Using Your Professional Skills to Pivot Panel

Presenters Derek Brinkley & Marcus Mason

Session Description

Many admission professionals stay in the field for 3—or 30—years. But what happens when you begin to wonder whether your skills and growth are meant for something different? Career transitions can feel uncertain and intimidating. In this session, two former campus-based admission professionals share how they recognized their pivot points, translated their enrollment expertise, and built new paths—offering insight and encouragement for anyone considering what might come next.

Speaker Bios

Derek Brinkley is an enrollment management professional with nearly 20 years of experience within mission-driven institutions. He joined the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago as Vice President for Enrollment Management & Student Experience on June 1, 2026, after serving as an Enrollment Management Consultant for the seminary since January 2026.

Prior to LSTC, he served as Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management at Columbia College Chicago, where he led recruitment, admissions, and enrollment strategy initiatives while overseeing significant growth in student diversity and institutional enrollment. Derek also helped launch Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago, a two-year program designed to support low-income and first-generation students. He also held admissions and recruitment leadership roles at Xavier University and Mount St. Joseph University.

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Derek lives in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago with his husband, Alexander, and their dogs, Parker and Gilbert.

Marcus Mason is a licensed real estate broker in Chicago who helps people navigate the moments that matter most — buying a first home, expanding a family, moving through divorce, or downsizing into a new chapter. He works with buyers, sellers, and investors across Chicago's 78 neighborhoods, bringing both market expertise and a steady hand to transactions that are often more personal than they are transactional.

Beyond real estate, Marcus serves as Resource Development Committee Chair on the board of directors for Chicago Lights, where he helps drive the funding behind programs supporting youth and families citywide. He holds a Master's degree in Global Strategic Communication from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor's degree in Communication from Northwestern University.

Before entering real estate in 2020, Marcus spent nearly a decade in higher education leadership, managing teams and driving initiatives centered on access, equity, and student success. That throughline — building systems that help people move forward — still defines how he works today.

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