About
Tiffany Rodriguez, Ph.D
CONSULTANT / FOUNDING PARTNER
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER AT AMERICAN COLLEGE OF HEALTHCARE SCIENCES
Dr. Tiffany Rodriguez was named the 2025-26 Innovator of the Year by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission for her leadership in advancing AI innovation in higher education. She brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience across institutional effectiveness, accreditation strategy, and data-informed decision making.
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Tiffany has served as Chief Academic Officer, Dean of Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness, and Director of Institutional Research at institutions navigating the same challenges her clients face today: accreditation readiness, enrollment pressure, program viability, and the need to build systems that actually sustain growth. She has led institutions through successful accreditation cycles, new program launches, retention turnarounds, and long-range strategic planning. Her approach centers on translating complex data into clear institutional direction that executive teams and boards can act on.
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She holds a Ph.D. in Biomechanics and a B.S. in Health and Kinesiology from Texas A&M University, completed the WSCUC Assessment Leadership Academy, and earned a certificate in Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education from Vanderbilt University. She serves as an evaluator and committee member for multiple accrediting bodies, giving her direct insight into what reviewers look for and where institutions most often fall short. She is a published contributor to Driving Innovation With For-Profit Adult Higher Education Online Institutions and an active member of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education.
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Sonny Calderon
CONSULTANT / FOUNDING PARTNER
Sonny Calderon brings more than two decades of higher education leadership to EdStrat, having served as provost, dean, and department chair at institutions ranging from startups to established universities. He has served as a peer evaluator for both the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), giving him direct insight into what accrediting bodies expect and how that intersects with institutional strategy and outcomes.
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Sonny was selected to serve on the Higher Education Committee of 50, a national body of higher education administrators tasked with developing policy recommendations for Congress as it deliberated the renewal of the Higher Education Act. The Committee met directly with members of the House and Senate to advise on access, affordability, accountability, and transparency in higher education.​
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Sonny is a graduate of the WSCUC Assessment Leadership Academy and continues to serve as a mentor to current ALA cohorts. He has presented at academic conferences on topics including cross-program assessment design, co-curricular learning, and reframing accreditation as a strategic opportunity rather than a compliance exercise.
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He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Michigan. That background in narrative and communication is central to his consulting work: Sonny helps institutions find and tell emergent stories from their data, whether that's for an accreditation visit, a board presentation, or a case for new market expansion.
His areas of expertise include accreditation strategy, curricular development, assessment design, institutional licensing and compliance, governing board development, business development and institutional partnerships, and building operational infrastructure for startup and for-profit institutions.
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Denise DeZolt, PhD
SENIOR ADVISOR
Denise DeZolt, PhD has over 40 years of experience in higher education, with the last 25 in global quality assurance, accreditation, and compliance. She has served in academic and executive leadership roles, including interim president, chief academic officer and Provost, and senior vice president for global accreditation, quality assurance, and compliance. Denise's community and professional engagement activities have included committee service and peer evaluator/team chair of visiting teams for accreditors; working group contributor to establish public benefit standards for higher education institutions; participation on college/university and community boards, coordination of faith formation programs; service on human participants in research review boards. Her presentations at international, national, state and local professional conferences have been in the areas of global accreditation and quality assurance, higher education in the for-profit sector, and virtual teaching and learning. She was the primary or co-primary investigator on federal, state, local, foundation, and university grants related to serving diverse populations of children and adolescents. Additionally, she worked in private practice for several years focusing on children and families. In her consulting practice, Denise and her associates consulted with institutions of higher education in the public, private, and for-profit sectors within the United States and in the global higher education community on quality assurance, accreditation, and compliance support and capacity building.
Through her organization, Tender Pathways, Denise serves as an end of life doula practitioner working with clients who are in their final life journey and their loved ones. She has consulted on development of end of life curricula for medical students and aspiring end of life doulas. She also serves on the governing board of The Heartway, a non-profit organization that provides end of life direct services as well as training and development of end of life practitioners.
Denise is also a Reiki Master providing reiki services and reiki training. She has studied and practices Karuna Reiki and Animal Reiki
Denise earned her Ph.D. in School Psychology from Kent State University, her M.S. Ed. in Counseling from the University of Dayton, and her BA in Behavioral Science from SUNY Plattsburgh. She completed certificates in the areas of End of Life Doula, Pediatric End of Life Doula, End of Life Doula companion animal, and grief and bereavement certificates through the University of Vermont Continuing and Distance Education.
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Rosa Belerique
CHIEF ENGAGEMENT OFFICER
Rosa serves as a higher education leader where her passion is providing the opportunity, like the one she received, of a life-changing college experience to any and all who seek it. Her tools in this effort include data-supported and mission-driven strategic planning and institutional support.
Rosa’s journey started as a first-generation, Pell grant college student who wondered if “college” could be her degree. In finding the next closest thing, she received a degree in higher education. After having too many questions as an academic advisor, she found herself at the door of the office of institutional research trying to find answers; thus was born her entry into the field.
Her work of institutional research and effectiveness (IRE) has served as a thread sewing together the disparate student experiences and institutional processes. Rosa’s commitments to IRE have allowed her to work at public and private institutions as an analyst, a specialist, a consultant, a director, and a vice president. It has brought Rosa the opportunity to serve more broadly as the president of the California Association for Institutional Research (CAIR), as a WSCUC Fellow, and as a WSCUC ALA graduate and mentor. She has advocated with data for broader access to tuition discounting and JEDI initiatives, reported to external agencies across shifting political climates, celebrated and supported colleagues, and hosted a conference during a pandemic, among other professional accomplishments.
This professional journey has brought Rosa to these organizations during a time of transformation and expressed importance for the need for data-driven decision-making and institutional improvement. Rosa continues to contribute her expertise and positively revolutionize the field.
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Brooke Pillsbury
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Brooke Pillsbury is a results-driven higher education leader recognized for advancing operational excellence, academic integrity, and institutional effectiveness. With a proven record of optimizing student services, faculty operations, and compliance frameworks, Brooke transforms complex institutional processes into cohesive, high-performing systems that enhance both student and organizational success.
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A strategic planner at heart, Brooke brings a holistic approach to aligning people, processes, and priorities. She has led cross-functional teams in designing and implementing scalable solutions that improve retention, streamline administrative workflows, and ensure alignment with accreditation standards and institutional goals. Her leadership is grounded in data-informed decision-making and collaborative planning, ensuring that long-term objectives are visionary, measurable, and sustainable.
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Brooke’s executive approach combines strategic insight with an equity-minded, people-centered philosophy, championing continuous improvement, organizational integrity, and operational excellence across all levels of higher education.
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Jennifer Hirashiki
ASSOCIATE
Jen Hirashiki has over 20 years of experience as a higher education administrator and educator. She has a strong track record of success in leading initiatives related to instructional effectiveness, assessment, data analysis, and teaching. Her expertise also includes program review, initial and ongoing accreditation efforts, and shared governance. Her background spans public, private, and for-profit educational institutions in the US and abroad.
She is a graduate of the WSCUC Assessment Leadership Academy and currently serves the ALA as a mentor. As a specialist in her field, she is a certified VALUE Institute Scorer (AAC&U) and a WSCUC Peer Reviewer. Jen has presented at numerous academic conferences on topics including assessment, online education, and educational technology. Jen holds a bachelor’s degree in French Literature from Ohio University and an MA in TESOL from Azusa Pacific University.