About Clarus

Objectivity.

Competence.

Integrity.

Our Team Brings

The team members at CLARUS — A Carnegie Company not only have higher education credentials and community college experience,
but our team also brings a passion for making a difference for our community college clients—in fact, we pride ourselves on it.

WHAT TO EXPECT

OUR TEAM

CAREERS

OUR STORY

What To Expect

  • Fair & Ethical

    Business Practices

    CLARUS personnel conduct business affairs in an ethical and professional manner with the intention of giving the highest level of value and satisfaction to our client colleges. Our goal is to exceed your expectations. In fact, we want to have such a strong positive relationship with our colleges that they will be proud and excited about personally calling us a colleague and friend and recommending our services to other colleges. For us, the best reference is a satisfied college.

  • Client Relationships

    College’s Best Interest First

    CLARUS provides services to our clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity; we place the college’s best interests above all others in the project.

  • Full Disclosure

    Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

    CLARUS endeavors to avoid conflict of interest, or the appearance of such. We disclose to the client any circumstances or possible conflicts which might influence judgment for the project.

  • Objectivity

    We Will Meet Your Unique Needs

    CLARUS endeavors to understand the values and desired outcomes of our clients. We will custom design our programs and practices to meet their unique needs. Prior to accepting any project, we ensure that there is a mutual understanding with the client college of the objectives, scope, work plans, fees, and expenses for the duration of the contract. CLARUS only charges fees and expenses which are reasonable, legitimate, and commensurate with the service delivered.

  • Integrity

    Finding The Best Fit

    CLARUS is committed to providing accurate representation of our skills and capabilities. If we do not feel that we can honorably meet the needs of our clients we will assist them in finding an organization with a better “fit” for the successful outcome of the project they are undertaking.

  • Dedication and Contribution

    Making A Long-Term Positive Outcome

     CLARUS will take ownership in the long-term positive outcome of a project and its impact on the success of our clients. That is, it is our commitment to contribute to developing sustainable competitive advantages for our clients. Thus, we will make every effort to follow up and to measure the impact of our programs.

  • Commitment to Change

    We Practice What We Teach

    CLARUS believes that the members of our organization should not just be consultants, but should assist the colleges in making a sustainable change in their organization. We practice what we teach and believe in, particularly in terms of developing the skills of the personnel at the college to continue without us when the project is over. We continuously strive to learn new skills and best business practices worth employing in the management of our business as well as to share with our clients.

  • Confidentiality

    For Proprietary Or Privileged Information

    CLARUS respects the individual rights of the participants in the market assessment. We will not disclose any individual information about the participants unless so directed by the participants. We also respect the personnel and corporate rights of the college with which we work. We treat all college information as confidential, preventing access by unauthorized people unless indicated otherwise by the college. We do not take advantage of any proprietary or privileged information without the college’s permission.

  • Reliability

    Meeting Our Commitment To You

    Project delivery dates will be carefully planned in full consultation and agreement with the needs of the client college and the ability of CLARUS. Every effort will be invested to meet the commitment dates. In cases where circumstances prevent the meeting of a deadline or if meeting the deadline would jeopardize the integrity of a project, colleges will be given maximum notice and every alternative means for fulfillment will be undertaken.

Meet the CLARUS Team

Kathi Jordan Swanson, Ph.D.

Kathi Jordan Swanson, Ph.D.

Founder, Strategic Advisor
  • Ph.D. Marketing, Texas A&M University (at age 27)
  • Master in Business Administration, University of Louisiana–Monroe
  • Bachelor in Business Administration, University of Louisiana–Monroe
  • Marketing faculty member at Nebraska State College
  • Chair of the Nebraska State College Board of Trustees (youngest chair ever)
Alexa Poulin

Alexa Poulin

Chief Digital Officer
  • Manages daily operations of Carnegie’s leading-edge Digital marketing team
  • Over 20 years of student-facing marketing experience as a former collegiate director of marketing
  • Expert in recruitment and enrollment marketing challenges
  • Former American Marketing Association (AMA) Planning Committee Board Member
Katie Sentissi

Katie Sentissi

VP, Integrated Paid Media
  • Over thirteen years of experience in digital marketing, eight of which have been in higher education
  • Specializes in innovative digital marketing strategies
  • Expertise in strategic campaign development across paid search, display, social media, and streaming services
  • Acts as a vital liaison between clients and the Digital team, creating comprehensive strategies that align campaigns to institution’s objectives and enrollment goals
  • Ensures seamless process from campaign implementation to optimization and analysis
Kristy Phillips, Ed.D.

Kristy Phillips, Ed.D.

Senior Director, Community College Solutions
  • Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership from Washington State University
  • Master of Arts in Communication from The University of Texas at Arlington
  • Bachelor of Arts in Communication, Minor in Marketing from California State University Bakersfield
  • Focused doctoral research on the business of prior learning to recruit adult learners, specifically targeting the Some College, No Degree population
  • Led two university website redesign initiatives and held leadership roles within marketing and enrollment departments at several institutions
Amy Colerick

Amy Colerick

Director of Project Management
  • BA in Business Administration with emphasis in Human Resource Management and Management, Doane University
  • Founding member of the Doane College Human Resource Management Club
  • More than 20 years experience in human resources and recruitment
Chelsie Shackelford

Chelsie Shackelford

Director of Digital Operations
  • Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications, Arizona State University
  • Certification in Editing, University of Washington
  • Google Ads Search and Display Certifications
  • Previously the Marketing/ Digital Engagement Manager at North Idaho College, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Kalyn Fullbright

Kalyn Fullbright

Client Success Manager
  • Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Oklahoma Baptist University
  • Master of Arts in Higher Education from John Brown University
  • 10 years of Enrollment Management and Marketing experience
Pope Mobley

Pope Mobley

Client Success Manager
  • Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, Wittenberg University
  • Masters of Business Administration, Sullivan University
  • Previously, Sr. Digital Marketing and Technology Innovation Manager, Sullivan University
  • Over 15 years digital marketing experience
Sarah Norris

Sarah Norris

Client Success Manager
  • Master of Education, College Student Affairs Administration, University of West Georgia
  • Bachelor of Science, Psychology, University of West Georgia
  • Background in Undergraduate Admissions & New Student Experience
Michelle Pesek

Michelle Pesek

Client Success Manager
  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Northern Iowa
  • Masters of Business Administration, Colorado State University
  • Digital Marketing Certification – Duke University
  • 20 years of Digital Marketing and Account Management Experience
Mikaela Schultz

Mikaela Schultz

Client Success Manager
  • Bachelor of Science in Statistics
  • Previous Assistant Director of Research at Carnegie, skilled in using data to optimize marketing strategies, assess brand awareness and perception, and leverage prospective student insights to inform enrollment strategy
Maegan Bair

Maegan Bair

Project Manager
  • Bachelor of General Studies, Texas A&M University-Commerce
  • Previously the Senior Manager of Media Planning at Dallas College
Leslie Goodner

Leslie Goodner

Project Manager
  • Master of Arts, Organizational Leadership, LaGrange College
  • Bachelor of Arts, Organizational Leadership, LaGrange College
  • Associate of Applied Science, Criminal Justice, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
  • Over 13 years of Paralegal experience
Whisper Hunter

Whisper Hunter

Project Manager
  • University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
  • Excel Specialist
  • 12 years higher ed experience
Julia McCutcheon

Julia McCutcheon

Digital Strategy Specialist
  • Masters in Marketing, Clemson University
  • Google Ads & DV360 Certifications
  • Background in Alumni Relations & Digital Marketing

Careers

Current Openings.

Would you like to be a part of the CLARUS team? We’re always looking to find the right people to join us on this exciting journey.


Client Success Manager, CLARUS

Meet Carnegie

For more than 35 years, Carnegie has been a leader and innovator in higher education marketing and enrollment strategy. Carnegie’s commitment to providing industry-leading marketing and enrollment solutions led them to CLARUS Corporation. We joined the Carnegie family in 2023 and continue to leverage our services for the community college market—now with even more to offer. READ MORE about this partnership.

Carnegie