Audience
Following a comprehensive national search, I am pleased to announce that Dana Bearer, M.Ed. will join the St. Mary’s College of Maryland community as our Director of Admission, effective June 25, 2025.
Dana brings with her decades of higher education leadership experience, having developed and mentored high-performing recruitment and enrollment teams - most recently at Bethany College. Prior to her work there, Dana served as the Director of Admissions at both the University of Pittsburgh and at SUNY Fredonia where she played a key role in developing systems and strategies to support the successful recruitment of undergraduate, graduate and international students.
She holds a master’s degree in education, with a focus in educational leadership, as well as a bachelor's degree in social work from St Francis University (PA). While there, she was also a Division I student-athlete, bringing a personal understanding of the balance between academic and co-curricular excellence.
In today’s rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive student recruitment landscape, Dana brings a collaborative spirit and a strategic mindset. She understands that our success requires a community-wide effort to recruit, enroll and retain our students.
“I am truly humbled and grateful for this opportunity to join the St Mary’s community and the enrollment team, in particular. From the moment I arrived on campus for my interview with members of the campus community, I felt the that “fit”. I am anxious to begin this journey at The National Public Honors College.” -Dana Bearer
I also want to extend my sincere appreciation to the search committee for their thoughtful work throughout this process:
- Crystal Gibson, Director of Athletics
- Rob Maddox, Director, Office of Student Financial Assistance
- Bill Roberts, Professor of Anthropology
- Jacqui Rogers-Frere, Director of Transfer Recruitment, Admission, and Services
- Chuck Steenburgh, AVP for Integrated Marketing and Communications
A special note of appreciation goes to Samantha Katz, Executive Assistant, for her invaluable contributions in supporting this successful search.
Please join me in warmly welcoming Dana to the Seahawk family! We look forward to the energy, insight, and partnership she will bring to our shared mission of recruiting and supporting our students.