Emerging Leaders Academy

The Emerging Leaders Academy (ELA) is a 10-12 month professional experience providing leadership development for a high potential group of aspiring and emerging Enrollment Management team members. The course is designed to develop participant awareness and focus on the strategic and high-level characteristics of leaders, enrollment management, and higher education administration, and to foster a pipeline of managerial and leadership talent within DEM to enable succession and organizational growth.

Core curriculum incorporates best practices and industry standards around nationally recognized leadership characteristics aligned with the DEM Team Agreements and around Our Common Ground values. Selected publications on leadership, organizational design, high performance, enrollment management and the functions within, and higher education administration are assigned at selected intervals throughout the program. These constructs are blended with experiential and self-exploration activities that enable participants to identify individual leadership capabilities within the frameworks defined for Enrollment Management.

Monthly sessions are facilitated by an external presenter and/or University leadership experts sharing their knowledge and expertise in an interactive problem based learning environment.

Examples of Past ELA Sessions

  • Higher Ed Administration and Strategic Planning - UVM President, Provost, and Dean of College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
  • Human Resource Administration - Chris Lehman, Chief Human Resources Officer
  • Management vs Leadership - Tony Sarda, Sarda Consulting
  • Building Positive Campus Partners - Kristi Wold-McCormick, Assistant Vice Provost and University Registrar at University of Colorado Boulder

2024/2025 ELA Topics

  • Management vs. Leadership
  • Building Positive Campus Partnerships
  • Building Your Personal Brand
  • University Administration
  • Human Resources Management 
  • Higher Ed. Finance
  • Research Administration
  • College Athletics

2023-2024 ELA Graduates

  • Sam Spanierman, Scholarships and Systems Coordinator (Student Financial Services)
  • Jan Hinnes, Assistant Director of Customer Service (Student Financial Services)
  • Joey Catania, Assistant Director of Compliance (Student Financial Services)
  • Lauren Krueger, Assistant Director of Admissions (Undergraduate Admissions)
  • Kyla McClanahan, Assistant Director of Admissions (Undergraduate Admissions)
  • Brooke Willett, Senior Admissions Counselor (Undergraduate Admissions)
  • Liz Hamlin-Volz, Associate Coordinator of Alumni Recruitment (Undergraduate Admissions)
  • Rachel Peck, Residency Officer and Student Veteran Specialist (Office of the Registrar)
  • Hannah Page, Transfer Evaluator (Office of the Registrar)
  • Lucie Srostlik, Process Coordinator (Office of the Registrar)
  • Celia Senerman, Assistant Director (Orientation and Student Advancement)
The group of ELA graduates

2024-2025 ELA Timeline

  • 5/28 – nominations open
  • 6/14 – nominations close
  • 6/28 – 2024/2025 cohort announced