Shanell Cartagena Dopson understands that lasting change requires more than implementing a new system or process, it requires bringing people with you. As Director of Admissions & Enrollment Services at BPS, she combines enrollment expertise, project management, and formal change-management training to help institutions move complex initiatives from idea to adoption while keeping their enrollment goals and student experience at the center.

With more than a decade in enrollment management, Shanell brings extensive experience in domestic and international recruitment, admissions operations, CRM strategy, and organizational change. Her work has taken her to 17 countries representing higher education institutions and building relationships with high schools, independent counselors, community organizations, and alumni networks. She also has deep expertise in Slate, using the platform across undergraduate and graduate admissions to support recruitment, applications, events, communications, reporting, and process improvement.

A Prosci Certified Change Practitioner, Shanell pays particular attention to the people side of transformation. She works across institutional boundaries to understand goals, anticipate resistance, and help teams adopt new practices in ways that last. Her leadership philosophy is similarly people-centered: from overseeing student ambassadors to leading admissions departments, mentorship and staff development have remained a consistent thread throughout her career.

Shanell earned a B.A. in International Business and Economics and an MBA from Assumption University, graduating cum laude as an undergraduate. Beyond her work at BPS, she serves as College Success Co-Director and College Guidance Advisor with Minds Matter Boston, supporting high-achieving, low-income students as they navigate the college admissions process.

Outside of work, Shanell enjoys traveling, reading, and dancing and is a volunteer and sponsor with Mission Emmanuel. She believes the path to higher education should be as seamless and equitable as possible, and that success means more than meeting enrollment goals, it means creating the structures and support that allow both students and the professionals serving them to thrive.