People

Hardwick-Day is a small firm that collaborates closely on client engagements. Each member of the firm brings a set of skills and successes that create a complementary, coherent whole: policy research and analysis, statistical virtuosity, marketing and communications perspectives from both academia and the business world, and every aspect of enrollment management operations

The collective experience of Hardwick-Day professionals totals nearly 350 years of hands-on work before joining the firm. Together, Hardwick-Day principals, associates, analysts, and statisticians have:

  • 202 years in college admissions and financial aid
  • 132 at the vice presidential or director level in admissions and financial aid
  • 78 years in research design, data analysis, academic records, and database development and application
  • 64 years in alumni relations, communications, website development, external/government relations, international education, and advancement

Hardwick Day Staff


  • James H. Day

         After earning a B.A. in English Literature and government from Beloit College and an M.A. in English Literature from the University of Iowa, Jim Day served as...

  • Nathan S. Mueller

         Since joining Hardwick-Day in 1996, Nathan Mueller has helped more than 100 clients attain enrollment and net revenue goals through financial aid optimization and...

  • Carol A. Stack

         Carol Stack develops and refines brand strategies through research and campus workshops. She also assesses admissions and recruitment operations, advises on staff...

  • Ruth A. Vedvik

         Ruth Vedvik uses expertise garnered from 26 years of first-hand experience at six institutions—public and private—to assist Hardwick-Day clients in...

  • Seth Harris

         Seth earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and Bachelor of Music degree in percussion performance from Lawrence University. Such degrees, he was once...

  • Kimberly Johnson

         Kim Johnson uses 15 years of admission expertise from both public and private institutions to assist Hardwick-Day clients with undergraduate, graduate, and...

  • Anna Swanson

          Anna started at Hardwick-Day in 2010 as an analyst, became lead analyst in 2011, and transitioned into her current role as associate principal in 2012.Anna...

  • David Busse

         David Busse retired in 2001 after 18 years as financial aid director at Macalester College. Since then, he has served as interim director and in other capacities in...

  • Jimm Crowder

         With more than three decades of experience in international education, diplomacy, government, and commerce, Jimm Crowder provides expertise to colleges and...

  • Janice Jaeger

         Janice Jaeger works with institutions and consortia to coordinate and analyze research studies. She manages projects from survey design to the procurement and...

  • Herald Johnson

         Herald Johnson assists colleges in the areas of interim financial aid leadership, staff training and mentoring, and innovative programming. Herald is one of the...

  • Lee Johnson

         Lee Johnson has worked in-depth with more than a dozen colleges and college consortia. His work involves assessing admissions operations, mentoring new admissions...

  • Kevin Menk

         Kevin Menk is managing partner of Strategic Resource Partners, LLC. He has more than 25 years of marketing consulting and marketing...

  • Nicole Stanich

         Nicole Stanich joined Hardwick-Day as a Data Analyst in the spring of 2010 and became the Team's Development Leader in 2012.  She is honored and excited to...

  • Jeff Aisen

         Jeff Aisen joined Hardwick Day in the summer of 2012. He is a Macalester College ’12 graduate, with a double major in Economics and Philosophy, and a minor in...

  • Ben Bayer

         A 2011 graduate of St. Olaf College, Ben Bayer pursued a true liberal arts education, majoring in History and concentrating in Statistics. This multidisciplinary...

  • Amanda Capelle

         Amanda Capelle came to Hardwick Day in the winter of 2012. She is an alumna of Gustavus Adolphus College, where she majored in political science and of which she...

  • Kathy Jeddeloh

         Kathy Jeddeloh joined Hardwick Day in January of 2013.  She graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a double major in Economics and Computer Science...

  • Becky Lahr

         Becky Lahr joined Hardwick Day in the spring of 2012.  She graduated from Whitman College in 2006 with a major in Geology and an Education minor.  While...

  • Danielle Ricard

         Danielle joined Hardwick Day in 2011 after working in higher education for three years as the director of institutional research at Inver Hills Community College....

  • Jeff Walls

         Jeff Walls joined Hardwick Day in January of 2013. He graduated from Carleton in 2008 with majors in Economics and Political Science. His economics thesis focused...

  • Madeline Neenan

         Madeline joined Hardwick-Day in the fall of 2011. She earned her B.A. at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. While at St. Ben’s, Madeline studied...

  • Susan McCarthy

         Susan is a versatile statistical marketing sciences leader who combines strong analytical and communication skills. She generates meaningful insights to help...

  • Todd Melander

         Todd Melander’s first job was modeling customers’ propensity for purchasing the Reader’s Digest magazine. The lessons and modeling tools he learned there built a...

  • Stacie Toal

         Stacie Toal supports Hardwick-Day’s financial aid optimization engagements, marketing and institutional research, and consortium projects, including in-person and...

  • Jon McGee

         Jon McGee is vice president of planning and public affairs at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. His management area includes marketing and...

  • Daniel Sullivan

         Dan Sullivan is President (1996-2009) Emeritus of St. Lawrence University, former Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Colleges and...