Meet the Admission Team

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Baylee Champion, Assistant Director of Admission

901-843-3060
text: 901-437-0014

Territories: Illinois, Mississippi, North Texas (Dallas, Fort Worth area), West Tennessee Public Schools

Schedule an interview with Baylee
Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Baylee

Baylee Champion’s journey from Chicago was fueled by her dedication to making higher education accessible to all. Her love for culture, history, and food is what drew her to make Memphis home. The commitment that Rhodes has to diversity and inclusion proved that the environment would be warm and welcoming. She attended and graduated from Rust College in 2020, having majored in Sociology. 

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Brooke Mangione, Assistant Director of Admission

901-843-3703
text: 901-403-8122

Territories: Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, South Carolina

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Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Brooke

A Birmingham native, Brooke Mangione joins the admissions team after a decade teaching middle school and high school English, both in Alabama and overseas. After graduating with a degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Alabama, Brooke knew she wanted to give life abroad a try, resulting in years spent in Asia, Latin America, and Europe. While teaching in international schools, Brooke prepared students from around the world for university in North America, eventually leading to the decision to work with students from the admissions side.

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Gil Villanueva, Vice President for Enrollment

901-843-3700
Territories: California, Colorado

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Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Gil

Gil oversees Admission, Financial Aid, and Enrollment Services at Rhodes. For three decades, he has served highly selective colleges and universities across the nation. Prior to his appointment at Rhodes, Gil was the Associate Vice President and Dean of Admission at the University of Richmond and Dean of Admission at Brandeis University. He also worked at Bucknell University and Harvey Mudd College. Gil earned a B.A. in Psychology at Pitzer College and an M.Ed. degree in Higher Education at Bucknell University. 

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Hazel Parks, Assistant Director of Admission

901-843-3705
text: 901-617-3572

Territories:  Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas (Houston, Austin, San Antonio), Washington

Schedule an interview with Hazel
Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Hazel

Hazel Parks ’23 chose Rhodes after falling in love with its beautiful campus during visits to see family in Memphis throughout her childhood. Once she was a student, she fell in love all over again with the Rhodes community and all it has to offer. “I love the fact that I know I’m going to see a friendly face any time I walk around campus, or almost anywhere I go in Memphis. Also, Rhodes students are some of the most interesting, passionate, and engaged people I’ve ever met – it’s crazy that we all end up here.”

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Jose Garcia, Associate Director of Admission for Diversity and Access

901-843-3706
Text: 901-612-3732
Territories: Central and East Tennessee, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey

Schedule an interview with Jose
Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Jose

Jose was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He is a first-generation, low-income student who is a child of an immigrant from El Salvador. He is bilingual in English and Spanish. He comes from a very large and close family.

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Lily Shannon, Assistant Director of Admission

901-843-3657
text: 901-401-9986

Territories: Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin

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Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Lily

Born and raised in Memphis, Lily had their sights set on going far away for college. They ended up in the quiet town of Middlebury, Vermont where they took advantage of a liberal arts education and majored in Gender, Sexuality, & Feminist Studies with minors in German and Education. However, distance really does make the heart grow fonder, and they yearned to return home to be closer to their family and the city that raised them

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Mac Trammell, Assistant Director of Admission 

901-843-3524
text: 901-410-9221 
Territories: D.C., Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Memphis Private Schools, Montana, Virginia, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming

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Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Mac

As a born-and-reared Memphian, Mac Trammell had always known about Rhodes growing up. But when it came time to choose a college, he had his sights set outside the city limits. He attended and graduated in 2017 from Washington and Lee University, having double majored in Journalism and English.

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Megan Starling, Director of Admission 

901-843-3225
text: 901-329-8954 
Territories: Iowa, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

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Schedule a Financial Aid appointment with Megan

The student experience not only attracted Megan Starling '02 to Rhodes, but also has continued to shape the way she interacts with the school. As a prospective student from Lexington, KY, she wanted to feel an immediate connection to a student community, while simultaneously being able to create and maintain meaningful relationships with professors in and outside the classroom.

For International Students

Lauren Sefton

Lauren Sefton, Director of International Admission

email: seftonl@rhodes.edu

US Territories: Alaska, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York,  North Carolina

Schedule an interview with Lauren

Lauren Sefton ’03 grew up only a 30-minute train ride from her home in New Jersey to one of the world’s largest cities. While searching for colleges, she knew she didn’t want to be even 30 minutes away from the newest restaurant or concert to come to town. However, she also valued the intimacy of a small campus community, and found that most small schools tended to be in more rural settings, while most urban schools were too large or didn’t have a tight-knit campus environment.

Tie sun

Tie Sun, Senior Assistant Director of International Admission

email: sunt@rhodes.edu
Territory: Asia

Schedule an interview with Tie

Tie Sun has been in the international admission field since 2017. Uniquely, he experienced both a national research university and liberal arts college in the US for his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education, as an international student from Xi’an, China. He is more than happy to share the value of a liberal arts education to prospective international students at Rhodes College, and advise for their best interests. He travels extensively with a peace of heart filled with a spirit of adventure, curiosity, and care. Please be expected to see him in future!