As Vice Provost for Enrollment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rachelle Feldman oversees Undergraduate Admissions, the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, the University Registrar, and the Carolina College Advising Corps. She has a BS in Economics and a BA in Dramatic Art/Dance from UC Berkeley and an MS in Economics from Golden Gate University. She holds several leadership positions in national financial aid and financial education organizations. She is passionate about ensuring student access to academic excellence.
As Strada’s senior vice president, affordability, Justin Draeger focuses on connecting individuals to opportunity by making postsecondary education more affordable and accessible.
He works to restore trust in higher education by improving price transparency, simplifying financial aid, and promoting efficiencies that lower costs. Draeger champions innovative cost-sharing models that close funding gaps for disadvantaged students, prioritizes need-based aid, and emphasizes fair measures of student and family need, ensuring every student can meaningfully contribute to their education.
Draeger joined Strada in 2024 after spending more than 14 years as president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. He served as a prominent advocate and voice for student financial aid issues and was the principal liaison among NASFAA members, the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and the media.
Since 2002, Draeger has played pivotal roles in administering, interpreting, communicating, and shaping student financial aid policy. His experience includes positions as a director of financial aid, regulatory and policy analyst, and spokesperson, along with senior roles in government relations, communications, and policy development. He serves on several boards dedicated to advancing health and education.
Draeger earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration in finance from Baker College.
Amy Carlson is the Senior Associate Registrar at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Amy has been at UMKC for nearly 15 years and in higher education for over 20 years. She worked in Honors education at Western Kentucky University and the University of Central Missouri prior to entering the Registrar’s Office at UMKC. Amy holds a Master of Science in College Student Personnel Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, both from the University of Central Missouri. Amy is a member of the Missouri ACRAO (MACRAO) and has served as President, Treasurer, and Vice Chair of Technology.
Abbie Maubach is an Assistant Registrar at Iowa State University, where she leads the Certifications and Eligibility team with a focus on degree completion, athletic certification, veteran benefit certification, and commencement operations. She holds a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, both from Iowa State. With over eight years of experience in higher education, Abbie brings institutional knowledge and a commitment to student success.
Over the past several years, she has led cross-functional teams and supervised staff across multiple levels while fostering collaboration with campus partners and external vendors to streamline operations and enhance student experience. She played a pivotal role in transforming graduation and commencement processes, managed complex projects as part of the Workday Student implementation, and oversaw the development of a comprehensive event management system for commencement. Her expertise includes academic policy interpretation, regulatory compliance, data reporting, and system testing.
She is actively engaged in national and regional professional organizations, currently serving as Co-Chair of the ̽»¨Â¥ Graduation Committee, Membership Chair for UMACRAO, and a member of ̽»¨Â¥’s Federal Compliance Committee.
Lily Ann B. Villaraza is a Professor and Chair of the Philippine Studies Department at City College of San Francisco, where she teaches courses on the Filipino Family, Philippine Culture and Society through Film, Philippine History, and Contemporary Issues in the Filipino Diaspora. Lily Ann also serves as a national scholar for the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and co-editor of the annual FANHS journal. One of her current "nerd nugget" obsessions is identifying and documenting academic programs focused on the study of the Philippines and/or the Filipinx experience in the diaspora. A historian by trade but storyteller by heart, Lily Ann earned her PhD in history from Northern Illinois University with specializations in Southeast Asian/Philippine history, US immigration history, and Race and Ethnicity in the US.
James Zarsadiaz is an award-winning historian of the United States. He is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Yuchengco Philippine Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. Along with multiple journal articles and op-eds, he is the author of Resisting Change in Suburbia (University of California Press, 2022), which received the Organization of American Historians' Lawrence W. Levine Award for the best book in American cultural history. Zarsadiaz's research has also won awards from the Urban History Association, Vernacular Architecture Forum, and the Association for Asian American Studies. He received his Ph.D. in History from Northwestern University and his B.A. in American Studies and Political Science from George Washington University.
Jacqueline Best is currently an International Recruiter and Credential Evaluator at the University of Michigan-Flint, where she serves as the primary international credential evaluator for all graduate applicants. Prior to this role, she taught English to high school students in France. Passionate about international education, she enjoys the problem-solving involved in evaluating foreign credentials and is committed to making the application and admission process smoother for international students. She holds a B.A. in International Studies and French from Albion College.
TJ Shelton has served as the James C. Wyant Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education at Case Western Reserve University since January 1, 2022. In this role, he oversees the university’s NCAA Division III athletic programs and physical education offerings. Under Shelton’s leadership, CWRU has reached unprecedented heights in national athletic performance. The university achieved its three highest finishes ever in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, including a historic 23rd-place finish in 2023–24. The men’s tennis team captured the department’s first NCAA Team Championship and women's soccer was national runner up in 2023. During his tenure, CWRU has won nine conference titles and made 33 NCAA postseason appearances, with 69 student- athletes earning All-American honors reflecting the broad success across multiple programs. Nine student-athletes were also awarded the Elite 90 award for highest grade point average at a NCAA championship.
Before arriving at CWRU, Shelton served on athletics administrative staffs at The Ohio State University and Washington University in St. Louis, contributing significantly to the university’s sustained academic and competitive excellence. Shelton holds both a B.A. in Sports Business Management and an M.Ed. in Sports Administration from Wichita State University.
Erick Harper is in his fourth year leading Rebel Athletics after being selected as UNLV’s 14th permanent Director of Athletics on Jan. 1, 2022. Harper served as UNLV’s Interim Director of Athletics from August 16, 2021 to December 31, 2021. As UNLV’s AD, Harper oversees all aspects of the athletics department and the Thomas & Mack Center, including general operations, fiscal affairs, facilities, strategic planning, and external relations.
In his first two and a half years on the job, Harper has affected significant change. Under his leadership, a new strategic plan was announced in September 2022 that is aimed at helping deliver a premier student-athlete experience in college athletics and providing Rebels the opportunity to succeed as students, athletes, and into the future as well-rounded community leaders. In alignment with the broader UNLV Top Tier 2.0 Strategic Plan, the athletics department worked in tandem with the University to develop a clear strategy for achieving athletic and academic excellence.
Being a productive member of the community and giving back is important to Harper as he has shown in numerous ways, but most notably was through the athletics department’s hosting of a Bed Build Day in 2022 in the parking lot of the Thomas & Mack Center. Partnering with nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace, 100 beds were built to help Las Vegas youth that needed a comfortable place to sleep. The department participated again in April of 2024, improving the record number of bends made to 103.
Harper was recently appointed to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee and was named Administrator of the Year for 2023-24 by The Leadership Playbook. He served on the 2024 Super Bowl Host Committee board and is an active board member on the Las Vegas Bowl Committee and MW Recognition Committee. He also served as the Mountain West Directors of Athletics’ Chair for 2023-24. Harper was recently selected to serve as liaison for the Football Oversight Committee with the Football Student-Athlete Connection Group (FSACG) and will also serve on the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Oversight Committees’ Playing and Practice Season Subgroup.
Prior to becoming Director of Athletics, Harper served nine years as UNLV’s senior associate athletics director for development. Harper has been in university athletics administration for more than 30 years. He joined UNLV as associate athletics director for development in 2012. In that role, he oversaw fundraising efforts for the department and served as a sport administrator for multiple sports, including football and women’s golf.
Prior to UNLV, Harper was associate athletics director for football operations at the University of Arizona from 2003-11. He began his athletics administrative career at Kansas State University (1990-2003), where he served in development, marketing, and compliance roles and as a sport administrator for multiple sports.
Harper earned his bachelor’s degree in 1992 from Kansas State, where he was a four-year starter and standout defensive back for the Wildcats football team. He later earned a master’s in organizational management and leadership from Ashford University in 2013.
Harper and his wife, Dr. Patrice Hester-Harper, who holds three degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, PhD) from UNLV and is currently associate vice president for development and principal gifts for the university, have two daughters, Sydney (17) and Avery (8).
Dr. Amber Burdge has served as the department’s Acting Director of Athletics since Jan. 2, 2025 and guided NM State athletics through the completion of the 2024-2025 seasons and into the 2025-2026 academic year. Prior to stepping into her current role, Burdge was named Deputy AD for Strategic Initiatives and Leadership, SWA, and Deputy Title IX Coordinator in August 2024 after serving as Sr. Associate AD and SWA since December 2022. Dr. Burdge brought exceptional leadership and a student-first mindset to the department.
Since joining, Dr. Burdge has spearheaded our strategic response to hazing prevention and forged a critical partnership with Student Life to enhance the student-athlete experience. She introduced several innovative programs, including the Captain’s Club student-athlete leadership program, Assistant Coach Leadership Training, and the Debora Scott Women’s Empowerment Dinner, where women student-athletes are paired with local women mentors.
Before NM State, Dr. Burdge was the Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success Services at Louisiana Tech University for eight years, overseeing significant academic improvement and community service initiatives. She also served as the Athletic Director for Neosho County Community College, where she oversaw 16 sports programs that won six national titles and produced 36 NJCAA All-American accolades and honors. Her experience includes leadership roles at Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with a strong focus on academic and leadership development.
Her background includes a Bachelor of Science in Health and a Master of Science in Counseling and Student Personnel in 2004 from Oklahoma State, before she earned a Doctorate of Education in 2020 at Louisiana Tech. Her continued dedication to student-athlete success makes her an invaluable member of the NM State Athletics executive team.
Tina Miller is the current President (and former Treasurer) of the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (PACRAO). In her day job, she is the Senior Associate Registrar at the University of Washington. Tina is actively involved in ̽»¨Â¥ and WaACRAO, and holds a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration. She is passionate about academic policy, process improvement, plain Language writing, and building collaborative professional communities.
With over two decades of dedicated service at Texas A&M University, Sara has built a career focused on advancing student success, improving retention, and supporting first-generation and transfer students throughout their academic journeys. Sara brings expertise in enrollment management, student development, and academic advising, with a proven track record of creating inclusive pathways for historically underserved student populations. Her collaborative work with faculty, staff, and campus partners has played a critical role in shaping policies and programs that foster a supportive and equitable learning environment.
Jim Farmer is an enrollment management professional with 19 years of experience in higher education admissions, student success, and operations. At Shawnee State University, he oversees undergraduate, graduate, and international admission. Jim specializes in guiding first-generation students through the admissions process, improving student outcomes through one-on-one engagement, and solving complex challenges related to student information systems.
2025 SEM-EP Graduate
Capstone: Increasing Exposure and Enrollment Through Direct Admissions: A Pilot Plan for Local High Schools
Li is an accomplished higher education leader with more than a decade of expertise in enrollment management, student services, international partnerships, and alumni relations. Since joining Sofia University in 2021, she has served as Associate Vice President of Strategic Enrollment, International and Alumni Affairs, and Designated School Official (DSO). She also chairs the university’s Strategic Enrollment Management Planning (SEMP) Committee, where she plays a pivotal role in advancing institutional enrollment strategies. Li holds an MPA in Public Sector Management and Leadership from California State University, Northridge, and an MBA in Executive Management and Entrepreneurship from the California Institute of Advanced Management. In addition, she is a Certified Life Coach, combining professional expertise with a deep commitment to student success. Her career spans leadership of multi-continent teams and the expansion of enrollments across multiple institutes. She has guided thousands of students worldwide in navigating critical academic and career decisions. Her professional experience in national and regional accreditation, compliance, articulation, student counseling, and Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulations provides extensive knowledge of best practices for recruiting, enrolling, and serving diverse student populations across the globe.
Capstone: Strategic Enrollment Management Plan
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