UNIQUEST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- President, American Consortium of Universities
David is Founder of DAVID WOODWARD & ASSOCIATES LLC (DW), President of the American Consortium of Universities, a Principal of Yunity LLC, and the Senior Advisor for Strategic Outreach for INTERLINK International Institutes. He has previously served as Special Assistant for International Relations for Seattle Pacific University, Senior Advisor for American University of Sharjah Enterprises LLC, and President & CEO of Associates in Cultural Exchange (1998 to 2016). David has led multi-site organizations nationally, marketing and outreach internationally, corporate board and organizational development, and setting up strategic relationships worldwide. He has coordinated the formation of several key international marketing consortia, and collaborative initiatives across professional disciplines. In addition, David has initiated the development of various business startups and educational projects involving small businesses, universities, corporations, and government agencies within the U.S. and in peer regions of the world.
David was born in Iran where he spent his early youth and developed a fascination for languages and cultures of the world becoming fluent in Persian, French and Arabic. David holds a Master of Education in Higher Education with a specialization in Teaching English as a Second Language, a Master of Arts in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Washington. Over his teaching and administrative career David has presented extensively in forums and conferences on international education, cross-cultural communication, language education, international program administration, and Middle East civilization. A NAFSA member since 1987, David most recently served as the IEM KC Sponsored Program Liaison.
Job Titles:
- Senior International Officer and Associate Vice Provost for International Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore County ( UMBC )
Dr. David L. Di Maria is currently Senior International Officer and Associate Vice Provost for International Education at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Prior to UMBC, he served as Associate Provost for International Programs at Montana State University and Director of International Programs and Services at Kent State University. He has also held various elected leadership positions with major professional associations, including President of the American International Recruitment Council and Chair of NAFSA's International Education Leadership Knowledge Community.
Dr. Di Maria studied abroad in Estonia and taught abroad in Russia. He earned a doctorate in education from the University of Minnesota, where his research focused on campus services for international students.
Downing A. Thomas served as Associate Provost and Dean of International Programs at the University of Iowa from 2008 through 2019. He has also served as Associate Dean of International Programs and Chair of the Department of French and Italian. In 2005, Thomas was named Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes académiques (Knight in the Order of Academic Palms) by the French government. In 2007, Thomas was elected President of the Association of Departments of Foreign Language. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary professorship at Hebei Normal University in China.
Thomas has delivered invited lectures at University of Virginia, NYU, University of California-Berkeley, and Stanford University, among others. He has published articles and presented numerous lectures focused on aspects of international education, including strategic internationalization in higher education. A recent publication is entitled "Mapping the Scope and Impact of International Partnerships," IENetworker (Fall, 2018): 13-14.
Job Titles:
- Director of Evaluations at International Education Research Foundation
- Director of Evaluations, International Education Research Foundation ( IERF )
Emily Tse is the Director of Evaluations at International Education Research Foundation (IERF), a non-profit agency founded as the first credentials evaluation service in the U.S. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and her Master of Philosophy, also in Classics, from Cambridge University. Active in the field for over 20 years, Emily has presented at conferences at the regional, national, and international level, as well as contributed to publications such as IERF's Country Index series, NAGAP's Perspectives, TAICEP TALK, and NAFSA's IEM Spotlight.
Emily currently serves on TAICEP's Digital Student Data Taskforce and was co-chair of their 2021 Digital Docs Provider Fair. She also sits on AACRAO's International Education Standards Council (IESC). Among its responsibilities, the IESC oversees and approves the placement recommendations found on the AACRAO EDGE database. In 2008, she received the Pioneer Research Grant for her comparative study on credentials evaluation in four countries. In 2019, she was given NAFSA's Award for Outstanding Contribution to International Enrollment Management (IEM).
Job Titles:
- Technical Solutions Director
Jakub is responsible for the ongoing innovation of the UQ Platform. He steers the UQ Platform roadmap, overseeing the design, configuration, customization, and integration with other digital systems to provide the best-in-class student engagement solution. Jakub brings over 15 years' experience in the technology sector specializing in implementing and managing cloud-based systems.
When Jakub is not in "the Cloud" you can often find him in the kitchen creating elaborate meals for his wife, family, and friends.
Job Titles:
- Global Operations Director
Jennifer ensures UniQuest's people, UQ Platform, and process align to partner objectives, adding value at every step throughout the relationship. She and her team focus on exploiting the data and insights in the UQ Platform for strategic, actionable insights to keep our college and university partners at the forefront of student engagement innovation.
She has 20 years' experience working in international education, which has included roles as Director of Internationalisation at LSBU and Head of Global Client relations at i-Graduate. Just prior to joining UniQuest, Jenni had been running her own consultancy, delivering research and strategic development to the UK HE sector.
Jenni has traveled extensively through her work in international education and just for fun. One of her favorite experiences abroad has been skydiving in New Zealand.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director for International Enrollment Management - International Student and Scholar Services and Volunteer Engagement, NAFSA
Joann Ng Hartmann, MS, is the Senior Director for International Enrollment Management - International Student and Scholar Services and Volunteer Engagement at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In her capacity, Joann provides strategic leadership, development and implementation of professional development opportunities, publications and programs and she has oversight for maintaining effective regulatory practice relationships with federal agencies that regulate mobility and enrollment of international students and scholars.
Joann has over 25 years' experience in international education. Prior to NAFSA, Joann was at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville directing and managing the student and scholar services unit, including institutional compliance, orientation, student/scholar advising and programming as well as providing international recruitment strategy and support. Joann was an active volunteer leader for NAFSA serving in various regional and national capacities. She has written training curriculum, presented workshops and sessions at many national and international conferences. She holds an MS in communication from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Enrollment Management, Eastern Michigan University
During the last fifteen years of a higher education career spanning forty years, Mr. Kucera has successfully designed and implemented strategic enrollment plans for two Mid-American Conference (MAC) universities. Kucera is currently serving as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Eastern Michigan University (2011-present) and previously served as Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management at the University of Toledo (2006-2011). Under Kucera's leadership, the University of Toledo experienced record gains in freshmen classes and student diversity.
Eastern Michigan University has also achieved the largest freshmen classes in history under Kucera's leadership. In addition, EMU graduation rates have seen a significant increase along with substantial enrollment increases in fully online degree programs. Kucera has significant expertise in financial aid leveraging, work process mapping, and leveraging technology for use in customizing marketing and communication messages.
Kucera has extensive international travel experience in China and the Middle East, while brokering agreements for joint colleges and other recruitment related strategies.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Partner Success, North America
Megan Prettyman serves as Vice President for Partner Success, North America. Working in the field of International Education since 2012, Megan previously held positions at the University of Findlay, Montana State University, the British Council, and Florida State University. A regular presenter at the NAFSA and the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) conferences, Megan has facilitated sessions and workshops on international recruitment, dual- and joint-degree programs, CRM/MAP implementation, data-informed decision making, ROI-driven approaches to recruitment and budgeting, and applying systems thinking to the international admissions office. Currently, she serves as the managing editor of the NAFSA IEM Spotlight, a member of NAFSA Trainer Corps, and an AIRC External Reviewer for Certification.
Megan graduated from New York University with an M.A. in International Education and the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and Kampala, Uganda, respectively.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Study Massachusetts
- Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Western New England University
Michelle Kowalsky-Goodfellow is currently the Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Western New England University. She has been at Western New England University for 16 years where she has served as an Assistant Director of Admission, Coordinator of Transfer and International Admissions, Associate Director of Admissions, Director of International Admissions for 7 years and most recently in her current role since July of 2019. Prior to starting at WNE, Michelle worked at a small school in NC as an Admissions Counselor where she was also in charge of international recruitment.
Michelle has served as the Chair of Study Massachusetts, a state-based consortium that promotes internationalization in the state; the NAFSA Region XI International Enrollment Management representative; a NAFSA Trainer Corp member, Dean of Curriculum, and Lead Trainer; a member of the Hotcourses Advisory Board; Board Member for the New England Transfer Association; and on the New England Association for College Admissions Counseling professional development committee and annual planning committee. Michelle has an M.Ed from Springfield College and her bachelor's degree from Catawba College.
As CEO & Co-founder, Rachel leads the business and is responsible for UniQuest's strategy and people. She takes an active role with our partner community and ensures the UniQuest team is well-supported in meeting the unique needs and ambitions of both partners and their students.
Rachel has more than 15 years' experience partnering with higher education institutions to optimize student conversion operations in the US, UK, and Australia. She co-founded UniQuest to build a flexible service that could adapt to the rapidly changing needs of education institutions in relation to student conversion and student success.
Rachel's always had a passion for international education. Rachel grew up in New Zealand and studied in 5 different countries during college.
Job Titles:
- Director of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Management at the University of Louisville
- Director of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Management, University of Louisville
Shabeer Amirali currently serves as the Director of Graduate Admissions and Enrollment Management at the University of Louisville. Previously, he was the Director of Marketing, Recruitment, Student Success and Partnerships of the Graduate School Bradley University. With 20 plus years of higher education & commercial marketing experience, Shabeer developed student retention strategies, including developing, implementing, and maintaining current student communication and social media strategy.
He advises students on admissions, immigration, academics, and ESL programs. Shabeer developed innovative strategies {"3C" - Connect, Communicate and Collaborate and ConneCtIonS} for increasing the recruitment of prospective students in graduate programs from inquiry to graduation. Shabeer also taught international business & marketing courses and other professional courses at the University.
Shabeer serves in various non-profit organizations. He is currently working with NAFSA as Trainer Corp Dean of Credential Evaluations and Member Engagement Committee Member, NACADA, and AACARO committees. Shabeer's research has been published in Springer, Nova Publications, other commercial and research journals, and in the proceedings of various international conferences. Shabeer has won multiple awards. One special mention, which is very close to his heart - Peoria 40 under 40 Leadership Award for community engagement.
Job Titles:
- Finance and People Operations Director
Job Titles:
- Dean of Enrollment Management & Student Life, Unification Theological Seminary
Steven Boyd is the Dean of Enrollment Management & Student Life and a Lecturer in Management at Unification Theological Seminary in New York City. He is also an Affiliate with Gateway International Group, providing insight in International Student Recruitment and Admissions. Steven began a career in higher education at the University of Bridgeport in 2001 where he was Director of Graduate Admissions, Assistant Director of the English Language Institute, and Director of International Admissions. He later served at the University of New Haven as Executive Director of Graduate and International Admissions.
Mr. Boyd's expertise lies in data-driven strategic international recruitment and market development employing student-centered recruitment initiatives. He is Past President of the American International Recruitment Council (AIRC) and was a member of the AIRC Board of Directors from 2017-2020. He has been actively involved in NAFSA, AIEA, International ACAC, EAIE, IIE, NACUBO, EnglishUSA, IC3, EducationUSA Forum, and ICEF, as a presenter on strategic recruitment and market development in the MENA region, Latin America, and Asia.