Toni Thornton
Stafford,VA
Summary
Strategic and student-focused admissions and engagement leader with 15+ years of progressive experience in higher education. Demonstrated success in graduate admissions, employability programming, alumni engagement, and staff leadership. Strong background in managing enrollment pipelines, employer partnerships, and scholarship administration. Effective communicator and data-informed decision maker with experience using Slate and CRM systems. Passionate about enhancing student access, outcomes, and success through innovative recruitment and yield strategies.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Campus Director
Strayer University
Arlington & Alexandria, VA
08.2023 - 11.2024
- Oversaw operations and enrollment strategy for a high-volume campus serving adult learners and graduate students.
- Led admissions, career services, and student support teams to exceed enrollment and retention goals.
- Championed local outreach, employer partnerships, and workforce development initiatives that improved student career outcomes.
- Implemented campus-level employability programming including resume workshops, mock interviews, and job fairs in collaboration with employers and alumni.
- Ensured compliance with institutional, state, and federal policies and managed campus budget and reporting functions.
Senior Manager, Alumni Engagement and Relations
Strayer University
Remote
01.2023 - 08.2023
- Developed and implemented a strategic alumni engagement plan aligned with enrollment, career, and institutional advancement goals.
- Built alumni ambassador program to support recruitment and mentoring for graduate students.
- Fostered lifelong connections with graduates and showcased career success to prospective and current students.
- Collaborated with external vendors to negotiate contracts that met company requirements while minimizing costs.
- Established effective communication channels between different departments within the organization.
- Coordinated with marketing to develop branding and promotional strategies.
- Coordinated with IT department to implement new technologies and systems enhancements.
Senior Manager, Employability
Strategic Education Inc.
Remote
12.2021 - 01.2023
- Led the design and execution of a national employability strategy to support graduate and undergraduate student career success.
- Built partnerships with major employers and workforce organizations to create pipelines for internships and job placements.
- Directed a team responsible for delivering career readiness programming, including resume reviews, interview coaching, and skills workshops.
- Collaborated with academic leadership and admissions to ensure alignment between curriculum and evolving labor market demands.
- Produced reporting dashboards that tracked employability KPIs, student outcomes, and ROI of partnership initiatives.
- Launched alumni-employer career panels and mentorship programs that increased job placement outcomes across campuses.
Community Engagement Manager
Strayer University
Remote
10.2020 - 12.2021
- Directed external recruitment strategy through workforce boards, corporate partnerships, and government agencies.
- Integrated employability into the recruitment lifecycle by showcasing alumni career outcomes and employer testimonials.
- Organized and facilitated employer-sponsored info sessions, career panels, and resume workshops for prospective and current students.
- Built a scalable outreach model that connected admissions with student career advancement.
Campus Director
Strayer University
Woodbridge, VA
07.2018 - 10.2020
- Directed all campus operations including admissions, compliance, and student success, overseeing a team of 20+ in a metric-driven environment.
- Established clear KPI-driven goals across departments, improving team accountability and overall performance.
- Streamlined enrollment workflows through targeted process optimization, resulting in a 25% increase in inquiry-to-start ratio.
- Reported performance data to executive leadership and led weekly huddles to troubleshoot bottlenecks in the enrollment funnel.
Associate Admissions Director
Stratford University
Woodbridge, VA
05.2011 - 07.2018
- Oversaw the admissions process from inquiry to enrollment, increasing student conversion rates by 18% through improved outreach and engagement strategies.
- Managed a team of admissions representatives, setting and monitoring performance goals aligned with organizational KPIs and enrollment targets.
- Conducted regular training and coaching to enhance team effectiveness in client relationship management and consultative communication techniques.
- Analyzed enrollment funnel metrics using Excel and CRM tools to identify gaps and implement process improvements that boosted application processing speed by 25%.
- Collaborated with academic and student services departments to ensure a seamless enrollment process, fostering positive student transitions and retention.
- Delivered weekly performance reports to leadership, using data insights to drive continuous improvement across admissions operations.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Sociology
Hampton University
Master of Science - Human Resources Management
Strayer University
Skills
- Performance Metrics
- Coaching
- Recruitment & Enrollment Management
- Process Improvement
- Employer & Alumni Engagement
- CRM & Data Systems: Slate, Salesforce, MS Office
- Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Stakeholder Collaboration
- Data-Driveb Decision Making
Timeline
Campus Director
Strayer University
08.2023 - 11.2024
Senior Manager, Alumni Engagement and Relations
Strayer University
01.2023 - 08.2023
Senior Manager, Employability
Strategic Education Inc.
12.2021 - 01.2023
Community Engagement Manager
Strayer University
10.2020 - 12.2021
Campus Director
Strayer University
07.2018 - 10.2020
Associate Admissions Director
Stratford University
05.2011 - 07.2018
Bachelor of Arts - Sociology
Hampton University
Master of Science - Human Resources Management
Strayer University