The behavior of leaders in any organization is learned and passed down from team to team. With 89% of managers having no formal leadership training, today’s episode is an important conversation on learning what being a good leader looks like. Elaine Gosden, CEO of Blue Gnu Consulting, joins me from England to discuss leadership development and crea…

The worst time to plan a response to a crisis is in the middle of a crisis. My guest on the show today is Stephanie Craig, the president of crisis management firm, Kith. In this episode, we talk about the importance of planning for a crisis ahead of time and how to practice the plan so that it’s not forgotten when it’s needed. Stephanie stresses th…

“How do I apply for financial aid?”, “When does the fall semester start?”, “Where can I change my class schedule?” Starting college comes with many questions. Our guest for this episode, Nick Martin, has developed a way for AI to help engage with prospective students while improving the experience of existing ones. Nick is the Co-Founder of Direqt,…

Today, I sit down with Beth Noel, a communicator dedicated to accessibility and inclusive design in higher education. Beth shares her journey into this field, which may have started with a challenge posed by an Office of Civil Rights letter regarding inaccessible PDFs. Still, it has resulted in a newfound commitment to diversity, equity, and belong…

In today's episode of Higher Ed Conversations, I talk with Christine Rose, the Regional Senior Marketing Director at Outfront, about the dynamic world of out-of-home (OOH) media. Christine shares her expertise in developing and executing marketing strategies across ten markets in the West region. Our conversation covers the tangible impact of OOH m…

On this Higher Ed Conversations episode, I host a conversation with an Al expert and, more impressively, my sister-in-law, Suzi Boynton! Suzi is the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and Board of Trustees for the San Marcos Unified School District, where she utilizes the tool of Al in her day-to-day work for the school system. In our conver…

In this episode, Keith Goodman, a direct mail marketing expert, discusses the resurgence of direct mail marketing across various industries, especially in education. Keith highlights direct mail's targeted approach, allowing for personalized messaging to different audiences, a significant advantage over digital ads' broad reach. He explains how dir…

Today, on Higher Ed Conversations, I embark on my first solo episode! And with a very good reason –I've just released my first ebook, "Why Your Community CollegeMarketing is Failing: Lessons From Online Dating," which has already hit number one in several online categories! So, I'm here to dive into the book's three themes and how they've helped hu…

Many students cannot enroll in a two to four-year collegiate program, but they still desire access to professional skills that will allow them to obtain higher-earning jobs. This episode of Higher Ed Conversations features Linda Kurokawa, the Executive Director of Community Education & Workforce Development at MiraCosta College. Linda highlights th…

As higher education continues to evolve and expand, the presidency of its institutions has become an ever-increasing, ever-taxing role. It's this issue that this month's guest, Jeff Julian, current Chief of Staff at Harper College and President of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations, shares his insights on this role. With an exten…

It's undeniable that social media has transformed into an essential platform for both cultivating a presence and nurturing community bonds and connections. With the embrace of platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for interaction and staying informed, organizations and businesses are compelled to have a stake in social media platforms to b…

Balancing children and a career may seem unachievable, but Letitia Clark, a seasoned Chief Communications Officer, elected official, and author, unveils the secrets to harmonizing professional life and motherhood. From her dynamic career path to her role on the Tustin City Council, Letitia delves into the intricacies of being a mother while excelli…

In this month's episode, we sit down for a fascinating conversation with Jeff Bunch, a seasoned professional with a diverse background in journalism, marketing, and higher education. From being a storyteller at a young age to his pivotal role in managing the digital presence of Gonzaga University's basketball team, his journey and insights on integ…

What's the best way to find a vendor vetted by other higher education organizations? Jeff Dillon, a former higher education professional turned entrepreneur, joins us on Higher Education Conversations to help answer that question. Jeff shares his journey from working in higher ed for over two decades to founding EdTech Connect, a crowd-sourced tech…

"Be a resource, not just a request, and then build a relationship." says our guest, Mark Bayer, on connecting with elected officials and press members. Mark is an international keynote speaker, consultant, former Chief of Staff, and podcast host. His podcast, "When Science Speaks," aims to help scientists, engineers, and executives communicate thei…

In this episode, I sit down with Brian Piper, a digital and content marketing expert who shares his transformative journey and explains how to leverage content marketing effectively. Brian emphasizes that content marketing is a strategy to cultivate lasting relationships with your audience rather than a quick sales pitch. We dive into the pivotal r…

In this episode of Higher Education Coffee and Conversation, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Kyle Dalpe, the president of Western Nevada College. With a fascinating background as a journalist, chief of staff, and vice president of instruction at various community colleges, Dr. Dalpe brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. We delve into t…

On this episode of Higher Education Coffee and Conversation, I am thrilled to have a close friend and esteemed colleague as my guest, Dr. Mark Browning. Currently serving as the CEO and President at Blue Mountain Community College in Oregon, Mark brings a wealth of experience to the table. Before taking on his current role, Mark made significant co…

We have an incredibly exciting guest on this episode of the podcast: Alex Wedderburn, a senior leader at Hootsuite, shares his expertise on this indispensable platform for social media management. For those unfamiliar, Hootsuite is our go-to tool at GradComm for efficiently managing and measuring the impact of our clients' social media accounts. Th…

It’s an advice-packed episode as Lisa Takami joins me to discuss her new book , Women in the Higher Education C-Suite: Diverse Executive Profiles. Lisa has helped organizations, both private and public, to build brand messaging by leveraging partnerships that foster learner and organizational success. Her book is such a valuable resource for both w…

It’s an exciting episode of Higher Ed Coffee and Conversation as we welcome our first-ever College President on the podcast! Dr. Annebelle Nery is the President of Santa Ana College, where her strategic marketing approach has had an extremely impactful result. In our conversation, we’ll learn how Dr. Nery has used a data-based approach to marketing…

Sometimes the most exciting opportunities can happen when you least expect them…and my guest today can certainly attest to that notion! Emily Zimmer, Marketing & Events Coordinator for DCTC, was enjoying her Thanksgiving when she found out that the President of the United States would be visiting Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) to promote th…

In today’s world where seemingly everything has gone digital, the concept of a printed class schedule may sound like a relic of the past. However, my guests today are here to debunk this myth through the lens of a project we did right here at GradComm with our partners at North Orange Continuing Education (NOCE). Here to discuss the project is Jenn…

On this special episode of the podcast, I am joined by some of our amazing GradComm team members for a 2022 Year-in-Review. I’ll speak to one of our Client Service Managers, Rocco, to learn what Mechatronics is and how our team utilized it to get impactful results for one of our clients. Then I’ll catch up with our Creative Director, Michael, to he…

Episode 31: Media buying is a scary term for a lot of us, myself included! That’s why we are extremely lucky to be joined by my guest Chuck Fetterly, who is an expert in all things media buying, to help us better understand this very important aspect of many marketing plans. Chuck has spent the last two decades running and growing TEC Direct Media,…

Episode 30: What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question we’ve all answered when we were young, but how many of us really knew what all of the options were back then? The department of labor claims there are about 950 jobs that exist, some of them far beyond the imagination of a 5 year old. My guest today, Dr. Kevin Fleming, is on a mis…

Episode 29: David Ogul is my guest on this episode of Higher Education Coffee & Conversation, an extremely talented award-winning writer and editor who I have been lucky enough to work with for the better part of 17 years. David started his career as a freelance reporter working for organizations like the LA Times and Baltimore Sun. Our relationshi…

Episode 28: Award-winning children's author, produced screenwriter, and Graduate Communications' very own Sr. Communications Strategist are just some of the hats that Dr. Michael Mahin wears. On this episode of Higher Education Coffee & Conversation, Dr. Mahin and I address some of the important questions surrounding how we can do a better job as c…

Episode 27: Theft, embezzlement, cyber attacks - oh my! In this episode of Higher Education Coffee & Conversation we’re talking about the many different types of crises that can arise at any school, at any moment. But don’t panic! My guest today, Scott Summerfield, Principal of SAE Communications and crisis communication expert is going to share hi…

Episode 26: We’re going meta this time with a podcast episode all about podcasting! When Lauren Milbourne and Christopher McGuinness were challenged with creating a podcast for the president of Allan Hancock College, they undertook important strategy and planning work before executing their vision. This approach resulted in a lot of success for the…

Episode 25: If your school is thinking about launching an app, or already has one and you want to make sure it is designed to be effective, you won’t want to miss my super informative conversation with Niall Adler, Director of Marketing at Mission College in Santa Clara, California. Niall led a nine-month process to build an app that has proven to …

Episode 24: The volatile mix of alumni pride and shifting cultural sensitivities makes changing mascots a thorny challenge for schools and their communities. My guest on this episode, Jennie McCue, lived through each tricky step of that process recently as Director of Marketing and Communications at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. …

Episode 23: Brad Phillips is a numbers guy, but he’s the first to tell you they won’t help you persuade your audience unless you use them the right way. “In the end human beings don’t remember numbers. They remember how they feel. So, it’s really important that you pick just a couple of key data points and focus on telling a story using the data.” …

Episode 22: If digital marketing is an essential piece of your student recruitment strategy but you aren’t sure what NAP, EAT, PPC or SEM stand for, you’ll want to listen carefully to my guest today who has great tips to make sure you are optimizing the impact of this approach. Chris Barton is the Chief Product Officer at Gannet USA, and has run co…

Episode 21: “Websites which try to be everything to everybody may end up being nothing to nobody.” That’s just one of the many great insights learned in the trenches of higher ed communications by today’s guest Karen Norton, executive director of Integrated Marketing and Communications at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. Karen’s deep experi…

Episode 1: Hundreds of community colleges across the nation have committed to the Guided Pathways approach to boost completion rates and student success, but there are various challenges to building a program and keeping stakeholders on board. In this episode, I’m so happy to bring you a wisdom drop from Renee Craig-Marius, formerly the vice presid…

Episode 19: One of the most valuable projects I’ve done involved hiring “secret shoppers” to pose as students so they could check out colleges known for their marketing prowess and learn what they do so well. On this special episode of Higher Education Coffee & Conversation, you’ll listen-in to a webinar presentation I recently did with Tony Teng, …

Episode 18: Today I talk to actor, producer, writer and director Andres Orozco who has taught Screen Arts and Communications at Pepperdine University for 20 years. Andres is also the co-founder and co-owner of the award-winning production company Novelas Educativas, which creates culturally-relevant digital content across all platforms. We talk abo…

Episode 17: “I was born to do public relations,” says my guest Nancy Marshall, and being an admirer of her work for many years, I’d have to agree. Running her own successful marketing and PR agency for three decades is pretty good proof, too. As you’ll hear in this episode, Nancy is a natural communicator with an infectious positivity, so it’s easy…

Episode 16: To celebrate the one-year anniversary of Graduate Communications becoming an agency, I thought it would be fun to interview some of my team members about their most interesting, challenging and rewarding projects and have them share lessons learned with you. From strategic use of Tik Tok to managing major media buys, there are lots of u…

Episode 15: You have what you think is a great story: a first-generation student dreams of getting a college education, gets into your school, works hard and graduates. But to master storyteller and former Hollywood writer Andy Goodman, the reaction from the audience is likely to be ‘who cares?’ “What makes stories interesting are the things that s…

Episode 14: Want your voice to be heard by senior leadersat your institution? Power Minds CEO Margo Turner says the best approach is to think about the issue from their perspective and learn how what you are advocating fits in with what they need to accomplish for the organization. The self-described serial entrepreneur believes the same shift in p…

Episode 13: I don’t know about you, but one of the things I’ve missed most during the pandemic is going to sports events. Whether it’s cheering on my son and his teammatesor attending a pro sports game, I feel a real sense of excitement and community that’s hard to find elsewhere. Colleges and their surrounding communities have felt this loss as we…

Episode 12: If you’re one of the many people who would rather avoid confronting someone with criticism or bad news, then you need to check out this episode of Higher Ed Coffee and Conversation featuring acclaimed speaker and author Sarita Maybin. A former college administrator, Sarita has shared her wisdom about the power of positivity and how to m…

Episode 11: This month’s Higher Education Coffee and Conversation podcast features Aubrey Kuan Roderick, who first came to the U.S. as an international student and now is the program manager for International students at College of San Mateo. She speaks about recruiting to an unknown community college system and how COVID has impacted community col…

Episode 10: This Episode of Higher Ed Coffee and Conversation features two special guests, Dr. Nora Kenney, coordinator of Palmor College's Transition Program and Santos Rosado, a student who paroled in March of 2020. Transitions is a "Corrections to College" Program that helps previously incarcerated individuals adjust to a college campus and succ…

Episode 9: Dr. Dilcie Perez has led her college's implementation of amazing student support services and programs, including the Village, which provides safe and secure housing and support services to students who face housing insecurity. Her work at Cerritos College has focused on serving students with dignity and respect and has resulted in equit…

Episode 8: Mark Evilsizer has served as a community college trustee for nearly 20 years. He meets all the ideal requirements of being a trustee: dedication to education and community service, a desire to improve the community he lives in, an optimistic and servant leader attitude, and a true passion for community colleges. In this episode, we discu…

Episode 7: “Historically, higher education institutions have viewed students through a simple lens - traditional students enrolling in college straight out of high school or older students entering later in life. The simple truth is that students are changing, and colleges must also change to serve and market better." These true words were written …

Episode 6: When Creative Director Alex Karvounis set out to build an alumni association for his community college, little did he know that It would blossom to one of the largest campus groups...growing from one founding member to more than 1,000 In just six months. In this episode, Alex walks through how the alumni association became such a success…