Adrian A. Schiess is Director for Student Success and Retention at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Over the last 15 years, he has been responsible for planning, developing, coordinating, and administering the Freshman Year Experience Programs and the Xavier Retention Model. His work has contributed to a 90% retention rate for freshmen matriculating to the sophomore year and a 70% four-year graduation rate.  These high retention and graduation results have created millions of dollars in additional revenue for Xavier.

Mr. Schiess earned his Bachelor of Science degree in history and his Masters degree in Educational Administration, both at Xavier University.  He has received the Noel/Levitz Center for Student Retention Excellence award in 1992 and the “Outstanding National Freshman Advocate Award” from the Freshman Year Experience Center of the University of South Carolina in 1998.  He is a graduate of the United States Army Command and General Staff College and a Retired United States Army Lieutenant Colonel.

Craig Powell is the entrepreneurial force and visionary behind ConnectEdu.

He previously founded IvyTutors, a study-skills company grounded in the theories of generational mentoring.  This experience convinced Craig that technology was the only way to meet all students’ individual needs by democratizing access to crucial expertise.  Craig’s vision and ConnectEdu have recently been cited in the Chronicle of Higher Education and Entrepreneur Magazine which named ConnectEdu “Hottest Teen-Focused Business - 2005.”  Craig is a graduate from Brown University with a degree in economics and concentration in education policy.

Megan Matzen is currently the Courseware Coordinator at National American University in Rapid City, South Dakota. As Courseware Coordinator, she markets online courses to other educational institutions and coordinates atriculation agreements between NAU and other colleges.  NAU was one of the pioneers in online course development and currently has over 150 developers, IT personnel and instructors who work on projects for other schools. Megan has a Bachelor's degree in business administration from Colorado State University.

Pamela Kiecker is Head of Research and Issue Analysis at Royall & Company.  Dr. Kiecker retains her positions as Professor of Marketing and Executive Director of the Interactive Marketing Institute (IMI) at Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Julia Epel Sherry is intimately familiar with the world of grants – both as a grant seeker and a grant-awarder. Over the past 22 years, Ms. Sherry has been an independent consultant providing grant writing services and technical support to a wide range of non-profit clients – from churches to prisons, rural hospitals to urban colleges – for projects ranging from telemedicine networks, violence prevention programs, historic renovations, medical care delivery systems, and teacher education programs.  She has successfully secured grant funding from federal and state agencies, private foundations, and corporations.  In the grant-giving capacity, Ms. Sherry served as executive director to the Merage Family Foundations, private foundations with assets of $50 million.

Stephanie Geyer directs Web site development and e-communications projects for Noel-Levitz. Ms. Geyer has served institutions such as the University of Illinois at Springfield, Aurora University (IL), Elmira College (NY), and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her Web consultation services are based on current best practices in enrollment management and are frequently integrated with recruitment and marketing consultations and market research projects.

Attend our conference to learn how Ms. Geyer was an enrollment research and communications specialist for Wilkes University (PA), where undergraduate enrollment increased by 22.7 percent and retention increased by 11 percent.

Danielle Watkins is the director of learning services at Education Partners, Inc. Her background includes curriculum design, face-to-face training delivery, and an in depth understanding of distance learning and collaboration. As a former manager of education for a software development firm and an online instructor for Jefferson County Public Schools, Dani understands the importance of collaborating with colleagues and students. To do this, whether in the same location or a distance environment, she employs collaborative strategies that make learning and teaching more effective. 

Dani holds an M.S. in Education with an emphasis on Information Learning Technologies, and has completed all coursework for a Ph.D. in Education, Instructional Design for Online Learning. She is also adjunct faculty for JeffcoNet Academy and Aventa Learning (online high schools), and Front Range Community College. 

Michelle Kelly is the founder and president of Education Partners, Inc. a training services organization dedicated to enabling organizations to develop and retain their most valuable asset…people. Her diverse background includes curriculum design, multimedia selection and development, distance learning, facilitation and process improvement. She has worked with local, national, and international organizations to develop and implement employee training programs.

Before starting Education Partners, Michelle created an Education Department and Corporate University for a software development organization. A majority of the training offered used a blended approach, coupling online content with traditional instructor-led training for maximum results. Prior to that, Michelle was involved in faculty development programming for an association of colleges and universities in the Midwest. Michelle holds an M.S. in Education with an emphasis on Human Resource Development and Training. She is also a Board member for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development.