Team Biographies

Jim's special area of expertise falls in recruitment -- from mentoring admissions leaders to building new demand through data analysis and the development of strategic communications. Jim's administrative career spanned over 25 years of leadership in admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management at Boston College, Cornell University, and the University of Rochester. In addition, Jim has authored numerous publications on enrollment management including On Choosing a College that is Right for You (Peterson's Guides), The Effect of Financial Aid Policies on Admission and Enrollment (The College Board), Working Together: A Cooperation between Admissions and Financial Aid Offices (The College Board), and Shaping the College Experience Outside the Classroom (University of Rochester Press). Since partnering with Kathy Kurz to start the company in 1996, Jim and Kathy have consulted at over 250 institutions nationwide on over 350 projects. They are regular contributors to University Business and Jim speaks at national conferences and seminars such as the Snowmass Institute for Enrollment Management, the College Board, and NACAC, etc.

Kathy's special area of expertise is in developing strategic financial aid and retention programs, designed to enhance enrollment and net tuition revenue results. A former Associate Vice President at the University of Rochester and Director of Financial Aid at Earlham College, she pays special attention to ensuring that the solutions recommended are practical, detailed, and implementable. Kathy contributes regularly to University Business, authored a chapter entitled The Changing Role of Financial Aid and Enrollment Management in New Directions for Student Services, a Jossey-Bass publication, and speaks at national conferences and seminars such as NACUBO, Academic Impressions, and CIC.

Mary joined Scannell & Kurz in April 2009.  She manages the Financial Aid Strategy Tool (FAST) as well as consulting on a variety of enrollment management topics.  She previously served as Assistant Vice President of Institutional Research and Planning as well as the Dean of Enrollment at St. Bonaventure University, where her responsibilities included undergraduate and graduate admissions, financial aid and institutional research.  Prior to that position she served 14 years as the Director of Financial Aid.

Mary holds a B.S. in mathematics and an M.B.A., both from St. Bonaventure University.

Jennifer joined the Scannell & Kurz team in May 2011. She manages the Financial Aid Strategy Tool (FAST) and provides consulting on a wide range of enrollment management topics from admissions to retention. Jennifer comes to S&K from Clarkson University where she served for nine years as Director of New Student Financial Assistance. Her experience encompasses both financial aid and admissions responsibilities, specializing in balancing financial aid strategies with enrollment targets and retention concerns. She has conducted enrollment data analysis, managed regional territories, and created successful financial aid strategies for targeted demographics. In addition, Jennifer has a keen interest in retention, which includes predictive model development to identify at-risk first-year students.

Jennifer earned a B.S. and M.S. in Physics, both from Clarkson University.

Bill comes to S&K from Furman University, where he most recently served as Vice President for Enrollment. His leadership in enrollment management included overseeing offices of admissions, financial aid, planning and institutional research, and student employment. During this period, Bill successfully implemented a strategic plan designed to increase enrollment, increase selectivity, and decrease financial aid expenditures. Prior to his role as Vice President for Enrollment, Bill served as the Director of Planning and Institutional Research. In that position he supported student recruitment and retention efforts with financial aid optimization studies, enrollment projections, and admissions and retention studies.

Before Furman University, Bill served in leadership positions at Rhodes College and DePauw University. He has been active in professional organizations such as the Higher Education Data Sharing (HEDS) consortium, College Board, Commission of Colleges – Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

Bill brings an analytic and data-driven approach to enrollment management and is a natural fit with the S&K team.

Jamie heads the Scannell & Kurz analytical team, using client data to better understand trends and to build predictive models that inform strategic initiatives.  Before joining Scannell & Kurz, Jamie worked as a Research Specialist at Monroe Community College where he supervised several studies related to institutional assessment including alumni opinion and graduate follow-up surveys.  He was also responsible for creating and implementing tracking systems used for retention analysis and alumni research.

Jamie has an M.S. degree in Applied Statistics from Rochester Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Mathematics from Cedarville University.

Don joined the S&K team in June 2005. His special expertise is in the areas of computer programming, statistics, and database management. His responsibilities include analyzing and reporting on client data, building predictive models, and maintaining the FAST and SKORE software environments. Don is a SAS certified professional and an active member of the Genesee Valley SAS User's Group.

Don has a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Cedarville University and is currently working on his M.B.A degree at SUNY Empire State College. 

Tim came to S&K in July 2009. Before joining the team, he was an Equity Research Intern with Credit Suisse in London, a Client Representative at Canandaigua National Bank, and a Financial Services Representative with First Investors Corporation.

Tim graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2008 with a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Economics, and a minor in Statistics.

Dan joined the S&K research team in March 2011. Prior to joining, he worked as a data analyst/contractor at Bausch & Lomb in the Global Quality Department where he was an analyst. He was responsible for interpreting large data sets and writing summary reports, as well as updating and revising existing ones.

Dan graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and concentrations in Physics and Criminal Justice.

Melissa joined the research team at S&K in March 2011. She holds a BS and MS in Applied Statistics, both from Rochester Institute of Technology. During her time at Rochester Institute of Technology, she gained internship experience at The Leadership Factor, where she assisted with preparing survey data, performing data analysis, and generating reports for customer satisfaction surveys. Melissa’s professional interests include predictive modeling and machine learning.

Rita has been the Office Manager since Scannell & Kurz opened in 1996. She is very familiar with all facets of the company and all the clients we serve. Rita supervises the administrative assistants, coordinating report production to ensure delivery in an accurate and timely manner. In addition, she is responsible for human resources functions; handles payroll, health insurance, 401k, and related issues; and manages billing and accounts receivable.

Laurie joined Scannell & Kurz in 2001 and provides general administrative support to Rita.  She keeps our files/archives in excellent order so that we can answer any client questions, even if those questions come long after we have worked together.  Laurie also answers phones, works on benchmarking projects, orders office supplies and equipment, and assists in the production of reports when necessary.

Sue provides administrative support to Rita and staff.  Sue's responsibilities include report production, Web searches, benchmarking projects, scheduling meetings, answering phones, making travel arrangements and weekly report generation and follow-up.

Stephanie joined Scannell & Kurz in July 2010. Prior to joining S&K, Stephanie was employed at IBM, with her most recent responsibilities including auditing and processing of external and internal contracts for Global Business Services. At S&K Stephanie provides administrative support, including report production, benchmarking, web searches, presentation generation, as well as reviewing reports.