Kent Barnds oversees enrollment management functions, including admissions, financial aid, and communication and marketing. He also leads the college’s strategic planning efforts. Since joining Augustana in 2005 as vice president of enrollment, he has contributed to record-breaking student enrollments, and his role has evolved to include leading campus innovation and building new institutional partnerships.
Barnds is a respected figure in higher education, serving on the EAB Enrollment 360 Advisory Group and the national CASE Commission for Communications and Marketing. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has contributed regularly to Inside Higher Education and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Prior to Augustana, he spent 13 years at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, where he advanced to become the dean of admissions and enrollment management.
Kent Barnds was born in Gering, Neb. He and his wife, Jennie, have three children. Kent enjoys traveling, cooking, jazz, Lyle Lovett, the Grateful Dead, and cycling.
His expertise as a consultant ranges from performance management in college admissions to strategic planning for blood centers across the United States. Active in the community, Barnds served for nine years on the Rivermont Collegiate Board of Trustees; the Alumni Board of Directors for eight years at his alma mater, Gettysburg College; the Davenport Community Schools Board of Education; and the United Way Quad Cities.
A prolific writer and higher-ed thought leader, Barnds has published articles and/or been featured in Inside Higher Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education, University Business Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
Dean Hoke is a seasoned executive and innovator with extensive leadership experience in higher education administration, small colleges, international partnerships, and academic collaborations.
Dean is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Edu Alliance Group, Inc., an international higher education consultancy based in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Bloomington, Indiana, USA. Edu Alliance is a respected global consulting firm that assists higher education institutions across the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and North America. From 2023 to 2025, Dean served as President and CEO of the American Association of University Administrators (AAUA). His leadership significantly expanded AAUA’s individual and institutional memberships and organized its first successful multi-day conference.
Dean began his career in 1975 at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, where he held various roles in admissions and development. From 1983 to 1998, he transitioned into public broadcasting, serving as Vice President of External Affairs at the Louisville PBS station and later holding senior PBS/NPR executive positions in television and radio, including President and General Manager roles in Connecticut, Texas, and Alaska. Later, upon returning to Louisville, Dean served as Chief Operating Officer of The Military Channel, a cable network, and co-founded the Connected Learning Network, an online educational services company. From 2009 to 2017, he lived and worked in the United Arab Emirates. He held key positions at Khalifa University, a globally ranked institution, where he was the head of Communications and Marketing for Ankabut, the UAE’s primary research and education network. Additionally, as Head of Marketing and Institutional Development at the Higher Colleges of Technology, he managed comprehensive marketing strategies and fundraising initiatives across its 16-campus network, serving over 20,000 students.
Dean authored numerous articles in publications such as US News and World Report, Chronicle of Higher Education, Al Fanar, Higher Education Digest, and The EvoLLLution. He regularly contributes to professional forums in the United States, including the American Association of University Administrators and the United States Distance Learning Association, as well as international conferences hosted by UNESCO, European Distance and E-Learning Network Conference, and Internet2.
Dean has served on numerous boards, including Urbana University, the American Association of University Administrators, the United States Distance Learning Association, Mercy Academy in Louisville, the UNESCO Global Advisory Board on Strategic Foresight, and the Advisory Board for Higher Education Digest Magazine. His notable recognitions include the Order of the Kentucky Colonel, the City of Louisville Distinguished Citizen Award, Honorary Alumnus of Bellarmine University, the Press Club Award from the Texas Media Association, and the Alaska Press Club Award.
Dean holds an M.S. in Community Development from the University of Louisville and a B.A. in College Administration from Urbana University, complemented by an Executive Management Certification from the Wharton School of Business.
Dean and his wife, Nancy Baer Hoke, reside in Bloomington, Indiana.