First Movers: A Podcast Series for Higher Ed Leaders
Brought to you by Everspring, First Movers is a Pulse Check series with Enrollify for higher ed leaders navigating AI, shifting workforce demand, and the new rules of visibility. The series brings forward the bold moves, practical ideas, and real results emerging inside enrollment marketing and academic strategy teams across the country.
Latest Episodes
MBA Discovery in the AI Era with the University of Kansas
How AI is reshaping student discovery, why differentiation still matters, and how KU is staying visible and human in an AI-first, zero-click world.
Visibility Meets Workforce Demand with California State University, Monterey Bay
How CSUMB is navigating the dual disruption of AI-driven student discovery and rapid workforce transformation.
AI-Fluent Business Education with DePaul University
How DePaul embedded AI fluency across its entire MBA curriculum, not as an elective or certificate, and what that shift means for students and faculty.
Meet the Co-Hosts
Andrea Gilbert
SVP of Partner & Solutions Marketing
Andrea leads Partner & Solutions Marketing at Everspring and brings two decades of agency experience in higher ed. She began her career in admissions at Illinois Institute of Technology, giving her a grounded perspective on the pressures teams face and the strategies that actually work.
Rhea Vitalis
VP of Growth Marketing
Rhea leads Everspring’s research on AI’s impact on enrollment, bringing nearly two decades of digital marketing, university strategy, and brand experience. She focuses on surfacing the signals that matter so teams can navigate the AI era with clarity, relevance, and speed.