Board of Directors

The Coalition is governed by a board of directors that provides leadership and sets the course for our organization’s future. Elections for new board members take place in March, and board terms begin on July 1 and last three years. 

The Board is composed of Institution Directors, with representation from each category of member institution (public universities, private universities, and liberal arts colleges), and Outside Directors, who bring broader expertise to help the Coalition achieve its mission.

Board Leadership, 2025-2026


Sara Urquidez, Chair
Jay Jacobs, Vice Chair
Kevin Mathes, Past Chair
Andy Evans, Treasurer

Board of Directors, 2026-2026

 
 

Stephanie Dupaul

Dupaul is the vice president for enrollment management at the University of Richmond, in Richmond, Virginia. Prior to joining the University of Richmond, she led enrollment management at Southern Methodist University, and has also worked at the University of Dallas and Brookhaven College. Her 35 years of experience include enrollment management, undergraduate and graduate admission, and academic advising.

 
Andy Evans
 

Andy Evans

Evans is a former managing director in executive search at Koya Leadership Partners. His prior financial and administrative management experience in higher education spans 30 years and includes serving as chief financial officer at Oberlin College and Wellesley College. He has served on numerous boards supporting higher education and as a commissioner for the New England higher education regional accrediting association.

 
 

Melissa Fletcher 

Fletcher serves as the assistant vice president for finance and administrative services and controller at Wellesley College. Melissa joined Wellesley in 2011 after starting her career in public accounting with KPMG LLP, serving for 8 years as a member of the audit practice providing services to higher education and non-profit clients. She received her BSBA and MSA in accounting from Western New England University, and is a certified public accountant holding licenses in the states of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

 
 

Nathan Fuerst

Fuerst is the vice president of enrollment management at the University of Connecticut, where he and his team lead undergraduate admissions, financial aid, registrar, retention, orientation and the Lodewick Visitors Center. Prior to arriving to UConn in 2011, Nathan held various roles in admissions and enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

 
Elena Hicks
 

Elena Hicks

Hicks is the assistant vice provost and dean of admission at Southern Methodist University, where she oversees all activities in the office of admission, serving first-year, transfer and international applicants. Hicks has previously served as dean of admission at Loyola University Maryland and assistant dean of admission and director of information systems at Texas Christian University.

 
Jay Jacobs
 

Jay Jacobs

Jacobs assumed the role of vice provost for enrollment management at the University of Vermont in 2021. In this role, he leads and manages all areas relating to the university’s undergraduate student recruitment and retention through a division comprised of Undergraduate Admissions, the Office of the Registrar, Student Financial Services, and New Student Orientation and Student Advancement. Prior to joining UVM, Jacobs most recently served as the director of enrollment management and admission operations for the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.

 
 

Michael Keaton

Keaton is dean of admission at Franklin & Marshall College, previously serving at Ursinus College and Drexel University. Mike began his admissions career in 1998 in Boston at Wentworth Institute of Technology and later Northeastern University before moving to Haverford College in 2001. At Haverford, Mike held several roles, including Senior Associate Director of Admission and Director of Multicultural Recruitment. In 2012 Mike “switched sides of the desk,” and spent 5 years at Friends’ Central School as Co-Director of College Counseling. In 2017 Mike returned to admissions at Drexel University. He has a keen interest in the representation of college admissions in media and popular culture.

 
 

Trent Klingerman 

Klingerman is a partner in the Lafayette, Indiana law firm of Stuart & Branigin LLP where he focuses most of his time advising and representing colleges and universities of all sizes. His broad practice includes providing counsel on issues of governance and institutional policies and their application to questions and disputes that arise in the learning and work environment. Trent also leads and conducts internal investigations and represents colleges and universities in agency matters and before federal and state trial and appellate courts. He recently rejoined the firm after serving as vice president for legal affairs and general counsel for the University of Vermont and previously in several legal and administrative roles including deputy general counsel and chief privacy officer with Purdue University, his undergraduate alma mater.

 
Kevin Mathes
 

Kevin Mathes

Mathes is associate vice president and dean of admissions at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He joined the admissions office in 2017; previously, he worked in admissions at St. Lawrence University and Dartmouth College.

 
Dawn Medley
 

Dawn Medley

Medley is the senior vice president for enrollment management at Drexel University. Her previous roles include vice provost for enrollment management and student retention at Stony Brook University and associate vice-president of enrollment management at Wayne State University. At Wayne State, she was the architect of the first in the nation Warrior Way Back Program and the Heart of Detroit, which provides a free education to all Detroit high school graduates. She has over 30 years of experience in college admissions, financial aid and retention, with a long-term focus on access and equity.

 
 

Jesse Meyer

Meyer is the vice president for advancement at Illinois Wesleyan University. He recently served as the senior director of major gifts and college campaign manager for the University of Chicago. Prior to his time at UChicago, he served as both a regional director and senior regional director of development for the University of Notre Dame's development office. A former college athlete, Meyer received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago, a master's in higher education from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in higher education from the University of Kansas, focusing on alumni athlete philanthropy at selective institutions.

 
 

Chad Spencer

Spencer is vice president of enrollment management at Centre College in Danville, KY. He has worked in admission and financial aid for 25 years and served as senior associate dean of admission and director of financial aid at Davidson College from 2005-2023. He is dedicated to college access and affordability initiatives and has been instrumental in the development of need-based financial aid models to increase Pell Grant recipient enrollments to the institutions where he has worked.

 
Charlie Stewart
 

Charles Stewart

Stewart is chief executive officer of Sotheby’s. Before assuming the leadership role at the international art, jewelry and real estate broker in 2019, Stewart most recently served as co-president and chief financial officer of Altice USA, a leading technology, telecommunications and entertainment provider.

 
 

Kasey Urquidez

Urquidez spent her career at the University of Arizona, serving most recently as vice president of enrollment management & dean of undergraduate admissions. She is dedicated to all facets of education, with a special focus on access to and equity in college for all students.

 
Sara Urquidez
 

Sara Urquidez

Urquidez is the executive director of the Academic Success Program in Texas. ASP is a comprehensive college access program that recruits, trains and oversees college advisors and places them in public high schools to guide students through the college and financial aid processes. Urquidez also participates in multiple professional associations, college and university advisory boards, and scholarship committees.

 
Peter Wilson
 

Peter Wilson

Peter Wilson serves as the assistant vice president and dean of college admissions at the University of Chicago, where he has worked in admissions roles since 2010 where he also attended for his undergraduate degree and MBA. He has served on the Coalition’s Advocacy and Philanthropy Committee and an advisory board member at Wisr.

 
Ari Worthman
 

Ari Worthman

Ari Worthman has 20 years experience in the field of college counseling and admissions. Worthman joined Lakeside in 2012, after serving as assistant director of admissions at Haverford College and senior associate director of college counseling at Pine Crest School. Worthman has served in a variety of leadership positions, including on the Board of Directors of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling, as a trustee and board chair for the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, and as treasurer for the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admissions Counseling. He also has served on the admissions advisory committees for Dickinson College, Drexel University, and Southern Methodist University.

 

Directors Emeriti

and the institutions they represented during their service as board members

Rosalind Alderman, St. Mary’s University

Seth Allen, Pomona College 

Carolyn Blair, Clayton School District

Kristine Dillon, Consortium on Financing Higher Education

Juan Espinoza, Virginia Tech

Zina Evans, University of Florida  

Andrea Felder, American University

John Gaines, Questbridge

Tim Galbreath, Clemson University 

Barbara Gill, University of Maryland

Chris Gruber, Davidson College

Kedra Ishop, University of Michigan

Stacey Kostell,  University of Vermont

John Latting, Emory University 

Jessica Marinaccio, Columbia University

Courtney McAnuff, Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Lee Melvin, University at Buffalo

Rodney Morrison, University of Delaware

James Nondorf, University of Chicago

Jeremiah Quinlan, Yale University

Adam Sapp, Pomona College

Audrey Smith, Smith College

Whitney Soule, Bowdoin College

Paul Thiboutot, Carleton College

Kate Volzer, Wisr

Mary Wagner, College Board

David Wermuth, Stone Point Capital