Team Biographies

Jim's special area of expertise falls in recruitment -- from mentoring admissions leaders to building new demand through data analysis and the development of strategic communications. Jim's administrative career spanned over 25 years of leadership in admissions, financial aid, and enrollment management at Boston College, Cornell University, and the University of Rochester. In addition, Jim has authored numerous publications on enrollment management including On Choosing a College that is Right for You (Peterson's Guides), The Effect of Financial Aid Policies on Admission and Enrollment (The College Board), Working Together: A Cooperation between Admissions and Financial Aid Offices (The College Board), and Shaping the College Experience Outside the Classroom (University of Rochester Press). Since partnering with Kathy Kurz to start the company in 1996, Jim and Kathy have consulted at over 250 institutions nationwide on over 350 projects. They are regular contributors to University Business and Jim speaks at national conferences and seminars such as the Snowmass Institute for Enrollment Management, the College Board, and NACAC, etc.

Kathy's special area of expertise is in developing strategic financial aid and retention programs, designed to enhance enrollment and net tuition revenue results. A former Associate Vice President at the University of Rochester and Director of Financial Aid at Earlham College, she pays special attention to ensuring that the solutions recommended are practical, detailed, and implementable. Kathy contributes regularly to University Business, authored a chapter entitled The Changing Role of Financial Aid and Enrollment Management in New Directions for Student Services, a Jossey-Bass publication, and speaks at national conferences and seminars such as NACUBO, Academic Impressions, and CIC.

Mary Piccioli joined Scannell & Kurz in April 2009.  She manages the Financial Aid Strategy Tool (FAST) as well as consulting on a variety of enrollment management topics.  She previously served as Assistant Vice President of Institutional Research and Planning as well as the Dean of Enrollment at St. Bonaventure University, where her responsibilities included undergraduate and graduate admissions, financial aid and institutional research.  Prior to that position she served 14 years as the Director of Financial Aid.

Ms. Piccioli holds a B.S. in mathematics and an M.B.A., both from St. Bonaventure University.

Silvio Vazquez has recently joined Scannell & Kurz, Inc. as a consultant. Prior to joining S&K, Silvio was the Vice President for Enrollment at Gordon College in Wenham, MA.  He was responsible for directing the College’s admissions and overall enrollment efforts.  A 1987 graduate of Gordon, Silvio held several key leadership positions during his 20-year Gordon career, including Director of the Annual Fund and Special Gifts during the College's Salt & Light campaign, Director of Alumni, Church and Parent Relations, and Dean of Admissions. Under his leadership, the College experienced increases in selectivity, retention, under-represented student enrollments and graduation rates, and an increase in the quality indices of incoming students. His experience in admissions, enrollment, and retention will be of great value to Scannell & Kurz clients.

Jamie heads the Scannell & Kurz analytical team, using client data to better understand trends and to build predictive models that inform strategic initiatives.  Before joining Scannell & Kurz, Jamie worked as a Research Specialist at Monroe Community College where he supervised several studies related to institutional assessment including alumni opinion and graduate follow-up surveys.  He was also responsible for creating and implementing tracking systems used for retention analysis and alumni research.

Jamie has an M.S. degree in Applied Statistics from Rochester Institute of Technology and a B.A. in Mathematics from Cedarville University.

Don joined the S&K team in June 2005. His special expertise is in the areas of computer programming, statistics, and database management. His responsibilities include analyzing and reporting on client data, building predictive models, and maintaining the FAST and SKORE software environments. Don is a SAS certified professional and an active member of the Genesee Valley SAS User's Group.

Don has a B.A. degree in Mathematics from Cedarville University and is currently working on his M.B.A degree at SUNY Empire State College. 

Catalina Macocinschi joined Scannell & Kurz in July 2009 as a Statistical Programmer/Analyst.  Prior to S&K, Catalina had finance-related internships at AIG Domestic Brokerage Group, AIG Investments, and ITT Space Systems Division.  She is interested in mathematical modeling, financial and market research, as well as predicting the behavior of derivatives and stock markets.

Catalina holds a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester and an M.B.A in Finance and Marketing from Hofstra University.  She is fluent in Romanian and was born in Constanta, Romania.

Tim Schuldt came to S&K in July 2009.  Before joining the team, he was an Equity Research Intern with Credit Suisse in London, a Client Representative at Canandaigua National Bank, and a Financial Services Representative with First Investors Corporation.

Tim graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2008 with a B.S. in Mathematics, a B.A. in Economics, and a minor in Statistics.

Rita has been the Office Manager since Scannell & Kurz opened in 1996.  She is very familiar with all facets of our company and all the clients we serve.  Rita supervises the two Administrative Assistants.  She coordinates the report production, to ensure delivery in an accurate and timely manner.  She also handles Jim and Kathy's busy travel schedule and is responsible for accounting,  personnel matters, payroll, and many other aspects of the business.  Rita is one of S&K's most valuable assets.

Laurie joined Scannell & Kurz in 2001 and provides general administrative support to Rita.  She keeps our files/archives in excellent order so that we can answer any client questions, even if those questions come long after we have worked together.  Laurie also answers phones, works on benchmarking projects, orders office supplies and equipment, and assists in the production of reports when necessary.

In addition to proofreading client reports and verifying the enrollment and simulation data within, Tracy is involved in working on special projects such as the Scannell & Kurz Conference, client case study development, and the design and implementation of special email blasts. She also provides copy for the S&K website while working with the company’s search engine optimization service provider and contracted web development team.

Tracy has a B.A. in History/Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

Sue is the newest member of Scannell & Kurz and provides administrative support to Rita and staff.  Sue's responsibilities include report production, Web searches, benchmarking projects, scheduling meetings, answering phones, making travel arrangements and weekly report generation and follow-up.