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About the Episode
Episode Notes
Resource mentioned in the show: https://www.solvehighered.com/higher-ed-glossary
Jaime Hunt welcomes a special guest, Dave Hunt, to celebrate his new role as the Senior Strategic Advisor for AI Enrollment Marketing and Brand at Solve Higher Ed. The conversation moves beyond the typical discussion of marketing tactics to explore the philosophy of professional growth and strategic leadership within higher education.
Jaime and Dave unpack the common misconception that career success is solely defined by linear, upward movement on a corporate ladder. Instead, they champion the value of the lateral move. They argue that the most successful higher ed professionals are those who prioritize expanding their portfolio of skills over seeking new titles. By intentionally seeking roles that expose them to different departments—such as academic affairs, digital strategy, and creative operations—professionals can build the range necessary to see the university as a fully integrated ecosystem rather than a series of isolated silos. This is the essence of the T-shaped professional: deep expertise in one area coupled with a broad, empathetic understanding of how every department contributes to enrollment outcomes.
Guest Name: Dave Hunt, Senior Strategic Advisor for AI, Enrollment Marketing and Brand, Solve Higher Ed Marketing
Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-hunt-a343048/
Guest Bio: Dave Hunt serves as Solve Higher Ed’s senior strategic advisor for enrollment marketing and brand. With 18 years of experience in higher education, Dave brings a depth of expertise in enrollment marketing, digital strategy, brand management, reputation building and alumni communications. His career has focused on helping colleges and universities reach prospective students more effectively, differentiate academic programs in competitive markets and connect brand strategy to enrollment outcomes.
Most recently, Dave served as Executive Director of Strategic Brand and Enrollment Marketing at Old Dominion University’s ODUGlobal, where he led a team responsible for marketing online graduate and undergraduate programs. His portfolio included enrollment marketing, digital marketing, creative services, branding, content strategy and social media, giving him direct experience managing the full ecosystem of modern enrollment-focused marketing.
Prior to joining ODUGlobal, Dave was the inaugural Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications Miami University’s Miami Online. There, he built the marketing operations for a new and expanding online education portfolio from the ground up, with a focus on enrollment growth, lead generation, program positioning, digital marketing and prospective student engagement.
At Wake Forest University, Dave worked within the School of Business in a role focused on marketing graduate business programs and supporting the school’s branding, rankings and reputation-building efforts. That experience gave him a strong understanding of how academic reputation, program differentiation, rankings strategy and prospective student communications intersect in highly competitive markets.
Previous higher ed positions included serving as Director of Alumni Communications for Virginia Tech and as a graphic designer for Lawrence University.
Dave holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a master’s degree in Marketing. He lives in Coastal Virginia with his wife and their surprisingly social tortoise.
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Connect With Our Host:
Jaime Hunt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaimehunt/
https://twitter.com/JaimeHuntIMC
About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Confessions of a Higher Ed CMO is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!
Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.
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