Anna Drake Warshaw
President
Anna Drake Warshaw is a national leader in student-centered innovation in higher education. Prior to joining ACS, she was Managing Director of the University Innovation Alliance, a national consortium of public research universities working to increase the number and diversity of college graduates.
Anna is an alumna of ACS member institution Davidson College, where she earned a B.A. in Religion. She earned her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy from the University of Texas at Austin, where she received the College of Education Dean’s Research Fellowship and studied state politics and policies affecting college affordability. She later served as University Innovation Alliance Fellow and Assistant Director of the Center for Higher Education Innovation at the University of Central Florida, then as Director of Partnerships, Learning, and Evaluation for the University Innovation Alliance. She is an avid collaborator and firm believer in the power of networks to drive collective change.
Doug Wofford
Chief Financial Officer
Doug insistently proclaims that his life-long commitment to the value of a broad liberal arts education is reflected in his academic and career choices. Starting with a BS in Chemistry/Biology and then winding through a BA in History, a masters in Marketing Management and a doctorate in Higher Education Finance he, of course, chose a career in education technology.
Doug’s work career maintained a theme that some call unfocused (but he describes as eclectic) with stints as a Director of Admissions, a consultant, lead researcher for a National Science Foundation project, founder of two enrollment management software companies, Senior Vice President of the College Board’s higher education products and services and Senior Vice President for Technology at what is now Ruffalo Noel Levitz. He finds it perfectly consistent to now be working with Dr. Fabritius at ACS with a focus on operations, finance, technology, data analytics and service delivery.
Vanessa De Almeida Hook
Outreach and Operations Associate
Tuition Exchange Coordinator
Vanessa Hook’s experience in academia spans over 19 years with increasing responsibilities in Communications, Public Relations and Public Service. A self-proclaimed ‘Jane of All Trades’, she has sought to continually finetune her expertise in constituent coordination and development, social media networking, web-development and audience engagement. A graduate of St. Francis College in New York, she is a published writer, and member of the national Duns Scotus Honor Society.
Vanessa joined ACS is October of 2020 and now enjoys working with its member schools to help make new programs available to their faculty and administration, while also helping students achieve their collegiate goals by facilitating access to its affordable tuition program, ACS Tuition Exchange.
Melissa Perkins
Bookkeeper
Melissa Perkins joined the ACS staff in January 2022. For the last ten years, Melissa has partnered with a variety of small businesses assisting their owners with tasks they don’t have the bandwidth to complete. These projects always include general accounting, but have grown to include database management, event planning, website updates, and marketing communications. Melissa also spent several years working at the University of Cincinnati, then University of Louisville and feels that joining ACS is like coming home.
As a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a history degree, Melissa often gets the question, “How does a historian spend almost 30 years doing accounting.” The answer is that history is ultimately the study of how people and events from the past shape the present and future, and so does accounting.
Beth Adcock Shiroishi
Program Director, ACS Academic Fellows Program
Beth Adcock Shiroishi joined the ACS staff in August of 2022 to program manage the ACS Academic Fellows Program, a new consortium academic leadership program. Beth’s previous professional and civic work has spanned 20+ years in the strategy and execution of multiple programs in the areas of customer experience, public policy, pricing strategy, contract negotiations, regulatory affairs, and philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. She serves on the Board of Trustees at her alma mater, Agnes Scott College, and is an active member of the Executive, Student Success, and Governance committees.
Ashley Torgerson
Executive Assistant to the President
Ashley Torgerson has over a decade of comprehensive administrative experience in assisting leaders in their busy roles. With a background in education, tourism, and mental health, Ashley prides herself in bringing practical insights and compassion to common goals. She excels at providing reliable coordination, organization and communication across teams, and prioritizes a warm communication style that invites others to feel welcome and supported. She strives to bring clarity and positivity to every conversation with quick and effective communication as a high priority. A bilingual speaker, she uses her skills to provide nuanced attention to every interaction, noting all the crucial and delicate details in each unique situation so nothing gets lost in translation. Ashley is known for her ability to create order and her knack for beautifying the digital workspace. She has earned her BA in Psychology and Spanish at Winona State University and is currently working on her MS in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine at University of Western States.