Mary Kreta

Mary Kreta Email and Phone Number

Missoula, MT, US
Mary Kreta's Location
Missoula, Montana, United States, United States
About Mary Kreta

My ultimate goal in life—personally and professionally—is to embody my core values: courage, competence, and fun. Courageous people and decisions inspire me. I believe in following the right path, even when it is hard (perhaps especially when it is hard). In the end, courage is a choice and I am drawn to people who meet challenges head on. Competence means a job well done. I seek to meet or exceed every expectation and commit fully to ensure this happens. I find ways to build and create opportunities for improvement and forward movement. I am energized by others who are good at what they do and respect finding a way forward without excuses. My unrelenting focus on being better is, perhaps, one of my greatest strengths. By creating an environment that invites authentic engagement, my teams and I are able to enjoy our time together while building greater success. I have seen time and time again that people can accomplish far more when they feel connected to each other and the work. I am most fulfilled when there are moments of delight sprinkled throughout the day. My drive propels organizations to excellence. I strive to help others reach their fullest potential while I achieve my own. To this end, I am willing to take on responsibility. I lift and carry the burden until the appropriate time to relinquish it. Often my willingness to take responsibility frees others to do more than they thought possible. My professional success has been defined by overcoming obstacles that have stymied others. I am not someone who takes the easy route, no matter how appealing it might be. Finally, I aim to do work that has an impact—currently as an organizational effectiveness consultant at Segal and previously as a senior higher ed administrator creating programs and strategies that transformed individual lives, families, and communities by making college a viable option for everyone.

Mary Kreta's Current Company Details
Red Thread Strategies | Consulting

Red Thread Strategies | Consulting

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Principal
Missoula, MT, US
Mary Kreta Work Experience Details
  • Red Thread Strategies | Consulting
    Principal
    Red Thread Strategies | Consulting
    Missoula, Mt, Us
  • Segal
    Senior Consultant, Organizational Effectiveness
    Segal Jun 2024 - Present
    The organizational effectiveness team at Segal works with clients, many of them in higher education, at critical junctures when the right support can boost the performance of organizations, teams, and individuals and ultimately lead to transformational change. Our goal is to help organizations align their strategies, people, processes, technologies, and cultures to achieve their vision. We specialize in strategic planning, organizational assessment and design, process efficiency, and change management. As Senior Consultant, I partner with and advise clients in a role that requires innovation, strategic thinking, project management and the ability to foster productive working relationships. I have observed over and over again that the most successful organizations balance vision with execution, exercising strategic discipline every single day. My job is to understand and help clients solve whatever is getting in their way, with areas of focus spanning organizational assessment, strategic change management, process improvement, planning, team dynamics, leadership development, culture building, and more. I am a thought partner, truth teller, advocate, and coach—navigating the thorny patches alongside clients, pushing when necessary, and celebrating wins.
  • University Of Montana
    Vice President Of Enrollment Management & Strategic Initiatives | Avp Of Enrollment
    University Of Montana Sep 2020 - Jul 2024
    Missoula, Montana, United States
    I joined the University of Montana (UM) in Fall 2020, enticed by the President’s vision and the opportunity to reverse a decade-long enrollment decline as UM’s Chief Enrollment Officer. To do that, I worked on multiple planes at once: the 10,000-ft strategy level and the ground level of execution. During my time at UM, the university enjoyed a 47% increase in the incoming class, 7 consecutive semesters of enrollment growth, and net tuition revenue increased nearly 88%.I managed a $6M annual budget and served on both the President’s Cabinet and the Office of Strategic Planning and Implementation. A few highlights: Strategic enrollment planning: • Implemented and enculturated a cross-functional strategic enrollment planning process, in collaboration with faculty, staff, and administration, that resulted in an actionable framework for evaluating growth opportunities, comparing alternatives, and tracking progress. Access and revenue gains: • Generated more tuition dollars per student by continuously evaluating and adjusting financial aid and scholarship strategy, implementing novel approaches that increased access for low- and middle-income students and boosted enrollment. Streamlined enrollment: • Collaborated with the Chief Information Officer and the Vice Provost for Student Success to implement process fixes that eliminated redundancies and clarified enrollment steps, boosting the number of admitted students who enrolled.Departmental turnarounds: • Took hold of and revitalized lagging and isolated departments, rebuilding them from the ground up and resolving problems with leadership, team culture, performance, and compliance.
  • University Of Alaska Fairbanks
    Associate Vice Chancellor Of Enrollment Management | Chief Enrollment Officer
    University Of Alaska Fairbanks Mar 2018 - Sep 2020
    Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
    In another newly created role at UAF, I was responsible for setting the vision, strategic direction, and accountability for enrollment initiatives. I managed a $5M annual budget and oversaw Admissions, Financial Aid, Registrar, and Military & Veteran Services. Between drastic budget cuts that threatened Alaska’s university system in 2019 and the onset of COVID-19, this was a particularly challenging time. Not only was my team able to manage the budget crisis and pull together, but we also brought in a larger incoming class when the other universities in the system dropped substantially.A few examples of focused effort:• Strategic enrollment planning: Instituted a repeatable and replicable process that set the stage for fiscal stability. I assembled and led a Steering Committee, engaged faculty and staff, turned doubters into champions, and ultimately secured $1M+ from the Chancellor to implement the most promising proposals.• Military and veteran services: Replaced under-performing veteran services personnel with a full-fledged office for military and veteran services. This required intense internal advocacy for coveted resources as well as engagement with the Mayor, the Chamber of Commerce, the leadership of 2 military installations, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure services met students’ needs and complied with complex VA requirements. I also hired and supervised an inaugural director. • Access and net tuition revenue: Partnered with the CFO to offer, for the first time, discounted tuition in the form of scholarships that made a lasting impact on enrollment and adjusted how the university approached net tuition revenue and budgeting.
  • University Of Alaska Fairbanks
    Director Of Admissions
    University Of Alaska Fairbanks Jul 2014 - Mar 2018
    Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
    In a newly created role with accountability for both process-based admissions evaluations and relationship-based recruitment, I continued to refine the university's recruitment strategy and created comprehensive admissions plans. A few highlights:• Took over New Student Orientation to fix a myriad of problems and fully integrate it into the student experience.• Directed implementation of Salesforce CRM, which improved targeting of prospects, systematized customer-focused outreach and communication, and revamped admissions evaluations to increase efficiency and streamline decision timelines.• Raised the visibility and stature of Admissions overall and with the Executive Cabinet, centralizing the function within the institution’s mission and setting the stage for enrollment growth.
  • University Of Alaska Fairbanks
    Director Of Recruitment
    University Of Alaska Fairbanks Feb 2013 - Jul 2014
    Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
    As Director of Recruitment, I was accountable for a $1M+ recruitment operation and immediately faced with finding solutions to high staff turnover. I was heavily involved in communications planning and recruitment events and also collaborated cross-functionally with Marketing and Communications to coordinate marketing and messaging. Notably, I now had the authority to fully replace ad-hoc recruitment activities with a strategic plan that included measurable goals and data-driven assessment. I reconfigured territories, reorganized our team, and used methods like cost/benefit analysis to inform adoption of new tactics.
  • University Of Alaska Fairbanks
    Sr. Admissions Counselor For International & Transfer Recruitment
    University Of Alaska Fairbanks Dec 2011 - Feb 2013
    Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
    As Senior Admissions Counselor, I executed recruitment plans targeted to international and transfer students. Attracting international students to a rural state like Alaska was no easy task. Given high staff travel costs and healthy competition from universities in the Lower 48, I made the case to focus our efforts on international students already in the United States. I then negotiated memos of understanding (MOU) with feeder community colleges to ease the path to a 4-year degree from UAF.An admissions counselor in higher education is, essentially, a sales professional. Your job is to dig into the data and then execute a territory sales strategy that will bring students to your institution and maximize tuition revenue. Success in sales means listening to your customers, understanding their needs and concerns, and building trust—in other words, making an authentic connection rather than merely pitching. Despite the challenges, it was a privilege to “sell” the promise of educational opportunity and be a part of making college a viable option for everyone. And during these formative years in admissions counseling, I gained knowledge and perspective that has served me well throughout my career.
  • University Of Alaska Fairbanks
    Admissions Counselor
    University Of Alaska Fairbanks Oct 2010 - Dec 2011
    Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
    In my first administrative role in higher education, I was responsible for recruiting prospective students from the Central and Mountain time zones as well as rural communities throughout Alaska. The job required extensive travel on a tight budget. It also required humility and ingenuity as I attempted to navigate cultural differences and build trust with diverse Alaska Native communities in my territory. Just over a year into the job, I earned a performance-based promotion to the newly created position of Senior Admissions Counselor.Previously, I taught English as an adjunct instructor at several public and private institutions of higher learning including Portland State University, University of Portland, University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Pacific University, and Clark College.

Mary Kreta Education Details

Frequently Asked Questions about Mary Kreta

What company does Mary Kreta work for?

Mary Kreta works for Red Thread Strategies | Consulting

What is Mary Kreta's role at the current company?

Mary Kreta's current role is Principal.

What schools did Mary Kreta attend?

Mary Kreta attended University Of Alaska Fairbanks, Portland State University.

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