Future Thinking, Future You: A Human-First Leadership Recalibration
Wednesday, October 7, 8:00 aM – 5:30 PM

Enrollment leadership requires constant decision-making about what comes next, often without dedicated space to step back and think strategically. The Future Thinking, Future You Enrollment Leaders Forum creates that space.

This full day event brings together enrollment leaders for a structured, forward-looking experience focused on strategy, alignment, and leadership development. It also creates space to examine the leader behind the work, including how decisions are made, what drives priorities, and how leadership is sustained over time.

The Enrollment Leadership Forum will provide an opportunity to hear from thought leaders in the field, including:

  • Robert Gould – Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management – Augsburg University
  • April Crabtree – Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Admission Services – Arizona State University
  • Joel Munza – VP for Enrollment Management – Xavier University of Louisiana
  • Jennifer Brown – Founder – NorthStar Consulting Solutions
  • Kathrynn Ziemer – Executive Coach
  • Madeleine Rhyneer – Vice President of Consulting Services – EAB
  • Taylor Haigler – Director of Recruitment, Admissions & Orientation – Tri-County Technical College
  • Craig Goebel – Principal – Art & Science Group LLC
  • David Strauss – Principal – Art & Science Group LLC
  • Jim Disrude – Executive Director – DC Education Group
  • Juan Espinoza – Vice Provost for Enrollment Management & Director of Admission – Virginia Tech

Kick off the Enrollment Leadership Forum with a forward-looking discussion on the opportunities, challenges, and trends shaping the future of enrollment leadership. This opening session will establish the framework for the day’s conversations, encourage strategic thinking, and set the stage for meaningful engagement with peers. Attendees will also hear from Enrollment Leadership Forum sponsor, ETS.

Leadership in admissions and enrollment often unfolds amid urgency, complexity, and constant motion. In that environment, stress can become a sign of commitment, intensity a substitute for effectiveness, and pressure an accepted feature of high performance. These beliefs are part of the stories we inherit about leadership—and, over time, the stories we tell ourselves and create for the people around us. This session invites participants to examine how those stories shape who they become as leaders and the experience others have working with them. Together, we will explore a model of positive leadership grounded in calm, clarity, and meaning—not performative optimism, but the inner steadiness that allows leaders to think clearly, communicate honestly, and act with intention when circumstances are demanding. Participants will begin by recognizing the strengths, values, and experiences they already bring to their leadership, considering how those assets can be developed more intentionally for the challenges ahead. They will then reflect on the habits, assumptions, and professional norms that can erode their sense of alignment and explore practical ways to lead with greater perspective, purpose, and humanity. Designed for experienced professionals and grounded in the realities of enrollment leadership, this session asks participants to take authorship of the next chapter of their leadership story by considering a fundamental question: Who am I choosing to become as a leader, especially when the environment makes that choice difficult?

Presenters: Madeleine Rhyneer Juan P. Espinoza Session
Artificial intelligence is reshaping both sides of the college admissions experience. This two-part session begins with findings from EAB’s national survey of 11,700 students, exploring how prospective students are using AI during the college search process and what their evolving expectations mean for recruitment and enrollment strategies.

The second part, Human + Machine: A Case Study in AI-Assisted Admissions at Virginia Tech, examines how Virginia Tech is using AI-supported essay review while keeping human judgment at the center of the process. Together, the two perspectives will provide a practical look at how AI is changing admissions (from how students search for colleges to how institutions evaluate applicants) and how enrollment leaders can thoughtfully respond.

Continue the conversation over lunch as you connect with fellow enrollment leaders and explore what it means to lead effectively in a rapidly changing landscape. During this interactive luncheon, executive coaches will share practical insights, leadership strategies, and personal development guidance to help participants strengthen their leadership skills and prepare for the next stage of their professional journey.

Higher education is changing, with institutions exploring new academic models, credentials, partnerships, and ways of serving students. But as these models change, the enrollment processes and structures that support them have to change too.This session will explore what emerging models mean for enrollment leaders and their operations. Through examples of new approaches already taking shape, we’ll look at how changes in academic programs and institutional models can impact recruitment, admissions, technology, communication, advising, and other parts of the enrollment experience. The conversation will also give enrollment leaders an opportunity to think about whether their current processes are ready to support what’s next — and what may need to change.

Presenters: Craig Goebel, Principal/Art & Science Group, David Strauss, Principal/Art & Science Group, Jamie Ealy, Vice President/Art & Science Group
In the face of mounting challenges, colleges and universities face an increasingly urgent imperative: reaching beyond the levers enrollment management can pull and evolving in ways that both honor their missions and position them to sustain the enrollment and revenue needed to thrive. In this highly interactive simulation, small groups of participants will contemplate academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular initiatives under consideration at a real-world university.Exploring how those substantive changes might shape the student experience and affect the institution’s market position, they will decide which it should pursue. Real-time predictive modeling will provide immediate feedback “grading” each team on how its institutional strategy decisions would affect market demand. The session will wrap up with facilitated discussion of lessons learned across the competing teams and reflections on institutional strategy in individual participants’ own contexts.

Key insights and a collective look toward the future. Creation of a “Future You” agenda outlining clear priorities, key questions, and strategic themes.

Conclude the day by gathering with fellow participants, faculty, and NACAC member leaders for an evening of conversation and connection. Reflect on key insights, exchange ideas, and strengthen your professional network while enjoying wine, hors d’oeuvres, and a relaxed atmosphere. This reception is made possible by ETS.

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