Koehler Consulting Collaborative
Over the course of my career, I have had the good fortune to work with exceptional people—trusted colleagues who are experts in their fields, collaborative in their approach, and deeply committed to quality, integrity, and mission-centered work. They are also kind, caring people whose values align closely with mine.
The Koehler Consulting Collaborative brings together these respected higher education leaders and trusted thought partners, each with distinct expertise and a shared commitment to excellence, integrity, inclusion, collaboration, openness, learning, and authenticity.
Together, we help leaders grow and thrive, and we help colleges, universities, and other mission-centered organizations navigate complex challenges, advance strategic priorities, strengthen their effectiveness, and create healthier cultures. Our work is thoughtful, practical, informed by data, and grounded in each client’s goals, mission, and values.
I am thrilled to partner with these remarkable colleagues on Koehler Consulting projects—and equally pleased to help others connect with them when their expertise is the right fit for work beyond KC.
Jennifer Desjarlais
Principal, Cambridge Hill Partners, Inc.Jennifer partners with governing boards, executives, and senior leaders to make the case for and navigate strategic change. With deep expertise in organizational assessment and executive coaching, she helps institutions identify strengths and gaps in structures, processes, and leadership effectiveness. Jenn works with individual leaders and teams to develop confidence, skills, and vision to support sustainable change and long-term success. She is particularly skilled in coaching leadership teams through complex change initiatives, aligning strategy with organizational culture, and fostering adaptive leadership in dynamic environments—while engendering the trust among diverse stakeholders that is essential to a successful process.
Jenn’s background: Prior to her work at Cambridge Hill Partners, Jenn served as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Wellesley College, where, as a member of the president’s staff, she advised on matters of policy and strategy and led organizational change efforts. She also held a senior role in the Education practice at Witt/Kieffer, conducting executive searches for leaders in academic and enrollment roles at colleges and universities nationwide. Jenn holds an M.Ed. from the University of Vermont and a B.A. in international relations and Spanish from Simmons University.
Beth McHale
Director of Operations & Client Success, KCBeth McHale brings more than 30 years of experience across education, business operations, consulting, and project management. Her professional background includes service as a high school teacher, corporate analyst, business operations support within the real estate industry, and office manager for a construction management consulting firm. This breadth of experience provides her with a practical, solutions-oriented perspective on organizational effectiveness, process improvement, and stakeholder engagement.
A highly organized and collaborative professional, Beth supports consulting engagements through project management, process mapping, workflow documentation, and implementation coordination. She is known for bringing structure and clarity to complex initiatives while fostering strong relationships and keeping projects moving forward. In addition to her professional work, she has maintained a longstanding commitment to community service and civic engagement. Beth earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.
Erin Davis
Director of Brand & Marketing Strategy, KCErin Davis believes that the strongest brands are built from the inside out. She partners with colleges, universities, and mission-driven organizations to uncover what makes them distinctive and translate that into authentic brand and marketing strategies that resonate with the people they serve.
Erin's background spans higher education marketing, brand strategy, organizational development, and project management. She led the development of Ithaca College's first comprehensive institution-wide brand platform and strategy, guiding a collaborative process that united voices from across the institution while leading an award-winning creative team. Her work reflects a deep appreciation for the human side of organizational change. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has completed graduate-level certification in Organizational Development and Change.
Clients appreciate Erin's ability to ask the questions that bring clarity to complexity. She combines deep curiosity with thoughtful listening, helping teams uncover new perspectives, navigate competing ideas, and build shared understanding. Equal parts strategist, facilitator, and collaborator, she creates environments where people feel heard, ideas flourish, and meaningful progress follows.
Known for her warmth, loyalty, and playful spirit, Erin is deeply committed to helping organizations tell authentic stories that inspire connection and advance their mission. She believes the best marketing doesn't simply communicate who an organization is—it reflects who it aspires to become.
Forrest Maltzman
Professor of Political ScienceForrest Maltzman is a Professor of Political Science and previously served as Provost of George Washington University from 2016 through 2019 and as Senior Associate Provost from 2011 through 2015. Previously, he served as chair of GW’s nationally ranked political science department. The political science department has more than forty tenure-track faculty and more than 1,000 undergraduate majors and degree-seeking graduate students. In addition to these roles, he has served in numerous appointed and elected roles in GW’s system of shared governance.
As Provost, Maltzman led the university in developing and implementing a transparent, incentive-based budget model and deploying data-driven approaches to service design and delivery. This work achieved university enrollment objectives—including retention and graduation rates and net revenue—advanced school-based fundraising, and grew the university’s online presence. Units he oversaw were responsible for approximately $800 million in tuition, including $150 million from online coursework; $200 million in sponsored research; $75 million in philanthropy; and the enrollment of approximately 12,000 students pursuing bachelor’s degrees and 16,000 students pursuing graduate degrees. As Provost, he also oversaw 10 academic schools and units responsible for student affairs, enrollment, research, and libraries, as well as efforts to ensure that the GW community was an inclusive and equitable place.
As a member of the Koehler Consulting Collaborative, Maltzman brings the perspective of a social scientist, senior academic leader, and highly strategic and innovative thinker. His strong quantitative orientation and extensive university leadership experience make him particularly well suited to projects involving institutional budget processes and reviews, enrollment management, organizational strategy, and data-informed decision-making. Drawing on his deep expertise in shared governance, he works effectively with faculty, provosts, presidents, and boards to build understanding, navigate competing interests, and move complex institutional priorities forward. Highly collaborative by nature, he is also a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior leaders. Maltzman teaches a leadership course in GW’s Department of Political Science.
Maltzman’s academic research focuses on the politics of elite decision-making within Congress and the Supreme Court. He is the author of four books on American Political Institutions and over thirty peer-reviewed journal articles. He is currently working on a project tentatively examining how higher education institutional structures create vested interests that limit universities’ capacity to respond rapidly to marketplace changes.
Maltzman joined the GW faculty in 1993 as Professor of Political Science in GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. He also holds a courtesy appointment in Educational Leadership in GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development. Maltzman earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota in 1993 and his B.A. from Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1986.
Henry Oddi
Principal Consultant, Otherside Partners, LLCHenry is an enrollment and revenue technology consultant with over a decade of experience in higher education and two decades in technology consulting. He applies a systems-level perspective to integrate people, processes, and technology across enrollment, marketing, and revenue functions. Henry’s work emphasizes strong strategic judgment, helping organizations prioritize initiatives that deliver tangible value and work in practice for the people responsible for executing them. Prior to founding Otherside Partners, Henry held senior enrollment and revenue technology roles across higher education and the private sector. At Queens University of Charlotte, he served as Director of Graduate Enrollment for Strategies & Systems and led graduate enrollment systems and the centralization of admissions and enrollment processes. He partnered with academic and marketing teams to build a full-funnel enrollment marketing and recruitment ecosystem in collaboration with vendors (EAB, Niche, and Carnegie). Henry was Senior Manager, Revenue Technology at Itential, where he led CRM, marketing automation, and sales enablement initiatives, including the firm’s transition from Marketo to Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot). Earlier in his career, Henry served as Associate Director of Enrollment Management at Berry College, where he led the institution’s transition to an in-house student search model, implementing Marketo. He began as an Admissions Officer at the University of Georgia. Henry holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management and International Business from The University of Georgia, with a minor in Mandarin Chinese. Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement Specialist. Served on the Georgia ACT State Council.
David Iselin
Associate, Koehler Consulting, LLCDavid Iselin is a strategic planning and budget management leader with extensive experience aligning financial, staffing, and operational resources with institutional priorities. In addition to multiple components of the project, for this engagement, David will serve as the primary project manager, responsible for coordinating workstreams across partners, managing timelines and deliverables, and ensuring integration across strategy, structure, systems, and leadership activities.
David currently serves as Associate Dean of Finance and Administration with the Case Western Reserve University School of Law. He has previously held senior operational roles supporting advancement, enrollment, and student success at Ithaca College and the George Washington University. His disciplined, data-driven approach strengthens institutions’ ability to translate strategy into executable plans.
M. Leslie Davidson
Senior Associate, Koehler Consulting, LLCLeslie Davidson brings more than two decades of senior enrollment leadership, complemented by executive experience in student affairs, marketing and communications, and alumni engagement. This breadth informs a data-informed, relationship-driven approach to advancing both student success and institutional performance. With nearly 30 years in cabinet-level roles, she offers a comprehensive, institution-wide perspective on strategic planning, problem solving, and decision-making.
A collaborative strategist, Leslie partners across divisions to design and implement programs that strengthen recruitment, retention, and the overall student experience. She is known for building high-performing cultures grounded in strategic clarity, operational excellence, and effective collaboration. Her leadership at mission-driven institutions — combined with a strong orientation toward strategy and innovation — positions her to assess programs and operations through both institutional and student-centered lenses.
Leslie holds an MBA from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, an Ed.M. from Harvard University, and a B.A. from Denison University. She has served as chief enrollment officer at Franklin & Marshall College, Beloit College, and Bard College at Simon’s Rock.
Caroline Laguerre-Brown
Principal and CEO, Designing EquityCaroline Laguerre-Brown is a governance leader, enterprise risk expert, and human capital advisor with nearly two decades of executive experience in higher education and law. She is Principal and CEO of Designing Equity, a boutique consulting firm advising post-secondary institutions, national associations, and corporations on institutional compliance, academic and workplace culture, and organizational risk.
She currently serves as an External Board Member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and previously chaired the Board of Directors of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE). Her prior board service includes Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University and the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity. She is an active member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.
As Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement at George Washington University and Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer at Johns Hopkins University, she directed Title IX compliance, led sexual harassment policy reform, provided executive coaching to university leaders, and built inclusion programs at scale.
A licensed attorney admitted in New York, Washington D.C., and Maryland, Caroline advises institutional leaders on compliance, workforce strategy, and leadership development. She holds a B.A. in History from Binghamton University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Ashley Kern
Founder and Data Scientist, SightLineAshley is a data science consultant across prospective student engagement, enrollment, financial aid, and student success. She brings a decade of experience in higher education predictive analytics, strategy, and forecasting, helping institutions apply data-driven insights to support the student lifecycle. Her approach is custom and personalized to each institution, depending on its unique mission, the students the institution aims to support, and the unique challenges that each face.
Ashley has led financial aid optimization, enrollment strategy, student retention, and forecasting projects for a wide range of institutions including Grand Valley State University, Ferris State University, University of Mary Washington, Longwood University, Arkansas Tech University, Valparaiso University, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Michigan Technological University. Prior to founding SightLine, she worked in admissions as a campus tour guide at Michigan Tech.
She holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Statistics as well as an M.S.inData Science from Michigan Technological University.
Joe Bellavance
Founder and Principal, JBellavance ConsultingJoe Bellavance is an enrollment marketing and student search strategist with more than three decades of experience in higher education enrollment leadership and national enrollment marketing initiatives. Through JBellavance Consulting, he partners with colleges and universities to strengthen prospective student pipelines through targeted search strategy, predictive modeling, parent engagement initiatives, and data-informed recruitment marketing.
Prior to launching his consulting practice, Joe held senior leadership roles at the College Board, where he oversaw national strategy and operations for the organization’s Student Search Service, one of the largest prospective student search programs in higher education. In that role, he worked with institutions across the country to develop data-informed outreach strategies that connect colleges with prospective students and families at key stages of the college search process.
Earlier in his career, Joe served in senior enrollment leadership roles at several institutions, including Lyndon State College, Nichols College, and Regis College, where he led admissions, financial aid, registrar, and marketing functions. His work focuses on helping institutions better understand their target audiences and align messaging, outreach channels, and search strategies to reach the right prospective students at the right time.
John Chilkotowsky
Founder and Principal, NorthStar Coaching, LLCJohn Chilkotowsky is an executive coach, speaker, and leadership development consultant with more than 20 years of experience helping leaders, teams, and organizations strengthen communication, collaboration, and performance. His background spans Fortune 500 consulting, nonprofit executive leadership, and executive coaching, giving him a unique ability to help leaders navigate complexity while building healthy, high-performing organizations.
Before founding NorthStar Coaching in 2016, John spent five years as a consultant with Accenture and 15 years in C-suite leadership roles within nonprofit organizations, where he led operations, program development, leadership development, and organizational growth initiatives. Throughout his career, he has built high-performing teams, mentored emerging leaders, and designed transformative leadership programs.
As founder of NorthStar Coaching, John has provided more than 2,000 hours of executive coaching to over 200 leaders across corporate, nonprofit, higher education, government, and small business settings. He is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coach Federation and partners with clients to cultivate self-awareness, strengthen leadership capacity, and create sustainable organizational impact.
Justin Rummel
Associate, Koehler Consulting, LLCJustin Rummel is an enrollment management executive and strategist with more than two decades of progressive leadership across private, public, and for-profit higher education. Known for building data-informed, holistic enrollment strategies, designing financial aid leveraging models, and developing high-performing teams grounded in institutional culture and shared purpose, he brings a rare combination of financial depth, operational rigor, and genuine commitment to student access and success.
Justin has served as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Assistant Vice President for Student Financial Services at Susquehanna University, Director of the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships at Salisbury University and held fiscal operations and internal audit leadership roles at Strayer University, supporting more than 40,000 working adult students across a national, multi-campus footprint. His career began navigating the intersection of politics and policy at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), where he developed Title IV policy guidance for financial aid offices, lenders, servicers, and guarantors nationwide, grounding his practice in federal policy as well as institutional operations.
A first-generation college graduate, Justin's personal journey informs his conviction that access to higher education changes lives. He holds an MBA from Western Governors University and a B.A. from Millersville University.
Maisha Williams
MBA, CPA, Strategic Finance AdvisorMaisha Williams is the Founder of MKW Advising and a seasoned finance and operations executive with more than two decades of experience advancing financial sustainability and strategic transformation within higher education and nonprofit organizations. She has served as Chief Operating Officer at Carnegie Science and as Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Marymount Manhattan College, where she led institutional financial strategy, budget planning, and operational initiatives during a period of significant sector disruption.
Earlier in her career, Maisha held leadership roles at George Washington University and Howard University and began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. A trusted advisor to presidents, provosts, and senior leadership teams, she specializes in aligning financial strategy, operational processes, and institutional priorities to support long-term mission success.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Syracuse University and an MBA from George Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant.