Ashley Faus

Director of Integrated Product Marketing, Atlassian

Marketer, writer, speaker by day... singer, actor, fitness fiend by night!

I've handled all aspects of marketing strategy and execution, from product marketing, to demand-gen, to content and events. I love telling the high-level stories that resonate with an audience and connecting the dots between types of assets and distribution channels.

My writing has been published on TIME, Forbes, The Journal of Brand Strategy, and The Muse, and I've spoken on various marketing topics for INBOUND, Harvard Business Review, and MarketingProfs.

Visit https://ashleyfaus.com/ for more information about my book, "Human-Centered Marketing: How to Connect with Audiences in the Age of AI".

(Views are my own)

Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Portfolio

Mickey Baines

Building the CRM adoption flywheel for higher ed | Entrepreneur | RV Enthusiast

As President at Kennedy & Company, I oversee our efforts to responsibly grow the company. I support our lead consultants with their efforts to more deeply connect with our clients. I focus on the development of new service areas to support our clients' expanding needs and ensure we can effectively deliver those services to achieve the results clients need and expect from us.

I also continue to consult with colleges and universities in the selection, implementation, customization and integration of various CRM technologies, including Salesforce, Slate, Element451, Hubspot, TargetX, EnrollmentRx and LeadSquared, and guide them through the emerging use cases of AI in higher education admissions and student success. 

Whether I'm working hands-on in an enrollment transformation project, leading a CRM implementation or speaking at a conference, the goal is the same - to help higher ed professionals implement technologies, strategies & tactics that engage and enroll more students. I can't get enough of this work!

Partner

I lead the Technology Services Practice at Kennedy & Company. I work with a team that battles friction - the friction that impedes students that are interested in higher education from receiving thoughtful, engaging opportunities with the colleges and universities that interest them; friction that presents students with hurdles and obstacles while enrolled at their institutions; the friction staff and faculty face when trying to understand the complexities of a student's experience, and to navigate the realm of siloed departments and layered processes - all performed ineffectively with poorly implemented and adopted, and/or outdated technology.

If you know this industry, you know the battle is real, and it is mighty. Yet as each battle is fought and won, it brings great pride and joy for our team and our clients, and that is why we return to this work each and every day.

I don't help institutions implement technology, I help them ADOPT technology. Yes, that includes implementation, and it also includes training. But the focus is adoption. To adopt technology successfully, you have to focus on the people that use the technology and the experience you want them to have. You have to let those key ingredients drive the implementation; you have to push for changes in process, behavior, routines and all of the other mess that hold people back from seeing the value, benefit and opportunity that lies in front of them. This is the work I lead (and love) every day.

Last month we announced that Kennedy & Company Education Strategies was acquired.

Today as part of our new journey, I’m stepping into a new role as Senior Vice President at Human Capital Education.

This isn’t a reset. It’s an expansion. The acquisition gives me a larger platform to scale the work I care most about — helping colleges and universities rethink enrollment strategy in the age of AI. Not just experimenting with tools, but building real, durable advantage.

In this role, I’ll be focused on shaping our AI services, strengthening our marketing engine, expanding technology partnerships, and launching new services — including our AI consulting practice.

I’m grateful to my friends and teammates who built Kennedy & Company into something worth acquiring — and to Human Capital Education leadership for the opportunity to build what’s next.

The work ahead is bigger and more important than ever.

Higher Ed Transformation and AI Advisor | Enrollment Orchestration Consultant | Entrepreneur | RV Enthusiast

This morning I read an email one of my emails from Jay Schwedelson at GURU Media Hub about email subject lines using the phrase, "way to.".

Jay and the team found that this simple phrase is currently driving higher engagement:
The best way to…
The easiest way to…
The fastest way to…

What stood out to me is what those two words signal. They suggest there’s a clear or real path forward.

That framing also shows up naturally in the questions students are already asking themselves.

So I started thinking about how this phrasing would translate into #highered enrollment marketing.

Right now, for example:
High school juniors are planning and starting spring campus visits. here are a few that could work with your emails for this segment:
• The way to get the most out of your campus visit
• The best way to compare colleges while you tour
• The way to know if a campus really fits you

High school seniors are reviewing financial aid. Here are some options for them:
• The way to make sense of your financial aid offer
• The best way to compare financial aid packages
• The way to lower the cost of your first year

Online and adult students may be beginning their search to complete their degree. Here are some options for them:

• The way to finish the degree you started
• The fastest way to transfer your credits
• The best way to choose the right online program

Sometimes the smallest changes in wording determine whether someone opens the message.

If you’d like, I’m happy to share the #AIprompt I use to generate subject line ideas using Geoff Woods’ CRIT prompting methodology. It's a game changer!

Just comment below and I’ll send it your way.

(image credit Jay Schwedelson and his MUST-READ newsletter)

#higheredCRM #AIinhighered #admissions #emchat #enrollmentmarketing

One of the great advantages of our new partnership with Human Capital Education is having the ability to bring together a larger team to host opportunities that enhance the already fantastic #SlateSummit.

This is a FULL DAY of learning with content tracks. No sneaky pitches, just roll your sleeves up and deepen your knowledge and your strategy. It's exactly the spark your CRM roadmap needs!

Check out what is in store for our Pre-Summit event. As a bonus, note I will be hosting a special surprise event a few weeks prior that is exclusive to registrants.

Want to join us? https://lnkd.in/gmrjEKwk

#studentsuccess #admissions #emchat #highered #slatecaptain

The biggest barrier to AI adoption on most campuses isn’t budget.

It isn’t the technology. And it usually isn’t IT.

It’s the quiet middle layer of the organization.

Senior leaders often say yes to experimentation. Front-line staff are typically curious and willing to try new tools. But in between sits a layer of managers responsible for stability, performance, and minimizing risk.

That layer carries real institutional weight.

When #AI is introduced without clear modeling from the top, mid-level leaders often slow momentum—not out of resistance, but out of protection. They don’t want their teams exposed. They don’t want inconsistent output. They don’t want to be accountable for something they don’t fully understand.

So experimentation gets contained. Pilots stay small. Committees form.

Momentum fades.

This isn’t a criticism. It’s institutional gravity.

If executive teams want AI adoption to scale, they can’t just approve it. They have to model it. Use it publicly. Normalize imperfect first attempts. Make it safe to explore before it’s polished.

Culture doesn’t stall AI because it hates technology.

It stalls when behavior doesn’t change at the top.

#highereducationleadership #highered #AIinhighered

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The Battle

Ashley Faus

Mickey Baines

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taplio

The Battle

Ashley Faus

Mickey Baines

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Mickey Baines's LinkedIn Performance

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