professional development

2023 Keynote Speaker Confirmed

This year’s WaACRAO keynote speaker is AACRAO Executive Director, Melanie Gottlieb.

Melanie is the first woman to hold the role of Executive Director in the association’s history after nearly six years as the Deputy Director. She brings a global perspective rooted in an understanding of the technological proficiency and flexibility needed to move AACRAO forward.

Melanie came to the national office with 18 years as an AACRAO member, with experience in Records & Registration, Enrollment Management and International Recruitment and Credential Evaluation. She has served the association in a variety of volunteer leadership roles throughout her career, most recently as Vice President for International Education on the AACRAO Board of Directors. Melanie earned an MA in Information Science from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a BA in History /American Studies from Marlboro College in Vermont.

Click here for more information on the 2023 WaACRAO Conference.

Photo and bio from AACRAO.org

2020 Keynote Speaker Confirmed

This year’s WaACRAO keynote speaker is AACRAO Vice President for Information Technology, Rock McCaskill.

Rock McCaskill, 2020 WaACRAO Conference Keynote Speaker

Rock is the Associate Registrar for Operations at Clemson University. He previously served as Registrar at Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia, and prior to that, as Registrar at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina.

The primary responsibility of his current position is to oversee the planning, development, implementation, and maintenance of systems that support the operations and services provided by the Registrar’s Office. He is also responsible for continuous process improvement initiatives within the department. He has been, and continues to be active in AACRAO, SACRAO, CACRAO, and GACRAO, presenting multiple sessions over the years. He has held leadership positions at both the state and regional levels, including serving as the President of SACRAO in 2011. He currently serves on the AACRAO Board of Directors as VP for Information Technology, and as a faculty member for Registrar 101 online and Registrar 201.

Click here for more information on the 2020 WaACRAO Conference.

Photo and bio from AACRAO.org

2019 Keynote Speaker Confirmed

This year’s WaACRAO keynote speaker is AACRAO President-Elect, Jack Miner.

Person with fair complexion, dressed in grey suit coat, with grey windowpane stripes, a red O (Ohio State) lapel pin, white shirt with grey stripes and bowtie with large red and grey angled diamond shapes — Jack Miner, 2019 WaACRAO Conference Keynote Speaker

Jack Miner serves as University Registrar and Executive Director of Enrollment Services for The Ohio State University. Jack is also the President-Elect for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Board of Directors.

Jack holds two degrees from Ohio State and in 2007, the university presented Jack with its highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award. Jack is one of only two people in the university’s nearly 150 year history to receive the Outstanding Senior, Distinguished Alumni, and Distinguished staff Award.

Jack served for a number of years on Ohio State’s Athletic Council, the board that governs Ohio State’s intercollegiate athletic program. Jack served for 15 years as President of Ohio State’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Alumni Society. In 2013, Ohio State announced the launch of the Jack Miner Scholarship for Transgender Students in his honor. This scholarship, the first of its kind in the nation, was in recognition of Jack’s work in advocacy for that community on a local and national level.

He currently serves on the board of directors of the Legacy Fund of the Columbus Foundation and the McConnell Arts Center. Jack also serves as Chair of the Community Relations Commission for the City of Worthington and is a national speaker and advisor on diversity, access to education, transfer credit opportunities, education policy and technology.

Keynote Speaker Confirmed

This year’s WaACRAO keynote speaker is 2018 AACRAO President, Tina Falkner.

Tina Falkner is the director of the Office of Student Finance for Academic support Resources (a really big unit comprised of the Office of the Registrar, the Office of Student Finance, the Office of Classroom Management, One Stop Student Services, Continuity and Compliance and an internal web development team) at the University of Minnesota. Prior to her current position, she served as the director of Continuity and Compliance in Academic Support Resources for 15 years where one of her primary responsibilities was policy creation, revision, interpretation, and enforcement. She is the institutional and national expert on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other student records compliance related matters. As the director of the Office of Student Finance, she oversees financial aid, student billing, collections, bursar and other student financials. Prior to joining the academic affairs side of the house, Tina served in student activities. She currently serves as the President of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). She is an avid gardener and regularly tells people she has likely killed more plants than they have ever purchased.

Tina holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.