Our Commitment

 

We’re committed to being your trusted partner—a true extension of your team. We will collaborate with you to advance your mission and achieve your goals.

Image of Christine Ferrell
“I’m motivated by the powerful impact education can have on individuals of all ages—opening minds, presenting opportunities and spurring innovation.”

Hi, I’m Christine.

I lead CF Strategies and rely on two principles to guide our work:

  1. Communicate Early and Often: I believe in transparent and proactive communication to ensure a strong relationship and high-quality work.

  2. Take Initiative: I approach every project with an action-oriented approach to relieve pressure on you and deliver results that exceed expectations.

I bring two decades of proven success building and growing higher ed brands and program offerings. In collaboration with extraordinary teams, I have created new roles and built functions; launched new programs and exceeded enrollment goals; advised higher ed leaders and boards of directors; celebrated achievements and managed crises; integrated marketing, admissions and business development.

My own higher ed journey includes a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication (and political science for good measure) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from the Wake Forest University School of Business, as well as countless industry conferences and convenings.

A Few of our Collaborators

  • Jacob Diehl

    Jacob Diehl

    Jacob is a video producer and photographer who loves to bring to life real stories of impact. View Jacob’s Work

  • Sarah Horn

    Sarah Horn

    Sarah is a graphic designer with extensive experience serving higher ed and business clients. View Sarah’s Work

  • Sam Itin

    Sam Itin

    Sam is a digital marketing analytics expert who specializes in leveraging AI for impact. More about Sam

  • Liz Ruf

    Elizabeth Ruf

    Liz is focused on impact—and is my first call when I need a partner for strategy or digital campaigns. More About Liz

Higher Ed Leadership Experience

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Christine served the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School as marketing and business development director for the School’s portfolio of MBA programs for working professionals (Evening MBA, Weekend MBA, global OneMBA, online MBA@UNC).

She positioned the portfolio in the market and developed and executed integrated marketing, business development and recruiting strategies. She served on the team that launched the nation’s first online MBA program at a top-tier business school and partnered with UNC’s online program management provider, 2U.

North Carolina State University

Christine served North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management, where she established and grew the college’s first centralized marketing and communications team responsible for brand strategy, program marketing, content strategy, creative design and editorial services, web strategy, media relations and internal communications.

While at NC State, she reintroduced the brand and implemented a communications strategy and enrollment management practices that resulted in rankings and enrollment growth across all degree programs. MBA enrollment jumped nearly 40 percent annually, and rankings included top-10 for the Professional Online MBA (The Princeton Review, 2016) and the program’s first appearance in The Economist’s ranking of top-100 full-time MBA programs around the world.

Association of College and University Educators (ACUE)

Christine established the marketing and strategic communications function for the Association for College and University Educators (ACUE), which partners with colleges and universities to prepare, credential and support educators to achieve stronger, more equitable student outcomes.

She developed a team and implemented a strategy that contributed to year-over-year bookings growth of 2x. She served on the senior executive leadership team to drive organizational strategy and report results to the investor board.

In addition to working with 250+ institutions, Christine and her team partnered with organizations including the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), American Council on Education (ACE), Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Every Learner Everywhere, National Association of System Heads (NASH), Strong Start to Finish (SSTF) and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF).