The latest episode is with Jenny Rickard, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Common App, a not-for-profit membership organization committed to the pursuit of access, equity, and integrity in the college admission process. Each year, more than one million students, one-third of whom are first-generation, apply to college through Common App’s online application.
Ms. Rickard was a pleasure to interview, it was fun conversation with lots of great details about her personal journey coupled with great insights and advice for our listeners.
Ms. Rickard has shown a strong commitment to college access as evidenced by her accomplishments as the chief enrollment officer at both the University of Puget Sound and Bryn Mawr and in admission roles at Swarthmore and New York University School of Law. Her extensive service within the national higher education community includes a wide range of roles with the College Board, Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS), US Department of Education, and The Common Application Board of Directors — serving as Board President from 2007 to 2008.
Within the corporate field, Ms. Rickard was a vice president responsible for higher education product strategy at PeopleSoft. She was also a consultant for the higher education software company Datatel and started her career on Wall Street at J.P. Morgan & Co.
Since she joined Common App in August of 2016, the organization has developed a long-term strategic plan and roadmap and has expanded its access initiatives, including the acquisition of Reach Higher, the college access and success campaign founded by former First Lady Michelle Obama during her time in the White House, and the development of a new application system for transfer and adult students.
Ms. Rickard serves on the board of directors for the Posse Foundation and College Possible. She is an advisory board member for the National Education Equity Lab and Liaison GradCAS, a centralized application for graduation admission, and she currently sits on the American Council on Education’s Washington Higher Education Secretariat.
She received a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania; a Master of Business Administration degree from New York University, Stern School of Business; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Swarthmore College.
This interview was extra special for Eli and Jordana due to the common connection of Swarthmore College. It was an fun interview for them, especially connecting on all things Swarthmore. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Show Notes & Links Of Interest
Introduction [00:10]
Jenny Rickard
Interview Begins [01:10]
Question: Could she introduce herself to the audience? [01:22]
Question: What was your background like? Where did she grew up? What was her childhood like? [01:40]
Question: Did she play basketball at Swarthmore [04:09]
Question: What does it mean to be President and CEO of Common App? [04:43]
Question: What were the hardest things to overcome on her journey to success and how did she attack them? [08:11]
Question: Did she experience self-doubt over the course of her career and if so, how did she handle it? [14:52]
Question: Did she have to contend with Imposter's Syndrome? [17:13]
Question: Over the course of her career what was her favorite accomplishment? [19:05]
Question: How did her experience of applying to college influence her approach to leading Common App? [24:17]
Question: How are ideas generated from the Common App workforce? [26:47]
Question: What other developments are going on at Common App right now? [30:32]
Question: How is AI being used at Common App? [32:46]
Question: Who are some of her favorite mentors and role models and how have they contributed to her success? [35:27]
Question: How did her experience at Swarthmore impact her job and life journey? [38:06]
Question: What did she learn from being a member of the Swarthmore basketball team? [42:22]
Question: What advice would she give to a young woman who is starting out her career? [43:52]
Question: How does she feel about the phrase "Empowered women empower women"? [47:18]
Question: What one quality or trait does she feel that young girls should embrace in pursuit of their dreams? [48:29]
Questions from Ms. Rickard [51:26]
Interview Ends [56:29]
Hosts
