John W. Dysart President

John W. Dysart is President of The Dysart Group. A graduate of The Catholic University of America, John has worked in higher education for more than thirty years. He has worked full-time at institutions such as George Washington University, North Carolina Wesleyan College and Berkeley College of Business holding positions ranging from Director of Financial Aid and Assistant Director of Admission to Dean of the Evening College.

Mr. Dysart has consulted with more than 250 colleges and universities in more than 40 states. While the majority of his consultations have been related to enrollment management and enrollment growth, he has a special expertise in finance and financial aid issues. He has been able to consistently integrate enrollment management with institutional objectives regarding net revenue, budgeting and strategic planning.

Considered a national expert in enrollment management, John Dysart has conducted seminars and made dozens of presentations for 18 higher education professional organizations. Mr. Dysart has conducted training for national and regional admission associations, financial aid associations and business officer associations and has written articles for several higher education publications.

Working collaboratively with a variety of individuals and campus constituencies characterizes his work. He has been intimately involved in the development of recruitment, financial aid and retention plans and advocates a hands-on approach to consultation. His personal commitment to the individual institution, attention to detail, creativity, analytical ability and motivational skills has enabled him to achieve extraordinary results.

Chris Burnley – Senior Consultant

Chris Burnley has served in executive-level positions in higher education for nearly two decades.  In addition to his higher education experience, he served in executive-level positions in highly competitive corporations.  This diverse experience imparted a desire to continuously improve operations and maximize revenue streams, and to constantly look for opportunities to differentiate the institution’s offerings or practices to gain and maintain competitive advantages.

Chris began working with The Dysart Group as a client nearly a decade ago.  Prior to that time, he had worked with several of the industry’s largest enrollment, financial aid and marketing consultants, and was frustrated by their lack of support beyond what he calls the “to get more students, give more financial aid” mentality.  He was so impressed with The Dysart Group’s ability to improve enrollment outcomes WITHOUT increasing financial aid that, when he had the opportunity, he joined The Dysart Group team.  Chris’ experience as a Controller, a CFO, and a VP for Enrollment gives him a special ability to assist our clients, and we are thrilled to have him join The Dysart Group team!