The Mission
When I arrived in 2019, Willamette University was at a precarious crossroads. After a decade of year-over-year undergraduate enrollment declines, the institution had been resting on its past reputation as the “first university in the West” while competitors surged ahead. My mission was to transition the brand strategy from a passive focus on history to an active leveraging of heritage. By reframing the university’s “first” status as a mandate for Innovative Leadership, we created a new model for higher education that focused on the fearless desire to think beyond conventional wisdom and lean into uncertainty.
- Strategic Turnaround: Reversed a 10-year downward trend in undergraduate enrollment, achieving sustained growth starting in 2019.
- Brand Re-engineering: Led a major brand audit that shifted the institutional position to "The Innovative Leader."
- Integrated Implementation: Overhauled all external marketing and recruitment materials to ensure a consistent, modern brand voice across all channels.
- Institutional Alignment: Conducted internal workshops and "lunch-and-learns" to embed the new brand identity within the campus culture and community.
- Digital Transformation: Launched a greatly improved website and integrated messaging strategy that maintained enrollment momentum even through the global pandemic.
Three-Year Transformation
Key to this transformation was evolving Willamette’s brand from a legacy-focused ‘history’ narrative to a dynamic ‘heritage’ position that highlights its role as an Innovative Leader.
Strategically overhauled the institution’s digital ecosystem by integrating cutting-edge marketing technologies and advanced data analytics. By implementing best practices across social media and digital advertising, we transformed Willamette’s digital presence from a fragmented narrative into a high-performance engine for engagement and enrollment growth
A seamless digital experience: The new Willamette.edu features a mobile-first design that bridges the gap between the university’s historic roots and its forward-thinking approach to the ‘Arts & Sciences,’ ensuring prospective students have clear pathways to tuition, campus life, and academic programs across all devices.