Kelly Westeen - CEO & Founder, Eclat Creative

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Work Background

University of ArkansasFaculty Support Coordinator

Mar. 2024Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States• Develop and deliver online and onsite faculty training programs centered around educational technology and teaching with technology • Create training collateral for faculty, including workshops, blogs, how-to guides, and videos • Provide advice on educational technology tools, driving the adoption of innovative teaching practices that align with strategic educational goals •Act as point of contact for faculty needing immediate and long-term technology and teaching with technology support •Manage monthly teaching with technology newsletter for faculty

Eclát VirtualCEO and Chief Storyteller

Jul. 2018Fayetteville, Arkansas AreaWork with me at https://www.iameclat.com/ I help brands add a whopping dose of eclát to their brand strategies by providing compelling marketing experiences, electrifying copy, and engaging social media presences. Creating immersive brand experiences that compel prospects to engage, click, and convert are my specialty. I've worked with over 2,000 clients, using creative, sales-driven copy to boost their online presence and profits. I work with clients looking for compelling copy for nearly any type of writing in any niche: press releases, website copy, email campaigns, ebooks, blogs, presentation copy, speeches, and more. If it can be written, I can likely write it.

University of ArkansasStudent Outreach & Communication Specialist

Aug. 2022 - Feb. 2024Fayetteville, Arkansas, United StatesTeaching first-year experience courses and other courses designed to maximize student engagement, wellbeing, and academic success. Assisting with departmental communication efforts, including branding, storytelling, developing communication strategies, and more.

University of ArkansasDirector of University Perspectives

Jan. 2016 - Jul. 2022Fayetteville, Arkansas AreaKey Achievements •Shifted program from an extended orientation model to a more academically-focused course in Fall 2018 •Achieve consistently high student ratings of 90%+ for course goals of improving student campus engagement, academic integrity, creating bonds with faculty, social belonging, and academic technology mastery •Created an online instructors’ community in Blackboard and a semester-long instructor training program •Played a crucial role in achieving the university’s highest ever first-to-second year retention rate of 84.7% in Fall 2020 Manage all aspects of the university’s single largest student success initiative serving 3,000+ unique students per year and employing over 100 instructors--with lean staffing. Teach multiple sections of UNIV1001 each semester. Key driver of first-year success initiatives and curriculum on campus. Hire and train over 100 faculty and staff instructors to support program. Develop high-impact classroom and online curriculum for both instructor training and student learning. Assess program progress and outcomes in conjunction with university set retention and success goals. Collaborate with on-campus partners to create high-impact programming boosting student outcomes and engagement. Develop and deploy course assessment tools and leverage results to guide programmatic decisions. Serve as department head for the University Studies campus department. Supervise peer mentors and graduate assistants supporting student success initiatives. Execute all HR and payroll functions for program. Track and account for student progress and close outreach loops in Starfish. Meet with and mentor students in distress and serve as an advocate for their success. Sit on student success senior leadership committee that drives campus-wide success strategies and programming, including strategic planning for the university. Manage a budget of over $650,000.

University of Arkansas - Fort SmithDirector of Admissions

Jan. 2015 - Jan. 2016Fort Smith, Arkansas AreaKey Achievements: •Launched the university’s first graduate degree program, including all associated applications, processes, and policies •Created three new university recruitment events: UAFS Scholars Day, Non-Traditional and Returning Students Open House, and Dia de Familia for Spanish-speaking applicants and their families •Transformed the university’s scholarship application process by shifting from a paper-based to a digital process Responsible for crafting and executing university’s strategic enrollment plan. Collaborate with university senior administration and college deans to set and meet enrollment goals. Supervise a seven-person team of recruiters and administrative staff. Plan and execute recruitment events on campus and in the community. Craft and deploy university marketing collateral, including mailers, viewbooks, emails, and more. Manage communications and strategies deployed out of HubSpot. Develop and test admissions modules and functionality in Banner as functional lead. Create university policies and procedures for the intake and processing of all degree programs. Analyze inquiry, applicant, and enrolled student metrics to make data-informed marketing and recruitment decisions. Sit on university’s enrollment senior staff and applicable committees responsible for driving university strategic enrollment plans. Selected by the chancellor to participate in Chancellor’s Leadership Committee. Manage a budget of over $350,000.

University of ArkansasInterim Assistant Dean of Admissions

Feb. 2014 - Jan. 2015Key Achievements: •Streamlined application review and evaluation processes to decrease application review time by nearly 50%, resulting in reduced admission decision response times by 1-2 weeks over previous years. Processing rate for Fall 2014 was up 55% over the Fall 2013 admit cycle during the office’s peak time. •Played an instrumental role in the selection and implementation of Perceptive’s ImageNow OCR imaging system on campus, expediting credential review and admissions decisions for enrollment management Oversee operational aspects of the university’s undergraduate admissions office, including admissions policies, applications, and application procedures and processing. Supervise a professional staff of eight employees and multiple part time employees responsible for processing credentials and developing admissions modules in the SIS (Oracle PeopleSoft). Act as functional lead for admissions modules in SIS and collaborate with technical staff to develop, test, and deploy admissions and enrollment modules. Craft training collateral and deliver training sessions for admissions office staff on application review processes and admissions technology such as PeopleSoft and Perceptive’s Image Now. Analyze enrollment trends, markets, and institutional data to make informed recruitment and document processing decisions. Collaborate with key high-level campus officials as part of the university’s admissions and senior enrollment management groups that guide, plan, and implement the university’s strategic growth plan, including retention and remediation programs. Counsel and guide students and parents regarding academic programs, transferability of courses, requirements, and eligibility, especially students who do not meet regular admissions requirements. Create, draft, and revise departmental electronic and mail correspondences and develop departmental communication plans with Director of Communications, leveraging Hobson’s.

University of ArkansasAssociate Director of Admissions for Operations

Sep. 2010 - Feb. 2014Fayetteville, ArKey Achievements: •Streamlined application review and evaluation processes to decrease application review time by nearly 50%, resulting in reduced admission decision response times by 1-2 weeks over previous years. Processing rate for Fall 2014 was up 55% over the Fall 2013 admit cycle during the office’s peak time. •Played an instrumental role in the selection and implementation of Perceptive’s ImageNow OCR imaging system on campus, expediting credential review and admissions decisions for enrollment management Oversee operational aspects of the university’s undergraduate admissions office, including admissions policies, applications, and application procedures and processing. Supervise a professional staff of eight employees and multiple part time employees responsible for processing credentials and developing admissions modules in the SIS (Oracle PeopleSoft). Act as functional lead for admissions modules in SIS and collaborate with technical staff to develop, test, and deploy admissions and enrollment modules. Craft training collateral and deliver training sessions for admissions office staff on application review processes and admissions technology such as PeopleSoft and Perceptive’s Image Now. Analyze enrollment trends, markets, and institutional data to make informed recruitment and document processing decisions. Collaborate with key high-level campus officials as part of the university’s admissions and senior enrollment management groups that guide, plan, and implement the university’s strategic growth plan, including retention and remediation programs. Counsel and guide students and parents regarding academic programs, transferability of courses, requirements, and eligibility, especially students who do not meet regular admissions requirements. Create, draft, and revise departmental electronic and mail correspondences and develop departmental communication plans with Director of Communications, leveraging Hobson’s.

University of PhoenixAssociate Faculty

Aug. 2009 - Mar. 2012Rogers, ARCourses Facilitated: Essentials of College Writing, Introduction to Oral Communication, Elements of University Composition and Communication I, World Mythology Workshops facilitated: APA Style, Basic Writing, Academic Integrity, Grading Student Presentations Develop in-class curriculum and lesson plans to coordinate with the university’s learning outcomes and online assignments. Meet with students to offer encouragement, support, and course guidance.

University of Arkansas Office of Nationally Competitive AwardsAssistant Director

Nov. 2009 - Sep. 2010Fayetteville, Arkansas, United StatesKey Achievements: •Founded the annual Hawgs and Dawgs/Arkansas Reads book collection program in the Fayetteville community, collecting books and library materials for an underserved school in Arkansas •Advisees were awarded over $2 million in competitive awards during the 2009-2010 awards cycle Coached students through the nationally competitive award process. Crafted letters of recommendations for applications. Planned and hosted informational workshops for students applying for awards. Coordinated the end-of-year student and mentor awards ceremony celebrating over 250 award recipients. Assisted medical school applicants with application packets and mock interviews. Marketed scholarship opportunities to students and faculty on campus. Maintained and updated office website and scholarship search engine. Supervised office’s graduate assistant.

University of ArkansasGraduate Instructor

Aug. 2005 - Dec. 2009Fayetteville, ARCourses taught: Composition I, Composition II, Advanced Composition, World Literature I, Honors World Literature I, History of English Literature: From Beginnings to the Renaissance Responsible for all facets of course planning and implementation, including creating syllabi, grading, creating and executing lesson plans, and conferencing with students/ Supervised a cohort of incoming graduate teaching assistants.

University of Arkansas- Quality Writing CenterHonors Thesis Consultant/Tutor

Aug. 2007 - Oct. 2009Fayetteville, ARKey Achievements: • Launched a partnership with the Honors College aimed at improving the quality of honors thesis projects, including workshops and specialized tutoring sessions • Created and facilitated an academic integrity workshop series specifically aimed at student athletes • Developed and conducted a workshop series for honors thesis writers in the sciences by collaborating with numerous departments and personnel on campus • Created a plagiarism awareness workshop for and presented it to athletes on campus Advised faculty, staff, and students on writing projects ranging from resumes to course papers to multi-million dollar grant proposals. Assisted with hiring, training, and supervising new graduate and peer tutors and work study students. Wrote, edited, and maintained instructional worksheets for writing and research related issues, including MLA and APA style sheets. Updated and maintained confidential student records on the center’s online reporting system.

Institute of Reading DevelopmentTeacher

May. 2007 - May. 2009Novato, CA (main office)Taught pre-readers the alphabet, listening comprehension, and reading readiness skills, as well as facilitated a general awareness of and love for books. Led early and mid-level readers through phonics lessons and promoted reading comprehension skills while gauging students’ individual abilities and reading levels to help guide independent reading with minimal frustration. Guided middle- and high-school aged students through study skills best practices, effective reading and concentration skills, note taking tactics, and rudimentary speed-reading skills (fiction, non-fiction, and textbooks). Worked with adult readers to hone reading skills, note taking and concentration abilities, and speed-reading tactics (fiction, non-fiction, and textbooks). Provided guidance to parents on how to support their learning readers at all ability levels. Collaborated with young adult and adult readers to create personal reading and study skills goals.

Northern Michigan UniversityGraduate Instructor

Aug. 2003 - May. 2005Marquette, MICourses Taught: Composition I Responsible for all facets of course planning and implementation, including text selection, syllabus creation, lesson planning, grading, and conferencing with students