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IBSC Admissions and Marketing Conference

May 6 – 8, 2018

Montgomery Bell Academy
Nashville, Tennessee, United States



Speakers


Eddie George

Keynote Speaker
Sunday 7:30 PM

With his legendary accomplishments on the football field — Heisman Trophy winner, star running back at The Ohio State University, NFL rookie of the year, and holder of a host of NFL records — Eddie George could have retired a proud man, with a strong legacy as a history-making athlete. Instead of resting on his records, George took on the challenge of his lifetime: He has spent the past decade quietly building businesses aimed at improving the quality of life for all Americans.

“Since I’m mostly known for winning on the football field, a lot of people seem surprised when they hear that I’ve used my education, experience, and passion to build these exciting businesses. They say ‘you’re a businessman, too?’ I like that reaction,’” says George, who will soon receive his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

His companies include EGX Lifestyle, working to help people develop healthy lives, and EDGE, the planning and design firm helping create healthy communities. Beyond leading these organizations, George’s business life is filled with media appearances, entertainment roles, hosting Radio, By George!, speaking engagements, and philanthropy. He finds his work with charities intrinsically rewarding, donating his time and money to various organizations, including his own nonprofit organization, Visions with Infinite Possibilities (VIP).

George is married to Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George, a Grammy®-nominated singer with the soul group SWV ("Sisters With Voices"), which has sold more than six million records. They live in Tennessee with their two sons, Eriq and Jaire. They enjoy a busy life of friends, family, and kids’ sporting events.


Robert J. Massa

Keynote Speaker
Monday 8:45 AM

Robert J. Massa serves as Senior Vice President for Enrollment and Institutional Planning at Drew University, a position he has held since January 2015. He is responsible for admissions, financial aid, athletics, career planning, the registrar, and institutional research. For five years prior to his work with Drew, Massa was the Vice President for Communications at his son’s alma mater, Lafayette College.

From 1999 to 2009, Massa served as Vice President for Enrollment and College Relations at Dickinson College, where he oversaw a significant growth is the student enrollment, diversity, academic quality, and net revenue. For 10 years prior to joining Dickinson, he was the Dean of Enrollment at The Johns Hopkins University. Beginning in 1974 he held positions in admissions and financial aid at Colgate University and Union College.

Massa received his bachelor's degree from the University of Rochester and a doctorate in higher education from Columbia University.

He has published widely in books and journals in the field of college admissions and enrollment management and has been active as an instructor and journal editor in national organizations for admissions and financial aid professionals. He has also written and spoken extensively on the use of academic scholarships in student recruitment and on the abuse of national rankings of colleges and universities. Each year, he is the keynote speaker at more than 25 high schools across the United States, helping students keep the college admission process in perspective and showing them how to determine what makes a good college for them.


Erin Rehel

Keynote Speaker
Monday 10:30 AM

Erin Rehel is a senior consultant of strategic research with the education consulting firm EAB. In this role, she serves as the program lead for the Independent School Executive Forum.

Previously, Rehel led Advisory Board International’s Clinical Operations Board, which supports senior health care executives and their teams in more than 40 countries on key operational concerns. An expert multi-methods researcher, she conducted studies on hospital efficiency, care quality, and staff engagement initiatives.

Rehel holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in sociology from Brandeis University. She also earned two degrees from McGill University: a master’s degree in religious studies with a concentration in bioethics and a bachelor’s degree in religious studies. Prior to joining The Advisory Board Company, Rehel conducted comparative research examining the influence of state-level social policies on corporate work-family fit strategies. She also conducted research in the fields of organizational behavior, health disparities, and bioethics.


David E. Taibl

Keynote Speaker
Monday 1:00 PM

As The Enrollment Management Association’s Director of Outreach since 2012, Dave Taibl works with schools throughout the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Texas. He brings two decades’ experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator to inform his work for independent schools. He began his career in 1993 as an intern at Christchurch School, a coed boarding and day school in Virginia’s Tidewater region, working as a dorm parent, coach, and English teacher. Taibl entered the admission field and served as the school’s Director of Admission until 2000, when he joined the administration at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Virginia, as the Dean of Students. Additionally, he oversaw enrollment management and fundraising as the Assistant Head of School at Stuart Hall in Staunton, Virginia, assisting in a successful merger with Hunter McGuire School to create a cohesive K-12 school in Shenandoah Valley. Taibl holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from Washington College and his M.Ed. from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. He and his family reside in Lorton, Virginia, within Washington, DC’s metro area.


Amy Burgess

Keynote Speaker
Monday 2:45 PM

Amy Burgess is the Admission and Marketing Director at Covenant Classical School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is also a StoryBrand Certified Guide, hired by the Society of Classical Learning to help classical Christian schools improve their marketing. You can reach her at amymesserburgess@gmail.com.


Christopher J. Gruber

Keynote Speaker
Tuesday 8:45 AM

Chris Gruber is the Vice President and Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Davidson College, a position he has held since 2005. Prior to Davidson, he served as Director of Admission at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

Gruber has developed curricula and coordinated seminars for new professionals in college admission and counseling. He created a widely known financial aid seminar for secondary school counselors and families. Gruber considers it a great privilege to speak on the college search, admission, and financial aid at high schools, college events, and community-based organizations across the country and around the world.

He has served as a delegate and seminar faculty member for the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and as a reader for the National Merit Scholarships Program. Gruber has also served as a board chair for an independent school in Charlotte, North Carolina. Currently, he is the Executive Director for a group of Admission Deans from 19 private colleges and universities throughout the southeastern United States. He was the President of the Common Application during his five-year tenure on its board of directors, and currently serves on the board of directors for the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success.

Gruber earned both his bachelor’s and MBA from the University of Richmond. He and his wife have three children: two college graduates and one in high school.


Morey Hill

Keynote Speaker
Tuesday 10:30 AM

A Nashville native, Morey Hill was graduated from Washington and Lee University in May 2012, earning a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in music. Hill joined public relations firm MP&F in January 2014. He has strong experience in media relations, messaging, social media, and advertising. At MP&F, Hill works for a variety of clients, including CSX Transportation, the Ohio Valley Conference, WGU Tennessee, and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps program.

Prior to his arrival at MP&F, he worked briefly for Moondance Adventures, where he led backpacking and rafting trips through the Pacific Northwest. In college, Hill honed his writing skills during internships with the Shenandoah Literary Journal and Chapter 16, a website devoted to Tennessee literature.