Sessions & Speakers

Rachelle Feldman is the Vice Provost of Enrollment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she oversees Undergraduate Admissions, the Carolina College Advising Corps, Scholarships and Student Aid, and the University Registrar. At Carolina she is especially proud of our holistic admissions process, and of leading the Carolina Covenant which offers a debt free path to graduation to low income students, the Blue Sky scholars program for middle income students and the multiple outreach programs including the Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program and the advising Corps, that help promote a college going culture and success. Rachelle is considered a national leader in affordability, financial literacy, access and enrollment issues. Rachelle co-founded and co-led the University of California’s system-wide Financial Aid Leadership Institute and currently leads NASFAA’s Executive Leadership Task Force. She currently holds several national leadership positions including chair of the Higher Education Loan Coalition, trustee of the National Endowment for Financial Education and the College Board’s enrollment leadership group.

Derek Kindle is the Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has over 20 years of experience in Admissions, Financial Aid, Bursar, and Enrollment Management. He serves in leadership positions with several national organizations including the National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), the College Board, American Talent Initiative (ATI), and the Higher Education Loan Coalition (HELC). Prior to his current role, he was UW-Madison’s Director of Student Financial Aid and oversaw the administration of nearly $480M in federal, state, institutional, and private aid.

Jim has been in Enrollment Management for 30 years, joining UC San Diego as its Associate Vice Chancellor for EM in 2022 -- a role in which he leads the work of financial aid, admission, the registrar function, and also acts as Chief Outreach Officer for the San Diego campus. Prior roles (all in admissions) include University of Washington, University of Oregon, and Colorado State University. He has served as president of both the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and its Pacific Northwest affiliate (PNACAC), and presented at various conferences of NACAC, NASFAA, AACRAO, and the College Board.

Shelley Arakawa, J.D. is an advocate and change agent with a passion for strengthening access and excellence in education. In her executive search work, she brings a true appreciation for the role that leaders play in transforming institutions and contributing to the larger society. Based in Pasadena, California, Shelley provides expert counsel and guidance on searches ranging from presidents and provosts to vice presidents and deans. Shelley has nearly 20 years of broad, dynamic experience within academia. Before joining WittKieffer, she served as the Director of Regional and Campaign Giving for Punahou School, one of the largest single-campus K-12 independent schools in the United States. In this role, she helped build the infrastructure for regional alumni involvement, and increased financial support for key initiatives. Prior to this, Shelley held senior roles with the College Board, leading the higher education team in forging innovative and collaborative partnerships with about 350 colleges and universities. Among her many accomplishments with the College Board, Shelley launched the organization’s first Native American Student Advocacy Initiative and directed the Summer Institute on College Admissions and School Relations and the Enrollment Leadership Academy. Shelley has additional non-profit experience with the Foundation for a College Education, and held admission roles with Stanford University and Dartmouth College. Shelley is an accomplished speaker and has presented on diversity and inclusion in relation to college admission. She was the inaugural board chair of Words2Action, a nonprofit that produced TEDxPasadena and strives to empower muted voices and transform intention into tangible action. She was a board member of College Horizons, a group facilitating the pursuit of higher education for Native American students, and an associate member of the Association of Black Admissions and Financial Aid Officers of the Ivy League and Sister Schools (ABAFAOILSS). In addition, she has completed the eCornell certificate program in Diversity and Inclusion, which focuses on improving employee engagement, counteracting unconscious bias and fostering an inclusive work climate.