Alex believes in both the promise and the unrealized potential of higher education. As Senior Director for Client Success at Carnegie, he partners with executive leaders to strengthen institutional positioning, enrollment and marketing strategy, organizational effectiveness, and student success. He brings 15 years of campus leadership experience across public and private, two- and four-year institutions in four states. A scholar-practitioner and advocate for civic learning as a high-impact practice, Alex explores how colleges and universities can articulate a distinctive value proposition grounded in their civic mission while advancing student success, workforce readiness, and long-term institutional vitality.

Education

• Ph.D., Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Dept. of Educational Administration, Michigan State University
• M.Ed., College Student Affairs Administration, Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Georgia
• B.A., Political Science, College of Arts and Sciences, Emory University

Fellowships & Certifications

• 2025-2026 Fellow, Democratic Knowledge Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education
• 2023-2025 Fellow, UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, University of California
• 2023 Inclusive Excellence Certificate, NC State University
• 2022 Institute for Informed & Equitable Voting, Center on Information & Research in Civic Learning & Engagement, Tufts University

Publications

• Kappus, A. (2025). Naming a Civic Champion: Lessons in Leading Campus-Wide Civic and Voter Empowerment. In Schuster, M. (Ed.) Student, Campus, and Democracy: Advancing Democracy-Sustained Learning in Higher Education. Taylor & Francis.
• Kappus, A. (2024). Cultivating a Culture of Civic Engagement and Democratic Learning: Examining Institutional Responses to the California Civic and Voter Empowerment Act (A.B. 963). U.C. National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.
• Kappus, A. (2023). Defending democracy: What we can learn about civic identity from peer educators involved in nonpartisan political engagement. Special edition: Our democratic imperative: The role of higher education in developing students’ civic identities. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning (MJCSL).
• Lemon, J. & Kappus, A. (2023). Chapter 3: The Organizational Frames of Assessment: Coordinating Assessment at the Divisional and Departmental Levels. In Yousey-Elsner, K. (Ed.) Coordinating student affairs divisional assessment: A practical guide (Second Edition). Stylus Publishing.