NEGAP Leadership
President, Executive Officer
Vice President, Executive Officer
Vice President, Executive Officer
Katie-Ann Mason
Bridgewater State University
Katie-Ann Mason proudly serves you as the President for NEGAP. Prior to this she was on the executive board as Vice President and Secretary. Working in Graduate Enrollment Management for nearly a decade NEGAP has been integral to her professional development from the very start of her career. She has been a member since 2011. Katie-Ann is currently the Associate Director of Graduate Admissions at Bridgewater State University and has worked in both Private and Public Higher Education. She has a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration, from Boston University School of Education and her Bachelor of Arts in History with a Performing Arts Minor from Simmons College.
Vice President, Executive Officer
Vice President, Executive Officer
Vice President, Executive Officer
Michael Merriam
Framingham State University
Michael Merriam is the Assistant Dean/Director of Graduate and Continuing Education Recruitment at Framingham State University. His role is to oversee all aspects of the admissions funnel for Graduate and Continuing Education degree-seeking students and those who may be casual course takers. As Assistant Dean, Michael is also engaged in all aspects of the Enrollment Management Department – from undergraduate strategy to increasing the use of Framingham’s CRM Slate technology. He has been in higher education for over 12 years and has been in Graduate Enrollment Management for 7. His professional experience ranges from Undergraduate Admissions, Graduate Admissions, Enrollment Marketing, Specialized Operations and Student Retention. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Becker College and a Master of Management degree from Cambridge College. As an adult learner himself, Michael understand the trials and tribulations of the graduate student, while maintaining a work and family balance. He has held leadership roles with the University of Professional and Continuing Education Association and has been the Chair of the Planning Committee for their National Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar. In his off time, he enjoys being with his friends and fiancé and also is known to be on an Obstacle Course for a Spartan or Savage Race.
Treasurer, Executive Officer
Vice President, Executive Officer
Treasurer, Executive Officer
Paul Cincotta Jr.
Bridgewater State University treasurer@negap.org
Paul Cincotta is currently serving as the Director of Graduate Admissions at Bridgewater State University, a public university of about 11,000 students located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. As Director, Paul oversees the admissions process and enrollment for over 60 graduate degree and licensure programs. Prior to his appointment as Director, he served as the Associate Director of Marketing & Recruitment. Paul received his Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Fairfield University and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Providence College.
Secretary, Executive Officer
Professional Development, Committee Chair
Professional Development, Committee Chair
Alyssa Orlando
Bentley University
Alyssa currently serves as the Senior Assistant Director of Graduate Admission at Bentley University in the McCallum Graduate School of Business, where she oversees the team's graduate assistants, signature event planning, strategic outreach, and several program application portfolios. She is also a doctoral student at the University of Massachusetts Lowell pursuing her Ph.D. in Leadership in Education. Her dissertation research focuses on exploring the potential bias within holistic master's admission processes. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ithaca College, and a master's degree in higher education from Boston College. Outside of work and school, Alyssa is a wife and dog mom, and is a nationally-ranked powerlifter within USA Powerlifting.
Professional Development, Committee Chair
Professional Development, Committee Chair
Professional Development, Committee Chair
Becca Melnick
Yale University, School of Public Health pd@negap.org
Becca Melnick currently works as the Assistant Director of Admissions at the Yale School of Public Health. She has been at Yale for 7 year working in both admissions and graduate student services. Becca earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and Music Industry from James Madison University and her Master of Education in Higher Education in Student Affairs from Salem State University.
Marketing & Recruitment, Committee Chair
Professional Development, Committee Chair
Marketing & Recruitment, Committee Chair
Andy Crawford
Bentley University
Andy has over seven years of higher education admissions experience and twelve years of experience working in marketing and sales capacities. He now supports Bentley University's Graduate School of Business as Associate Director of Graduate Admission. Andy holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Communications from Emmanuel College and MBA from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. He has been a member of NAGAP since 2014 and presented at the NEGAP 2019 summer workshop on storytelling through student experiences and virtual event recruitment.
Immediate Past President
Brett DiMarzo
Simmons University, College of Natural, Behavioral and Health Sciences
Brett DiMarzo has been in the field of higher education for over 15 years, spending time in both financial aid and admissions, and is currently Director of Graduate Admission in the College of Natural, Behavioral and Health Sciences at Simmons University in Boston, MA. After graduating from his bachelor’s degree program at Stetson University in Sports Administration in 1998, he initially spent time as part of the management team within the Walt Disney Consumer Products division, enhancing his customer service and leadership skills. Wanting to return to the field of higher education since his campus involvement experience at Stetson, he had the opportunity to begin his career in higher education in Financial Aid at MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston as Financial Aid Coordinator. He then moved to the Office of Admission at MGH Institute, spending 5 years as the Assistant Director of Admission and then spent 4 years as Associate Director of Graduate Admission at Suffolk University. He received his Master of Education degree in Higher Education Administration from Northeastern University in 2011. He has served as Vice President and President of the New England chapter of NAGAP and is currently serving as Immediate Past President. He also served on the Leadership Cultivation and Elections Committee and has presented at both the national and regional NAGAP conferences on several topics related to providing exceptional student service in graduate enrollment management.