Our Team

 

Analysts

Leadership Team

 

Analysts

 

Melanie Andrich
Principal Analyst, Continuing & Professional Education

Melanie is Eduventures lead expert on continuing education issues and operations. Melanie brings 15 years of practical experience designing and directing award-winning international and experiential education programs, fully online and hybrid degree programs, and credit and noncredit continuing education programs. She specializes in nurturing partnerships among self-support operations, academic departments, and faculty. Just prior to joining Eduventures, she was Assistant Dean for Entrepreneurial Programs at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information, charged with identifying emerging markets and partnership potential, and managing ambiguity and risk in planned growth for programs, operations, and organizational design. Melanie earned her B.A. in French at the University of Georgia, her M.Ed. at Rutgers University – New Brunswick, and her EMBA with a concentration in finance at Rutgers University – Newark.

 

Joseph Doiron
Senior Analyst, Schools of Education

Joe is a Senior Analyst in the Academic Practice at Eduventures, where he focuses on teacher training programs, innovation in operations and administration, education technology, and strategic planning.   Joe brings a broad range of experiences in the K-12 and higher education spaces. Prior to joining Eduventures, Joe taught foreign languages for two years in a public school in Massachusetts, undergraduate and graduate School of Education students as a Glenn Fellow at Boston University, and served as the Director of Research and Evaluation at a Boston-based start-up social enterprise that addressed the problem of college access for at-risk populations. Joe earned a B.A. in international relations from Xavier University, an M.A. in German studies from Tufts University, completed a Fulbright research fellowship in Albania, and is currently completing an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy at Boston University.

 

Brian Fleming
Analyst, Continuing & Professional Education and Online Higher Education

Brian focuses on issues such online program development, innovation, educational technologies, strategic planning, pedagogy, and issues affecting adult learners. Brian brings five years of experience in higher education, with background in teaching, administration, and research. Prior to joining Eduventures, Brian worked as an instructional designer for Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. Brian has also worked as a corporate trainer and technical writer, and is currently an adjunct professor at Gordon College in Wenham, MA. Brian earned a B.A. in English and History from Texas A&M University and M.Ed. from the Lynch Graduate School of Education at Boston College.

 

Richard Garrett
Vice President & Principal Analyst, Online Higher Education

Richard is Eduventures lead expert in online higher education. The OHE program is a unique source of intelligence on adult and online higher education enrollment and programming trends, evolving consumer demand, school positioning and operational strategies. Richard has over 15 years of experience researching higher education trends worldwide, particularly online learning, non-traditional students, internationalization, and commercial activity.

Prior to joining Eduventures in 2005, Richard was Deputy Director of the Observatory on Borderless Higher Education in the United Kingdom, a position he held from 2001 to 2005. Publications include Online Higher Education Market Update (2011- latest version), Online Learning Across State Borders (Eduventures, 2011), Continuing and Professional Education- Health, Innovation & Prospects (Eduventures, 2010), Benchmarking Online Operations: Snapshots of an Emerging Industry (Eduventures, 2009), Competing in Online Higher Education 2008 (Eduventures, 2008), Blending In: The Extent & Promise of Blended Learning in the United States (Sloan-C, 2007), Online Higher Education: Retention Benchmarks and Strategies (Eduventures, 2007), E-Learning in Tertiary Education: Where Do We Stand? (a 2005 book commissioned by the OECD, Paris), and The Global Education Index 2005 (a study of 50 firms worldwide operating in the postsecondary education market, OBHE, 2005). Richard has also worked as a researcher in the School of Education, University of Surrey and at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, both in the United Kingdom. Richard earned both a B.A. and an M.A. from King’s College, University of London, as well as a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education from the University of Cambridge.

 

Victoria Hall
Senior Analyst, Enrollment Management

Vicki is a Senior Analyst and key member of the Eduventures’ team covering market and operational issues related to enrollment management and the student experience. Her quantitative expertise and strong research skills support clients in understanding major trends in the decision-making of college bound students and the factors that promote student persistence and success. During her tenure at Eduventures, she has helped senior leaders optimize operations, manage change while undergoing key cultural shifts, promote student success through effective service and support programs, make strategic decisions about program development, better use social media tools, and convey a unique value proposition through marketing and branding strategies. Prior to joining Eduventures, Vicki managed the daily operations of WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, an international peer review journal. Vicki holds a B.A. in mathematics and statistics from Boston University, where she spent a study abroad semester in Grenoble, France and was an active leader in the Greater Boston Rotaract (the Rotary organization for young adults).

 

Rusty Hartley
Principal Analyst, Industry

Rusty brings a deep background in consulting and exposure to a broad range of industries and disciplines to Eduventures. His experience managing consulting engagements includes strategic advisory services, enterprise risk management, and business process assessments in the higher education, high technology, healthcare, and international sectors. In the early 2000’s, he was co-founder of a B2B internet services firm that was a precursor to today’s cloud computing initiatives. Prior to this, he was part of the risk management and higher education consulting practices at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Rusty started his career as corporate banker with Chemical Bank where he managed relationships and provided corporate finance solutions for Fortune 500 clients and prospects. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York and recently served as the President of the school’s Boston alumni organization. He also serves as a Board member of Columbia Business School’s “Boston Gives Back” initiative; a program that provides pro-bono consulting services to local non-profits. Rusty received his BA in geology from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA.

 

Joshua Keniston
Data Solutions Manager

As the Data Solutions Manager on the Eduventures team, Josh is responsible for designing, managing, and producing innovative data-driven solutions that help clients develop strategies for success. Josh’s recent engagements have included designing management dashboards, conducting assessments of organizational structures and operations, and developing tailored constituent engagement strategies based on qualitative and quantitative market research. Josh has worked extensively with Eduventures’ Development clients and he has presented research on management best practices for fundraisers at industry conferences such as CASE and APRA. His work on institutionally related foundations has been published in CASE Currents Magazine. Josh was first introduced to the higher education industry as a student member of the Board of Trustees at Ithaca College and has continued his involvement with his alma mater as an alumni volunteer. Prior to joining Eduventures, Josh was an Assistant Director of Annual Giving at Emerson College providing strategic direction for the leadership giving program. Josh holds an Ed.M. in higher education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. He graduated cum laude from Ithaca College with a B.S. in communication, management, and design. Josh is an avid outdoorsman and can be found most weekends hiking or skiing in the mountains of New England.

 

Heather O’Leary
Principal Analyst, Enrollment Management

Heather is the Principal Analyst for Enrollment Management and advises clients in areas including marketing and recruitment, branding, communications, and retention. She plays a lead role designing and executing the annual research agenda and on client consulting engagements, helping our clients to identify, plan for, and navigate emerging trends. Heather has over 10 years of experience as a practitioner in enrollment management, specializing in strategic planning, marketing, and program management. She has a proven track-record of creating and implementing recruiting programs to drive growth and exceed business performance objectives and is a creative strategist who informs her work through in-depth research and analysis. Prior to joining Eduventures, Heather spent 11 years in admissions and student services for the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management, most recently as Director of Admissions. She also held marketing roles for Hasbro, Inc. and the March of Dimes. Heather has an MBA focused in marketing and strategic management from the University of California, Davis and a BS in psychology from Roger Williams University.

 

Cara A. Quackenbush
Principal Analyst and Managing Director, Research & Data

Cara is the Principal Analyst in the Development Knowledge Community, assisting clients with key strategic and operational decisions to support their fundraising success. Among other initiatives, she helps development organizations optimize their operations to attain a greater return on investment, engage boards, deans and other key stakeholders, effectively manage frontline staff, and stay on top of new and developing trends in advancement.

Cara is an advancement professional with more than a decade of fundraising, management, marketing, and accounting experience at institutions of higher education. Cara’s experience spans annual giving, major giving, volunteer management, alumni engagement, parent fundraising, and planned giving. She has also conducted research on management practices and strategies in higher education, including higher education accounting practices, presidential leadership techniques, and legal policies affecting planned giving. Cara is a frequent presenter at industry conferences and events, including CASE, and her work has been published in CASE Currents. Prior to joining Eduventures, Cara was the Associate Director of Gift Planning at Boston College, where she helped launch the university’s $1.5 billion capital campaign as well as its first-ever legacy gift campaign. Cara also worked in both the annual fund and the office of planned giving at her alma mater, Santa Clara University, where she earned her B.A. in journalism. Cara holds an MBA and an MS in accounting from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

 

Meaghan Rajkumar
Senior Analyst

Meaghan is a Senior Analyst and is responsible for employing a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to assist institutions with their decision-making. Prior to her current role, Meaghan was a Research Analyst in Eduventures’ Continuing and Professional Education and Online Higher Education Knowledge Communities. Meaghan helped member institutions better understand the continuing education and online higher education markets and addressed strategic and tactical questions from individual members. Prior to joining Eduventures, Meaghan conducted research to inform the academic committee that oversees the Boston College undergraduate core curriculum, was Vice President of the Graduate Student Association, and chaired the inaugural Graduate Scholarship Symposium, an interdisciplinary conference dedicated to graduate and professional student research. She also previously worked in the Department of Collaborative Projects at the Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization (MASCO) to enhance institutions of higher education and healthcare through partnerships. She graduated with honors from Xavier University with a B.A. in political science and earned her M.A. in political philosophy from Boston College.

 

Alicia Reed
Principal Analyst, Development

Alicia is a Principal Analyst specializing in development and fundraising. A passionate advocate for development excellence, she supports advancement leaders across the country in making data-driven decisions that lead to higher gift officer productivity, increased ROI, and successful campaign outcomes. Working closely with development leaders, deans, presidents, board members, and other key stakeholders, Alicia provides tools, training, and a roadmap for transformation to clients seeking to optimize their operations for fundraising success.

Alicia has worked in the development field for 14 years as a practitioner, advisor, and consultant. Her fundraising experience includes annual giving, major gifts, principal gifts, stewardship, board management, alumni engagement, and student and parent fundraising. Alicia’s development consulting and research expertise include her creation of Eduventures’ innovative solutions and foundational work in gift officer productivity, campaign message testing, managing returns on investments, raising mega-gifts and dean’s fundraising. Prior to joining Eduventures, Alicia held roles as the Director of Parent Fundraising and Programs at the University of Pennsylvania and the Director of Alumni Programs and Annual Giving at Northeastern University. Alicia most recently served as the Director of Partnerships at New Profit, where she worked with principal gift donors to support the country’s most promising social innovations, expanding her development consulting work to the non-profit sector. She frequently presents at development industry conferences and has been a faculty award winner for her CASE conference presentations.

Alicia’s love of data analysis started in the psychology labs at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she graduated summa cum laude and worked with professors on clinical studies in ADHD while earning her B.A. in psychology and writing an honors thesis in social psychology. When not feverishly thinking about development excellence, Alicia dreams of hiking the national parks, starting goat farms in Sonoma CA, and horse trekking across Iceland.

 

Ashley Reidy
Custom Research Manager

As the Custom Research Manager, Ashley brings her strong research and quantitative skills to support the diverse needs of the higher education market by providing solutions that will aid in their decision-making processes. Her previous research experience includes extensive primary and secondary research on social development indicators, including how gender, race, and socio-economic conditions impact higher education outcomes. Prior to joining Eduventures, Ashley served as the Assistant Project Manager at the Institute of Regional Development, where she was responsible for developing surveys, conducting in-depth quantitative analysis, and presenting results to clients. She earned her master’s degree in international affairs and political science from the University of Georgia and earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Bridgewater State University, where she graduated with summa cum laude honors.

 

Mark Rooney
Senior Analyst

Mark Rooney is a Senior Analyst and is responsible for employing a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to assist institutions with their decision-making. Prior to Eduventures, Mark worked as a Senior Analyst at RKM Research and Communications, where he executed custom research projects for clients across dozens of industries. He has helped clients develop new brand identities, measure pricing effects, evaluate return on investments, identify growth opportunities, and maximize market share by identifying drivers of consideration and customer loyalty. For several long-term engagements, he participated extensively in qualitative data collection, deploying metaphor elicitation and other in-depth interview techniques to reveal consumers’ non-conscious associations with products, services, and ideas. Mark earned his B.A. in English from Vassar College.

 

Kelley Ross
Analyst

Kelley is an Analyst and is responsible for employing a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to assist institutions with their decision making. Prior to Eduventures, Kelley worked as a Senior Analyst at Observant LLC, a pharmaceutical market research and advisory firm. In this role, he was responsible for managing qualitative and quantitative research engagements across a number of different therapeutic areas. The range of work in this space spans buying process analysis, message and concept testing, brand positioning, brand extension, and benchmarking. For global engagements, Kelley was tasked with managing international data collection across multiple markets and has experience conducting research in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Kelley holds a B.S. in Economics and Finance with a minor in International Studies from Bentley University.

 

Rachel Smooke
Analyst

Rachel is an Analyst and is responsible for employing a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to assist institutions with their decision-making. Before moving into her current role, Rachel was an Associate on Eduventures’ Continuing and Professional Education and Online Higher Education Learning Collaboratives and with Eduventures Consulting Services (ECS). Prior to Eduventures, Rachel worked as a Research Assistant at Union College’s Healthy Aging and Neuropsychology Lab and taught English in Spain at the K-12 and professional levels. She graduated from Union College with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in philosophy.

 

Kamelia Valkova Turcotte
Custom Research Manager

Kamelia is a Custom Research Manager on the Eduventures team. In addition to her recent research on historical enrollment trends in career-related disciplines, Kamelia has advised clients on developing healthcare programs, differentiation strategies for graduate business programs, and assessing institutional brand strength among adult learners. Prior to joining Eduventures, Kamelia worked as a Student Manager at the Academic Technology Center at Bentley University where she managed 25 student assistants and the delivery of over 50 graduate hybrid classes. Prior to graduate school, Kamelia held finance-related positions for Northwestern Mutual Financial Network and J.P. Morgan Invest. Kamelia earned her M.B.A. with distinction from Bentley University.

 

Youme Yai
Analyst, Development

Youme is an Analyst and helps our clients stay ahead of higher education philanthropy trends, create high-performing fundraising organizations, and achieve fundraising goals by engaging alumni and key stakeholders. Youme’s previous fundraising and consulting experiences allow her to bring unique perspectives to her role creating content that guides our clients. Prior to joining Eduventures, she was a development officer at an arts and cultural museum where she was responsible for managing donor relationships and also played a key role in acquiring feedback from donors to better align outreach efforts with donor preferences. She has also helped higher education institutions attract, retain, and engage top talent in her work with a boutique consulting firm, WFD Consulting. While earning a B.A. in history from Wellesley College, Youme received departmental distinctions, served as a captain of the rugby team, and completed a Historic Deerfield summer fellowship in early American history and material culture. She is active in the non-profit community and regularly volunteers with WGBH and Community Servings.

 

Maggie Zweiben
Managing Director, Research & Data

As the Managing Director, Research & Data, Maggie is responsible for the staffing, quality, and fulfillment of Eduventures’ deliverables across all higher education domains. Prior to her current role, Maggie managed the research output for institutions in Continuing and Professional Education and Online Higher Education, addressing strategic questions from individual members.

Prior to joining Eduventures, Maggie was a Senior Research Associate at Forrester Research where she conducted research on executive management, serving a membership of more than 350 global chief information officers. While earning her B.A. in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross with magna cum laude honors, Maggie worked as a Teacher’s Assistant for the Capitol Region Education Council and interned at the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C.

 

 

Leadership Team

 

Mark R. Nemec, Ph.D.
President & CEO

President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Nemec joined Eduventures in 2011, Mark brings to Eduventures extensive leadership experience and research and advisory expertise, along with a passion for higher education. He is responsible for creating value for clients and shareholders through the strategic guidance and growth of the company.

Mark joined Eduventures from Forrester Research’s executive team where he served as a Managing Director.  Previously, he was a Senior Director at the Advisory Board Company and served on the faculty in Political Science at Davidson College, where his work focused on how organizations and their leadership manage innovation and navigate constraints. He has also been a member of the review board for thinkwell.com, a publisher of online college textbooks; a policy advisor on technology and development to the Chairman of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors; and an instructor at the University of Michigan.

Mark’s book, Ivory Towers and Nationalist Minds (University of Michigan Press, 2006), assessed the impact of American universities on the establishment of the American state. In what has been called “a wonderful, learned, and original work, full of present-day relevance,” Mark examines how a community of university leaders negotiated the complexity of the turn of the century to establish themselves as the primary institutions for defining societal and political change. He is also a contributing author to The Educational Legacy of Woodrow Wilson (University of Virginia Press, 2011), stemming from his presentation at a 2009 Princeton University conference on the same subject.

Mark received his Ph.D. in political science (American Politics) and his M.A. in education (Higher Education) from the University of Michigan, where he was awarded a Regents Fellowship and a Rackham Dissertation Fellowship. He earned his B.A., cum laude, at Yale, where he was also an All-Ivy League rugby player.

 

Steve Davidson
Vice President, Delivery & Experience

As the Vice President of Delivery and Experience, Steve is responsible for ensuring that our clients benefit from clear, actionable deliverables that meet their specific needs. Steve commands expertise in a wide array of fields, including marketing strategy, IT organizational design, management consulting, and customer experience. His diverse background informs his work in higher education as he guides institutional leaders towards strategic, effective solutions. Steve comes to Eduventures from Forrester Research, where he garnered extensive experience in consulting, research, product development, and management of client relationships. Steve is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he earned a degree in economics.

 

Gerald M. DiGiusto, Ph.D.
Managing Vice President, Research & Data

Gerry serves as the Vice President of Research & Data, leading the development of new products and services for Eduventures’ clients built on cutting-edge research and expertise. He has nearly 15 years’ experience in various roles across higher education in the United States and abroad as a teacher, researcher, and consultant. Gerry has recently advised universities on strategic planning, online program development, and creating successful international partnerships. Prior to joining Eduventures, Gerry served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Princeton University’s Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance, as an Assistant Professor in Bowdoin College’s Department of Government and Legal Studies, and as a researcher at the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. He graduated from Bowdoin College and earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in political science/international relations from Duke University.

 

Kristen D. Fox
Managing Vice President, Marketing & Strategy

Kristen has over ten years of experience as a consultant and advisor to the education, government, and non-profit sectors and has worked with hundreds of universities across the United States. Her client engagements have helped institutions develop growth and branding strategies, achieve accreditation, identify cost-savings opportunities, improve fundraising results, and facilitate university-wide strategic planning. Kristen has presented at national industry conferences, including AACTE, AASCU, ACHE, and CASE and her work has been cited in publications such as Inside Higher Education and the Boston Globe. Prior to joining Eduventures, Kristen held positions at the U.S. Department of State, the International Equity Research Team at the Evergreen Investment Management Company, at Colgate University in the Development Office, and was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow. She also taught undergraduate global history and writing courses at the University of California, San Diego. Kristen holds an M.A. from the University of California, San Diego and a B.A. from Colgate University. Kristen is active in community service and serves on the Boston Board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

 

Alicia M. Martinelli
Managing Vice President, Finance & Operations

Alicia joined Eduventures in 1999 and has managed the finance and operations function since 2000. She is responsible for all corporate finance activities and leads company initiatives with respect to coordination, control, and measurement. In addition, Alicia oversees company operations and infrastructure. Before joining Eduventures, Alicia managed operations at the David Lavin Agency, a lecture agency serving the higher education market. Alicia has more than 10 years’ experience in business operations and corporate finance. She holds a B.A. in economics and anthropology from Wellesley College.

 

William Sellers
Managing Vice President, Sales & Business Development

As Managing Vice President of Sales and Business Development, Bill is responsible for driving Eduventures’ revenue growth and sales productivity while ensuring our offerings deliver the most value and impact for our clients. Bill oversees a sales group that consists of ten sales regions, a consulting sales team and a client account team. Bill brings experience from a variety of sales leadership roles held at Forrester where he helped establish its Marketing & Strategy client sales team. Most recently, Bill built offerings and generated relationships with Forrester agency clientele worldwide, generating $20 million in revenue. In multiple roles at Forrester he was responsible for working with existing and newly acquired clients to insure they mostly effectively engaged with its research, data and consulting services.

Prior to Forrester, Bill held sales management positions in the IT and embedded systems markets, including building and managing the higher education practice for a custom computer manufacturer. Bill graduated from the Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Law, political science and communications where served as an academic advisor to athlete students and spent a semester as a speech writer and manager of research for a member of the House of Commons.

 

Our Board of Directors

 
  • Chris Sobecki, Chairman & Director
  • Mark R. Nemec, Ph.D., President & CEO
  • Les Charm, Director
  • David Cohen, Ph.D., Director
  • Richard Eldh, Director
  • Aflalo Guimarães, Director
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