Ep. 4: Brand Building in Community Colleges: The Power of Perception

In this episode, we delve into a County College of Morris journey to transform its marketing and enrollment management strategies. The discussion offers an insider's look at the bold decision to hire from outside the traditional higher ed path, which sparked a significant turnaround in student enrollment and community engagement. The episode highlights the importance of understanding brand perception, targeting the right audience, and the benefits of integrating marketing and enrollment under one leadership. It also explores the positive impact of fostering strong, collaborative teams, adopting a business-like approach to operations, and the pivotal role of responsive, data-driven decision-making in today's competitive educational landscape.

Guest 1 Name: Dr. Anthony J. Iacono / President / County College of Morris

Guest 1 Bio: Dr. Anthony J. Iacono became the third president of County College of Morris in September 2016. He is committed to the mission of community colleges because of their ability to change lives and strengthen communities. Dr. Iacono is convinced that the keys to success are rooted in faith, life-long learning, strong community partnerships, and understanding the responsibility of caring for others.
As a member of the American Association of Community College’s Commission on Economic and Workforce Development, chair of the New Jersey Presidents’ Council – consisting of all higher education institutions in N.J., the vice-chair of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, treasurer for the state’s technology consortium NJEdge, and a board member for NJBIA and the NJ Humanities Council, Dr. Iacono is committed to leading with impact. He has been recognized by NJBiz as one of its Power 50 Educators for the past four years and has been named on NJ-ROI’s Influencers in Higher Education list for the past three years. Iacono was also included in New Jersey’s Power 50 Manufacturing Leaders by NJBIZ, 2019. He has received numerous recognitions from the U.S. House of Representatives, the N.J. Legislature, and from numerous community organizations in Morris County.
Dr. Iacono received his Ph.D. in American History from Mississippi State University, his M.A. and B.A. in American History from the University of Central Florida, and his Associate in Arts degree from Indian River Community College. He is proud to be a Morris County resident and honored to lead N.J.’s best college.

Guest 1 Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tony-iacono/

Guest 2 Name: Melissa Albright / Vice President of Marketing, PR & Enrollment Management, County College of Morris

Guest 2 Bio: Melissa Albright has over 10 years of successful experience in both sales and marketing in private industry and has 10 years of experience as an educator. As a community college graduate, she knows first-hand the positive impact community colleges can have on students and their families. She is dedicated to ensuring communities are aware of the life-changing benefits of attending a community college such as CCM. Through teaching and serving, she has grown to understand that everyone has their own life story and Melissa makes it her mission to create and cultivate a positive culture that leads to strong and effective team results.
In August of 2020, Melissa joined CCM as the first Executive Director of Marketing and Public Relations. In November 2022, Melissa was named the District Rising Star for the National Council of Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) and then was named the National Rising Star in March of 2023. Under her leadership, the marketing team was awarded three district gold awards and a bronze award. They also received a National gold award for DEI Marketing.
In addition to being recognized by NCMPR, in partnership with the grants department, her team was a top ten national finalist in the Lumina Foundation’s Million Dollar Community College Challenge, amongst hundreds of submissions. CCM received $100,000, and since has received an additional $150,000 from Lumina Foundation for environmental branding.
In July of 2022, CCM restructured, naming Melissa as the first Vice President of Marketing, PR & Enrollment Management at CCM, allowing her to bring forward the culture change and results she had achieved in marketing. Since that time, CCM’s enrollment has increased consecutively every semester both in credit and workforce programs. Since the restructuring, she has helped CCM receive an additional $2.4 Million in grant funding.
Melissa received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a degree in marketing, from the University of Central Florida and an Associate of Arts in Business from Indian River Community College. Following college, she earned teaching certificates in both business and special educati...