The UNC Division for Student Success has announced two new leaders who will help strengthen its support for students from enrollment through graduation.

Andrea Felder is the new senior associate provost for strategic enrollment management and chief enrollment officer, and Mariel Pagán Smith is the senior associate vice provost for strategy, engagement and analytics. Senior Vice Provost for Student Success James Orr made the announcement Wednesday.

Felder will lead the University’s enrollment strategy, overseeing admissions, financial aid, the registrar, college access programs and Heels Hub, the new University one-stop.

Working across the University, Felder will expand access, strengthen recruitment and student success, modernize enrollment services, and leverage data and innovative solutions to improve the student experience from first inquiry through graduation and beyond.

She’ll also partner with University leadership to advance Carolina’s long-term enrollment strategy, supporting the goal of responsibly growing undergraduate enrollment by 5,000 students while expanding access, strengthening student success, and aligning enrollment growth with academic capacity.

Felder most recently served as senior educational adviser with Banyan Educational Consultancy, where she helped students and families work through the college search and application process while gaining valuable insight into student decision-making and perceptions of institutional value. Previously, she served as vice provost for undergraduate enrollment at American University, leading undergraduate admissions, financial aid, enrollment marketing, and strategic enrollment planning.

Pagán Smith will serve as chief of staff for the division while leading student success communications, engagement and outreach, fundraising, data teams and operations to create a more seamless, student-centered experience.

Bringing together strategy and data-informed decision making, she will strengthen collaboration, optimizing delivery of student services and connecting the dots across Student Success functions.

Pagán Smith comes to Chapel Hill from Coastal Carolina, where she served as interim vice president for Student Affairs, and before that, as assistant vice president for student engagement. In those roles, she advanced student success initiatives, led the student engagement strategy and guided the division through complex policy, emergency management and strategic planning efforts.

“Their expertise, dedication, and commitment to student success will strengthen our community and help create a seamless, ‘no wrong door’ experience, ensuring students can easily access the support, resources and guidance they need to thrive from enrollment through graduation,” Orr said. “We look forward to working together to build on this momentum and wish everyone a successful and rewarding academic year ahead.”

Carolina launched the Division of Student Success in February, positioning the University as the first Top 5 public institution, according to U.S. News & World Report, to organize its student support and learning infrastructure around the full student lifecycle from enrollment through graduation. The new division brings together enrollment strategy, student experience and academic excellence in a unified structure to support students better.