1. Tell us about your company and the problem it solves, or its benefit to learners or educators.
Throughout our company history, CollegeSource has evolved alongside higher education, but I’ve never lost sight of why we’re here. I believe educational opportunities change lives, and our mission is to maximize human potential by helping people discover those opportunities and understand how to reach them.
We first helped colleges broaden access to course information. As transfer became more common, we focused on helping institutions evaluate prior learning. Today, we support students across much more of their educational journey—from understanding how previous coursework transfers to seeing what remains on the path to graduation.
I’ve always believed students shouldn’t lose momentum because they’re trying to navigate confusing administrative processes. Every day, students transfer institutions, change majors, return after time away or pursue new career goals. Those transitions shouldn’t require them to start over or figure everything out on their own.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that our best ideas come from the people we serve. I don’t think of our clients as institutions—I think of them as people who have dedicated their careers to helping students succeed. Many of the improvements we’ve made have come directly from conversations with registrars, transfer professionals and academic advisors who understand these challenges better than anyone.
Technology is an important part of what we do, but I don’t think technology is ever the destination. It’s simply how we help colleges create clearer pathways and more opportunities for students. That’s the purpose that has guided CollegeSource for more than five decades, and it continues to guide every decision we make.
2. What is the challenge educators face today that is fixable?
One of the most fixable challenges is unnecessary complexity.
I’ve spent much of my career working with institutions that genuinely want to help students succeed. The challenge isn’t a lack of commitment. It’s that policies, systems and information have accumulated over time, often making the student experience more complicated than it needs to be.
Students shouldn’t have to become experts in institutional processes just to understand how their credits transfer or what courses they need to graduate. They deserve a clear path forward.
The encouraging news is that we already know how to make meaningful progress. Colleges are strengthening transfer partnerships, sharing information more effectively and using technology to provide greater transparency throughout the student journey. When institutions work together with students at the center, we can remove unnecessary barriers while maintaining the academic standards that matter.
3. What is the challenge educators face today that will persist?
I don’t think the pace of change is slowing anytime soon.
Artificial intelligence, automation, changing workforce expectations and new student needs will continue to reshape higher education. Institutions will need to adapt, but I hope they never confuse innovation with purpose.
In my experience, the institutions that thrive aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets or the newest technology. They’re the ones that stay grounded in their mission while remaining open to new ways of serving students.
Technology will continue to evolve—that’s inevitable. What shouldn’t change is our commitment to helping students find opportunities and navigate a clear path toward their educational goals. When purpose becomes the compass, it’s much easier to decide which innovations truly move an institution forward.
4. What are the areas of education or training and workforce development that are being overlooked?
I think we’re still asking too many learners to prove what they already know.
Students build knowledge in many ways—through college coursework, military service, apprenticeships, employer training, certifications and other experiences. Yet our systems don’t always recognize that learning in ways that make it easy for students to keep moving forward.
Educational mobility is becoming just as important as educational access. Careers are no longer linear, and people will continue moving between education and the workforce throughout their lives. We have an opportunity to make those transitions much more seamless by recognizing prior learning and helping students build on what they’ve already accomplished instead of asking them to begin again.
That benefits students, employers and higher education alike.
5. What do you foresee will be a challenge in education in three to five years?
Artificial intelligence will continue to dominate the conversation, but I think the bigger challenge is making sure we use it in ways that strengthen trust rather than diminish it.
I’m excited about AI because it has the potential to reduce administrative work, surface better information and help institutions respond more quickly to student needs. Used thoughtfully, it can free advisors, faculty and staff to spend more time having the conversations that make a real difference in a student’s life.
What I don’t want us to lose sight of is that education has always been about people. Technology will continue to change, just as it always has, but our responsibility remains the same: helping students discover opportunities and navigate clear pathways toward their goals.
If AI gives educators more time to mentor, encourage and guide students, I think we’ll have used it well.