Two dynamic, outstanding professionals have joined Palm Beach Atlantic University as vice president for Enrollment Management and vice president for Information Technology Services/chief information officer, respectively.
Dr. Nancy Brainard will lead the University’s newly-formed division of Enrollment Management as its vice president. The division comprises the Admissions and Financial Aid teams and will focus on recruitment of new undergraduate, graduate, and online learners. Enrollment Management also will work in partnership with Dr. Bob Lutz, vice president for Student Development; John Kautz, senior vice president for finance & administration/chief financial officer; and Student Accounts to support retention efforts. Brainard comes to PBA from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she has served as vice president for enrollment management since 2007. Last year, her team celebrated 12 consecutive years of enrollment growth, recruiting students from every state and 116 nations. Brainard uses data-informed tactics to achieve strategic objectives. She won the Noel-Levitz Marketing-Recruitment Excellence Award in 2012.
At ORU, Brainard was a member of the President’s Cabinet, University Planning Council, Enrollment Planning Task Force and Online Strategies committee. She chaired ORU’s Commission on Retention, Persistence and Graduation, as well as a task force that identified ORU’s differentiating characteristics. Brainard holds a Doctor of Education and Bachelor of Arts from Oral Roberts University and a Master of Science in Management from Boston University. She was recognized as the distinguished doctoral graduate from ORU’s School of Education in 2002. In 2016, she earned a certificate of leadership in enrollment management from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education’s Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice.
Scott Barnes will join PBA on Aug. 9 as vice president for Information Technology Services/Chief Information Officer. He comes to PBA from Geneva College, a private, Christian school in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, where he served as vice president of Information Technology Services/CIO. Barnes is a relational, results-driven technology leader who has experience working with data analytics and business intelligence in higher education and healthcare. He brings a customer-centric, collaborative mindset.
At Geneva, Barnes chaired the COVID-19 task force, the College Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the information technology oversight committee. He also developed and implemented the college’s risk management and cybersecurity policies. Previously, Barnes served as director of information services at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He directed the transition of IT infrastructure to the children’s hospital’s new $625 million, 296-bed main hospital, research and administration buildings. Barnes holds a Bachelor of Science in business administration, computer information systems from Robert Morris University and a Master of Science in cybersecurity from Geneva College.
Both Brainard and Barnes will serve in the President’s Cabinet as they steer these departments critical to the University’s continued success and future growth.
