Veteran enrollment leader brings two decades of experience in adult and graduate education.
Antioch University welcomed Thomas J. (Tom) Hoener to the position of Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing in mid-January 2026. Hoener brings more than two decades of experience leading enrollment strategy, recruitment operations, and student-centered growth initiatives across adult, graduate, and professional education.
“Tom brings to Antioch a powerful combination of admissions operations expertise, enrollment strategy, and values-driven clarity,” said Antioch University President Lori Varlotta, PhD. “He understands that enrollment leadership is not solely about growth. It is about designing conditions that remove barriers, support adult students with complex lives, and ensure the learner experience reflects our mission in practice.”
In this leadership role, Hoener will oversee enrollment and marketing across Antioch’s five campuses and its three academic schools—the School of Counseling, Psychology, and Therapy; the School of Graduate Nursing and Health Professions; and the School of Interdisciplinary and Professional Studies—supporting programs delivered nationwide. Antioch University has five campuses—in Seattle, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Yellow Springs, and Keene, N.H.—offering graduate and professional programs that are delivered across locations and learning modalities.
“My own path through higher education was shaped by being a first-generation college student from a working-class family and completing my degree in a program designed for working adults,” Hoener said. “That experience has stayed with me. Antioch’s commitment to widening access and supporting adult learners with complex lives aligns deeply with my own values.”
Hoener will focus on strengthening outreach and engagement with prospective students, particularly adult learners, while building a collaborative, student-centered enrollment approach that supports academic priorities and long-term institutional capacity. He will also work to elevate Antioch’s visibility through a strengthened digital strategy and the use of data and insight to better connect students with programs aligned with their goals and lives.
As a member of the Senior Cabinet, Hoener will collaborate with President Lori Varlotta and senior leaders across academic affairs, finance, IT, institutional advancement, and student affairs to strengthen institutional coherence and long-term capacity. Together, the leadership team will position Antioch as a demonstrably student-centric university system and a national leader in purpose-driven, adult-focused, and distributed graduate education committed to justice, democratic engagement, and the common good.
Hoener began his higher education career in 2001 at Mount St. Mary’s College. There, he bolstered adult and graduate student recruitment and partnered with faculty to launch new graduate programs, expanding access for evening and weekend students. In 2007, he joined California Lutheran University, where he helped unify adult and graduate enrollment in a cross-functional model that generated significant growth.
“Antioch stands out nationally for the way it pairs academic excellence with a clear sense of purpose and public responsibility,” Hoener said. “I believe strong enrollment leadership connects student interest to workforce needs, strengthens institutional vitality, and helps more students realize the transformative promise of higher education.”
Hoener holds an MS in counseling psychology and a BA in liberal studies from Mount St. Mary’s University.
