The Student Sunrise project is reimagining how we manage our academic operations and approach student support with a long-term vision of enhancing our student, faculty and staff experience and improving data quality and access to support decision making.
In addition to replacing existing student systems with Workday, PowerFAIDS and Slate, the Student Sunrise project team is reviewing academic and student support processes and identifying opportunities to enhance them or create greater consistency across the university.
“The combination of new systems, processes and policies will result in changes in how we operate.”
Ellen Rostand, Student Sunrise change director
“To minimize the bumps that inevitably occur with initiatives like these, we are making investments in a change management program to help our diverse stakeholder groups understand what is changing, why, and what they need to do prepare,” said Ellen Rostand, Student Sunrise change director. “Our change managers are at the heart of this work.”
Five change managers, all with knowledge of WashU, higher education and/or Workday, serve as liaisons between our schools/academic units and the project, each with a portfolio of schools and units that they support. In their role, the change managers help share decisions, facilitate discussions about how changes will uniquely impact their areas, and bring questions and feedback from the university community to project leadership.
“We work closely with our Steering Committee, IT Leaders Advisory committee and other stakeholder groups to document, understand and eventually support the implementation of changes within their schools and units,” said Danielle Bristow, Student Sunrise change lead. “We’re meeting regularly with schools and units to discuss how the project’s work may impact their areas and identify the best ways to share that information.”
Meet your change managers
Danielle Bristow
Change lead supporting Arts & Sciences, the Graduate School, University Registrar and Libraries
Danielle Bristow has been with the university for more than 15 years, serving as the director of the First Year Center in Student Affairs and most recently as the assistant dean for student affairs at the Brown School. Danielle joined Student Sunrise first as a steering committee member beginning in January 2020 before coming over full time as the change lead in September 2021.
“Having spent much of my career in higher education, it’s exciting to be part of a project where there is still so much to learn – about WashU, about new tools and technology, about what other schools are doing,” Bristow said. “I feel like this is a role where I am challenged to think about things in new ways while still being able to apply my years of experience supporting students at WashU.”
Fun fact: Guests at Bristow’s house are greeted by Monty, a neighborly ceramic chihuahua whose outfits change monthly to match the seasons. Monty currently sports a festive hat and bow tie.
Andrea Androuais
Senior change manager supporting the Brown School, Law School and Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
Andrea Androuais joined the Student Sunrise project in October 2021 but has been with the university since 2018. Previously, Androuais supported training and communications on the HR side of WashU’s Workday HCM and Finance project. She has also held marketing and communications roles with Schnucks and the Missouri Botanical Garden, managing the Garden’s content development team and leading the publication of their quarterly membership Bulletin.
“It’s not every day that you get the opportunity to be a part of such a transformational initiative as Student Sunrise,” Androuais said. “I learned so much from my time on the Workday HCM/Finance rollout and look forward to applying those insights to a foundational project in the academic space. This is an exciting time at the university, and I’m proud to play a part in helping our community get ready for a new future at WashU.”
Fun fact: Androuais loves color theory, color psychology and all things related to the use of color. So much so that she has found creative ways to incorporate it into fun family Halloween costumes.
Lisa Malone
Senior change manager supporting Olin Business School, School of Medicine, University College, Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences, University Advancement, Student Financial Services and University Financial Services
Lisa Malone came to WashU in 2018 to serve as the change manager for finance on the Workday HCM & Finance project. She joined Student Sunrise in September 2021. Prior to coming to WashU, she worked for over 20 years as a client-facing and internal change management consultant for Accenture and Arthur Andersen.
“I’m thrilled to participate in this project that is doing work so central to the university’s mission,” Malone said. “Through Workday, we can offer students a modern interface and new robust capabilities, including mobile access, to manage their academic progress. As the parent of a grad student, I know how vital this is.”
Fun fact: Malone loves to travel and has worked in 13 different cities across the U.S. and Europe, including New York City, London and Prague. Her favorite memories are from her time in St. Louis though, where she raised her two daughters together with her husband.
Sean McWilliams
Senior change manager supporting Arts & Sciences, Beyond Boundaries, Teaching & Learning Center. Sean also supports the project’s engagement with students.
Sean McWilliams has been with the university for nearly 20 years and joined the Student Sunrise project in May 2021. McWilliams previously served as a four-year advisor in the College of Arts & Sciences and has directed academic success programs, such as academic progress, leaves and reinstatements, as well as academic integrity.
“In my work for the college, I really appreciated how colleagues across campus were committed to working with students in a coordinated and impactful way,” McWilliams said. “However, it was often difficult to know who all the members of a student’s support team were. For instance, when I first started, instructors had no way to contact a student’s advisor. These challenges were largely because we all worked in different systems. The Student Sunrise project, and the move to Workday in particular, will empower our faculty and staff to share information more easily and work together to better support our students.”
Fun fact: McWilliams first came to WashU to study Tudor-Stuart history. While completing his dissertation on Stowe House – the most famous country house in 18th c. Britain – he taught classes on Atlantic history, including a summer class on pirates. Sean attests that the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie is very historically accurate!
Joe Rehder
Senior change manager supporting McKelvey School of Engineering, Student Affairs and Athletics
Joe Rehder joined the university and the Student Sunrise project in summer 2021. Before coming to WashU, he spent eight years at the University of Virginia as an academic advisor and, most recently, working with student records and registration at UVA’s School of Engineering. In his role, Rehder also supported change initiatives for UVA’s transition to Workday HCM.
“As a newcomer, the learning curve has been steep, but I’ve had tremendous support from my team and have learned so much about WashU in a short period of time,” Rehder said. “But that’s part of what makes this project so exciting – we are challenging the university to think in new ways while setting up a new foundation for growth. I look forward to developing relationships with the schools and units I’m directly supporting as the project progresses.”
Fun fact: Rehder is currently working on a doctorate degree in global sports leadership. He keeps the project team on its toes with his quick-witted humor and expansive knowledge of pop culture, or as his wife would call it, “useless information.”