About NRCCUA
NRCCUA has been building educational bridges between
college-bound high school students, high school educators and college
admissions officers for over 37 years.
Through our annual surveys, we gather information on student attitudes and
educational plans from nearly 5.5 million students in 20,000 public and private
high schools nationally. The survey is voluntary and students participate at no cost. This valuable
research is published and distributed
to 1,500 member colleges and universities so they can better identify high
school students who meet their institutions' admission profiles. In addition to hearing from colleges and
universities, students may also hear from non-profit and for-profit organizations offering educational
opportunities such as college admissions services, financial aid, career information, extracurricular
enrichment and recognition programs.
Students receive valuable, timely information.
High schools participate in NRCCUA’s Post-Secondary Planning Survey® out
of a desire to help their students discover all they can about colleges,
universities, and other educational opportunities that meet their unique
educational needs and individual goals.
College admissions professionals reach the students they seek.
When colleges or universities become a member of NRCCUA, they're provided
access to research data and insights on the latest career and college choices of
today's high school students to help them find students who are a good fit for
their schools.
Colleges and universities partner with NRCCUA to make educational materials and
resources available to millions of college-bound high school students - to match
their programs and curriculum to those who are seeking it.
About the President
Don Munce, the president of NRCCUA, provides leadership and expertise based on
31 years of experience working with college admissions, financial aid and recruitment
efforts. He knows first-hand the value of helping students and colleges connect and
match up with one another. He is one of the founding members of Kids in the Know,
a national coalition of youth and education organizations dedicated to the ethical use
of student information. Munce earned a Master of Science degree in adolescent development
from Kansas State University.
About the Chief Operating Officer
Brad Baker joined NRCCUA as Chief Operating Officer where he oversees all aspects of the
organization. Before joining NRCCUA, Mr. Baker was Executive Vice President at Monster
Worldwide where he was responsible for product management, marketing and advertising,
research, innovation and customer service. Prior to Monster, he co-founded Making It
Count!, a premier educational training and advisory organization for students and parents,
which was acquired by Monster in June 2001. The company delivers over 10,000 presentations
a year to over 5,000 high schools and colleges talking to over 2.5 million students
annually. Baker also held management positions with Procter & Gamble, Kraft Foods and SFI.
Mr. Baker is a graduate of Harvard University where he graduated magna cum laude with a
BA in Economics.
About the Executive Director
Dr. Joseph Rei joined NRCCUA in 1999 after 28 years in higher education administration.
He has served in staff positions at Kansas State University, Iowa State University, the University of Utah, and for the 16 years prior to joining NRCCUA,
was on the faculty and staff of Washington State University. Dr. Rei received his Ph.D. in Education from Kansas State University in 1978
and is also a 1991 graduate of the Harvard College of Education Management Development Program.
About the Vice President, Sales
Earnest Evans joined NRCCUA as the Vice President, Sales in 2008. Mr. Evans has over 25 years experience in the
Education Finance and Enrollment Management space. Prior to joining NRCCUA, Earnest served seven years at
Monster Worldwide. There, he served as the Vice President of Sales for the Higher Education Division. Earnest
oversaw all aspects of the Higher Education Division’s sales and marketing activities. During a 17 year
career at the Student Loan Marketing Association (Sallie Mae), Earnest served in various staff and management
roles. Mr. Evans graduated from St. Francis College in New York with a B.S. in Business Administration.
About the Vice President, Operations
Tammy Ogren joined NRCCUA in 1984 and has held a variety of positions within the company. Tammy
currently holds the title of Vice President – Operations. She was formerly the Vice President,
Marketing and Research where she was responsible for all market research, analysis and survey
management. Today, she is responsible for ensuring that NRCCUA upholds the strictest privacy,
compliance and legal standards of our student data. She makes sure our operations remain
focused on ensuring data integrity from collection to dissemination. Tammy also spearheads
special projects and leads the operational components of all NRCCUA strategic partnerships. Tammy
completed both her BA and MBA from Mid-America Nazarene University.
About the Vice President, Marketing
Jefferey Fix joined NRCCUA in 2007, with over 20 years of experience in direct marketing and
educational programs. Mr. Fix has held various senior marketing and management positions at
Educational Communications Inc., USAA and The Reader's Digest Association. Jefferey currently
holds the title of Vice President, Marketing where he is responsible for the strategy and
general management of in-school and direct to student marketing programs. He received his BS in Business
Administration from the State University College at Fredonia, NY.
About the Vice President
Ryan Munce joined the Executive Team in 2006 as Assistant Vice President, Educational Research. He is
responsible for managing external research partnerships with educational, professional, governmental and
community organizations. Prior to joining NRCCUA, Ryan was an Enrollment Services Coordinator at the
University of Missouri – Kansas City. Ryan received his Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate
Communications from Creighton University in Omaha, NE and his Master’s Degree in Higher Education
Administration from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.
About the Vice President, Product
Sam Tharp joined NRCCUA in 2008 to oversee the strategic development of web properties such as
MyCollegeOptions.org. Previously, he held senior management roles at
Monster.com, from 2003 to 2007. Mr. Tharp is also the chairman of Austin Siena, L.L.C., which he founded in 2001. Prior
to founding Austin Siena, he ran the Software and Accessories consumer segment for Dell Computer. Mr. Tharp has
also served in various marketing and product management roles at America Online, Inc. Mr. Tharp earned
his bachelor's degree in Economics and English from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
About the Chief Information Officer
Earl Yoder joined NRCCUA in 1994 and currently serves on the Executive Team as the Chief Information Officer. He is
responsible for delivering all information technology services for NRCCUA, including; overseeing research data and
software development, ensuring operational efficiency and enhancing services to client members, students and the entire
NRCCUA staff. He completed his BSBA in Computer Science from Indiana University in 1992.
About the Chief Financial Officer
Vice President, Finance
Tom Holcomb, the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Finance, joined NRCCUA in 1999 after 12 years
in public accounting. He earned his BA and MBA from Drury University. Tom is responsible for all areas of
finance and most HR functions.
Meet your Enrollment Consultants
If you have any questions or need us to help you with your search analysis, contact
your NRCCUA Enrollment Consultant.
