Episode 04 - Barbarba Eghan

Barbara Egan, Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid for Georgetown Day School discusses the challenges and successes of modernizing the admission office under her tenure. She also discusses the crucial skills the new directors of admission must possess in order to be successful, as well as effective staff management and organization. Furthermore, she talks about the need for equitable compensation for admissions professionals and also discusses how the Zen of cooking, a good run and laying on the beaches of Puerto Vallarta keep her focused and serene.

Episode Take A Ways: The need for purposeful work…higher salaries for admissions professionals…overcoming the impostor syndrome…the Zen of cooking…relentless optimism…talking to each other.

Show Tracks:

2:43 Evolution of GDS Admissions office

10:42 Staff Training

15:04 Staff Management

23:00 Compensation

30:02 Center for Civic Engagement

34:44 Personal organization

39:33 Personal challenges

45:17 Personal Joy

47:30 Society’s Greatest Challenge Today

51:20 Relentless Optimism

55:00 Why we must listen

 

Show Notes

Barbara Eghan has served as Director of Enrollment Management at Georgetown Day School since July 2014. In that time, she has steadily increased enrollment demand by focusing on expanding admissions outreach efforts, overseeing the development of effective ambassador programs, and fully digitizing admissions operations.

Beyond the admissions office, Barbara collaborates with colleagues on existing and new program initiatives, and partners with the Board of Trustees on diversity and inclusion goals, finance, and enrollment planning. 

 

Beyond GDS, Barbara has served as a founding faculty member for the Future Leaders Institute at the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) and on the Admissions Advisory Committee of the Association of Independent Schools in Greater Washington (AISGW). 

 

She has previously worked at Polytechnic School (CA) and Groton School (MA), and served as a board member at Oak Meadow School (MA), along the way also gaining experience as a student advisor, coach, and English teacher.

 

Barbara received her A.B. in history and literature from Harvard University and her Ed.M. in school leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Barbara lives in Washington, DC, and cherishes her time with her wife, Rachel (a talented independent school leader in her own right), and their dog, Moxie. In July 2021, Barbara will take on a new capacity at GDS as the Founding Executive Director of a newly-established enterprise, the Center for Civic Engagement, whose mission is to equip young people regionally and nationally with the skills to renew and sustain our democracy.

Enjoy!

Tom

 

This episode is sponsored by The Independent Educational Consultants Association.

It is the largest and most respected organization representing independent educational consultants. An IECA member educational consultant is a skilled professional who provides counseling to help students and families choose a school that is a good personal match: one that will foster the student’s academic and social growth.

 

IECA members adhere to the strictest ethical standards in the profession, visit hundreds of campuses each year, and are among the most experienced educational consultants in the profession. They focus on finding the best match between student and school.

 

Many schools have gained students from new communities because of their outreach to IECA members. As a Director of admission for 20 years the IECA consultants were crucial in helping us find the best mission appropriate students…they are fantastic people to work with!

 

National and regional media, as well as government agencies, rely on IECA as the authority of the profession. IECA is consistently cited by the media as the association with ethical, student-centered advising.

 

For more information on how to connect with IECA members, go to 

their website/URL: www.IECAonline.com

This episode is sponsored by The School Connection.

The idea is simple; affordable and meaningful venues for traditional boarding schools, therapeutic schools, and domestic and international Educational Consultants to come together, for informational and networking purposes. This process, ultimately leads to the successful placing of students into the most compatible environment.

The School Connections workshops involve multiple, individual meetings between Educational Consultants and admissions representatives from schools and programs. Their workshops range from 2-3 days and, allow attendees to maximize their time with individual appointments in one workshop, in one location.

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