Speakers
2023
Angie Cooksy
Bio
Angie Cooksy Ed.D. is a growth-focused leader in higher education with 15+ years of experience providing strategic innovation, leadership looking at optimizing enrollment management.
As a compassionate and motivational leader, Angie's passion lies in creating spaces for leaders to grow and develop as they explore options and opportunities within Enrollment Management and Higher Education.
Host of the podcast "Elevating Admission Voices," Cocreator of Elevate, A Women in Enrollment Management seminar series for the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC), and currently serving as IACAC President-Elect, Angie subscribes to the professional motto that there is room for everyone at the table, so scoot over and pull up a chair.
Ale Sosa Pieroni
Bio
Alejandra C. Sosa Pieroni is a higher education professional with eighteen years of experience in enrollment management, specializing in student recruitment, marketing, financial aid practices, student success, and strategic enrollment planning. She is the executive vice president of enrollment, marketing, and student success at Georgia Southern University. Before her recent appointment at Georgia Southern, she served as Vice President, Enrollment Management Consultant at Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL) since 2017, where she worked with institution leaders to help them optimize their enrollment practice to achieve university goals and objectives. Prior to RNL, she served as the Executive Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Stetson University, Vice President of Enrollment Management at Walsh University, Director of
Admissions at Mercer University, Associate Director of Admissions at Florida Southern College, and Director of Online Degree Completion at Tiffin University. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degrees from Tiffin University. And is currently pursuing her doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Georgia.
Julie Bryant
Bio
Julie L. Bryant, vice president for student success at RNL, leads the team providing student success solutions for colleges and universities across North America. These solutions include the RNL student motivation and satisfaction assessment tools, which provide valuable data to institutions working to improve retention and graduation rates. She meets with higher education leaders to guide them through their data results and to brainstorm next steps for continuous quality improvement efforts. In addition, Julie is a certified yoga and meditation teacher who leads regular mindfulness sessions for RNL co-workers and other groups. She has been a member of RNL Women’s Networking group, a past member of the Women Lead Change steering committee and has moderated several Women in Higher Education panel sessions at RNL’s National Conferences. She is a graduate of Cornell College (IA).
April Bush
Bio
Dr. April Bush has had over 20 years of experience in higher education. Like many admission professionals, Dr. Bush, started in admissions as a student worker and tour guide. Upon graduating from college, she started working for her Alma Mater, Erskine College. Her career has including working at several private colleges across the South as well as one public college. The last eight years, Dr. Bush has worked as a consultant for Ruffalo Noel Levitz within the financial aid services division. During this time, Dr. Bush has served over 30 campus across the country and helped them grow enrollment and increase their net tuition revenue. Currently, Dr. Bush is Vice-President and Senior Consultant, where she will continue to work with campuses on their overall strategies to further their institutional goals. During her career, she has presented at many conferences on topics such as improving the campus visit experience, test optional policies/strategies, and recruiting students to a women’s college.
Dr. Bush has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Erskine College, a Master’s Degree in Education with a specialization in Enrollment Management from Capella University, and a PhD in Leadership with an emphasis in Higher Education. Dr. Bush lives in Greenville, SC with her husband, three children and four dogs. Dr. Bush is a life-long learner, who continues to look for ways to increase her knowledge and expand her skill set. In fact, during the pandemic, she learned to play the Marimba and Vibraphone as part of an adult ensemble.
Wendy Beckemeyer
Bio
Wendy is the founder of the Pay It Forward conference; read more about it under our Why page!
Wendy Beckemeyer is vice president for enrollment management at Cornell College, Iowa. She has over 30 years of experience in higher education and is passionate about college affordability. Wendy is one of the authors of "The College Affordability Academy: A Blueprint for Counseling Families."
Marylyn Scott
Bio
Marylyn Scott is a Senior Global Consultant at Engaging Diversity & Inclusion Executive Search Consulting. Affectionately known as “Destiny Bender” by her students, Marylyn spent most of her career committed to helping diverse populations gain access to opportunities where they were historically under-represented. Prior to joining EDI, Marylyn served as head of Enrollment Management and head of University Guidance at African Leadership Academy (ALA) in Johannesburg, South Africa. She utilized the experience gained during 15 years in progressively responsible roles in college admissions at Mount Holyoke College (MA), Bates College (ME), Chatham University (PA), and Bucknell University (PA) to enable ALA students to gain admission to some of the leading tertiary institutions worldwide. Before college admissions, she had many lives as a(n) classroom teacher, college professor, employee for the South Korean Ministry of Education, flight attendant, and community educator for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Elifsude Degirmenci
Bio
I’m Elifsude (Elif), an upcoming sophomore in Cornell College and I’m from Turkey. I’m majoring in Behavioral Neuroscience and planning to minor in Art History. I’ve been a part of the Concert Choir at Cornell, and I am a part of the International Student Organization. I graduated from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program from Koc School in Turkey. I like to dance, sing, cook, and work out.
Tanatswa Hamadziripi
Bio
My name is Tanatswa Hamadziripi and I am a Second Chance scholar. I am a second-year student from Zimbabwe studying International Relations and Economics & Business at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. At Cornell College, I am a part of the Mock Trial team, Sustained Dialogue (an organization that bridges disparate interest groups to discuss polarizing issues and mobilize for social change), the International Student Association, the Rotary Club, and Lyrically Inclined - our spoken word poetry club. I am also passionate about theatre and enjoy language learning.
Diane Vertin
Bio
Diane has worked in both the private and public sector and has over 25 years of experience in higher education. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at The College of Saint Scholastica. Diane is passionate about working with and helping others achieve their goals and live their best life. She lives at the “End of the Road” in Ely, Minnesota, along with her husband, Frank and doggies—Sophie, Loki and Coco. Diane enjoys outdoor adventure, Yoga (is a certified instructor), cooking and connecting with people.