Our Team
Collective experience.
Chief Executive Officer
Phil Malinoski, M.Ed. C.A.G.S., CFP, founder and president of Higher Ed Strategies, LLC and co-founder of Rethinkhe, has more than 20 years of financial aid and enrollment management consulting and professional coaching experience. He has worked with over 300 institutions including traditional colleges and universities, for-profit agencies and vocational technical schools. Phil’s expertise and the focus of his consultancy includes strategic, tactical and compliance assessments in the areas of enrollment management, admission and financial aid as well as organizational structure and position reviews.
Phil worked as a subject matter expert in higher education for a national risk management firm in the company’s higher education practice. Phil also serves on the Community Health Resources, Inc. board and is a member of the finance committee.
Prior to starting the firm in 2003, Phil was employed by Northeastern University, Yale University and the University of Saint Joseph. Phil holds a M.Ed. in College Student Personnel from Northeastern University, a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Higher Education Administration and earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in 1993.
Vice President
Nitajsha Edwards, FAAC, has more than 25 years of financial aid experience in both the private independent college and the for-profit market segments. She has provided consulting services to more than 200 schools on a national basis. Nitajsha is Vice President of Higher Ed Strategies, owns Nitajsha Edwards Consulting, LLC and serves as a Senior Consultant for Rethinkhe. Nitjasha’s expertise is in Title IV compliance and financial aid operations.
She began her career at National College and has held positions in financial aid at Saint Joseph College and Albertus Magnus College. She also worked in human resources for the Virginia Community College System. Nitajsha provides advisory services that help institutions design and implement compliance solutions. She is experienced in both traditional and non-traditional programs including non-standard and non-term programs.
Senior Consultant
Heather Ruland, MBA brings more than 20 years of higher education experience in financial aid, student accounts, enrollment management, ERP administration, and institutional consulting. A former consultant with Datatel (now Ellucian), Heather has worked with community colleges, private institutions, public universities, and medical colleges to improve operations, strengthen compliance, maximize technology investments, and enhance the student experience. Her expertise includes Ellucian Banner and Colleague systems, financial aid administration, Title IV compliance, organizational transformation, process improvement, and change management.
Throughout her career, she has held leadership positions at Mount Wachusett Community College, Fitchburg State University, Marietta College, and Becker College, while also providing consulting services to colleges and universities nationwide. Heather currently supports institutions through aid-year setup, system configuration, compliance initiatives, reporting, and strategic process improvement. She was also appointed to a Massachusetts higher education advisory group that helped shape implementation of the Commonwealth's Free Community College program. Heather holds an MBA from Fitchburg State University and a bachelor's degree in Accounting from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.
Senior Consultant
Gregory W. Matthews, M.S., is a senior higher education executive and strategic advisor with more than 35 years of experience in enrollment management, financial aid, student success, institutional strategy, and organizational leadership. He has served in senior leadership roles at multiple colleges and universities, consistently producing record enrollment results and developing innovative approaches to recruitment, financial aid optimization, predictive analytics, and institutional decision-making.
Greg's consulting expertise includes strategic enrollment planning, revenue modeling, organizational effectiveness, leadership coaching, and student retention. His work combines sophisticated data analytics with practical, actionable strategies that help institutions increase enrollment, improve financial sustainability, and identify institutional conditions that can be changed to improve student success. He specializes in helping colleges and universities achieve measurable improvements in enrollment and retention while strengthening their long-term competitive position.
Prior to his consulting work, Greg served as Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Life at Western New England University and held senior leadership positions at Norwich University and Colby-Sawyer College. His experience spans admissions, financial aid, student affairs, institutional research, technology, marketing, and financial management. He holds a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems and a master's degree in Information Systems Management.
Senior Consultant
Brian Parker, Ed.D., has more than 25 years of leadership in university and collegiate enrollment management, marketing and institutional advancement as a director, dean, and vice president. Brian serves as a managing partner for the 989 Group and serves as a Senior Consultant for Rethinkhe. Brian’s areas of expertise include strategic and tactical enrollment management planning, new student recruitment marketing, and working with faculty in supporting recruitment and development.
Brian holds master’s degrees from the University of Chicago and McCormick Theological Seminary, as well as a doctorate of education from Olivet Nazarene University and attended the Harvard Institute for Higher Education.