With around 20 years experience in international and higher education, she cuts through inertia with smart, practical solutions, helping clients take action and achieve their goals.
Case in point: Elissa is Project Director for Edified’s global mystery shopping and benchmarking program – the Enquiry Experience Tracker (EET). EET is making its mark globally, attracting more than 100 institutions across major study destinations each year.
Elissa is a master at forging productive connections with students and sector stakeholders. As an international student mentor, past member of Austrade’s Digital Engagement Reference Group, and regular presenter at education conferences around the world, Elissa is passionate about supporting ongoing development of the global education sector. She loves helping clients improve the journey for students, and finding opportunities to optimise their pipeline for conversion.
Elissa is a Fellow of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), former and inaugural Chair of the IEAA’s Victorian Young Professionals group, and former Deputy Convener of the IEAA Marketing and Communications Network.
Talk to me about
- Personas and journey mapping
- Student communications
- Marketing campaigns
- Enquiry Experience Tracker (EET)
- Web content and UX
- Digital analytics
Major projects
- Created the Enquiry Experience Tracker with UniQuest – a global mystery shopping program shortlisted for the PIEoneer of the Year award in 2023.
- Completed comprehensive evaluations of the marketing communications of 15 universities across Australia, NZ and the UK. After reviewing the effectiveness of messaging, content and channels, Elissa delivered actionable recommendations and a roadmap to help institutions achieve better recruitment outcomes.
- Led development of Flywire’s payer journey mapping tools, a suite of personas and journey maps outlining the needs of students and their pain points when paying tuition fees. Co-created with UK universities, the tools include a set of optimum journeys, showing how institutions can improve the experience for their students.
Before Edified
Elissa has held leadership roles at RMIT University and Australian Catholic University, and at startups in EdTech and corporate education. At RMIT, she designed an award-winning mobile marketing campaign in partnership with Study Melbourne. She also ran the launch of RMIT’s online microcredentials in partnership with Apple. Elissa’s done it all, from being on the road recruiting students at fairs, to implementing institution-level web analytics, to developing million-dollar business cases for investment. She has a Masters in Digital Media, Grad Cert in Business IT, Bachelor of Arts (Public Relations) and a Diploma in International Education Services.
After hours
Elissa is arguably one of the most organised people in Australia. Her weekly planner is a work of art, allowing her to fit in yoga; making school lunches, family feasts and birthday cakes; gardening; hiking; and a puzzle or crossword – all before lunchtime on a Monday. Elissa was a champion debater in high school and likes a good argument. Although, she likes winning them even more.