduate and international students, and the intersection of transforming bodies and identities, including transgender military service at the national and international level. He has a Bachelors in English and Communications from SUNY Plattsburgh and an MBA from the University of New Hampshire. He received a Master’s in Sport Psychology and Cultural Studies of Sport concurrently with his Ph.D. coursework in Higher Education, both from the University of Iowa. Before coming to Rutgers, Mark worked at the University of New […]
Melissa leads strategic communications and research development activities for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working to connect the scholarly community with resources to conduct research, find collaborators, identify funding opportunities, develop and submit proposals, publicize awards, and share the impact of their discoveries. She also oversees a number of University-wide initiatives that support collaboration and communication, including the Illinois Research Development Community, an information sharing and professional development group that works to showcase the Illinois research enterprise and build member literacy in topics related to research administration, compliance, communication, and proposal development . A former Peace Corps Volunteer, she has a B.S. in Public Relations and an M.S in Journalism.
William Jones is Senior Director of University Career Services for Rutgers University – New Brunswick. He provides senior executive leadership to the department and manages the Operations & Strategic Initiatives unit (i.e., communication and marketing, technology and data management, administrative services and budget, strategic planning, and special initiatives). He works closely with the executive director of university career services and other members of the senior leadership team to ensure that the department has the resources necessary to serve Rutgers students. Immediately prior to Rutgers, Wil served as the Associate Director for External Relations & Information Technology within the University Career Center at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Jenn McKenzie has worked at her alma mater Hendrix College in Conway, AR since 2006. Currently, she serves as the Associate Director of Admission and Campus Visitation where she oversees the campus visit program, The Hendrix College Experience, and works as an admission counselor for high school seniors and transfer students. Prior to working at Hendrix College, Jenn accumulated over 13 years in customer service – five of her favorite years were working for the Disney Company! During her time in higher education, Jenn has been active with the Collegiate Information & Visitor Services Association (CIVSA) where she served as President of the association from 2012-2013. In 2016, she received the Nick Kovalakides Outstanding Member Award for service, devotion, and support to the success of CIVSA. Outside of work, Jenn is celebrating 20 years of marriage with her husband John, and is the proud mom of two spirited daughters.
Barbara oversees campus visits for prospective and admitted students and all on campus recruitment events for Rutgers University – New Brunswick. Their annual tour program hosts over 45,000 guests per year. Barbara plans all on campus yield events for admitted students including Rutgers’ signature Admitted Student Open House that last year saw over 18,000 people in attendance for the one day event. Barbara was honored to receive the Individual Achievement Award from the Collegiate Information & Visitor Services Association (CIVSA) for her work in establishing meaningful, long-term relationships with the local community that benefit visitors to campus. She has presented at several CIVSA conferences on visitor center operations and yield events. Barbara currently is the Chairman of the Board on the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce and a Trustee on the Central New Jersey Convention & Visitors Bureau Board. Barbara earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, her master’s degree from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and maintains a Certified Meeting Professional Certification (CMP).
Jamie Troester is the Senior Coordinator of Events and Tours at Oklahoma State University. With more than twenty years of non-profit event planning experience, Jamie has served in her current role for ten years and is responsible for OSU’s campus visit and event program. Jamie is highly involved in all aspects of meeting and event planning including high profile programs to large-scale visit days with over 3,000 guests. She enjoys collaborating with campus partners to host and provide tours to over 30,000 guests each year. Jamie has direct oversight of forty campus tour guides and two staff members. She is a member of the Collegiate Information Visitors Services Association (CIVSA) and is serving her second year on the Region 2 leadership team. Organization, communication, and a solid relationship with the office’s data team are her recipes for success. She is passionate about working with college students and showcasing OSU’s beautiful campus to prospective students and families. Jamie resides in Stillwater with her husband Lance, their sixteen-year-old daughter, Lilli and furry family members, Rascal and Bella. She is a homebody and a dedicated yogi who will always choose music over TV, a book over tablet and carry-out over oven mitts. […]
With an extensive background in fundraising, donor relations, program development and leadership, Sarah is committed to not only stewarding past gifts, but inspiring future philanthropy at higher education and non-profit organizations across the country. Sarah has been responsible for building new and innovative donor relations programs from the ground up at multiple educational institutions and now heads the comprehensive Donor Engagement Team at the University of Houston through oversight of donor relations, stewardship, special events, and advancement communications. She believes that every team member is a fundraiser no matter their title, and every donor relations initiative should be designed to impact the fundraising bottom line. Looking towards the future of the donor relations field, Sarah focuses on the art and science of blending stewardship and cultivation. As a trainer, consultant, and frequent speaker multiple professional organizations, Sarah balances humor and passion for the profession in her work with others.
Angela has extensive management, development and stewardship experience. In her current role, she supervises annual giving, donor relations, research and prospect management, proposal services, marketing and communications, and development recruitment. Prior to UC Davis, Joens was Vice President of Development Operations for the Mercy Medical Center Foundation. She also served as the Senior Director of Donor Relations for the Iowa State University Foundation and worked for RuffaloCODY, a for-profit company that assists the non-profits with fundraising. Her career began as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Joens is also a non-profit consultant, an executive coach, and speaks nationally on topics related to stewardship, development and leadership. She has been featured in CASE Currents Magazine and the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Joens earned her BA from the University of Iowa, her MPA from Iowa State University, and her Professional Life and Work Coach Certificate from UC Davis.
Dr. Brandon Nichols is the Lead Consultant at 3B Nichols Consulting, LLC. His work at 3B consist individual or group consulting focusing on diversity and inclusion, postsecondary education, and wellness. Moreover, Nichols has over 15 years of experience in higher education. His role in higher education currently supports senior leadership in the following areas: Regional and programmatic reaccreditation process Assessment practices for academic and co-curricular learning Educational quality through our Tenure Assistance Program Professional learning activities focusing on diversity and inclusion, assessment of student learning, and accreditation preparation in the spirit of continuous of improvement In previous roles in higher education, Nichols has held positions as Associate Dean of Instruction and Director of Academic Support Services. He served as an executive member of the assessment, managed the annual program review process, and steered strategic support of data to restricted and unrestricted budget planning. Additional leadership roles at the college includes project director of the Predominately Black Institutions (PBI) grant, chair for key performance indicators workgroup, and administrative support for curriculum changes. Nichols has also functioned in various roles in higher education as a Residence Life Coordinator, Student Development Assistant, First Year Experience Advocate, Faculty – Psychology, and Psychology Faculty-in-Residence. Nichols’ […]
Mandy Parente is the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Coordinator and the coordinator for peer education services at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of West Florida and an M.Ed. in Community Health from the University of Louisville. Mandy is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Health Education and Health Promotion at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she plans to focus her dissertation on the impact peer education has on college students’ health behaviors. Mandy has been involved in peer education in a variety of ways since the third grade and truly believes in the power of peer education.
