TADA25: Labor Pains: Managing Workforce Costs in Higher Ed

Disha Venkatesan is an influential leader in the realm of higher education financial strategy and planning. With a notable tenure as vice president of the higher education practice at Kaufman Hall and over five years at Syntellis, she has excelled in driving revenue growth and optimizing resource allocation in higher ed. Her dedication to equipping universities for future challenges is reflected in her development and implementation of advanced budgeting and strategic planning tools, benefiting over 100 institutions. Venkatesan's rich educational background includes a master's of public policy from the University of Virginia, an MBA from the University of Connecticut School of Business, and executive education from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Her innovative problem-solving and leadership skills have markedly enhanced operational efficiency and financial outcomes across universities.

Lise Fitzpatrick is director of higher education services at Strata Decision Technology. Passionate about the impact of higher education on individuals and the economy, Lise enjoys empowering colleges and universities to fuel their mission. Her goal is to support customers as they elevate their planning and analytic capabilities to acquire new insights and accelerate informed decision making. She partners with customers to address their toughest financial challenges by integrating and expanding traditional budget processes to include a strategic-to-tactical planning loop. Lise's experience includes eight years in technology implementations, product development, and thought leadership. She also had a long career at Western Washington University serving in a variety of roles, such as mergers and acquisitions, tuition revenue planning, central budgeting, position control, information systems, operations, and program management. Lise holds an M.B.A. from Western Washington University, and a B.S. in finance from the University of Southern California.