Two administrators in the Office of Admissions at the University of Mary Washington have received recent national and regional recognition.
Kimberly Johnston, dean of admissions, received the 2010 Harry R. Carroll award for meritorious service, and Alison Gauch, associate dean of admissions, has been named president-elect of the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling.
Kimberly Johnston
Kimberly Johnston received the Harry R. Carroll award last month at the annual meeting of the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. The award is presented annually to honor the exceptional achievements and contributions in college admission and counseling.
Johnston, who came to UMW in April, previously served as senior associate director of admission at the University of Maine (UMaine) in Orono, ME. She also served as coordinator of the National Student Exchange program at UMaine and received the NEACAC Maine Counselor of the Year Award in 2001.
She has been highly involved in regional, national and international professional association work, recently serving as president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, an organization of more than 11,000 high school counselors, independent counselors and college admission professionals. She also has worked as a high school teacher in Texas and chair of the school’s speech and drama department. Johnston holds a bachelor’s degree in drama from the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas, and a master’s degree in theater from the University of Maine.
Alison Gauch
Alison Gauch has been with Mary Washington in various capacities with the Office of Admissions since 1993. As associate dean of admissions, she oversees the welcome office for the Office of Admissions and supervises the deans and counselors with recruitment efforts at UMW and at college fairs across the nation.
For the past 15 years, Gauch has been active with the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC) that represents admissions counseling professionals in Virginia, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. She has been a PCACAC conference presenter, a member of the executive board and conference planning and nominating committees. In addition, Gauch has served with the National Association for College Admission Counseling as an assembly delegate, a conference presenter and a member of Mid-Management Institute. She also has served as president of the Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Before coming to UMW, Gauch was assistant director of admissions for James Madison University. She received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in education from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.