The VenturEd Solutions™ team braved the toasty Texas heat for this year’s edition of the Enrollment Management Association (EMA)’s annual conference. Themed “Embracing Change,” the conference offered private K-12 school administrators the opportunity to explore how to improve admissions and enrollment management through software, data, best practices, and human relationships.
Attendees gathered at the JW Marriott in Austin over September 16-20 to expand their leadership and management skills, learn strategies to grow enrollment, and create the best experience possible for every applying and enrolled family.
The conference coincided with the launch of the VenturEd Solutions Enrollment Suite, a seamless combination of Ravenna®, School and Student Services® (SSS), and TADS® to provide unified support across admissions, financial aid, and tuition management. The result is a cohesive ecosystem that streamlines operations, accelerates decision-making, and helps schools and families make confident, mission-aligned decisions.
For those who couldn’t make the conference, or missed our booth, we’ll recap what you missed.
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Leading the Pack
As the Lead Sponsor, VenturEd Solutions offered a number of opportunities for attendees to learn, network, and ask questions to get the most out of our admissions, enrollment, tuition management, and financial aid solutions.
“I always look forward to attending EMA and connecting with admissions and enrollment teams from across the country,” said Hank Sadler, Senior Customer Account Manager at VenturEd. “The opportunity to collaborate and learn from this group of leaders allows us to align our product goals and company mission to schools’ immediate challenges.”
The team kicked off with a short address before the first keynote session from Phil Charland, General Manager at VenturEd Solutions. Discussing the importance admissions, enrollment, finance, and financial aid teams all play in fulfilling school missions, Charland expressed the advantages the Enrollment Suite can provide schools.
“By launching at EMA, we’re connecting with the very people who will benefit most from these tools,” said Charland. “We look forward to showing school leaders how this type of unified platform can save time, improve family engagement, and help schools focus on their mission.”
Next up, VenturEd’s own Sam Rosenfeld, Senior Director of Solution Strategy & Partnerships, led a panel of enrollment directors to discuss ways to process financial aid applications in a quicker, more reliable manner.
Session Title: Accelerating Financial Aid Processing
Panelists included:
- Sam Rosenfeld, Senior Director of Solution Strategy & Partnerships, VenturEd Solutions
- Louise Thompson, Director of Enrollment Management, Lake Hill Preparatory School
- Amy deBorst, Director of Financial Aid, Greenhill School
- Cyndi Lewis, Director of Enrollment Management, The Hockaday School
Faster financial aid decisions mean stronger enrollment outcomes. Panelists discussed how schools are using real-time financial data and automated tools to verify income more quickly, reduce manual work, and improve the family experience.
This panel explored how admission and financial aid teams can align around efficient, transparent application workflows. Attendees also heard firsthand how faster awarding timelines can strengthen family trust and support enrollment goals.
“I was thrilled to join three exceptional panelists at this year’s EMA in Austin, all of whom brought significant thought leadership and experience to the topic of accelerating financial aid,” said Rosenfeld. “Maintaining consistency, ensuring equity, and putting families first is always top of mind for Louise, Amy, and Cyndi. Their schools are very lucky to have them on their teams, just as we at VenturEd are to get to work with them!”
EMA Connection Hub
As a new event for the EMA conference, the Connection Hub featured hundreds of attendees engaging in rapid “microsessions” with vendors and schools. VenturEd led talks on how we are bringing transparency to parents about affording private school.
Attendees learned how to position affordability as a strategic advantage to boost family confidence, increase applications, and ultimately grow enrollment.
VIP Party at Fareground
Wednesday night, VenturEd hosted an employee and customer event at Fareground food hall. Much of the company leadership attended and networked over tacos, shawarma, sushi, and more delicious dishes.
“We had such an expansive presence this year at EMA, and we were excited to connect with schools and share how the Enrollment Suite can drive efficiency, fairness, and growth in admissions,” said Christi Reece, Sales Director at VenturEd.
Highlights From the Rest of EMA
We weren’t the only ones at EMA. Attendees went to more than 150 sessions, meals, and even a 5k run and walk. Even as VenturEd Solutions’ admissions and enrollment management software provided a focal point, more great moments took place.
Thursday Opening Keynote Speaker: Mike Flanagan, CEO, EMA
As the former CEO of Mastery Transcript Consortium and the School and Student Services (SSS) within NAIS, Mike inspired attendees with the story of his career journey and his vision for the future of EMA.
Thursday Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Dr. David Yeager, Author & Psychology Professor, The University of Texas at Austin
Drawing from his bestselling book, 10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People, acclaimed developmental psychologist David Yeager shared strategies for helping young people develop a growth mindset and become independent, accomplished adults.
Friday Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bertice Berry, Sociologist, Author, Educator
Internationally renowned sociologist Bertice Berry delivered an inspiring address, encouraging audiences to embrace personal growth, resilience, and the power of purpose-driven living.
“As schools try to best understand today’s students and their families, EMA always provides such an excellent opportunity to connect and learn from each other,” said Jill McGarrity, Senior Customer Success Manager at VenturEd.
More Than a Sponsor: The Ravenna + EMA Impact
Through Ravenna, VenturEd provides admissions and enrollment management software to schools of all missions and sizes. With easy integration to the EMA Standard Application Online (SAO), recruiting has never been easier. Through this partnership, your school has access to centralized data, saves time, and reduces errors.
Speaking of partnerships, VenturEd Solutions recently unveiled its powerful Enrollment Suite, combining the forces of three solutions to completely cover recruiting, admissions, enrollment, tuition management, and financial aid.
