Beginning with a 15-year stint at Central College as director of alumni relations, director of admission and finally vice president for admission and marketing, Eric has accumulated nearly four decades of successful experience in higher education market research, marketing planning, institutional relations, student recruitment, strategic enrollment management and brand marketing. Following his service on Central's senior leadership team, Eric was managing partner at Think Corporation (communications and design) in Des Moines, and director of client services for The History Factory (heritage marketing) in Washington, D.C. He recently retired from a 20-year consulting assignment in higher education marketing as vice president with Stamats/Thorburn (market research and brand elevation) headquartered in Minneapolis. Today, he is a freelance marketing strategist. Eric is a Corning, Iowa native and has lived in Pella since graduating from Central in 1983.