Mindy Hapeman Rose '97
Saratoga Springs,NY
Summary
Astute educational leader and proven culture builder with a demonstrated strategic planner of diverse, engaging, and mission aligned programming. Well versed in collaborating with teams to positively impact stakeholders understanding of community. Experienced optimizer of cost and operations. Joyful builder of positive relationships across constituencies to underpin sustainable policies. Natural leader and analytical problem-solver with authentic and engaging communication style. Skidmore born and bred.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Assoc Dir Admissions/Coor Diversity Initiatives
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
11.2022 - Current
- Lead a team of five in supporting and advancing Skidmore’s commitment to educational access and diversity
- Conduct listening sessions to understand College's opportunities and challenges around recruiting underrepresented students who align with Skidmore's values
- Manage delivery of Skidmore’s spring Discovery Tour for admitted students from underrepresented backgrounds, last year yielding 54% of those who attended, converting 46% who were undecided
- Reimagined fall program to create a more positive, student centered visit experience, branding it See More Skidmore, increasing participation by 26%
- Develop, foster, and oversee partnerships with community based organizations, high school counselors, campus partners, and alumni
- Assist College in understanding the potential impact of Supreme Court ruling on Affirmative Action on recruitment strategies
- Served on cross-functional Committee on Intercultural and Global Understanding subcommittee, advising Cabinet committees on factors within the campus climate that may serve as obstacles to retention, student success, and wellbeing
- Counsel applicants and families on Skidmore's admission process, academic policies, and financial aid options, and review applications; read and make recommendations on domestic and international applications
Director of College Counseling
Marin Academy
San Rafael, CA
06.2022 - 10.2023
- Set and executed program's strategic direction, building out programs and events to support mission of the School
- Grounding efforts in data and best practices, rebuilt the office culture so that stakeholders see the college counseling process as an extension of Academy's core values
- Served as expert voice on admission & higher education for parents, students, alumni, high school leadership team, and Board of Trustees
- Evaluated and responded to community needs by revamping college counseling education series, resulting in a 25% increase in engagement levels; surveyed stakeholders to assess needs, diversified programming, adjusted session times, moved some content online, and increased Spanish language translation and opportunities for first generation families
- Served as a mentor for new employees by providing training and guidance on best practices on how to effectively counsel students through the entire application process
- Executed events throughout the year connecting prospective college applicants with students attended various universities across the country
- Worked with Communications team to develop engaging social media use and web presence to support office objectives
- Remained engaged with a network of contacts within the educational community including college admissions officers, financial aid counselors, and related professionals.
Director of College Counseling
Shanghai American School Pudong
Shanghai, China
07.2017 - 06.2021
- As inaugural Director of College of Counseling, worked closely with the Head of School as part of the leadership team to steer culture change around college counseling
- Served as SAS's voice to colleges and universities, developing college profile, web content, and letter of recommendation template, traveling widely to colleges and conferences to develop reputation of this large and diverse school
- Developed alumni engagement strategy to educate current students about university pathways and to develop a culture of philanthropy towards SAS
- Partnered with Marketing Director to deliver ethical and healthy messaging on college counseling, resulting in consistent, clear, and quality social media, web, and communications campaigns
- PR efforts resulted in a 10%+ increase in student enrollment
- Supported the professional growth and development of team members; established performance goals linked to school mission, delegated tasks based on office needs and individual skillsets, provided consistent feedback, and encouraged professional development
- Delivered high impact Board reports with deep dives into data to demonstrate severe limitations of community’s narrow focus on a few institutions, and what an expanding view would look like for student success
- Co-founded the Shanghai Forum for College Counselors, providing access to high quality professional development to local Chinese college counselors
- Planned, executed, and delivered a retreat symposium on college admission and transition featuring experts from university systems across the globe including the U.S., Canada, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Europe, and Australia, as well as mindfulness expert
- Prepared and presented a wide of range of detailed talks on college admission, curriculum, financial aid, essays, workforce, majors
- Planned, administered and controlled budgets to maintain accurate financial records and produce financial reports
Director of College Counseling
Peddie School
Hightstown, NJ
05.2016 - 06.2017
- Provided direct leadership and oversight of the college counseling program, including a team of three direct reports
- Planned, forecast, and managed a budget of $23K, and devised strategies to reduce expenses by 5%
- Audited the efficacy of the existing program and implemented changes to software, operational practices, educational programming, and behaviors impacting well-being, leading to an improvement in quality and a more cohesive experience
- Hired, onboarded, and trained three college counselors, optimizing performance and consistency in understanding the college admission landscape, financial aid, data and college counseling, merit-based scholarships, and how to provide affordable educational access to a diverse population of students
- Evaluated team resources to optimize organizational structure and design, reduce costs, and streamline processes
Associate Director of College Counseling
The Lawrenceville School
Lawrenceville, NJ
06.2006 - 06.2016
- Worked in a team of seven to empower students to understand and overcome personal, social, or behavioral challenges affecting educational objectives through counseling and skill-building exercises
- Engaged in the full life of a boarding school where more than half the students identified as American students of color
- Scaled Lawrenceville’s Davis Scholars Program by providing advice and guidance to funded students from around the world, partnering with Student Services and Financial Aid offices, resulting in streamlined and universal scholar support for increased retention
- Founded the Davis Scholars consortium, enabling alignment and sharing of best practices with participating boarding schools
- Designed and moderated the annual Explore Lawrenceville program for 20 – 50 college admission access-oriented professionals, focusing on discussions around best practices and access
Assist Dir Admission, Multicultural Recruitment
University of Richmond
Richmond, VA
05.2000 - 05.2006
- Managed the recruitment, application evaluation, and committee advocacy for assigned territory, resulting in promotion to the University’s first regionally-based Admission Officer
- Helped conceive and execute overnight visit program for students of color, improving yield of first generation and low-income applicants by 10%, and identified underutilized recruitment areas, including within Richmond and Virginia
- Sat on Recruitment Publications team, writing all letters for VP, and working on marketing, recruitment publications, and web integration
Education
MA -
College of William And Mary
05.2000
BA -
Skidmore College
05.1997
Skills
- Strategic Program Planning
- Communication Management
- Community Relations
- Leadership Through Transition
- Data-informed Decision Making
- Expert on Higher Education Landscape
- Networked across Higher Education
- High Cultural Competency
- Fast Learner
- Budget Control
- Cooperative Team Management
- Public Speaking
- Trends Analysis
- Project & Event Management
- Writing & Editing
- Process Improvement
- Strategy Development
- Survey Creation
Trainings & Professional Development
- Leadership & Management
- Backwards Design/Design Thinking
- Leading Effective Meetings
- Macro and Micro Strategic Planning
- DEI, Anti-bias, and Social Emotional Learning Trainings
- Impactful Communication
- Skidmore Admissions Procedures & Protocols
- Mindfulness
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Assoc Dir Admissions/Coor Diversity Initiatives
Skidmore College
11.2022 - Current
Director of College Counseling
Marin Academy
06.2022 - 10.2023
Director of College Counseling
Shanghai American School Pudong
07.2017 - 06.2021
Director of College Counseling
Peddie School
05.2016 - 06.2017
Associate Director of College Counseling
The Lawrenceville School
06.2006 - 06.2016
Assist Dir Admission, Multicultural Recruitment
University of Richmond
05.2000 - 05.2006
MA -
College of William And Mary
BA -
Skidmore College
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