The Financial Aid Equation:
AI + Trusted Partnership =
Enrollment Success

Craig Cornell
Vice President of Enrollment Strategy, Undergraduate and State Systems, Liaison

Craig Cornell is the Vice President for Enrollment Strategy at Liaison. In that capacity, he oversees a team of enrollment strategists and brings best practices, consultation, and data trends to campuses across the country in all things enrollment management. Craig also serves as the dedicated resource to NASH (National Association of Higher Education Systems) and works closely with the higher education systems that Liaison supports. Before joining Liaison in 2023, Craig served for over 30 years in multiple higher education executive enrollment management positions. During his tenure, the campuses he served often received national recognition for enrollment growth, effective financial aid leveraging, marketing enhancements, and innovative enrollment strategies. Craig has published, consulted, been a keynote speaker, served on multiple boards, chaired national committees, and has presented for many state and national organizations on the many facets of strategic enrollment management and effective financial aid leveraging. 

Colleen Brown
Associate Vice President Enrollment Services and Sr. Director Financial Aid, Columbia College

Colleen Brown is the Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services and Senior Director of Financial Aid at Columbia College. She began her career in financial aid as a student employee at Truman State University and has spent her career at Columbia College in Missouri, progressing through leadership roles that span financial aid, enrollment strategy, and student support. Colleen brings extensive experience in federal aid administration, scholarship leveraging, and tuition strategy. In her current role, Colleen provides direct leadership to the Financial Aid Office, where she remains closely involved in leveraging strategy and compliance, while also serving in a lead-the-leader, executive capacity for Admission Operations, CRM Operations, and a One-Stop Enrollment Support model that includes academic advising and student success coaching. She has also built significant expertise leading enrollment services across a multi-location model, supporting both on-campus and online learners. With a strong focus on compliance, student-centered service, and data-informed enrollment strategy, Colleen is committed to using technology and analytics to support institutional goals and student success. At Columbia College, Colleen has partnered closely with Othot to use predictive insights in a hands-on way to evaluate and package students, while helping lead a complex institutional shift in focus from discount rate to net tuition revenue. 

Danielle Douglas
Director of Financial Aid, Columbia College

Danielle Douglas has been the Director of Financial Aid at Columbia College since 2024 and brings more than 15 years of progressive leadership experience in financial aid administration. While earning a journalism degree at the University of Missouri, Danielle developed a strong interest in research and asking the right questions, skills that later found a natural home in financial aid. A career in financial aid offered both the stability of ongoing learning and the opportunity to make a real difference for students trying to access college. Over the course of her career, Danielle has moved through a variety of leadership roles, gaining hands on experience in scholarship strategy, enrollment collaboration, and student advocacy. In her current role, Danielle focuses on using data and technology, including Othot, to support smarter financial aid offers and long-term enrollment success. She has been instrumental in several campus-wide aid initiatives, including the introduction of need-based institutional aid, revamping how athletic aid coordinates with standard recruitment scholarships, and incorporating individual enrollment likelihood into aid strategy. These efforts have required building strong partnerships across campus, fostering a culture of collaboration, and keeping student success at the center of every decision. 

Vincent Sirianni
Client Success Director, Liaison

Vincent Sirianni (Vince) is a Client Success Director at Liaison, Othot, the predictive analytics solution for enrollment, retention, and persistence. Vince has over 10 years of experience in higher education prior to this role, most recently in graduate enrollment management (GEM). He is well-versed in implementing and leveraging technology to help enrollment teams improve communication, best practices, and morale throughout the enrollment cycle.