CIA announces new vice president for enrollment management and marketing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 11, 2021

CLEVELAND—A veteran of higher education with 25 years of experience working in admissions has joined the Cleveland Institute of Art’s senior leadership team.

Yvette Sobky Shaffer has been named the College’s new Vice President of Enrollment Management + Marketing. She has already begun transitioning into the role and will fully join the college of art and design effective January 4, 2022.

Sobky Shaffer most recently served as the Director of Admission at Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City. She also has worked in higher education admissions at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and St. John's College, the Great Books College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“Growing up in Ohio, CIA was the model to me of excellence in art and design education. I have always striven to serve at institutions that exemplify that excellence, and joining this community is a dream come true,” Sobky Shaffer says. “I am excited to help communicate the incredible value and outcomes of this education with more students and sharing what an incredible place Cleveland is for young artists and designers.”

Sobky Shaffer is responsible for attracting new students to CIA, retaining current students, and designing the College’s enrollment marketing and advertising strategy.

“I am so looking forward to working with Yvette. She brings first-rate experience recruiting students to premier art and design colleges in California and New York here to Cleveland and our beloved CIA,” says CIA President + CEO Grafton Nunes. “We welcome her with open arms.”

Sobky Shaffer’s experience was formative at Otis, where she rose from an Admissions Counselor to the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. During this time, the institution doubled in size—thanks to important infrastructure developed by Sobky Shaffer and her colleagues to support students—and graduated diverse students into successful careers in the arts.

“Yvette brings proven experience and leadership in admissions and enrollment management and understands the nuances of the art and design college of today. She also brings unique ideas and forward-facing insights to effectively position CIA for the higher-ed shifts of tomorrow. We are so excited that she will join us at CIA and in Cleveland,” says Kathryn Heidemann, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty + Chief Operating Officer/Chief Academic Officer. Heidemann is also President-designate at CIA and will begin that role July 1, 2022.

Sobky Shaffer began her career as a student tour guide at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio while completing her undergraduate studies in Liberal Studies and Fine Art Photography. She earned her MFA in Writing from Otis College of Art and Design. As a first-generation college graduate, she is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion—and to finding “right fit” institutions that create pathways for students to dream big.

Since it opened in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, CIA has been the training ground for countless students who have gone on to make important contributions to the fields of art and design. Its students have designed internationally recognized products and their work is displayed in major museums and private collections around the world. Notably, its graduates are employed by Hollywood and Fortune 500 companies, and work in academia, design studios and institutional settings. It enrolls approximately 600 students from across the country and internationally, and has a faculty of nearly 50 full-time and 60 adjunct faculty members, all of whom are practicing artists, designers and scholars.

CONTACT
Cleveland Institute of Art
Michael C. Butz, Director of College Communications + External Relations
mcbutz@cia.edu / 216.421.7404