The Enrollment Spectrum Podcast

Join us live from AC22 for this episode of The Enrollment Spectrum Podcast! Are you considering a return to admission assessments as a part of your overall enrollment strategy? In this episode, we'll share best practices to get your whole school on board as well as common mistakes to avoid with our four guests: Dr. Keith Wright, The Enrollment Management Association (NJ) Dr. Nathan Kuncel, University of Minnesota (MN) Amy Sayfie Zichella, Ransom Everglades School (FL) John Hutchins, Phillips Exeter Academy (NH)

After 110 episodes of The Enrollment Spectrum Podcast our intrepid host Peter is moving on to the next stage of his career! Join us for a send-off episode where we reflect back and look ahead. But don't worry, even though our host is moving on the podcast will continue!

Please join us for a conversation with Renee DuChainey-Farkes. Renee was most recently the head of school at The Woodward School just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to joining The Woodward School Renee was the founding head of school at Kingsley Montessori School in Boston which started with 65 students and grew to an enrollment of more than 325. Renee is now working as a coach, consultant, and advisor to independent schools, both private and Montessori, looking at ways to further partner with parents in school communities. She also wrote ‘Learning From Home' for the fall 2020 issue of The Yield.

Join us for a conversation with Nikki Turpin. Nikki is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall in Waltham, Massachusetts.  A former teacher at Nashoba Brooks School in Concord, MA, she sits on multiple Inclusivity and Diversity Boards including the Bay State Brawlers and Hudson Sloop Clearwater and is a consultant for BeWellBeHere. Nikki's DEI work is motivated by her belief that everyone should feel like they belong, that their surroundings always feel like ”a home,” and that you are invited to be your authentic self, unapologetically every day. Nikki also recently wrote an article in the Fall 2021 issue of The Yield titled 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Next Step Forward.'

Join us for a conversation with Josh Clark. Josh joined TASIS The American School in England in August 2020 as the Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions. In this episode, we'll hear Josh's thoughts on how to create an enrollment management strategic plan!

Please join us for a conversation with Angie Ward. Angie is the founder and president of Enroll Media Group based in Massachusetts and she has 15 years of experience in media and marketing, most of which have been within the education industry.  Angie has helped over 200 colleges, universities, and K12 schools with result-driven digital marketing campaigns.

Join us for a conversation with Professor Nathan Grawe. Nathan is the Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of Social Sciences & Economics at Carleton College in Minnesota.  Nathan's 2018 book, Demographics and The Demand for Higher Education examines how recent demographic shifts are likely to affect the demand for higher education. His most recent book, The Agile College, provides examples of how proactive institutions are grappling with demographic change.

If you're considering a tuition reset at your school this episode is for you! Recorded live during EMA's Financial Aid Symposium, this conversation will provide helpful data and actionable insight into what you should do at your school.

Kal Balaven is the Head of School at Dunn School in Los Olivos, California but that's not why we asked him to come on the show. In addition to his other duties as Head of School, Kal is also a podcaster hosting a show called The Whole Student Podcast which offers notable people the chance to share the story of the teachers who influenced them. In this episode, we'll not only hear from Kal about why he started a podcast, but we'll also hear about the teacher who changed his life.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Aviva Legatt. Aviva is the author of Get Real and Get In: How to Get Into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self.  Aviva is a faculty member in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania and at The Wharton School, teaching in-person and online through Coursera.  Her courses on diversity and teamwork have reached thousands of learners and have been recognized by Poets & Quants as a “Best Business Course.” Interested in using this podcast in your next team meeting or board packet? Download our Listening for Action Guide.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Derrick Gay. Derrick runs a global boutique consultancy focused on strategic inclusion and equity. Over the past 24 years, he has partnered with over 600 organizations to deepen their diversity and inclusion capacity; enhance inclusion and engagement; attract, hire, and retain the best talent; and design strategy to maximize business and education goals.

Please join us for a conversation with James Palmieri and Elizabeth Dabney. James is the Executive Vice President at the National Business Officers Association and Elizabeth is the Director of Research and Data Analysis. The National Business Officers Association recently published a special report on tuition discounting and we dig into it!

Please join us for a conversation with Nija Meyer. Nija joined Woodward in August 2014 to lead the Academy's marketing and communications efforts and is now the Vice President for Enrollment Management. Prior to joining Woodward she served in strategic marketing and consulting roles for The Coca-Cola Company, Andersen Consulting's Strategic Services, and GE Capital. At Woodward Academy the marketing department reports to the Director of Enrollment Management and we'll hear the story of how this came about.

Join us for a conversation with Mark McKee and Laurel Baker Tew. Mark is the Head of School at Viewpoint School in Calabasas, California where Laurel is the Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management. Mark and Laurel are deeply committed to independent schools and the field of enrollment management. Mark and Laurel are also longtime contributors to EMA: Laurel has served on EMA's Board of Trustees, both Laurel and Mark have spoken at many of our events, and both were on the podcast back in July of 2020 when they were talking about their reopening plans for the fall.

Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Robert Livingston. Dr. Livingston is a Lecturer of Public Policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government where his research focuses on diversity, leadership, and social justice. His work has been published in multiple top-tier academic journals and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, and many other media outlets. His award-winning article How to Promote Racial Equity in the Workplace is the foundation for our conversation.

Please join us for a conversation with Sam Birdsong. Sam has been creating films that inspire purpose and lead with humanity for the last decade. He co-founded the film company Chispa House, which focuses on producing authentic and cinematic video.

Please join us for a conversation with Risa Engel. Risa is the Chief Marketing Officer at Finalsite where she leads the talented team responsible for worldwide marketing. She joined Finalsite in 2019 with a background in education, finance, and tech marketing communications. Most recently at Stuart Country Day School in Princeton, NJ, Risa transformed the school's brand awareness through innovative programs including the CASE Circle of Excellence award-winning #LEADLIKEAGIRL K-12 conference. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Risa cut her teeth at tech startups and is excited by the opportunities technology provides educators to build community with the students and families they serve.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Ari Betof as we discuss how to address impossible questions. We'll also introduce EMA's new podcast available now!

Please join us for a conversation with Dr. Mary Halpin Carter and Tom Olverson. Mary is the head of school at the Derryfield School in Manchester, NH where she has been for eight years. Prior to her appointment to head of school she was a teacher, director of admission, and assistant head for faculty and academic programs, in addition to other roles. Tom is a veteran of 38 years in independent schools, serving as a Head for 27 of those years. Today Tom is a search consultant at RG175 and has completed more than 18 head of school searches.

Please join us for a conversation with Brandi Eppolito. Brandi is the Vice President of Marketing at SchoolAdmin, which is now a part of FinalSite, providing admission and enrollment solutions to independent schools. Prior to joining SchoolAdmin, Brandi was involved with marketing and content development for several for-profit organizations in Texas and was in recruitment, marketing and admission at The University of Texas. SchoolAdmin recently launched The Recipe for Retention: Cooking up an award-winning retention strategy for your private school and they are soon to launch a new report titled, Widening the Aperture: Redefining the Enrollment Experience. We're excited to dig into both of these reports on this episode!

Join us for a conversation with Ann Snyder and Jennifer Hillen. Ann is the Director of Independent and International Schools at The Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Prior to joining CASE, she was the Director of Enrollment and External Affairs at Stuart Hall School. Prior to Stuart Hall, she was in corporate marketing. Jennifer is the Chief Learning Officer at the National Business Officers Association. Prior to joining NBOA, she worked in assurance and advisory services for Ernst & Young, she then joined Harpeth Hall School where she served as the business officer.

Join us for a conversation with Jeff Selingo. Jeff has written about higher education for two decades. He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, a contributor to The Atlantic and the Washington Post, and a special advisor at Arizona State University. Jeff has been a keynote speaker at our annual conference and has been on the show twice before! Jeff's latest book Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions came out last fall.

Please join s for a conversation with Chuck English. Chuck is the driving force behind English Marketing Works where he has successfully worked with dozens of schools, helping them achieve strategic goals through effective branding, messaging, marketing, and creative initiatives. Chuck has written numerous e-books, reports, and journal articles on independent school marketing. In fact, he wrote EMA's last State of the Industry report that was released in 2019. This year, Chuck authored EMA's Ride to Independent Schools 2020-2021 which is why we've asked him to join us today. 

Join us for a conversation with John Gulla and Grant Lichtman. John is the Executive Director of the Edward E. Ford Foundation which seeks to improve secondary education by supporting U.S. independent schools and encouraging promising practices. Grant is an internationally recognized thought leader on the transformation of K-12 education. He works with school teams to develop a comfort and capacity for change in a rapidly changing world.

We asked our 2020 podcast guests to send us a short voicemail with their predictions for 2021 and the response was overwhelming! In fact, we have so much content we're doing a two-part episode on predictions for 2021. In this episode, you'll hear from Susan Emery, Suzanne Walker Buck, Nicole Oakes, Tim Fish, Kelly Page, and David Willows. What are your predictions for 2021? Send us a voice memo at hmundahl@enrollment.org!

We asked our 2020 podcast guests to send us a short voicemail with their predictions for 2021 and the response was overwhelming! In fact, we have so much content we're doing a two-part episode on predictions for 2021. In this episode, you'll hear from Greg Martin, John Barrengos, Kevin Plummer, Kristen Mariotti, Ari Betof, and Kevin Folan! What are your predictions for 2021? Send us a voice memo at hmundahl@enrollment.org!

Join us for a conversation with John Katzman. John is the founder and CEO of Noodle Partners which is transforming the way prospective students find and learn about degree programs. Before founding Noodle Partners, John founded and was CEO of 2U, which helps colleges and universities build and run high-quality online degree programs. Prior to 2U, Katzman founded and ran The Princeton Review, which helped half of the students applying to U.S. colleges and universities each year find, get into, and pay for school. John also serves on several for- and not-for-profit boards of directors and has authored many articles and five books.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Rebecca Zwick. Rebecca is a researcher at ETS where she holds the title of Distinguished Presidential Appointee. She earned her doctorate in Quantitative Methods in Education at UC Berkeley and her postdoctoral fellowship was at the Psychometric Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her recent work has focused on test validity and fairness and she wrote the 2017 book Who Gets In? Strategies for Fair and Effective College Admissions.

Please join us for a conversation with Brian Hargrove and Grant Gonzalez from Northfield Mount Hermon School. Over the past two decades, Brian has successfully held leadership roles both in education and in the private sector and has been the Head of School at NMH since 2019. Grant is the Assistant Dean of Faculty, a Social Entrepreneurship Teacher, and Director of the NMH Lab program which is the topic of this episode!

Dr. Derrick Gay is an internationally recognized diversity and inclusion strategist and has worked with over 500 organizations around the world. Dr. Gay began his career teaching and serving as a senior administrator in a number of independent schools across the country.  His work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, 60 minutes, El Tiempo Latino, and The Washington Post, to name a few. And he event consults with Sesame Street! Derrick spoke at both our 2019 and 2020 annual conferences and he was a guest on the podcast last winter way back before COVID, exploring opportunities and challenges around Diversity and Inclusion. This coming spring Derrick is running his popular online course again: Reframing and Leading Diversity Through and Post-COVID-19, where he frames Diversity and Inclusion issues and strategies for independent school administrators.

Join us for a conversation with Julie Wadland. Julie is the Associate Director of Admission at Concord Academy in Concord, MA. Prior to joining Concord Academy Julie was at Loomis Chaffee, UC Berkeley, an executive search firm in San Francisco, and Phillips Academy where she was also a student. In this episode, Julie will talk about how a group of enrollment leaders came together to better serve families in their region.

Join us for a conversation with Nicole Oakes. Nicole is the Director of the International Student Program at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, CA. We've invited Nicole to speak with us as a part of our ongoing series about how schools are reopening to hear how she has re-invented her work with international students and their families.

Join us for a conversation with Dallas Joseph. Dallas is the Chief Operation Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN. Dallas arrived at Baylor in 2000 from Fisk University in Nashville, TN. Before Fisk University, Dallas was the Vice President for Finance of Sumi College (on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan), and for seven years prior to that position, he worked as an accountant and comptroller for Shaw University. Dallas is also the Chair of EMA's Board of Trustees. In this episode, we'll hear more about Baylor School's COVID-19 testing program and how it not only is helping the local community but is also a revenue stream for the school.  

Please join us for a conversation with Kevin Folan. Kevin is the Head of School at The Providence Country Day School in Providence, Rhode Island. Kevin has spent the past fifteen years in education. He started at the Hyde School and was the head of Hilltop Country Day School in New Jersey before moving to Providence Country Day. We'll discuss Providence Country Day's recently announced initiative to reduce tuition by 35% and launch a number of other initiatives.

Join us for a conversation with Trisha Ross Anderson and Brennan Barnard. Trisha is the College Admissions Program Director for Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Trisha has spent over a decade supporting a wide variety of schools and non-profits. Her work centers around social and emotional learning and character development, the promotion of positive school climate, and intervention development and evaluation. Brennan is the co-author of the new book, The Truth about College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together and the director of college counseling and outreach at The Derryfield School in New Hampshire. He is also the College Admission Program Advisor at Making Caring Common. Brennan writes about college admission for the New York Times, Washington Post, Forbes.com, HuffPost, Concord Monitor and Journal of College Admission.

Join us for a special live conversation with Homa Tavangar and Will Richardson from EMA's AC20! Homa's work has addressed themes of culture, innovation, leadership, global citizenship and global competence, and deep diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion. She connects timely topics of the moment with the timeless desire to work with purpose and make a difference – whatever one's circumstances. Homa is the author of widely-acclaimed Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World and newly released Global Kids activity cards from Barefoot Books. A former public school educator of 22 years, Will has spent the last 15 years developing an international reputation as a leading thinker and writer about the intersection of social online learning networks, education, and systemic change. In 2017, Will was named one of 100 global "Changemakers in Education" by the Finnish site HundrED, and was named one of the Top 5 "Edupreneurs to Follow" by Forbes. Homa and Will are co-founders of The Big Questions Institute.

Join us for a conversation with Ozan Varol. Ozan is a rocket scientist turned award-winning professor and author. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, he learned English as a second language and moved to the United States by himself at 17 to attend Cornell University and major in astrophysics. While there, he served on the operations team for the 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers project that sent two rovers–Spirit and Opportunity–to Mars. He built stuff that went to the red planet and wrote code that snaps photos of the Martian surface. Ozan is the author of Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life and recently spoke with Heather Hoerle, EMA's Executive Director and CEO at the opening of our online annual conference.

Join us for a conversation with Jeff Selingo. Jeff has written about higher education for two decades. He is the author of two New York Times bestsellers, a contributor to The Atlantic and the Washington Post, and a special advisor at Arizona State University. Jeff was a keynote speaker at our annual conference last fall and was a guest on the podcast back in episode 59. Jeff's new book Who Gets In & Why: A Year Inside College Admissions comes out on September 15.

Join us for a conversation with Matt Lai and Dave Buckwald from Avenues: The World School. Matt is the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at Avenues Silicon Valley (CA). Prior to joining Avenues, Matt spent 14 years at Woodside Priory School (CA) in a number of capacities, including Director of Admissions & Financial Aid, Dean of Students, Dean of Residential Life, and a teacher and coach. Matt is also an EMA trustee. Dave is Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at Avenue, The World School in New York. With 15 years of experience in highly selective college admissions, Dave joined Avenues in the summer of 2018. Most recently, Dave served as a director in the undergraduate admission office at Columbia University.

Join us for a conversation with Kristen Mariotti. Kristen is the Assistant Head of School for Enrollment at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Massachusetts and has nearly 20 years of experience in admissions and enrollment management at independent schools, colleges, and universities. We invited Kristen to speak with us on the podcast as a part of our ongoing series exploring how schools are planning to reopen in the fall.

Join us for a conversation with Kevin Plummer. Kevin became the seventh Head of Tampa Preparatory School in July 2007. Kevin is deeply committed to independent schools and serves as Vice President of the Florida Council of Independent Schools, is a member of the Bay Area Association of Independent Schools, and served as their President in 2009-2010, and of course as board chair of EMA's Board of Trustee. We were also lucky enough to have Kevin join our online Heads Institute as a cohort leader. We've invited Kevin to speak with us today as a part of our series exploring how schools are planning to reopen in the fall.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Kelly Page. Kelly is the director of Bennett Labs at Bennett Day School in Chicago. She is a social and digital innovator, entrepreneur, educator, and learning consultant with a Ph.D. in the Psychology of Web Knowledge and an obsession with social digital storytelling. She has over 18 years of experience working at the intersection of social innovation, and social design for startups, universities, schools, school districts, and Fortune 500 companies.

Join us for a conversation with Brigadier General Retired David Wesley. Dave served as an active-duty officer in the Air Force for 26 years before retiring in 2014. For the last five years, he's been the president of Randolph-Macon Academy in Virginia. We've invited Dave to speak with us today as a part of our new series exploring how schools are planning to reopen in the fall.

Join us for a conversation with Mark McKee and Laurel Baker Tew. Mark is the Head of School at Viewpoint School in Calabasas, California where Laurel is the Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management. Mark and Laurel are deeply committed to independent schools and the field of enrollment management. In fact just last week Laurel spoke last at our online Heads Institute where Mark was also a cohort leader.

Join us for a conversation with Dr. Susan Emery as she describes Whittle GO! a new online program. Susan is Co-Head of Admissions, Director of Financial Aid, and Associate Director of Boarding Admissions for the DC Campus of Whittle School & Studios. Before that she had more than 15 years of international and domestic experience in education, advising, and school administration.

Join us in a conversation with Anne-Marie Kee. Anne-Marie became Head of School at Lakefield College School in Ontario, Canada in 2017. Before that she was the Executive Director at the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) for 11 years. Anne-Marie also attended EMA's first Heads Institute last summer.

Join us for a conversation with Melissa Orth. Melissa is the President and CEO of The Legacy Senior Communities, a Jewish, faith-based, continuum care community in Dallas, Texas. She was previously the COO/CFO of Greenhill School, a co-educational independent school serving 1,300 students, pre-kindergarten through 12th grades, in Addison, Texas. Melissa has moved from the school world to the healthcare world and that's why we've asked her to join us on the show.

Join us for a conversation with Professor Nathan Grawe. Nathan is the Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Social Sciences & Economics at Carleton College in Minnesota. Nathan recently published Demographics and The Demand for Higher Education which examines how recent demographic shifts might affect demand for higher education.

Join us for a conversation with John Barrengos. John is the Director of Admission and Financial Aid at The Putney School in Vermont.

Join us for a conversation with Hans and Peter as they discuss the upcoming Heads Institute Online and announce the launch of a new podcast especially for heads of school.

Join us for a conversation with Lisa Pullman as she talks about how to better use your enrollment data. Lisa is Executive Director at INDEX which is a member-driven, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing data, analysis, research, and information to Independent Schools to aid in decision-making, policy development, and strategic planning.