Coalition Ambassadors Selected for 2023-24
June 20, 2023
Now in its third year, the Coalition Ambassador program welcomes 15 new participants for 2023-24. This program brings together admissions professionals from member colleges and universities to collaborate on nationally coordinated and regionally impactful college access work.
Participants hail from public and private Coalition schools across the U.S. and are united in their passion to expand college access.
“Navigating the college process was difficult in ways that I was not prepared to handle because of who I was and what was afforded to me,” says Coalition Ambassador Adriana Bustos, assistant dean of admissions at Pomona College. "I would not have been able to overcome those challenges if not for the people, programs, and resources that found me and met me where I was. These formative experiences taught me both the value of organizations such as the Coalition, and the power they have to act as a catalyst in providing tools where desire and potential already exist."
Ambassadors work together to support students in learning about and applying to college and connect them to the resources that the Coalition provides.
In addition to this direct outreach, Ambassadors also connect with leaders in the college access and enrollment management fields. The professional development component of the program is designed to provide professionals who are committed to access and inclusion with the opportunity for networking and professional growth.
“It’s a privilege to work with our Ambassadors to support more under-resourced and under-represented students on the path to higher education,” says Stacey Kostell, CEO of the Coalition for College, “and at the same time, support our Ambassadors’ professional goals and help them make new connections in our field.”
Reflecting on his experience as a member of the first cohort of the program, Justin Wilson, associate director of admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, says, “Being a Coalition Ambassador is to empower and be empowered.”
“My formative experiences taught me both the value of organizations such as the Coalition, and the power they have to act as a catalyst in providing tools where desire and potential already exist.”
Meet the 2023-24 Coalition Ambassadors
Regina Atkins
Associate Director Admissions, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Nakeyah Bradford
Assistant Director of Admissions, Washington University in St. Louis
Adriana Bustos
Assistant Dean of Admissions, Pomona College
Liam Dailey
Senior Associate Director of Admissions Communications, Beloit College
Jessica De La Rosa
Director of Admissions, University of the Incarnate Word
Mark Detterline
Assistant Dean of Admissions, Swarthmore College
Darrell Edmonds
Deputy Director of Admissions, University of Delaware
Ali Hennessey
Associate Director of Admissions, Northeastern University
Kira Love
Director of Transfer Student Engagement and Initiatives, University at Buffalo
Kevin Medina
Director of Admissions, Special Populations & Transfers, American University
Carrie Olesh
Associate Director of Admissions, Hope College
Christopher Quach
Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Columbia University
Andrea Stewart-Douglas
Associate Director, Student & Family Engagement, Washington University in St. Louis
Jaleen Washington
Senior Director of Admission, Oglethorpe University
Michael Yucuis
Deputy Director, Veteran Initiatives, Programs, and Services, University of Chicago