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Meet the Team2024-03-08T13:39:20-05:00

Meet the Team

Angel B. Pérez, CEO

Interested in asking Dr. Pérez to speak at your event? Please visit our Speaking Engagement Form

Dr. Angel B. Pérez is CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). In this role, he represents over 27,000 admission and counseling professionals worldwide committed to postsecondary access and success. He is the primary voice of the association to government, media, and global partners. Pérez is recognized as a national thought leader and sought-after speaker on issues of educational equity, access, and success.

Throughout his career, Dr. Pérez has worked to realize his belief that diversity and academic excellence are not mutually exclusive, and that every student who aspires to higher education should be afforded the opportunity. His work echoes his own story. Growing up poor in Puerto Rico and the South Bronx, he was the first in his family to graduate from college and went on to become a leader in higher education.

Prior to joining NACAC in 2020, Dr. Pérez served in higher education leadership positions, most recently, as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success at Trinity College in Connecticut. His work to enroll and cultivate students from around the globe was described as transformative. He became NACAC CEO in the midst of a global pandemic and steered the organization through extraordinary change to meet the urgent needs of the profession. During his tenure, the association adopted a new mission and vision, restructured its governance, doubled its membership, developed new programs and research, overhauled its federal policy initiatives, and secured the largest philanthropic gifts in its history.  In September 2023, Dr. Pérez announced the founding of the Center for Reimagining College Access.

Dr. Pérez’s leadership has been featured in many outlets including the American Society for Association Executives, AwareNow, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He is passionate about cultivating the next generation of leaders and created new initiatives for young professionals at NACAC, with a particular emphasis on diversifying the field of education. For his efforts to build an educational ecosystem that represents today’s society, he was recently awarded Skidmore College’s highest honor for diversity leadership.

Dr. Pérez’s expertise is often sought by policy stakeholders. He advised the Biden-Harris administration on issues of college access and affordability.  He also testified before the Pennsylvania State Board of Education in support of increased funding for higher education. During his time in Connecticut, the Governor appointed him to the New England Board of Higher Education, and he served on Forward50, a group of higher education leaders presenting solutions to Congress. He is a contributor and frequent commentator in media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, NPR, Forbes, PBS NewsHour, The Atlantic, and CBS Evening News.

Dr. Pérez’s passion for teaching led him to serve as a faculty member at Trinity College’s Educational Studies Department, UCLA’s College Counseling Certification Program, and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also served as a visiting international faculty member at Rikkyo University in Japan. His trusteeships include the Berkshire School, United World College in Costa Rica, Hartford Youth Scholars, Tuition Exchange, Scholarship America, and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. He is a steering committee member for the Washington Higher Education Secretariat, and most recently, the Kresge Foundation appointed him to the Thrive Leaders Network.

Dr. Pérez is a Fulbright Scholarship alumnus. He holds a B.S. from Skidmore College, an M.A. from Columbia University, a PhD from Claremont Graduate University, and a Teaching Certification in Higher Education Pedagogy from the Derek Bok Teaching and Learning Center at Harvard University.

Interested in asking Dr. Pérez to speak at your event? Please visit our Speaking Engagement Form

Shantel Goodman-Luckett
Chief Experience Officer

Meet Shantel

David A. Hawkins
Chief Education and Policy Officer

Meet David

Melanie Marquez Parra
Chief Communications Officer

Meet Melanie

Ashley Perzyna
Chief Operating Officer

Meet Ashley

Executive Office

Contact: ceo@nacacnet.org

Angel B. Pérez
Chief Executive Officer
Email | 703-299-6828

Ashley Perzyna
Chief Operating Officer
Email | 703-299-6821

Helen Hernandez
Assistant Director, Executive & Board Relations
Email | 703-299-6841

Kara Lackmann
Manager, People & Culture Initiatives
Email | 703-299-6812

Jennifer Miller
Manager, Administrative Services
Email | 703-299-6801

Governance

Contact: governance@nacacnet.org

Heather McGhee
Director, Governance & Volunteer Relations
Email | 703-299-6835

Communications

Contact: communications@nacacnet.org

Melanie Marquez Parra
Chief Communications Officer
Email​ | 703-299-6827

Ebony Maddox
Social Media Strategy & Content Manager
Email | 703-299-6818

John Powers
Web Content Administrator
Email | 703-299-6807

Sawsan Chalabi
Visual Communications Designer
Email | 703-299-6833

Rachel Williams
Content Editor and Writer
Email | 703-299-6834

Finance and Administration

Contact: accountspayable@nacacnet.org

Information Systems

Contact: is@nacacnet.org

Khurram Bashir
Director of IT
Email | 703-299-6816

Michelle Lucas 
Database Management & Integration Director
Email | 703-299-6814

Membership Experience

Contact: cxo@nacacnet.org and membership@nacacnet.org
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Shantel Goodman-Luckett
Chief Experience Officer
Profile | Email | 703-836-2222

Murphy Miller
Director, Membership Experience and Global Engagement
Email | 703-299-6838

Robert Purdy
Director, Sales and Marketing
Email | 703-299-6826

Victoria Balahutrak
Manager, Membership Experience
Email | 703-299-5279

Alex Korty
Digital Marketing Manager
Email | 703-299-6837

Kevin Durham
Digital Marketing Manager
Email | 703-299-6847

Robin Tetteh
Administrative Assistant
Email | 703-299-6817

Moni Huntington
Specialist, Membership Experience
Email | 703-299-6824

Teesha Bailey
Specialist, Membership Experience
Email | 703-299-6815

Kiarra Davis
Specialist, Membership Experience
Email | 703-299-6819

Events and Meetings

Contact: collegefairs@nacacnet.org and conference@nacacnet.org

Pia Brown
Director, Events and Meetings
Email | 571-551-5277

Jason Smith 
Associate Director, Events & Meetings
Email | 703-299-6856​

Gracy Olmeda 
Associate Director, Events & Meetings
Email | 703-299-6839

Bissi Woldemicael
Manager, Events and Meetings
Email | 703-299-6832

Makini Johnson
Manager, Events and Meetings
Email | 703-299-6859

Jada Penn
Manager, Events and Meetings
Email | 703-299-6829

Laura Fagan
Manager, Events and Meetings
Email | 703-299-6813

Virginia Falgoust
Manager, Events and Meetings
Email | 703-299-6844

Kaitlyn Fennell
Coordinator, Events and Meetings
Email | 703-299-6822

Educational Content and Policy

Contact: legislative@nacacnet.org
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David A. Hawkins
Chief Education and Policy Officer
Profile | Email | 703-299-6809

Education and Training

Contact: pd@nacacnet.org

Sophia Chaale
Director of Education and Training
Email | 703-299-6849

Kim Bauer
Learning Experience Designer
Email | 703-299- 6830

Katie Maenz
Learning Experience Designer
Email | 703-299-6808

JH You
Manager, Education and Training
Email | 703-299-6846

Research

Contact: research@nacacnet.org

Melissa E. Clinedinst
Director of Research Initiatives and Partnerships
Email | 703-299-6854

Cameron Hair
Senior Associate, Research Initiatives and Partnerships
Email | 703-299-5276

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

John S. Hollemon III
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Email | 703-299-6820

Advocacy

CJ Powell
Director of Advocacy
Email | 703-299-6825

Juel Okpara
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
Email | 703-299-6802

Philanthropy

Tommy Amal
Director of Philanthropy and Enterprise Development
Email | 773-818-9052

Dr. Jennifer Brown
Development Manager
Email | 703-299-6801

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