Ep. 14: The Curious Case of the VPEM

On this episode of Breaking Silos, we’re bringing a popular NAGAP Summit session to your earbuds. I sat down with Francesca Reed, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Neumann University, and Keith Ramsdell, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing at Ashland University, to discuss an ever-evolving and often misunderstood role in higher ed: The Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing (VPEM). Hear from these two industry experts about their roles overseeing marketing and enrollment, why the position is so valuable, and what collaboration is required to succeed.We’ll discuss the challenges and future outlook of these roles from Fran and Keith's perspectives and discuss what young marketers and enrollment professionals can do to be successful in them. Guest Names: Fran Reed, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing, Neumann UniversityKeith Ramsdell, Vice President for Enrollment Management, Ashland UniversityGuest Socials: Find Keith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-ramsdell-06784945/Find Fran on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesca-reed-6770b355/Guest Bios: Francesca Reed - Ms. Francesca Reed, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing. Fran Reed has held the position of Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing since January 2020 at Neumann University where she oversees Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, admissions operations, Financial Aid, Neumann Media, and Marketing and Communications. Before coming to Neumann University, she held multiple positions in enrollment management spanning over 20 years. Her career has included positions as Assistant Director of Summer Sessions and Adult Ed at the Catholic University of America, Coordinator of Graduate Enrollment, Director of Graduate Enrollment Services, and her last position as Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Marymount University. Francesca has presented at numerous conferences and has been identified as an expert particularly within graduate enrollment. She received the prestigious Distinguished Service Award in 2019 from The National Association of Graduate Enrollment Management (NAGAP)and has served the NAGAP Board in a variety of positions as Conference Chair, Marketing, and Education Chair and now serves as the Vice President for the Association.  She holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland and an M.A. in Forensic Psychology from Marymount University.Keith Ramsdell - Keith Ramsdell has over 25 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education and enrollment management, with nearly 15 years focused exclusively on graduate enrollment.He currently serves as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Ashland University in Ohio where he provides strategic leadership and vision for undergraduate, graduate, international and online admissions, enrollment operations, financial aid, military and veterans services, homeschool and classical learning initiatives.Keith has been a member of NAGAP since 2006. Over the years he has chaired the Professional Development, Bylaws, and Awards Committees. He has served as Vice President and President of the Association, and is currently chair of the External Relations and Partnerships Committee and a member of the NAGAP Experts Bureau.He was the recipient of the association’s 2022 Distinguished Service Award. He has presented at national conferences and consulted on topics including data-informed decision making, CRM selection and implementation,