Welcome - EMA ALC Mid-West Team Captain, Emily Chrysler, Director of Admission, Whitfield School (MO)

Keynote - James Greenwood, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Western Reserve Academy (OH)

EMA Regional Update & Survey Results - Heather Hyslop, Associate Director of Membership & Business Development, EMA

Viewing DEI as a strategic marketplace imperative can focus and expand the work of admission professionals with boards of trustees that have historically had narrowly defined metrics of success. Schools with integrated DEI programming will sustain and grow their enrollment. Continuing the conversation from the keynote session, join us for a panel discussion about DEI at your school.

Making the Hidden Visible: The Lived Experience of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) Practitionerat Independent Schools

Angelita Castañon, Upper School Dean of Students, Cranbrook School, MI

Rasa Drane, Director of Admission, The Mastery School of Hawken, OH

Yocelin Gonzalez, Interim Director of Multicultural Affairs, Director of Community Partnerships & Admission Outreach, Meadowbrook School of Weston, MA

James Greenwood, Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Western Reserve Academy, OH

Kitsana Salyphone, Director of Member Success, The Enrollment Management Association

Slides from Presentation

The process for families of choosing an independent school is a journey. It involves much consideration, a great deal of investigation, and ultimately critical decision-making. This session will share insights from The Enrollment Management Association’s special report The Ride to Independent Schools 2020-2021 featuring insights, data, and recommendations based on a survey of nearly 3,000 families during the summer of 2020. The more that schools can appreciate and understand what parents are thinking and how they are feeling at each stage of that ride, the better they will be at meeting parents’ needs and concerns. Empowered by the insights of parents, schools can create a process that is meaningful and satisfying, which in turn will help with schools’ enrollment. Download your copy of the report from the Member Community today.

Slides from Presentation

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the foundation of digital marketing strategies aimed at driving admissions prospects to your school, yet it's often overlooked due to a lack of time. This lightning round will de-mystify SEO and equip you with the knowledge to supercharge website content for SEO on the fly with minimal time investment. You'll want to share the lessons learned with your admissions, marketing, and website teams.

Session Speaker: Daren Worcester, Associate Director Demand Generation, EMA

Slides from Presentation

Parents and students in the admission process love to watch videos of your school but it can be expensive, time-consuming, or just not possible to invite a video crew to your campus to film a professional video. Maybe you don't have to! In this hands-on lightning round participants will learn to create an Event Highlight video using the video camera and editing software already in your pocket: your phone! Interested in following along during this session? Download the iMovie app for your iPhone and check out this workshop handout.

While we might not be post-pandemic yet, we are preparing for our new normal. What processes and procedures worked well for your school and your enrollment goals during the pandemic that you will keep and implement in a post-pandemic world? Share ideas, continue conversations and grab a few new ideas to implement now.