Our team just returned from this year’s Enrollment Management Association (EMA) event in Boston. The EMA continues to provide valuable enrollment, admissions, and K-12 private school insight through its annual conference, and our team was grateful to meet so many dedicated enrollment and admissions professionals.
This year’s conference theme “Elevating Enrollment” offered all conference goers the opportunity to expand their leadership and management skills, learn from one another in-person, collaborate on new enrollment strategies, and celebrate accomplishments – all while envisioning an exciting future ahead as private school enrollment continues to grow.
Education Brands was a Diamond Sponsor again at this year’s sold-out event, and our team held a private VIP event on Wednesday evening. The team and guests enjoyed a sunset cruise on the Boston Belle with dinner, drinks, and a wandering magician.
Insights in Action: Education Brands’ Panel Discussions
Our team was grateful for the opportunity to be with over 1,600 professionals at the event and to meet with schools utilizing our Admissions, Enrollment, Tuition, and Financial Aid solutions to support the creation of more diverse and equitable campuses worldwide.
“EMA is the opportunity to understand how our customers are thinking and planning for their next Admissions and Enrollment season and how we can help elevate their mission by getting to the core of what they need to be successful,” said Becca Mendoza, Sr. Director of Marketing at Education Brands. “Getting to engage with our customers face-to-face and leverage our collaborative partnership with our SAO integration continues to drive our passion to innovation.”
Education Brands also hosted two insightful panels addressing the evolving societal and legal challenges following the recent Supreme Court ruling on race in admissions, and how these could potentially impact private K-12 enrollment including:
Strategic Evolution: Tackling K-12 Admissions in the Wake of Supreme Court Changes
Speakers:
Sam Rosenfeld, Director of Solution Strategy, Education Brands
Sunaina Khanna, Director of Product Management, Enrollment Management Association
Melinda DeMaria, Head of Enrollment Management, The Lovett School
Vanessa C. Prescott, Director of Enrollment Management, Berkeley Carroll School
Cheryl Schenk, Director of Enrollment Management, Eastside Preparatory School
The first panel, which Education Brands co-hosted with three school partners and the product team from SAO, focused on the direct implications of the Supreme Court ruling. The session sparked engaging Q&A discussions on topics such as conducting student interviews, involving teachers in the process, and preparing for state-level legal changes that may affect DEI initiatives in enrollment.
Navigating the Shifting Legal Landscape in School Admissions
Speakers:
Becca Mendoza, Sr. Director of Marketing, Education Brands
David Lazo, Director of Enrollment Management, Bentley School
David Lazo led an engaging discussion on how to navigate the legal landscape during admissions and enrollment season, especially when it comes to reporting and recruiting. Considerably timely amid the Supreme Court’s decision last year to limit DEIJ in the university space, attendees gained valuable insights into how they can future-proof recruitment efforts.
Our session got so full that it became standing room only. Attendees shared how they are working with their legal teams to address issues that can have far-reaching impact, such as how they create objective application notes and what to say during committee reviews.
Keynotes and Our Conference Takeaways
The conference also featured experts from across all forms of K-12 private education. The featured keynote speakers spoke on how schools can best use admissions to further their ultimate goal – improving the education and lives of students. Here are just a few of the standout speakers:
Wednesday Opening Keynote Speaker: Joseph E. Aoun, President, Northeastern University
A renowned linguistics scholar, Aoun spoke on how to meet the challenges of artificial intelligence in the higher education space.
Wednesday Afternoon Keynote Speaker: Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative
With an admirable legal career that features over 140 exonerations for innocent death row prisoners and assisting others mistreated by the criminal justice system, Stevenson issued an inspired address that called on attendees to selflessly make a positive impact on students’ lives.
Friday Closing Keynote Speaker: Joy St. John, Director of Admissions, Harvard College
In her talk, St. John discussed issues that continue to challenge access and diversity in college admissions and higher education.
EMA has the largest and most comprehensive independent school enrollment management conference in the world. It offers professionals at every level in their careers and from a variety of diverse backgrounds the ability to tailor the conference program to meet their unique needs.
Touching on the importance of the conference, Jill McGarrity, Senior Customer Success at Education Brands noted, “The EMA conference is always such an important time for schools to come together and collaborate to make admissions more accessible, fair, and diverse. This is an opportunity for independent schools to build long-term growth strategies.”
“Overall, the conference provided a valuable opportunity for Education Brands to connect with schools using our solutions in innovative ways and to engage with the broader community around enhancing diversity and inclusivity in student enrollment,” said Sam Rosenfeld, Director of Solution Strategy at Education Brands.
That’s a wrap from EMA AC24! We hope to see you next year in Austin, Texas for EMA AC25!
Did you know Ravenna Admit and the EMA Standard Application Online (SAO) have an enrollment management integration? Through this partnership, your school can centralize data, save time, reduce errors, and more!
See how you can streamline the K-12 application process in private and independent schools by downloading our integration guide.
