By Michele Mitchum, Manager, External Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, University of Phoenix
Vice Provost Marc Booker to speak; Directors Hillary Halpern and Monterey Sims to hold key roles
University of Phoenix is pleased to share that Vice Provost of Strategy Marc Booker, Ph.D., will be a featured speaker at the 2025 Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) Data Summit. The event, which will be held on March 19-21 in Arlington, VA, provides a platform for leaders in education, policy, and technology to explore emerging trends and innovations in data standards.
In addition to Dr. Booker’s participation, Senior Director of Program Deployment Hillary Halpern, serving as PESC Program Committee Chair, and Director of Admissions and Evaluation Monterey Sims, a member of the PESC Board of Directors, will play significant roles in shaping the summit’s agenda and discussions.
Booker will lead the keynote conversation “Leveraging the CLR/LER Infrastructure to Give Students Value Today,” on Tuesday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m. ET. The discussion will center on the foundational role components of a Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR) and Learning and Employment Record (LER) can play in creating more value for learners utilizing micro-credentials in an increasingly tech-driven world.
“The PESC Data Summit offers a fantastic opportunity to explore how data standards and emerging technologies can drive innovation in higher education at scale,” states Booker. “I am eager to share how University of Phoenix has intentionally developed our CLR/LER strategy to provide increased value for our students and support their career aspirations while the market continues to evolve in embracing these new technologies.”
Each year, the PESC Data Summit features leading experts and visionaries in the field of education data. Speakers represent a diverse range of perspectives, from higher education institutions and government agencies to technology providers and policy organizations. Booker’s session is part of a robust lineup of speakers sharing their insights on opportunities in data management, interoperability, and the use of data to improve student outcomes.
As Vice Provost for Strategy at the University of Phoenix, Booker oversees critical path academic initiatives to improve the student experience such as learning platform implementations, curricular enhancements, and developing empathetic solutions to drive improved student outcomes through data. Booker’s work in higher education has been recognized by several associations as he was the 2024 recipient of UPCEA’s Business and Operations award for operational excellence, was honored with a 2024 Thomas A. Bilger award for his service from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and in 2020 Booker received a Hall of Fame recognition from Blackboard for his contributions in providing thought leadership and innovation in education.
Halpern has been with University of Phoenix for 18 years and currently serves as the Senior Director of Program Deployment, where she has leveraged her in-depth insights from her student support and process improvement background to develop, improve, and maintain the University Program Lifecycle (UPL) process. Recognized with the “Rookie of the Year” examiner award in 2017 from Southwest Alliance of Excellence (SWAE), she has served as a lead examiner for the SWAE and as a speaker on process improvement at regional and national conferences. Halpern has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Arizona State University, and a Master of Business Administration and Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management from University of Phoenix. She recently co-authored a University of Phoenix white paper on establishing a skills ecosystem at a career-focused higher education institution.
Sims serves as a Director of Admissions and Evaluation at the University of Phoenix and volunteers on the Postsecondary Electronic Standards Council (PESC) Board of Directors. During her 30-year career at the University, she has participated in a variety of process improvement initiatives including implementation of Electronic Transcript Exchange (ETX) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Sims is directly responsible for the Office of Admissions Document Processing division which includes overseeing the acquisition and processing of admission documents and transcripts from prior attended institutions for University applicants. She also serves on the AACRAO Standardization of Postsecondary Education Record Electronic Data Exchange (SPEEDE) Committee and the eTrans California Steering Committee.
Booker, Halpern and Sims are key members of the University of Phoenix’s dynamic leadership team, which is frequently invited to share their expertise at prestigious national conferences and events. In the coming months, University leaders will participate in the AACRAO Annual Meeting, ASU + GSV Summit, 1EdTech Learning Impact Conference, SXSW EDU Conference, and PESC Data Summit. These engagements underscore the University’s commitment to innovation and thought leadership in higher education, providing valuable insights and fostering collaborations that drive the future of learning.
Learn more here about the 2025 PESC Data Summit.
About University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix innovates to help working adults enhance their careers and develop skills in a rapidly changing world. Flexible schedules, relevant courses, interactive learning, skills-mapped curriculum for our bachelor’s and master’s degree programs and a Career Services for Life® commitment help students more effectively pursue career and personal aspirations while balancing their busy lives. For more information, visit phoenix.edu/blog.html.
ABOUT PESC
Since 1997, PESC Members have come together to identify, research, develop and promote the adoption of interoperable data standards and methods across the postsecondary education P20W ecosystem. Our work includes the development and reuse of common data schemas leveraging XML, EDI, JSON and JSON-LD. PESC advocates for the widespread adoption of automated connections that enhance data efficiency. These connections ensure secure and repeatable interchange across specialized administrative, financial, and academic domains. PESC is annually sponsored by AcademyOne , National Student Clearinghouse , Parchment , EducationPlannerBC , AACRAO , and ECE . For more information, please visit www.PESC.org .
Source: https://www.phoenix.edu/press-release/leadership-to-participate-in-2025-pesc-data-summit.html