Corey Reedy doesn’t do what he does for the recognition. He truly cares about the student housing professionals he works with, and that inspires him to meet people where they are and pour into them as much as possible. But Corey does appreciate being recognized with the Excel Award because it lets him know he’s doing something right!

Corey Reedy is Regional Vice President at Capstone On-Campus Management. Prior to working with the corporate staff, he served as COCM General Manager at Bowling Green State University from 2010 through 2014. Corey has 20-plus years of experience as a student housing professional, and he was the recipient of the 2019 COCM Excel Award.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Corey joins guest host Alton Irwin for the next installment of our Excel Award Interview Series to describe how he serves as a resource for the staff and students he manages at COCM. Corey explains how site diversity makes the scope of his responsibilities unique and reflects on what his colleagues said about his ability to provide individualized support. Listen in for insight on what made Corey successful through the pandemic and learn how seeing his COCM colleagues succeed gives him the greatest satisfaction in his job.

Topics Covered 

How Corey serves as a resource in his role as Regional Vice President at the COCM home office

What made Corey successful through the pandemic and how his role changed

How the diversity of the schools Corey manages makes the scope of his responsibilities unique

How meeting COCM staff at a student affairs placement exchange (and a perfect summer day at Bowling Green) inspired Corey to take a job with Capstone

What tipped Corey off that he was receiving the 2019 COCM Excel Award

What Corey’s colleagues had to say about his core values of meeting people where they are and providing customized support

How helping to develop COCM staff and students and seeing them succeed gives Corey the greatest satisfaction in his job 

Connect with Corey Reedy

Corey at COCM

Corey on LinkedIn

Connect with Alton

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton at COCM

Alton on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

“The [COCM Excel] Award is given to one person, but it’s really comprised of everybody on the team. It just happens to be that one person who received it because everybody pushes you to be better and do better. You always see the head coach gets all the kudos, but it’s really the folks that are behind the scenes working day in and day out—they’re truly deserving of it as well.”

—Michelle Smith

Michelle Smith currently serves as Regional Vice President at Capstone On-Campus Management. Prior to working at the COCM home office, Michelle was Director of Campus Housing at Florida Atlantic University, where she earned the 2013 COCM Excel Award. Michelle was also part of the Capstone founding team, and she has been with the company for the last 17 years.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Michelle joins guest host Alton Irwin for the next installment of our Excel Award Interview Series to explain why she considered the award a win for her entire team at Florida Atlantic. Michelle reflects on her time at FAU and reacts to what her colleagues said about the impact she had there. Listen in for insight on COCM’s ability to promote from within and why it’s so rewarding for Michelle to see that level of growth at every level of the company.

Topics Covered 

What’s unique about Michelle’s role as Regional Vice President of COCM

How meeting Sandy Hill at a retreat early in her student housing career led Michelle to work for COCM

Why it was special for Michelle to receive the Excel Award from Sandy Hill

How Michelle saw the Excel Award as a win for her whole team at Florida Atlantic University

What Michelle’s colleagues had to say about the impact she had at FAU

How Michelle thinks about her time at FAU and as the campus partner, Residence Life team and COCM staff worked toward a common goal

The sense of satisfaction Michelle feels in nominating COCM staff for the Excel Award

Why being able to promote from within is so important to Michelle

Connect with Michelle Smith

Michelle at COCM

Michelle on LinkedIn

Connect with Alton

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton at COCM

Alton on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

Some student housing professionals are only inclined to perform the duties listed in their job description. And others are team players, willing to get their hands dirty to keep things running smoothly. Kerissa Hobstetter falls into the second category, doing whatever needs to be done to provide the best possible experience for her residents.

Kerissa is COCM’s Assistant Director of Operations at Fayette Square on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Kerissa began her career with Capstone in 2011, serving freshman at Marshall University before transitioning to the graduate campus at UMB where she earned the 2015 COCM Excel Award.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Kerissa joins guest host Alton Irwin for the fourth in a series of conversations with Excel Award winners to discuss the diversity of the graduate student population that makes UMB unique. Kerissa describes how her interest in student affairs grew over time, explaining how the opportunity to interact with students gives her the greatest satisfaction in what she does every day. Listen in for insight around the impact of facilities on student satisfaction and learn how being a team player earned Kerissa the respect of her colleagues—and the COCM Excel Award!

Topics Covered

The small, graduate-level campus Kerissa serves at the University of Maryland, Baltimore

What surprised Kerissa about serving graduate students

The diversity of the student population that makes UMB unique

What Kerissa has learned about communicating with students from all over the world

How Kerissa’s interest in student affairs grew over time

Why Kerissa was shocked to receive the COCM Excel Award

What Kerissa’s colleagues had to say about her willingness to go beyond her job title and get her hands dirty

How interactions with residents give Kerissa the greatest satisfaction in what she does

The impact of facilities on student satisfaction and retention

Connect with Kerissa Hobstetter

Kerissa on LinkedIn

Connect with Alton

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton at COCM

Alton on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. And lucky for COCM, Scott Schatzer loves to serve others.

Scott is the Talent Recruitment and Wellness Coordinator at the Capstone corporate offices, assisting the operations team in the recruitment, hiring and onboarding of field staff and managing COCM’s Learning Management System and Employee Retention and Wellness Program. Scott formerly served as the Director of Housing Operations for the first-year community on the campus of Marshall University, where he earned the prestigious COCM Excel Award.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Scott joins guest host Alton Irwin for the third in a series of conversations with Excel Award winners to discuss the respect for the past and community support unique to Marshall University. Scott reflects on what his colleagues at Marshall said about his passion to help others, sharing how he approaches each day as a servant leader. Listen in to understand the satisfaction Scott gets from recruiting the best employees possible and supporting COCM’s current employees—so they can better serve our residents, campus partners and each other.

Topics Covered

Scott’s former role as Director of Housing for the first-year community on the campus of Marshall University

The respect for the past and community support unique to Marshall University

What Scott is responsible for in his new role as Talent Recruitment and Wellness Coordinator at COCM

How visiting other sites helps Scott better serve his colleagues at COCM

How connecting with a mentor at COCM led Scott to work for the organization

Scott’s appreciation for the opportunity to grow as a student housing professional through COCM

What Scott’s colleagues have to say about his passion to help others, leadership ability and work ethic

How Scott approaches each day with the intention to be a servant leader

The satisfaction Scott gets from recruiting the best employees possible and supporting COCM’s current employees—so they can best serve our residents, campus partners and owners

Connect with Scott

Scott on LinkedIn

Scott on Twitter

Connect with Alton

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton at COCM

Alton on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

A strong leader stays calm in a crisis, taking whatever is thrown at them in stride and simply doing what needs to be done. And it is Jeremy Williamson’s ability to stay cool, collected and confident when problems arise that his colleagues admire most.

Jeremy is the Director of Housing Operations and Facilities at University Village and The QUAD Student Housing Communities on the campus of California State University San Marcos. He served as Residence Life Coordinator at the University of Louisville and Area Coordinator at the University of Florida before taking on his current role with Capstone at CSUSM in October of 2017. Jeremy is also a recent recipient of the COCM Excel Award.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Jeremy joins guest host Alton Irwin for the second in a series of conversations with Excel Award winners to discuss the opportunities for growth associated with working on a young campus like CSUSM. Alton shares what Jeremy’s colleagues have to say about his consistently calm and positive demeanor, and Jeremy explains why the Excel Award was the ‘boost he did not know he needed.’ Listen in for insight on adapting to difficult circumstances without losing your cool and learn how Jeremy’s focus on legacy informs his interactions with the people he serves!

Topics Covered

Jeremy’s role as Director of Housing Operations at CSUSM’s University Village and The QUAD

The opportunities for growth associated with working on such a young campus

How Jeremy works with four different partners in the management of his sites at CSUSM

How maintaining relationships with former colleagues led Jeremy to COCM

Why Jeremy describes the Excel Award as ‘the boost he did not know he needed’

What Jeremy’s colleagues have to say about his calm and positive demeanor (even in crisis situations)

Jeremy’s insight on adapting to difficult circumstances without losing your cool

How Jeremy’s focus on legacy informs his interactions with the people he serves

How being a position to make someone’s day gives Jeremy the greatest satisfaction in his role

Connect with Jeremy

University Village Apartments at CSUSM

The QUAD at CSUSM

Jeremy on LinkedIn

Connect with Alton

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton at COCM

Alton on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

Western University of Health Sciences takes a whole-student approach to educating future healthcare professionals. And that complements the way COCM’s Meera Ramsoondar-Cuevas serves her team and the students she works with, connecting with people through the lens of their individual experience.

Meera is the Director of Housing Operations at The Daumier at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California. She has been with Capstone On-Campus Management for six years, serving as Associate Director of Residence Life at City College of New York before taking on her current role in October of 2018. Meera earned the COCM Excel Award in February of 2020.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Meera joins guest host Alton Irwin for the first of a series of conversations with Excel Award winners to discuss what it’s like to serve graduate students in the healthcare space. She describes the humanistic approach unique to the community and campus at WesternU and shares the benefit of having pet-friendly floors on her site. Listen in to understand how the Excel Award reflects the excellence of the people Meera’s worked with and find out what her students have taught her about cultivating compassion and seeing the world through a different lens.

Topics Covered 

Meera’s role as Director of Housing Operations at The Daumier at Western University

The graduate degree programs in health sciences offered at WesternU

The humanistic approach unique to the community and campus at WesternU

How a student population of future health professionals navigated the COVID pandemic

The benefit of having two pet-friendly floors at The Daumier

Why Meera loved working 1:1 with students in her first role in residence life with COCM

How Meera sees her Excel Award as a reflection of the great teachers she’s worked with

What Meera has learned from her students about compassion and seeing the world through a different lens

Why it’s the small interactions with students that bring Meera the most satisfaction

Connect with Meera

The Daumier at Western University

The Daumier on Instagram

Meera on LinkedIn

Connect with Alton

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Alton at COCM

Alton on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

Most of us associate summer on campus with conference programs. But summer interns need housing, too, and many campuses are capitalizing on this need. So, what does a summer internship student housing program look like? Would it work on your campus? And what are summer interns looking for in a place stay?

Emily Eskridge-June is the Director of Housing and Residence Life at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. In the summer of 2016, Emily started housing interns in partnership with ABODA, a global short-term rental company that specializes in student and corporate housing, and since then, she has built a robust, independent summer internship housing program at Cornish Commons.

On this episode of Student Housing Matters, Emily joins guest host Erik Elordi to explain how she started offering summer internship housing at Cornish Commons. She walks us through the four strategies her team has used to increase the number of interns they house over the years, describing the relationship between good customer service and word-of-mouth recruitment. Listen in for Emily’s insight on the four things summer interns are looking for in a place to stay and learn how to build and market a summer internship housing program on YOUR campus!

Topics Covered

When and how Emily started offering summer internship housing at Cornish Commons

The 4 things Emily’s team has done to increase the number of interns they house over the years

The relationship between strong customer service and word-of-mouth recruitment

How Emily’s team leverages Google Ads and a streamlined website to market directly to summer interns in Seattle

The 4 things interns are looking for in a place to stay for the summer

Why Emily’s team can no longer rely on big Seattle companies like Amazon and Microsoft for a large pool of interns and what they are doing to face that challenge

Connect with Emily

Cornish College of the Arts

Seattle Intern Housing

Connect with Erik

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Erik at COCM

Erik on Twitter

Email media@cocm.com

What does it look like to serve students from the facilities and operations side of student housing? What does it take to keep a residence hall complex well-maintained and running smoothly?

Patrick Shanahan is the Director of Facilities and Administration at The Heights, Montclair State University’s newest residence halls complex. Patrick has worked at The Heights since it opened its doors in 2011, serving as Office Coordinator and Assistant Director of Operations before taking on his current role two years ago. Today, Patrick is responsible for the facilities, maintenance and custodial work at The Heights, where he serves 1,978 residents across eight buildings.

On this episode of the podcast, Patrick joins Leigh Anne to explain how he was introduced to student housing as an undergrad desk assistant and how serving in a supervisory role in Residence Life sparked his interest in a career in higher ed. Patrick shares the challenges he faces in facilities and operations, describing what he’s learned about adapting to change and educating students who are away from home for the first time. Listen in to understand the rewards of building relationships with your team and seeing them succeed and get Patrick’s advice around connecting with others in the campus community.

Topics Covered

Patrick’s role in overseeing the facilities, maintenance and custodial work at The Heights

How Patrick was introduced to student housing as an undergrad desk assistant

How a friend encouraged Patrick to apply for a supervisory role in Residence Life and how that experience sparked his interest in student housing as a career

The AHA moment walking on campus with his wife when Patrick saw a future in student housing

How Patrick and his team are navigating the stresses of COVID

The challenges Patrick faces in educating residents who are living away from home for the first time

What makes building relationships with his staff and seeing them succeed the most rewarding part of Patrick’s job

The biggest lesson Patrick has learned around adapting to change and to the needs of the students

Patrick’s advice for aspiring student housing professionals on getting involved in the community

Connect with Patrick Shanahan

The Heights at Montclair State University

Patrick on LinkedIn

Connect with Leigh Anne

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

As you rise through the ranks of a career in student housing, you face more and more complex problems. Imagine, for example, taking on a site that has occupancy concerns, building issues AND staffing challenges. So, what do successful leaders do to avoid overwhelm and focus their energy on finding solutions?

Kern Williams serves as Regional Manager and Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force at COCM. In his 15 years in student housing, Kern has worked at a variety of institutions and been an active contributor to the profession at large, giving national webinars and conference presentations on undocumented students, access to higher education, team dynamics and staff motivation.

On this episode, Kern joins Leigh Anne to share his unique shift from insurance to student housing and discuss how having the right mentor influenced him to pursue a career in higher education. Kern describes both the challenge and reward of managing from a distance, offering advice on breaking down big problems and turning worry into action. Listen in for Kern’s insight on asking the right questions, serving as a mentor and a mentee, and developing the wide range of skills required to be a leader in the student housing space!

Topics Covered

How Kern transitioned from the insurance industry to student housing

Kern’s insight on the unique range of skills you develop as a student housing professional

How having a mentor who looked like him influenced Kern to make a career of student housing

Realizing you’re in the right place when colleagues start coming to you for advice

Kern’s ability to manage people, process and product effectively

How Kern navigates the challenge of managing from a distance

The opportunity for growth that comes from managing a variety of staff and locations remotely

How Kern learned to overcome overwhelm by breaking down big problems

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions (even in a leadership role)

The value in finding a mentor and serving as a mentor yourself

Kern’s advice for aspiring student housing professionals on turning worry into action

Connect with Kern Williams

Kern on LinkedIn

Connect with Leigh Anne

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com

How do you design a marketing plan that attracts residents to a particular student housing community? What if you’re responsible for promoting 35 different sites, each with their own unique culture and set of amenities?

Brittany Pieper is the Site Marketing Coordinator for COCM, where she works with our 35-plus partner institutions and their onsite team members to ensure that each of our student housing communities is properly positioned in the market. A rockstar when it comes to marketing and leasing in the student housing world, Brittany is committed to achieving maximum demand and occupancy at each site.

On this episode, Brittany joins Leigh Anne to share her journey from multifamily marketing and leasing to student housing, explaining what she learned from her first property manager and how she designs creative initiatives to attract and retain residents. Brittany discusses how having an entrepreneurial spirit has helped her develop a business mind around sales and walks us through the AHA moment that inspired her to pursue a leadership role in the marketing space. Listen in for Brittany’s insight on customizing solutions to individual sites and get her top five tips for ambitious student housing professionals.

Topics Covered

Brittany’s early interest and experience in marketing and sales

Brittany’s journey from multifamily marketing and leasing to student housing

Designing creative ways to attract and retain residents

How Brittany’s first property manager trained her to do things the right way, take ownership of her mistakes and strive for her goals

How an entrepreneurial spirit helped Brittany develop a business mind around sales and marketing

What inspired Brittany to pursue a leadership role in marketing and leasing

The challenge Brittany faces in customizing solutions to work at individual COCM sites

Brittany’s top lessons learned around adapting to change and working with diverse personalities

Brittany’s top five tips for aspiring student housing professionals

Connect with Brittany Pieper

Brittany at COCM

Connect with Leigh Anne

Student Housing Matters

Student Housing Matters on Facebook

Student Housing Matters on Twitter

Capstone On-Campus Management

Leigh Anne on LinkedIn

Email media@cocm.com