Crossroads Director of Enrollment Management Wins Everett E. Gourley Award

On Thursday, Sept. 23, the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) honored Eric Barber, Crossroads’ first director of enrollment management, with the Everett E. Gourley Award during a ceremony at its annual conference in Seattle. According to EMA, the award is “given each year to a leader and educator whose concern for students and colleagues is an inspiration to those who serve in admission.” Eric’s peers nominated him for the distinction.

 

“I was incredibly moved and honored. There are few things more meaningful than being recognized by your peers,” says Eric, who has led the Admission & Financial Aid Office at Crossroads for over six years. Eric also counts among his career accomplishments working with K-12 faculty to launch the School’s Equity & Justice Institute and advocating for language accessibility for families and parent/guardian affinity groups.

During his tenure, Eric has often collaborated with EMA, the leading professional development organization for those working in admission, to reimagine enrollment at the School. For example, Crossroads was one of the first independent schools in the country to require EMA’s Character Skills Snapshot, an innovative tool to learn more about applicants, as part of the admission process. 

Eric and his team—whom he describes as “incredibly strong” and “amazing people who love working with families”—were active participants throughout the five-day EMA conference. Eric taught sessions at the Admission Training Institute, an intensive program for new admission professionals. He met with the Admission Leadership Council, which he co-chairs. And he delivered a presentation on “Unifying and Strengthening Your Team Through DEI Training” with Assistant Director of Elementary Admission Joy Sevillano. Director of Elementary Admission Jessica Ngo and Director of Secondary Admission Amy Walia-Fazio also presented at the conference.

“Our role in admission is to communicate the essence, the heart and soul of Crossroads to a diverse group of families,” notes Eric of what he calls Crossroads’ “relational” admission program.

 

He adds, “The admission process here should be a journey for prospective families where they gain more from it than just deciding where their child goes to school next year: They discover their own core values; get to know the needs of their child more completely; and understand progressive education more deeply.”