Don't take it from me, listen to what they have to say.
Brad is one the revolutionary minds of higher education recruiting and enrollment management. One of only a few in his generation, he's great not because of his ability to recruit but because of his natural desire to assist and support students and those around him through the effective (and intelligent) use of social media.
Jeremy Johnson - Director, Web and Social Media Strategy, Zinch.com.
Brad is an example of what a good communicator in today's online world should be - willing to pursue alternative avenues of communication, responsive to trends and a tech junkie. I had the pleasure to work with Brad for a year before I moved to a new job, and I would not hesitate for a second to jump at the chance to partner on a project in the future. The changes he made on the Butler Admission site, with a small budget, have been phenomenal. I would say (and the statistics exist to back me up) that his efforts played no small part in one of the largest recruiting classes ever. He has pushed through a few initiatives that had stalled at the school before he arrived, and in a nice, low-key manner that kept politics out of the equation. Brad has also been instrumental in usability and focus group testing, refining the school's electronic communications ever finer.
Art Duszynski - Web Developer, Butler University. Worked with Brad from June 2007 - April 2008.
Brad Ward is an outstanding young man that puts his entire effort into everything that he does. His leadership skills are excellent and he is not afraid to think and act "outside the box". When it comes to support, you will find him bleeding your teams colors, active in every possible way to get others involved in that activity. Brad is a team player that is highly creative and energetic. Indeed, we will miss him at UIS, but know that he will be successful no matter where he goes.
Paul MacDonna - Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Information Director, University of Illinois at Springfield. Managed Brad directly from August 2003 - December 2005.
Brad brought an excellent skill set to our unit - he understood the collegiate market and the types of electronic marketing that appeal to prospective students. Brad is very personable, reliable, and ethical. I would recommend him without reservation.
Marya Leatherwood - Associate Vice Chancellor and Director of Enrollment Management, University of Illinois at Springfield. Managed Brad directly from February 2006 - June 2007.
Brad was a terrific team player at UIS. He brought new ideas for communicating our message and implemented them creatively -- for example, blogs, special thematic web sites, creative use of photos, and more in the social media. Those words don't capture the great enthusiasm with which Brad did all of this, and when he did it, all of these things were still relatively new. He took the initiative to do them even before some of us knew what they were all about. He just did it, and thank goodness he did! He also proved to be a great photographer!
Ed Wojcicki - Associate Chancellor for Constituent Relations, University of Illinois at Springfield. Managed Brad indirectly from February 2006 - June 2007.
Brad is extremely well-versed in multimedia technology, particularly Web 2.0 applications. He brought youthful energy and vitality to our campus, and demonstrated remarkable leadership ability through his initiatives such as formation and management of the UIS Blue Crew. Brad has excellent 'people' skills, and he was a great role model for our students and others on the UIS campus.
Sherry Hutson - Director, Office of Web Services, University of Illinois at Springfield. Managed Brad indirectly from February 2006 - June 2007.
Brad has excellent skills in marketing, multimedia, and photography, and he has a considerable breadth of knowledge of current trends in electronic/internet communication. Brad is sure to build and broaden his knowledge and skill set as he builds his professional career.
Will Vautrain - Creative Web Developer and Strategist, University of Illinois at Springfield. Managed Brad indirectly from February 2006 - June 2007.
Brad did excellent work for UIS. He always involved himself in a lot of activities and was extremely outgoing. His work demonstrates those facts. Community is stressed a lot at UIS, and Brad was (and still is) a great model to follow. I have worked with Brad quite a bit and his work has always been top-notch. In the marketing field it is important to stay current and up-to-date with trends that change so frequently, and Brad is certainly one of the best at bringing an organization into, and maintaining, a high-level of excellence in interactive multimedia.
Jeremy Wilburn - Marketing and Recruitment Specialist, University of Illinois at Springfield. Worked with Brad from August 2005 - June 2007.
Brad's motivation and determination puts him leagues ahead of his peers. Brad had the ability to fuse his creativity with this technological savvy, and with these two combined abilities, he was able to develop innovative solutions that gave a growing university a much-needed step up in today's competitive environment. Brad stayed on the bleeding edge of innovative techniques for recruitment, encouraging students to do a Video Blog (vlog) of university life as well as took poignant pictures that depicted life at UIS in an honest yet spirited fashion. I highly recommend Brad's work, and I firmly believe that if any person exhibits the aptitude Brad had for creating solutions in a college environment, they will most definitely be a success.
Suraj Prashad - President, SkyFire Design. Worked for Brad from August 2006 - June 2007.
Brad is a very innovative and motivated electronic communication coordinator at Butler University. His experience has given him the knowhow to tap the right resources for the desired outcome and has allowed him to think of new ways to accomplish goals. He is constantly surveying the competition to stay on top of the market and create the biggest impact possible with his work. I am confident that he will continue to be a great asset anywhere he chooses to go in the future.
Brian McCulloh - Application Developer, City Securities. Worked with Brad from June 2007 - October 2007.
Brad, as a co-founder of BlogHighEd.org, was instrumental in bringing together members of the Higher Education blogosphere into a structured and meaningful relationship where everyone could better collaborate. Also from a reader perspective BlogHighEd has helped to focus attention on one site that aggregates respected and active blogs from industry leaders. As Brad continues to expand and grow the network continuing value is added and everyone benefits. The effort he has put forward to establish this community has benefited my networking and knowledge exponentially. I’m also humbled to be a member of this select group.
Kyle James - Webmaster at Wofford College and BlogHighEd.org member.
Brad has always been more than willing to provide insight and advice when needed. I'm looking forward to him presenting at our state conference this fall. BlogHighEd is a fantastic resource that I use daily.
Tiffany Hendrix - Senior Admission Counselor at Franklin College and BlogHighEd.org reader.
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