Carrie Marcinkevage, Ph.D. has returned to Smeal as the CRM director after serving in a three-year internal consulting role as Enterprise Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) strategy and architecture director. She worked with the university using Appreciative Inquiry and strengths-based approaches to create an award-winning university CRM strategy.

Carrie works with Smeal's CRM team to deliver technology that enhances and deepens Smeal's relationships with its many internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, she teaches MIS 446: IT and Business Strategy, an upper-level class in the Business Analytics and Information Systems (BAIS) major.

Carrie was formerly the managing director for MBA and specialty master's programs, overseeing strategic and operational leadership of admissions, student and career services, and alumni and employer relations.

Carrie came to higher education from a boutique consulting firm that created gamified training simulations for Fortune 100 companies in areas such as project management and leadership development.

Carrie received her Ph.D. at Penn State in Workforce Education and Development, focusing on Appreciative Inquiry research into critical success factors for Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) strategy in higher education. She received her MS in Organizational Dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania and dual degrees in Policy and Management Studies and Philosophy from Dickinson College.

Teaching:
MIS 446 - IT and Business Strategy (Spring 025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026)

Research:
Marcinkevage, C., (in preparation). AI as a Study Partner: Positive Academic Outcomes from a Custom GPT Learning Companion.
Marcinkevage, C., & Kumar, A. (2025). Generative AI in higher education CRM: Opportunities, challenges, and implementation strategies. Pennsylvania State University.

Expertise

Generative AI in CRM and Higher Education
Appreciative Inquiry
Customer/Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) Strategy
Technology Management (Certified Salesforce Administrator, Strategy Designer)
Ethics in Higher Education, particular focus on admissions ethics
Leadership Development

Education

Ph D, Workforce Education and Development: CRM Critical Success Factors in Higher Education, Pennsylvania State University, 2020