UQ Team

Assess your institution’s performance against well-chosen peers, set targets, and prioritize areas for strategic focus

Many institutions track many metrics, but these often don’t translate into actionable insights—much less guidance or strategy. How much should we be spending on instruction, and other expenses? What should our net revenue per student be? Do we have the right number of personnel, both faculty and staff? What is an appropriate retention rate for a school like ours? How is our overall financial health, and how is it changing over time? Where should focus our attention for maximum impact?

UQ Team

Assess your institution’s performance against well-chosen peers, set targets, and prioritize areas for strategic focus

UQ Team

Assess your institution’s performance against well-chosen peers, set targets, and prioritize areas for strategic focus

UQ Team

Assess your institution’s performance against well-chosen peers, set targets, and prioritize areas for strategic focus

Dr. Seth Houston
Founder and CEO

BIO

Dr. Seth Houston, founder and CEO enjoyed a successful early career in higher education, serving on the faculties of Carroll University and the University of California, Irvine, where he was also Associate Chair. A choral conductor and composer, he established programs under his direction as centers of excellence, innovation, and collaboration. While at UCI, Seth was selected to participate in the Provost’s Leadership Academy, a year-long training program for emerging academic leaders. Seth also completed an MBA at UCLA Anderson, where he focused on business strategy and finance, and went on to work at another data and consulting firm before founding UQ. Seth has consulted with, and built data tools for, dozens of colleges and universities across the county, from small private colleges to large public universities, from community colleges to leading online providers. At UQ, he oversees all aspects of the company, from sales and marketing to strategy and operations, and leads the firm’s product development and design. In addition to his MBA, Seth holds a doctorate from USC Thornton and degrees from Oberlin and the University of Michigan, where he received the Regents Fellowship. Seth lives in Charlottesville, VA.

Dr.Gary Daynes
Partner

BIO

Dr. Gary Daynes, partner, leads UQ’s consulting practice. In his over-25-year career in higher education, he has served as Provost (at two institutions), Vice President for Student Engagement, Vice President for Enrollment Management, and now Interim President. Gary has led initiatives on economic development, service-learning, learning communities, and retention, and mentored student research and electronic portfolios. His scholarly work has addressed social change in America, the activism of Jane Addams, and the role of local organizations in community well-being. His current academic work focuses on the ways that small schools and small communities can succeed in the face of competition from larger institutions. Gary has consulted with dozens of colleges, independent schools, and community organizations, including 18 program prioritization projects in recent years. His consulting work focuses on strategic planning, program design, operational efficiency, and building tools to help small, focused institutions flourish in difficult markets. Gary’s book How to Be a Small College was released in Fall 2025. Gary will be “on sabbatical” from UQ in Fall 2025 while serving as Interim President of Salem College, but will continue to support UQ’s consulting work and thought leadership during that time. Gary lives in Winston-Salem, NC.

Dr. John Woell
Senior Affiliate Consultant

BIO

Dr. John Woell, senior affiliate consultant is the Founder and Principal of Manitou Passage Consultancy, which helps higher education executives and boards navigate strategic challenges surrounding leadership transitions. He served previously as Senior Vice President and Academic Dean at Simpson College, Associate Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Academic Affairs at Albion College, Assistant Dean in the Lloyd International Honors College at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Professor of Religion and Philosophy and department chair at Greensboro College. His doctorate in religion and master’s in philosophy were earned at the Claremont Graduate University, his master’s in religion at Vanderbilt University, and his bachelor’s at Valparaiso University. John’s scholarly work focuses on the intersection of philosophy and religion with a foundation in early American pragmatism. He continues to be motivated by the interdisciplinary and critical questions raised by classical texts, a love for which he discovered in Christ College, the interdisciplinary honors college, at Valparaiso University. John lives in Traverse City, MI.

Blythe Taylor
Project Manager

BIO

Dr. Jennifer deCoste
Affiliate Senior Consultant

BIO

Jennifer deCoste, affiliate senior consultant and President of ACT Executive Coaching, leads UQ’s work on change management. Jennifer brings over 25 years of experience in higher education, focusing on leadership, strategy, diversity, and culture. Known for her radical candor and passion for shared governance, she has consulted with over 100 institutions and coached hundreds of executives to tackle culture and leadership challenges. Her career includes senior roles such as Vice Chancellor and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Wisconsin, Clarkson University, Penn State, and the University of Hartford. In addition to her coaching and consulting, Jennifer is an ICF-certified Executive Coach and an accomplished musician and actor. She holds a master’s and doctorate from Penn State. Jen lives in Greensboro, NC.

Dr. Bruce Suttmeier
Senior Affiliate Consultant

BIO

Dr. Bruce Suttmeier, senior affiliate consultant, is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Lewis & Clark College. Bruce joined the Lewis & Clark faculty in 2001 after receiving his doctorate in Asian Languages (Japanese Literature) from Stanford University. His early research examined the resurgence of WWII memories in postwar Japan, tracing its effects in writers such as Kaiko Takeshi, Oda Makoto, Oe Kenzaburo, and others. More recently, he has studied counterfactual history, with support from The American Philosophical Society (2019) and The Japan Foundation (2020). Bruce has served as Dean of the College since 2017. In that role, he is Chief Academic Officer and oversees all academic departments and programs, as well as the library, overseas programs, advising, and several academic support offices. Recent highlights include establishing a position of Director of Operations and Finance, which has enabled more effective data-informed decision-making, and leading the faculty through an academic program review. Bruce lives in Portland, OR.

Lucas Wisnieski
Lead Developer

BIO

Melissa Farmer Richards
MPA, APR, Affiliate Senior Consultant

BIO

Melissa Farmer Richards, MPA, APR, affiliate senior consultant, supports UQ partner institutions with communication strategy and major decisions. Principal and founder of iMarketingMix LLC, Melissa is an author, teacher, consultant, and executive leadership coach. She also serves as a Vistage Chair, bringing together small business CEOs to collaborate on solving business issues and achieving goals. Melissa’s 32-year career has spanned corporate industry, technology, small business start-ups, nonprofit, and higher education administration. She held senior positions at start-up software companies and global technology organizations, and later led in such roles as chief of staff and vice president for communications, marketing, and enrollment, serving liberal arts colleges and a large public university. She has founded two small businesses and co-founded two nonprofits. Melissa holds a master’s degree from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s from the University of Virginia. She achieved the Accreditation in Public Relations credential and the Association of Governing Boards (AGB) Board Professional Certificate. Her recent book The 30-60-90 Day Handbook: Checklists for Communications and Marketing Leaders in Higher Education, published in 2025, is available from the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Melissa lives in Pittsburgh, PA.

Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr.
Affiliate Senior Consultant

BIO

Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr., affiliate senior consultant and President of Grambling State University, advises UQ and UQ partner institutions on translating data to strategy and action, with emphases on financial strategy and HBCUs. Lemelle has a rich background in finance, operations, and strategy. Prior to his current position at Grambling State, Lemelle served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Martin has also advised corporations including PwC, IBM, General Electric, Dean Foods, and Industry Retail Group. Martin holds a DBA from SKEMA (France), an MBA from George Washington University, and a master’s degree in accounting from Grambling State.

David A. Browning
Affiliate Senior Consultant

BIO

David A. Browning, affiliate senior consultant, has held financial and operational leadership roles in higher education serving at four independent non-profit colleges and one public research university for 23 years. Since 2021, David has served as the Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer for Salem College. Earlier in his career, David was also a manager at KPMG and RSM with over 10 years public accounting experience. David is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Appalachian State University and a master’s from James Madison University.

Courtney Holleyman
Project Manager

BIO