Emily Almas, associate dean and director of recruitment at Swarthmore College, has been appointed assistant vice provost and director of admissions at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Ronné Turner, vice provost for admissions and financial aid.
Almas, who joins the university July 22, succeeds Julie Shimabukuro as director of admissions. Shimabukuro left the university in June after more than 25 years in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to become the 9th and 10th grade principal at John Burroughs School in St. Louis.
In her new position, Almas will oversee the undergraduate recruitment, selection and admissions process with a focus on increasing the geographic, economic and racial and ethnic diversity of each entering class.
As a member of the admissions and financial aid leadership team, she will provide strategic direction to a team of 22, with a goal of enrolling an increasingly diverse and talented group of students who can succeed at Washington University.
“Emily is an accomplished enrollment professional and we are looking forward to her bringing her expertise to help advance WashU’s admissions effort,” Turner said.
Almas joined Swarthmore in 2015 as the assistant dean of admissions, was promoted to senior assistant dean of admissions the next year and named associate dean and director of recruitment in 2017.
At Swarthmore, Almas created and implemented innovative strategies to increase applicant pools; introduced new technology to increase staff efficiency and improve the prospective student experience; executed a data-driven approach to admissions work; and collaborated with colleagues across divisions to enhance admissions efforts and promote diversity and inclusion.
“I am thrilled to be joining Washington University in St. Louis and the admissions team, and I look forward to collaborating with others across the university to enroll talented students from a wide array of backgrounds on our campus,” Almas said.
“WashU encourages young people to be bold, creative and independent thinkers, and I am excited to share this incredible experience and community as I contribute to the continued success of the admissions office.”
Previously, she worked in admissions at Northeastern University School of Law from 2010-15 and at Duke University from 2006-2010.
A native of Jackson, Miss., Almas earned a bachelor’s degree with distinction in history from Duke University in 2006. She earned a master’s in higher education from Harvard University in 2009.
