Strategic Enrolment Management Conference

Allie Bear is a seasoned marketing and communications strategist with a proven track record in developing and executing integrated plans. With over ten years of experience in the higher education sector, Allie has been instrumental in attracting and converting prospective students through compelling marketing campaigns and communications plans.

As an "all-in" professional, Allie is dedicated to uncovering challenges, consulting with stakeholders, and co-creating solutions that engage audiences and advance strategic goals. She excels in leading cross-functional teams and has successfully collaborated with future students, current students, faculty, and staff.

Currently serving as the Manager of Marketing and Communications Strategy, Allie leads a team of five specialists in communications, digital engagement, and graphic design. Her role focuses on attracting prospective undergraduate students to consider Laurier as their top-choice university. Working closely with the integrated recruitment and admissions leadership team, Allie develops data-informed enrolment strategies and ensures a seamless journey for each student through the enrolment funnel.

With a strategic mindset and creative flair, Allie continuously develops innovative approaches that capture attention and differentiate organizations in a competitive landscape.

For more information on Allie's accomplishments and expertise, please visit her LinkedIn profile.

Andrea Abello is the Digital & Multimedia Specialist at York University's Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC). She holds a Bachelor of Design with Honours (BDes) and is currently pursuing an MA in Communication & Culture. With over seven years of experience in prominent media corporations, engineering firms, and leading e-commerce platforms, Andrea's passion for storytelling and creative thinking has been integral to her success. Together with her colleagues, Andrea excels in crafting and coordinating content for EUC, ensuring alignment with effective community engagement strategies.

Brittany Giglio serves as the Recruitment & Liaison Officer at York University's Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC). As a Certified Ontario Teacher with a Master of Education (MEd), Brittany embodies a strong commitment to lifelong learning. With over ten years of experience spanning high school and post-secondary education, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her role. Together with her colleagues, Brittany has developed a strategic outreach program aimed at attracting, engaging, and supporting the next generation of undergraduate students.

With over 15 years in digital marketing, Christina has spent 3.5 years at LinkedIn. Her previous roles in digital agencies involved leading B2B and B2C brands, where she focused on measurement, and performance. At LinkedIn, Christina specializes in the Canadian education vertical, helping Canadian schools shape their brand image and reputation, and recruit high-quality students.

Colby McLeod is a seasoned administrator in higher education with a profound commitment to strategic enrolment management and student success. He commenced his career in Melbourne, before relocating to Vancouver where he has spent the past 10 years specializing in international education.

He is currently serving as the Associate Registrar of Enrolment Management at University Canada West, where he has significantly influenced institutional policies and practices to enhance both recruitment and admissions. As a member of the institutional leadership group, he is a driving force in the further development of a comprehensive SEM framework that emphasizes data-driven decision-making, particularly as the institution transitions from a primary focus on growth of enrolments to a model that supports diversity, sustainability, and also navigating the recent changes in relation to student immigration in Canada.

Dan is an award-winning leader with more than 20 years of experience in student enrolment and success. Currently, Dan is the Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Management & Registrar at Saint Mary’s University.

He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts (Bishop’s University) as well as a Master of Communications Studies and a University Teaching Certificate (University of Calgary).

During his career, he has worked at five major Canadian universities and brings a wealth of experience in key areas such as enrolment management, internationalization, student recruitment, admissions, scholarships, marketing, student success, retention and student experience.

Danielle Collado (she/her) is a Marketing Coordinator at McMaster University, where she leads the Student Success Centre’s social media strategy. As a McMaster grad, she brings a unique perspective to the department’s student-centered content approach. Danielle is passionate about maintaining the student voice across the university’s digital platforms and enjoys developing and mentoring student content creators.

Danielle holds an M.A. in Communication and Culture from Toronto Metropolitan University and York University and a B.A. in Communication Studies from McMaster University.

Dr. Chris McGrath is honoured to serve the Niagara College community as Vice President, Students, where he leads Athletics and Student Engagement, Enrolment Services, Marketing + Recruitment, Planning + Institutional Research, and Student Services + Wellbeing. He also advances key elements of the college’s strategy, including initiatives that enhance a wholistic student experience, support social inclusion, and advance our work with students and Indigenous partners to respond to, and support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action.

For over 20 years, Chris worked in senior roles in public and private postsecondary institutions in Canada and the United States, including the University of Toronto, Seneca College and the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College and George Brown College. Chris has taught graduate courses in education at Royal Roads University and York University, where the focus of his teaching is on higher education quality, policy, and student experience. He is also an executive coach where he works with individuals and organizations to be better leaders for a better world.

Chris holds a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Western University, a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Vermont, and a bachelor’s degree in French studies from the University of Waterloo. His research interrogated how leadership is performed in public organizations, and how it can advance Indigenization, equity, diversity, and inclusion. His current research also explores how social justice leadership interrupts economically instrumental discourses of educational outcomes and disrupts ways of organizational being and learning.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Smith has amassed significant knowledge and expertise in the areas of strategic enrolment management, internationalization, student affairs, and academic governance.

He is currently engaged in research to explore the promising teaching practices for teaching linguistically and culturally diverse international students by identifying the teaching practices that have high levels of international student satisfaction and perceptions of student learning, ways of achieving a sense of belonging for international students attending secondary schools, micro-aggressions experienced by international students at post-secondary institutions, and the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance interdisciplinary teaching and learning.

Dr. Smith holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine, an M.A. in Political Science from Drew University, an M.P.A. in Public Administration from the University of Maine, and an Ed.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University.

As Associate Dean (Academic), Dr. Stephenson's portfolio includes oversight of the undergraduate operations in the Faculty of Arts and Science, as well as the oversight and implementation of undergraduate academic regulations. Management of processes pertaining to curriculum development and revision are central to the portfolio. The Associate Dean also reviews student appeals or academic integrity cases, and manages complex academic cases involving individual students and faculty members. Dr. Stephenson participates in all committees of the Faculty relative to students or programs and liaise with the division of Student Affairs, Student Wellness Services, the Human Rights Office and the Office of the University Ombudsman. The Associate Dean’s portfolio also includes Admission and Recruitment, Orientation, and the implementation of the Senate Policy on Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances.

Dr. Stephenson holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, and previously served as the Undergraduate Chair at the Dan School of Drama and Music. Her research is focused on contemporary Canadian drama, audience participation, metatheatricality, "theatre of the real," autobiographical performance, and performativity in fictional worlds-within.

Dr. Jessica Riddell is a Full Professor of Early Modern Literature in the English Department at Bishop's University (Quebec, Canada). She holds the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence at Bishop's University; in this capacity, she explores innovative teaching and learning practices, creates mentorship opportunities for students and faculty, and participates in a wide range of conversations at the national and international levels.Dr. Riddell is also the Senior Research Fellow and former Executive Director of the Maple League of Universities, a consortium of four universities, Bishop's, Mount Allison, Acadia, and St. Francis Xavier, sharing a focused commitment to quality undergraduate education. She works across the four universities to support high impact practices as part of a 21st century liberal education. An award-winning educator and scholar, she has published on Shakespeare, institutional culture change, Inter-institutional collaborations, experiential learning, and inclusive high impact practices. Her latest book, with collaborators Dr. Lisa Dickson and Dr. Shannon Murray, is called Shakespeare's Guide to Life, Hope, and Learning (UTP 2023). She is the author of Hope Circuits: Re-wiring Universities and other organizations Dr. Riddell was awarded the 3M National Teaching Fellowship in 2015, the highest recognition in Canada for educational leadership.

Dr. Justin Louder is the associate vice president for academic innovation at Anthology and previously served as associate vice provost at Texas Tech University (TTU) Worldwide Learning. Over his decade at TTU, he transformed the division, expanding online and distance degree programs from 1,200 to over 4,000 students, developing more hybrid doctoral programs than any school in the South, and leading a team of nearly 100 staff. He also held a faculty role in the College of Education.

Dr. Louder earned a B.A. in communication and psychology from Angelo State University, an Ed.D. in instructional technology with a minor in higher education administration from TTU, and has completed additional graduate work in both public administration and MIS.

At Anthology, he works with North American campuses to enhance online learning, develop new programs, and implement educational technologies. He has authored papers and presented on topics such as student success with centralized student services, AI in education, micro-credentials, trauma-informed instruction, and culturally responsive teaching.

Dr Samah Sabra is Niagara College’s inaugural Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility. With an educational background in social justice and equity and a professional workplace background in organizational and leadership development, Samah joined Niagara College in November 2021. Since then, she has worked closely with the college’s D&I Taskforce, EDI Coordinating Council, and led student and employee consultations across Niagara College to develop a collaborative Blueprint to guide the college community’s continued focus on inclusion.

Prior to Niagara, Samah worked built her career as an educator at Carleton University in teaching and educational development at Carleton University, where she played key roles in the planning and implementation of a variety of university-wide initiatives, including those related to Carleton’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, Strategic Accessibility Plan Benchmarking, Healthy Workplace, and Leadership Development. She has experience as a professional development officer, teaching development coordinator, educational developer, and an instructor, having taught a first-year seminar on Social Change in Canada since 2008. Samah completed a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Equity Studies at Brock University and a Doctor of Philosophy at Carleton, where she conducted community-engaged research exploring how Arab Canadians negotiate and narrate multiple aspects of their identities as they develop communities across several generations within Ottawa.

As an educator and leader, Samah is known for her intersectional, collaborative, and thoughtful approach to building more equitable communities within higher education. This leadership approach has been critical in engaging a team of 32 EDI Catalysts from across Niagara College to implement the EDI Blueprint in ways that create opportunities and pathways for shared leadership development and processes in service of equity and inclusion.

After studying his Masters abroad, Evan has spent the last decade crafting digital marketing strategies for some of North America's largest brands, including HP, Air Canada, Interac, and more. Today, Evan supports Canada's most active Higher Ed Institutions on LinkedIn by co-crafting world class SEMM programs to drive results across a range of goals and objectives.

Gord Hunchak is an innovative and collaborative leader with vast and diverse experience in brand-building, communications, community engagement, and strategic initiatives - in the private sector and in post-secondary.

Originally from Saskatchewan, Gord’s career in the post-secondary leadership began in Ontario in 2007 at Niagara College, where he took on several roles, culminating in the AVP, Planning and Communications position. Gord joined Brock University in 2015 as Associate Vice President, External Relations, and then headed back to Treaty 6 territory in 2017 to take on Chief Communications Officer role at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2022, Gord joined First Nations University of a Canada in 2022 as their inaugural Vice President University Relations.

In all his post-secondary leadership roles, Gord has successfully re-branded and re-positioned the respective institutions for enhanced profile and enrolment growth, and developed important stakeholder and community engagement strategies.

As Registrar and Associate Vice-President, Strategic Enrolment, Janene Christiansen leads the Registrar's office and plays a vital role in George Brown College’s efforts to provide equitable and accessible educational pathways for all students. She ensures academic policies, systems, data, and processes are in place for the college to deliver the highest quality academic programming, reduce barriers and provide the optimal student experience.

Janene brings a wealth of experience leading teams in areas such as admissions; assessment; convocation; fees and scheduling; financial aid; systems and reporting; and registration and audit. Throughout her career she has demonstrated an unwavering focus on ensuring policies, systems and processes improve the student experience and help learners succeed and flourish.

While she started her career at George Brown as an operations manager in the Registrar’s office in 2003, Janene spent more than a decade in a range of registrarial leadership roles at other post-secondary institutions. She returned to George Brown as Registrar and AVP, Strategic Enrolment in 2022.

Prior to her return, Janene was Deputy Registrar at Sheridan College where she led the Enrolment Services team across three campuses. Her team members nominated her for the Sheridan Inspirational Leader Award — an important nod to her leadership during the pandemic and to her qualities as a people leader.

She also held progressive leadership positions in the Registrar’s office at Humber College, including Manager, Fees, Audit, Reporting, and Scheduling; Associate Registrar, Fees, Reporting, Scheduling and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Student Team Lead; and Associate Registrar, Student Systems and Reporting. She earned a President’s Distinguished Administrative Staff Award in 2014 for her work on the migration from Humber’s home-grown Student Information System to Banner and for her leadership in other areas.

Janene holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Psychology from the University of Western Ontario.

Jeff Low (he/him) is an experienced Student Affairs professional, currently working as the marketing and communications strategist for the Student Success Centre at McMaster University. In this role, he oversees the Centre's strategic communications across all digital platforms and works collaboratively with partners in Student Affairs and across campus on priority projects related to institutional goals and student success.

Throughout his career in education — starting in educational publishing in the international K–12 market before joining McMaster — he's learned that giving students what they want and positioning them to succeed are one in the same. Jeff's professional passions include managing projects with creativity and innovation, building and leading teams, and facilitating new ways for co-creation and collaboration among students and stakeholders.

JP Rains serves as Director of Communications & Digital Strategy at Laurentian University and teaches Sport, Media & Communication as a lecturer in the School of Sports Administration, within the Faculty of Management at Laurentian. He also spends time as President of Rains Media, working with clients in postsecondary education on student journey mapping and search engine optimization.

He earned his Masters in Business Administration and Bachelor of Commerce, specialized in Sports Administration at Laurentian University. JP is a past chair of the board for the Post Secondary Education Web Conference of Canada, a past board member with the Laurentian University Alumni Association, and the Chair of the Golf Marathon Sudbury an organization which has raised over $500,000 for children's health in Sudbury. In 2012, he was named to Sudbury's Top 40 under 40.

He is a published author in the Journal of Education Advancement and Marketing.

Ken Chatoor is Director of Research and Strategic Foresight at the Labour Market Information Council (LMIC). Ken joined LMIC after working in education, labour market, and equity research to support evidence-based policymaking. He has published research reports and government evaluations on mental health, the impact of funding structures on government service provision, Work-Integrated Learning, and labour market transitions for new graduates. Prior to entering the world of policy and government, Ken worked in biomedical engineering, researching spine regeneration at Mount Sinai Hospital. He then studied at McGill University, where he researched therapies for brain cancer at Montreal General Hospital.

Kevin O'Brien is Associate Director, Student Services, in the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen's University, where he leads a team committed to student success and support through systems, policies, and curriculum. He has almost 25 years experience in the field of admissions, enrolment management, registration, advising, and governance/curriculum. These experiences have helped him to become a change-oriented, values- & evidence-based higher ed leader, specializing in strategic thinking, collaboration, and empowering people to be their best selves.

He holds a MPA (Johnson Shoyama), and BAH (Queen's) in Philosophy. He loves questions about why things are as they are, and how to make them better. A lover of travel, felines, and technology, Kevin is comfortable being uncomfortable.

As Deputy Registrar, Systems, Planning, and Reporting, Kristen Boujos leads the Student Systems, Academic Records, Registration, Transfer Credit, Pathways, Curriculum Management, Scheduling, and Reporting teams. She ensures academic policies, systems, data, and processes are in place for the college to deliver the optimal student experience.

Kristen began her career at Centennial College with roles related to scheduling and records. She continued her dedication to higher education where she spent over a decade at Ontario Tech University. She had the opportunity to gain a fulsome understanding of the university through a variety of progressive roles including instructor, scheduling office, quality assurance policy analyst, institutional research analyst, Manager of Scheduling and Convocation, Director of Planning and Operations, and Associate Registrar and Director, Records and Scheduling. She joined George Brown College in September of 2022. She is currently leading the college through a significant and comprehensive Student Information System Renovate project, which encapsulates her focus on ensuring policies, systems, and processes are aligned to improve the experience for everyone involved in the student life cycle.

Kristen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from California State University, Fullerton, a Masters of Education from Northern Arizona University, and a Doctorate of Education from Western University.

As Manager of Reporting & Data Analytics, Kristen Hamilton leads the Registrar Reporting and Data Analytics team. She supports the strategic vision, leadership and management of the data practices, design, architecture, and implementation of enterprise data. Kristen began her career at Northern College in institutional research and continued through progressive roles in the field at Thompon Rivers University. She rejoined the Ontario College sector as acting Registrar at Northern College for 16 months before joining George Brown College in April 2024. She is currently leading her team through a report modernization process and supporting the registrar team in their reporting and analytical needs. Kristen has co-authoured peer-reviewed articles focused on program assessment and Indigenous student persistence and success in post-secondary education.

Kristen holds a Bachelor of Arts from Nipissing University, a certificate of Management and Leadership from Humber College, a Master of Education from Thompson Rivers University, a graduate certificate in Institutional Research from Florida State University, and she has completed all three levels of the Planning Institutes with Society for College and University Planning.

Lauren Veenhoven is a Digital Engagement Strategist at Laurier University, with over seven years of experience in the digital marketing industry. In her first year at Laurier, Lauren spearheaded an institution-wide user journey mapping and persona project that spanned eight months, showcasing her leadership, analytical skills, and dedication to enhancing the user journey for prospective undergraduate students.

Lauren’s favourite part of her role is UX design, where she thrives on collaborating with cross-functional teams and brainstorming innovative ideas for optimizations and improvements. Her ability to blend creativity with data-driven decision-making makes her an asset to Laurier’s digital engagement strategies.

Creating meaningful connections is what energizes her the most in her work. She nerds out on any type of personality or self-awareness learning opportunity, and recently became certified in the Dare to Lead™ program based on the research of Dr. Brené Brown.

Lily Piccone serves as the Strategic Enrolment and Communications Officer at York University's Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change (EUC). Lily has dedicated the past 25 years of her career to student services in post-secondary education and has held positions in student recruitment, advising, student career development, communications & partnership building at York University. Together with her colleagues, Lily strives to empower youth through storytelling, creative youth outreach programs, and innovative community engagement strategies.

Mahir is the technical lead for SchoolFinder Group. He focuses on the design and development of SchoolFinder Group web apps and ezRecruit™ CRM.

Outside of work, he enjoys working out, drawing, and reading about futuristic technology.

Michael Calvert is the Director of Indigenous Education at Northern Lights College on Treaty 8 Territory in Northeastern British Columbia. He has been working on decolonizing and indigenizing post secondary education for the past eight years. Michael began his journey teaching in arts & humanities and developing and teaching First Peoples curriculum in the college & career preparation field, and he has since led Indigenous-student-access programs and decolonization conversations at the institutions he has worked for. Michael is Metis and a member of the Mid-Island Metis Nation on Vancouver Island, BC, and he is passionate about Indigenous student access, recruitment, and retention strategies.

Nicole Crozier (she/her) is currently the Communications Officer for the Faculty of Science at the University of Victoria (UVic), where she oversees and implements the communications strategy for the Faculty, including web, social media, storytelling, media relations, marketing and more.

Prior to this role, Nicole worked in orientation and student life at UVic, where she supported students via several different communications tactics, spearheading an online orientation program, launching an Instagram account focused on supporting first-year students during the pandemic, and creating a new all-student newsletter. Nicole completed her M.Ed in Educational Technology at the University of Victoria in 2021.

Ryan Tishcoff is a HEQCO researcher whose interests include system design, labour market outcomes for new graduates, facilitating access to PSE for underrepresented groups, and improving supports for students with disabilities. He joined HEQCO after two years as a research and policy analyst with the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA), where he worked closely with sector stakeholders on issues such as affordability and mental health. Ryan holds a JD from the University of Ottawa and an Honours BA in philosophy from the University of Toronto.

Sean Williams has 30 years of experience in marketing and communications across Canada, US, UK, Middle East and Australia. While his marketing shop – Dashboard Marketing – works in a wide mix of sectors, they specialize in the area of #HigherEd. He and his team have worked with institutions across Canada and in the US in areas such as institutional branding, recruitment marketing, student retention, student housing, social media management, digital engagement, and market research.

Over the last 15+ years, he has worked with a wide variety of institutions in a mix of roles. Sean was on contract with StFX University as their Director of Communications and Marketing. He has also led a mix of marketing and student engagement projects with Holland College, Dalhousie University, Grenfell Campus MUN, and University of Regina. During this time, he also worked as a marketing consultant with US based SEM Works and Ruffalo Noel Levitz, and is currently aligned with Academica Group as a Branding & Marketing Strategist. In this role with Academica Group, has worked with NIC, VCC, NCC, Georgian College, Algonquin College, Athabasca University, University of Regina, York University and Western University.

He’s a frequent guest speaker at conferences and post-secondary institutions and offers his time as a mentor for student-based startups and entrepreneurial-focused organizations (i.e. Dalhousie IdeaHUB, DMZ, Enactus, Volta, etc.). Sean is a graduate of TMU (formerly Ryerson) and holds a BAA in Media Arts. You can find out more about his company at www.dashboardmarketing.ca

Vicky is the Associate Director, Marketing and Communications, for the Faculty of Arts and Science at Queen’s University.

Vicky supports the Executive Director of Communications and Marketing, and the Dean and senior leadership team, on internal and external communications. She is responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of marketing and communications strategies for the Faculty. This includes providing advice, tools, and expertise through the Dean’s Office to the over 30 academic units within the Faculty of Arts and Science, the largest faculty at Queen’s.

In addition to her previous positions at the School of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Education, and University Research Services at Queen’s University, Vicky has over 20 years of work experience in higher education in Canada and abroad. She has worked as a marketing consultant, program manager, and instructor. Her passion for stories and storytelling dates back to her own experience as a graduate student, when she wrote a biography as her thesis for her Master’s in Russian History.

Vicky’s passion for stories and culture has brought her around the world, as well as closer to colleagues and friends on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples, where Queen’s University now sits.

It is also what brings her to this course - in her presentation on niche marketing, she will share her experience of working in partnership with the Faculty’s Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures and Tsi Tyónnheht Onkwawén:na Language and Cultural Centre in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory to launch and continue to support the unique Queen’s Certificate in Mohawk Language and Culture that is delivered in Tyendinaga.

Xin Dong has dedicated nearly six years to working in higher education in Canada following her master's degree from UBC. Her career began at University Canada West, where she started as an admissions officer, advanced to senior admissions officer and later served as a Registrar’s Office Coordinator. Currently she holds the position of Associate Registrar of Admissions, overseeing a team of more than 20 members.

Throughout her career, she has amassed significant expertise in admissions, data analysis, decision-making, communication, and management. Xin's experience has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the higher education landscape, enabling her to effectively lead her team and contribute to the institution's success.