By Autumn Walden, Editor, ̽»¨Â¥ Connect, Content Strategy Manager, ̽»¨Â¥
Behind every successful professional development program is a team of thoughtful, experienced leaders guiding the process. In the ̽»¨Â¥ Strategic Enrollment Management Endorsement Program, our SEM-EP Evaluators are volunteer experts who lend their time and expertise to review Field Visit Reports, Webinar Reports, and Capstone Projects. With at least 10 years of experience in enrollment management and advanced academic credentials, these practitioners ensure that each SEM-EP participant receives meaningful, high-quality feedback.
Let’s meet the two outgoing evaluators, Dr. Sara Kelly and Richard MacLeod, who are wrapping up their service and welcome the two incoming voices, Laurel Rea and Sam Matheny, in a reflective conversation about what they've learned, what they expect, and how they see the role continuing to shape the profession.
To mark this moment of transition, I posed a few questions to all four evaluators to reflect on their journeys and aspirations. Then, I stepped aside to let them interview each other, exchanging wisdom, encouragement, and honest curiosity.
A Few Questions from the Editor
I was curious about what drew each evaluator to this role and what they hope to give—or take—from the experience. I wanted to know what compelled them to step into this volunteer role after completing the program, and what they felt proudest of contributing so far. I also asked them about the challenges and opportunities they believe enrollment management professionals should be paying closer attention to right now.
Here are a few highlights from their responses, in their own words.
Incoming SEM-EP Evaluators 2025-2026
Laurel Rea, Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment at Washington State University Vancouver
“I’ve benefited tremendously from SEM-EP and other ̽»¨Â¥ programs throughout my career, and I’ve long felt a strong desire to give back, supporting the next generation of enrollment professionals just as others supported me. Programs like SEM-EP are shaping the future of enrollment leadership by building a strong national network of practitioners who continue learning from one another beyond the program, helping leaders stay agile amid rapid change in higher education. It also offers valuable insight into how SEM is applied across diverse institutions, broadening perspectives and strengthening leadership across the field.”
Sam Matheny, Chief Student Services Officer at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
“After having completed the SEM program, I realized that a major part of the program involved sharing and listening to others in the program. The evaluator role will allow me to continue to learn from others while also allowing me to provide helpful information and perspective that I have gained from my colleagues. The class size of ̽»¨Â¥'s SEM-EP program is relatively small and therefore allows you to grow your professional relationships with those in the program. Your classmates are those in the field, which makes the discussions based on ‘real-world’ examples rather than on theory. I think this is the gold standard for professional development!”
Outgoing SEM-EP Evaluators 2024-2025
Dr. Sara Kelly, Vice President for Enrollment Management at SUNY Brockport
“As a graduate of the program, I found the evaluator feedback to be an essential part of my growth in crafting and executing a SEM plan. I also value the power of shared learning, and my experience as an evaluator taught me a great deal through the insights and perspectives of the students in the program. Enrollment management staff face significant pressure to meet ambitious targets and goals that are critical for an institution’s success. It’s crucial for leaders in this space to prioritize the well-being of their teams by actively supporting them, addressing burnout risks, and investing in their ongoing growth and development.”
Richard MacLeod, Director of Integrated Learning Environment Student Administration at Athabasca University
“I wanted to find a way to contribute back to the profession in a way that made sense for me. Assisting others during their SEM-EP experience was a great way for me to give back. I think that AI needs to be incorporated into the curriculum to keep pace with new student expectations. The pace of change of AI needs to be understood and adopted at post-secondary institutions to maintain relevance and to fulfill student expectations.”
Cross-Talk: Evaluators in Conversation
Now, the conversation turns between those stepping into the evaluator role and those wrapping up their term, each asking the other what it means to lead, reflect, and grow in this position.
Dr. Sara Kelly asks…
What was the most helpful piece of feedback that you received as part of the SEM-EP?
Laurel Rea: The most helpful feedback I received during the SEM-EP program came through the connections and shared resources from SEM-EP faculty and fellow learners. Whenever I shared examples from my campus, others would often follow up with relevant articles or share similar experiences from their institutions. These exchanges provided valuable insights and broadened my perspective on how to approach challenges more effectively.
Sam Matheny: All of it ... The feedback provided by the instructors and my classmates was very thoughtful and oftentimes included examples of their own professional experience. You truly felt like you were part of a team rather than an individual student. I very much appreciated the structure of the program with a variety of ways to relay the history of SEM, the current status of SEM, and a look into the future of SEM.
Richard MacLeod asks…
How do you feel AI will impact the SEM field, and should we be encouraging SEM practitioners to embrace its use?
Rea: AI has the potential to significantly impact SEM by enhancing our ability to analyze data, personalize outreach, and streamline processes. From predictive modeling for enrollment forecasting to AI-driven communications that engage prospective students more effectively, the possibilities are intriguing. That said, it's important that SEM practitioners approach AI thoughtfully. We should encourage its use, but also emphasize responsible implementation. AI should be a tool that supports, not replaces, the relationships and critical thinking that define effective enrollment strategy.
Matheny: Over the past few months, I have been using AI to find information and help solve complex problems. For example, for a work project, I had to find which numbers, among a few hundred numbers, could sum and equal a certain total number. Using AI, I produced the result within seconds! AI is an extraordinary tool that can resolve complicated questions and provide possible solutions to complex problems. SEM is both complicated and complex.
What is your best experience with using SEM at your institution?
Rea: My best experience using SEM at Washington State University, Vancouver has been aligning SEM with our Budget Office. By incorporating SEM best practices into enrollment planning and forecasting, we’ve established a framework to model ROI and build the case for strategic investments. This alignment has helped our campus gain support to take calculated risks on new enrollment initiatives.
Matheny: I focus more on the financial aid side of the house rather than the admissions side. Our goal has been to reduce the burden on students to complete the process of establishing their financial aid. This can help with both retention and recruitment. As a graduate/professional institution, we recently moved away from requesting parent information on the FAFSA for our institutional need-based scholarship program. We now rely on other information provided by the FAFSA. This has really helped speed up the process of students completing the financial aid process and enrolling and retaining students in their degree program.
Laurel Rea asks…
How has serving as a SEM-EP evaluator influenced your work on your campus?
Dr. Sara Kelly: Being a SEM-EP evaluator has provided insight into different ways that institutions are implementing SEM practices, keeping innovation and a focus on the future at the forefront.
Richard MacLeod: The evaluator role lets you get the pulse of what’s going on in the profession and to also see how other schools identify and respond to challenges. This informs my work as well by giving me insights and possible strategies and tactics that we may want to explore.
In what ways can SEM-EP help enrollment professionals navigate the rapidly changing higher education landscape?
Kelly: SEM-EP not only provides access to valuable training and educational resources, but it also provides access to a community of enrollment professionals who are all navigating the challenging enrollment landscape together.
MacLeod: The program brings a framework to our work while also directly addressing the big picture challenges around enrollment and overall budgets, and helps by underlining the basics and building on them. Stakeholder management and the goal/strategy/tactic paradigm are particularly useful in today’s environment.
Sam Matheny asks…
What have you found most fulfilling in your role as a SEM-EP evaluator?
Kelly: Supporting the development and the engagement of the next set of SEM leaders as they grow their skillsets and knowledge of SEM has been a rewarding experience.
MacLeod: I’ve enjoyed being able to interact with other professionals on their journey towards self-improvement.
What do you consider to be the most impactful aspects of the SEM-EP program?
Kelly: SEM-EP provides a helpful framework for enrollment professionals to build and/or enhance their short- and long-range SEM efforts. The program helps participants make their professional development a priority and increases focus on their institutional SEM planning for the year.
MacLeod: The most impactful aspects are wrapped up in each individual’s journey. The program provides enough challenges to bring you outside of your comfort zone, and this is where true learning begins.