Whitney Larimer
Cedar Rapids,IA
Summary
Dynamic and results-oriented higher education sales executive with over 20 years of experience driving SaaS and enrollment partnerships across multi-state territories. Proven success in managing the complete partnership lifecycle, from prospecting and executive engagement to complex negotiations and strategic expansion. Expertise in transfer enrollment strategies and institutional partnership growth, complemented by a strong ability to cultivate trusted C-level relationships. Recognized for consistently exceeding revenue targets while empowering institutions to modernize enrollment processes through innovative, data-driven, AI-informed solutions.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr. Partnerships Manager – Higher Education
Mighty Citizen
Austin, TX
12.2023 - Current
- Spearheaded initiatives in higher education vertical to establish and implement a comprehensive national go-to-market strategy.
- Executed sales strategies that resulted in 111% achievement of year 1 sales goal, with a new average deal size of $470k.
- Oversaw complete partnership lifecycle, including territory strategy, outbound prospecting, executive discovery, negotiation, and contract closure.
- Cultivated trusted advisor relationships with presidents, provosts, vice presidents of enrollment, and chief marketing officers.
- Develop AI-informed content and search strategies helping institutions adapt to emerging AI search behaviors and enrollment discovery shifts.
- Maintain disciplined forecasting and pipeline management in HubSpot.
- Coordinated efforts across creative strategy and operations to ensure sustainable partner success and facilitate expansion opportunities.
- Presented insights as a speaker at national conferences, including AMA Digital Collegium and EduWeb.
Senior Account Executive
Ready Education / CampusGroups
02.2022 - 08.2023
- Increased market reach by establishing platform operations in 13 U.S. states and Canada.
- Spearheaded initiatives to drive new logo growth in competitive higher education markets.
- Managed full sales cycle with average deal sizes ranging from $35k to $80k.
- Facilitated negotiation of multi-year institutional agreements with enrollment and student affairs leaders.
- Led SDR coordination and pipeline acceleration efforts.
- Implemented effective sales strategies that resulted in exceeding quarterly revenue benchmarks.
- Built relationships across Enrollment, Student Success, and Registrar teams to align platform adoption with institutional retention goals.
- Led cross-functional teams to implement innovative solutions for campus community management platforms.
- Analyzed client feedback to refine product offerings, ensuring alignment with market needs and trends.
- Increased account retention by building strong relationships with clients and addressing their needs promptly.
Senior Account Executive
Stellic
07.2021 - 02.2022
- Managed 14-state territory selling academic planning SaaS to enrollment and advising leaders.
- Closed $218K flagship contract within 5 months — shortest sales cycle and largest contract at the time.
- Generated $750K annual revenue through strategic territory planning and executive-level consultative selling.
- Positioned data and student pathway insights to drive institutional modernization.
- Developed strategic partnerships with educational institutions to enhance student engagement and retention initiatives.
Associate Vice President, College Partnerships
RaiseMe
San Francisco, CA
05.2018 - 12.2020
- Oversaw management of 13-state central region territory, driving achievement of $450k ARR new logo goal.
- Executed closure of public university systems, encompassing four out of five University of Minnesota campuses, six out of seven Indiana University system institutions, and three University of Illinois campuses.
- Built executive-level relationships with VPs of Enrollment and Financial Aid leaders.
- Advanced access and transfer equity initiatives for first-generation and low-income students.
- Exceeded annual ARR targets through strategic pipeline development and disciplined forecasting.
- Facilitated collaboration among diverse teams to implement strategic initiatives aimed at improving student engagement.
- Streamlined operational processes, improving efficiency in program delivery and support services.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration And Management
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA2002
Skills
- Strategic partnership development
- Full-Cycle Sales Ownership
- Territory Strategy & Expansion
- Executive Engagement (C-Level)
- Advanced contract negotiation
- Pipeline Forecasting & CRM Discipline
- Multi-Stakeholder Consensus Building
- Higher Education Expertise
- Transfer Enrollment Strategy
- Student Success & Retention
- Community College Partnerships
Accomplishments
- 111% of sales target, 2024, 124% in 2025
- $1.5–2M annual ARR generation at Ruffalo Noel Levitz
- Closed fastest and largest contract in company history (Stellic)
- Multi-state territory leadership
- National conference speaker (AMA, CASE, EduWeb, Digital Collegium)
- Deep relationships across AACRAO, NACAC, and regional associations
Timeline
Sr. Partnerships Manager – Higher Education
Mighty Citizen
12.2023 - Current
Senior Account Executive
Ready Education / CampusGroups
02.2022 - 08.2023
Senior Account Executive
Stellic
07.2021 - 02.2022
Associate Vice President, College Partnerships
RaiseMe
05.2018 - 12.2020
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration And Management
University of Iowa