Tracy L. Simmons
Washington,DC
Summary
Seasoned legal education administrator with 24+ years experience in enrollment management at 5 American Bar Association law schools. Developing programs to educate and enhance the pipeline for prospective students and applicants while also providing resources for current students, staff, alumni and faculty simultaneously in the areas of admissions, diversity, equity and inclusion along with financial aid. Proven track record in increasing and diversifying incoming classes (Size, statistical profile, gender, military connections, first generation status, LGBTQ+, geographic diversity, etc.) Reduced operational expenses while managing to recruit a more competitive and diverse applicant pool. Extensive leadership and management experience within the higher education industry.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs
Howard University School of Law
06.2023 - Current
- Leveraging technology tools to enhance instructional delivery, student engagement, and data-driven decision-making processes within the departments.
- Managing complex budgets while ensuring sound fiscal decision-making in alignment with institutional priorities.
- Manage and award merit and donor scholarships for the JD and LLM program
- Overseeing daily operations within the departments, delegating tasks efficiently and maintaining a positive work environment for all team members.
- Develop strong working relationships with internal departments and external partners, fostering seamless collaboration across teams.
- Cross-training existing employees to maximize team agility and performance.
- Serving as a liaison between students, faculty, and administration to facilitate communication and resolve conflicts.
- Providing leadership in crisis management situations, ensuring the safety and well-being of all community members.
- Partnering with senior administration to create cohesive vision, balancing structure and creative expression to drive productive student learning.
- Implementing strategies to increase student recruiting, engagement and retention.
- Managing budgets and allocated resources effectively to maximize the impact on student success.
Assistant Dean, Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid
University of San Diego, School of Law
03.2022 - 06.2023
- Annually formulates enrollment targets and admission standards for the JD program
- Oversees the application review and admissions process, making admissions decisions and determining strategic financial aid allocations
- Serves as an ex-officio member of the Faculty Admissions Committee
- Develop and implement post-admission enrollment activities and events which led to increased yield rates
- Ensures effective communications with pre law advisors, prospects, applicants, and admitted students
- Devises targeted recruitment, marketing and communications efforts aimed at populations such as prospective part-time students, underrepresented populations, transfers, visitors, and scholarship-eligible candidates for law school
- Identifies, analyzes, and responds to market trends to renew or adapt recruitment strategies
- Effectively manages assigned budgets and costs which allows the law school to redistribute funds to other departments and programs
- Develops and implements initiatives geared towards increasing the number of admitted students from historically underrepresented communities
- Collaboratively works with Law Careers, Students Affairs and Alumni Relations and Development to support educational and mentoring programs to assist diverse (i.e
- Historically underrepresented, first generation, etc.) students in succeeding in law school
- Partners closely with the Law School's new Associate Director for Community Engagement and Inclusion and serves as a member of the Law School's Diversity Task Force
- (Current co-chair with a faculty member.)
- Attends regular and ad hoc law school meetings and leads and serves on committees
- Participates in regional and national peer meetings and discussions, keeping up to date on the latest programs and policies of the LSAC, the ABA, and the AALS, as well as best practices in law school admissions, diversity initiatives and financial aid
Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
08.2012 - 02.2022
- Led the JD admissions operations
- Partnered with a leading enrollment specialist team to implement a predictive model strategy which includes developing and refining scholarship awarding practices, monitoring qualitative goals along with the tuition discount rate and net tuition revenue goals
- Supervised a team 5-8 including a Director, Senior Admissions Counselor, and an Admissions Counselor, 2-3 work study students and one to two Seasonal Recruiters
- Created and generated weekly admissions reports for the law school dean, central administration, law school faculty, admissions committee
- University Provost, University VP of Finance, and Institutional Research
- Ex-officio member of the faculty admissions committee
- Responsible for managing the file review process
- Ultimate reviewer for all admissions files
- Developed an annual national recruitment strategy, from fall recruitment schedule through spring and summer yield efforts
- Implemented a National Conversion Program for admitted students
- Collaborated with Alumni Relations to create spring conversion regional alumni and admissions mixers throughout the country to increase alumni engagement and enhance admissions conversation efforts locally, regionally, and nationally
- Managed revamped the Admitted Student Day programs to decrease spending and increase conversion rates
- Implemented a family panel/presentation for JD admissions events
- Created and implemented a Mock LSAT series, an Application Workshop series, Faculty Trio, and a Webinar series for prospective and admitted students
- Annual Diversity Week Programming for current students, staff and faculty included but not limited to Impostor Syndrome panel discussions, introducing trauma informed yoga, screening of cultural films like Ava DuVernay's '13th' with a criminal law professor discussion for the campus and surrounding community, annual cultural food fair co-hosted by all affinity organizations in which the funds were donated to the diversity scholarship, etc
- Developed and expanded the Student Ambassador Program to increase student engagement and involvement on campus
- Guide the development of the marketing and communication strategy for the JD Admissions Office including social media, all admissions and financial aid publications and announcements
- Lead for law school wide digital marketing strategy
- Lead for law school wide virtual tour creation and virtual view book creation
- Administered a multi-million-dollar merit scholarship and endowment fund
- Served on the law school scholarship committee and administer endowed scholarships, hear appeals, etc
- Supervised a Director of Financial Aid and a Senior Financial Aid Counselor (2013 -2016)
- Revamped the scholarship policies revamped all financial aid communications, in addition to transitioning the office to an electronic and paperless office/process
- Served on the Senior Management team for the law school
- Orientation/First Week - Committee member
- Co-chair 2019-2022
- Implemented virtual and in person activities, converted to an online tool for the administrative tasks/videos/messaging for incoming students
- Utilized the same tool for reorientation for returning 1L students each spring
- Implemented DEI sessions into the formal orientation programming
- Offered departmental support to multiple student affinity organizations
- Collaborated with the Office of the Dean, Career Development, Academic Affairs, Alumni Relations and Student Affairs on policy, procedure, and events
- Law School Diversity Affairs Committee Member - 2012-2022
- University appointed Diversity Leadership Team
- The University Committee on Diversity
- University Black History Month Committee 2016-2021 - collaborated to bring Angela Rye, 2 members of the Exonerated Five, etc
- To main campus in person or virtually
- University Committee on Inclusiveness Bias Response Committee Member and Campus Contact - 2012-2016
- General Member - 2021-present
- Employee Recruitment and Performance Evaluations - Workgroup - 2021-2022
- Served as the advisor to the Black Law Students Association (BLSA)
- Served as the advisor to the Unity Caucus (UC)
- Served on the Diversity Board
- Served on the Sacramento Legal Employers Collective
- Lead for the Pathway Project Subcommittee
- University Naming Project - LGBTQ+ - Chosen Name for Project - Lead for the School of Law
- Green Dot Instructor Bystander Training for the Trainer
- McGeorge School of Law Naming Committee - 2020-2021
- Search Committee Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Committee - 2020-2021
- Search Committee - Pacific Legal Scholars Coordinator - 2021-2022
Assistant Dean of Admissions, Diversity and Financial Aid
Chapman University, School of Law
05.2005 - 07.2012
- Managed a team of three administrators, three support professionals and 3-4 student workers
- Implemented a Student Ambassador program of 22-25 student per academic year
- Facilitated strategic marketing strategies to build brand and name recognition when the law school was in its 10th year
- Assisted with the application process for AALS accreditation
- Served on the ABA Site Visit team
- Evaluated thousands of applications for the juris doctor program
- Managed all aspects of the relationship between CLEO, prelaw programs, and the law school
- Cultivated external and internal relationships with graduate and professional school recruitment officers
- Collaborated with the Office of Student Affairs in the development of orientation programs
- Managed the merit scholarship budget for incoming students
- Worked collaboratively with the University's Budget Officers
- Served on the law school's senior management team, Alumni Committee Board, and the Admissions Committee
- Serve on the Dean's Cabinet; work closely with University Chancellor and Vice President for Finance
- Assisted the development of all admissions and financial aid publications and announcements
Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Golden Gate University School of Law
05.2000 - 04.2005
- Initiated the development of the Admitted Student Handbook
- Increased the number of admissions sponsored transfer prevention events
- Coordinated the fall recruitment strategy and created an evaluation survey for each event
- Spearheaded efforts to increase minority recruitment and enrollment
- Served as the primary contact and manager for the waiting list
- Developed a detailed presentation for the admissions team to bring uniformity to Information Sessions and other on campus recruitment/conversion events
- Assisted in the development of all admissions publications
- Managed the relationship between PRDLEF, CLEO, NYLEO and the NYC Bar with Fordham Law
- Completed all admissions related data surveys and profile updates for US News, Kaplan, and Princeton Review
- Served as liaison between the admissions, printing, marketing, and brand management teams
- Prepared confidential documents for the I-20 process of international candidates
- Provided law school information sessions for large groups of prospective candidates
- Served as the liaison to current students interested in the recruitment process
- Coordinated mass mailing of entering students' tuition invoices
Assistant Director and Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
01.2000 - 12.2002
- Processed high-volume financial aid documents daily
- Advanced knowledge of Datatel Colleague and PowerFAIDS
- Worked directly with the University Business Office on refunds, student accounts, disbursement protocol
- Completed the FISAPP for the law school
- File Review
- Co managed a team of two admissions counselors, two financial aid counselors and one admissions/financial aid coordinator
- Provided other support as needed by the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
Education
Juris Doctor -
Golden Gate University School of Law
San Francisco, CA05.1999
Master of Arts - MA in Education with an emphasis in Multicultural Counseling
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA05.1992
Bachelor of Science - Psychology, and African American studies minor
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA05.1991
Skills
- Collaborative Leadership
- Innovative thinking
- Enrollment Management
- Student Recruitment
- Accreditation Compliance
- Diversity initiatives
- Organizational Development
- Policy compliance
- Student retention
- Student advisement
- Multitasking
- Teamwork and Collaboration
Activities
- Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc., General Member, 01/01/91, ongoing
- National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), Member, 01/01/22, ongoing
- American Bar Association (ABA), Member, 01/01/00, ongoing
- Association of American Law Schools (AALS), Committee Member, 01/01/06, ongoing
- Law School Admission Council (LSAC), Annual Meeting and Educational Workgroup - Chair, 01/01/19, 12/31/20
- Council for Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), Consultant and Principal Presenter, 01/01/06, ongoing
Timeline
Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs
Howard University School of Law
06.2023 - Current
Assistant Dean, Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid
University of San Diego, School of Law
03.2022 - 06.2023
Senior Assistant Dean of Admissions, Diversity Initiatives and Financial Aid
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
08.2012 - 02.2022
Assistant Dean of Admissions, Diversity and Financial Aid
Chapman University, School of Law
05.2005 - 07.2012
Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Golden Gate University School of Law
05.2000 - 04.2005
Assistant Director and Interim Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
01.2000 - 12.2002
Juris Doctor -
Golden Gate University School of Law
Master of Arts - MA in Education with an emphasis in Multicultural Counseling
San Diego State University
Bachelor of Science - Psychology, and African American studies minor
San Diego State University
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