Jennifer Yao

Collaborated with a diverse community of children, teachers, and administrators, emphasizing support for dyslexia, and other auditory processing challenges. Engaged in daily communication with faculty and staff to foster a cohesive, efficient team environment. Conducted extensive discussions with parents regarding the program, its legacy, and the unique advantages of a student-focused learning approach, guiding them through the enrollment process. Coordinated tours and facilitated testing for prospective students and their families. Led negotiations and initiated the implementation of a CRM system to enhance marketing and recruitment efforts. Additionally, provided support to the Head of School in various tasks.

• Collaborated with academic departments to align admission criteria with program goals.
• Managed admissions team, providing guidance and support for daily operations.

Implemented LineLeader Customer Relationship Management (CRM) within the first 60 days of working with Voyagers, including the creation of mailings, and reporting functions. Increased tour numbers threefold from April to May through targeted strategies and initiatives. Developed and maintained strong relationships with key stakeholders, including community partners and vendors. Leveraged local community connections to enhance brand awareness through events, giveaways, and localized advertising campaigns. Monitored and analyzed key performance metrics to track progress and identify areas for improvement.

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President of Marketing, I executed the launch of all Enrollment Management systems, processes, and communications for the inaugural class in Freeport, Grand Bahama, beginning January 2022. Managed the interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and training of the newly developed Enrollment Management team. Responsible for the recruitment and conversion of all incoming students, working closely with Financial Aid, the Registrar, and faculty to streamline the student process. Created a file review process through the Slate CRM system for application and document evaluation, collecting feedback from the Admissions Committee Chair and Admissions Committee faculty. Engaged with students and campus staff to successfully ensure a seamless transition on items such as immigration, housing, and financial completion.

• Oversight of new student enrollment resulted in a total increase of 140% during the first three semesters.
• Developed and produced statistical reports to analyze marketing and recruitment efforts within the CRM for distribution to leadership and the investment team.
• Implemented a process for application and document review by faculty members, expediting file decisions to an average of three days.

Managed the enhancement and optimization of the Slate CRM system, focusing on boosting international graduate enrollment from initial prospects to enrolled students. Developed and implemented automated email campaigns, queries, and reports to streamline communication processes and increase efficiency. Created comprehensive training guides and process maps to enhance the system's effectiveness for both faculty and staff.

Developed and executed short-term and long-term student recruitment strategies in collaboration with University Deans, the Vice President of Operations, and the Senior Director of Marketing to support enrollment goals. Oversaw all applicant services for approximately 10,000 yearly applicants, from inquiry to matriculation, including coordinating completed applications, interviews, and ensuring conversion from acceptance to enrollment. Spearheaded the development and implementation of student enrollment activities, including phone campaigns and admitted student connection events. Collaborated with the Director of Admissions to identify key markets to host recruitment events. Delivered presentations to prospective and accepted students to provide information on program offerings and requirements. I represented Admissions at all Admissions Committee meetings and participated in application decisions. Recruited, hired, and onboarded staff, and planned, assigned, and directed Admissions colleagues' work, including performance reviews and feedback for 14 staff members. Directed development and improvement of statistical reporting, and historical admissions and enrollment data. Oversaw data management in Salesforce and Banner, served as data owner, and created reports for the Dean, Vice Dean, and other leadership. Participated in admissions-related accreditation and audit processes for CAAM-HP and other accreditors, as required.

• Increased conversion of accepted students from an average of 45% to 55% within a 3-semester period by initiating a formalized communication plan. Re-trained staff to ensure students had personalized contact on a weekly basis. Introduced texting and electronic chat as primary forms of contact.
• Accelerated application to decision timeline from an average of 21 days to 14 days by overhauling the process to expedite applications, rather than waiting for documents to come in.
• Co-developed a new behavior-based interview program in collaboration with the Admissions Committee Chair. Crafted questions, and trained staff on new processes.

Managed the end-to-end application process for 40 graduate programs, 120 graduate certificates, and 20 PhD programs, overseeing an average of 6,000 applications for 1,500 incoming students. Developed comprehensive recruitment schedules to enhance brand recognition, both domestically and internationally, resulting in increased leads and submissions. Set departmental, school-wide, and university-wide targets for applications, acceptances, yield, and selectivity. Led a team of five staff members and ten student workers, overseeing their hiring and development. Successfully implemented the Slate CRM system for graduate admissions, ensuring smooth operations.

• Achieved a remarkable 30% increase in applications within one year by implementing an effective inquiry communication plan.
• Boosted graduate school enrollment by 4% while elevating program competitiveness through an improvement of 2 points in applicants' GRE scores, and raising the average GPA from 3.0 to 3.3.
• Collaborated with Deans and Associate Deans of each program to revamp the application review process, transitioning to a paperless system. This transformation resulted in a significant 40% reduction in errors during the review and decision-making stages.

Improved recruitment strategies, yield management, forecasting, and operational effectiveness through the development of statistical reports to track effectiveness. Created process maps to define and enhance business processes. I trained, supervised, and evaluated five admissions staff members. Collaborated with RUSM campus leaders to ensure a smooth transition for matriculated students.

Spearheaded the accepted student enrollment process, including oversight of the conversion team and development of admitted student collateral. Implemented new systems and software, including Salesforce CRM, to improve data management. Directed staff responsible for the conversion of accepted students to matriculation, and encouraged close monitoring of the student roster, ensuring frequent student contact. Reviewed email and phone conversations, and provided feedback and training to ensure a professional tone and proper etiquette.

• Cultivated relationships with accepted students, and followed up through phone, email, and online seminar offerings to meet conversion goals. Collaborated with the Information Technology Department to improve the management of student data. Oversaw the upgrade of the Student Information System (Ellucian Banner), including testing, training, and documentation.
• Additional experience as Project Management Coordinator, New Student Coordinator, and Admissions Coordinator at Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) & Veterinary Medicine, DeVry Education Group, Edison, NJ (2003-2005).