Liaison’s Alexis Perkovich describes BADSIG as a source of “connection, representation, mentorship, and belonging within our profession.”
Key Takeaways
Liaison AVP Alexis Perkovich was named a co-lead of NACAC’s Black and African Diaspora Special Interest Group, joining longtime mentors Tela Herring and Warren Quirett.
BADSIG supports counseling and enrollment professionals through community-building and inclusion efforts, with particular emphasis on African American students’ transition to postsecondary education.
Liaison supported Alexis’s new role and sponsored BADSIG’s social event at NACAC, reinforcing its commitment to her professional growth and community involvement.
Alexis hopes to elevate underrepresented voices and help higher education professionals see vendors as partners invested in institutional success.
For Liaison Associate Vice President for Enrollment Marketing Alexis Perkovich, becoming a co-lead of the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) Black and African Diaspora Special Interest Group (BADSIG) is about staying connected to the work she loves and helping others see a place for themselves in it.
Alexis was officially announced as BADSIG’s newest co-lead during NACAC 2026 in Minneapolis, joining Tela Herring of the University of Tennessee–Knoxville and Warren Quirett of Episcopal High School. Both are longtime mentors whose guidance has helped shape her journey in admissions. Now, she has the opportunity to help lead the community alongside them.
In her LinkedIn reflection on the conference, Alexis described BADSIG as a source of “connection, representation, mentorship, and belonging within our profession.” Her new role brings those values together in a deeply personal way.
A Community with a Shared Purpose
BADSIG’s mission is to support counseling and enrollment professionals as they help students and communities reach their full potential, with particular emphasis on African American students’ transition to postsecondary education. The group also emphasizes hands-on community work grounded in ethical and social responsibility.
That mission extends beyond an annual meeting. In its overview of BADSIG’s initiatives, NACAC highlights efforts to increase the group’s visibility across affiliates, create spaces for fellowship and connection, and expand representation of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) within NACAC. Together, these efforts connect the professional community with a broader commitment to inclusion.
For Alexis, that sense of belonging is central to why she wanted to take on the role.
“It keeps me connected to the work,” she said. “I love being a part of BADSIG because, as a woman of color, it helps me to continue to elevate my voice and others’ voices that look like me.”
From Mentorship to Shared Leadership
Alexis’s connection to NACAC began when she entered admissions in 2019. She attended her first national conference in Baltimore in 2023, and her time at Johns Hopkins helped deepen her involvement through mentorship and professional connections.
She believes moving to Liaison made maintaining those connections even more important, because understanding what institutions are experiencing is essential to helping them succeed.
The invitation for her to co-lead BADSIG brought a new perspective to the group’s leadership team. With co-leads working in college counseling, at a higher education institution, and now on the vendor side, Alexis sees an opportunity to connect experiences across the profession.
Support That Goes Beyond Saying Yes
Before accepting, Alexis wanted to make sure Liaison’s leadership supported the commitment. Their response was simple: “How can we help?”
That support extended beyond encouraging her to take the role. Liaison’s leaders learned about BADSIG, sponsored the group’s social event at NACAC, and showed up to support the community. For Alexis, seeing her professional growth and the causes she cares about supported together made the experience especially meaningful.
The announcement also revealed an impact she had not fully anticipated. After the BADSIG meeting, a Liaison customer approached Alexis to share how much it meant to see someone who looked like her in a leadership role. Other attendees asked about Alexis’s path into the vendor space.
Those conversations helped Alexis see that her role was not only a way to reconnect with her community. It could also help others recognize new possibilities for their own careers.
Changing the Conversation About Partnership
As a co-lead, Alexis hopes to help higher ed professions see vendors not simply as companies selling solutions, but as people who want to work alongside institutions and support their success.
“We are here to help and do the work with you,” she said.
Her priorities also include elevating voices that have not always been visible in the vendor space. The response she received at NACAC reinforced how much representation can matter—and how meaningful it is to have an employer that supports that voice.
For Alexis, this new chapter is rooted in the same relationships that helped bring her into admissions: mentors who opened doors, colleagues who encouraged her, and a community that made her feel she belonged. Now, as BADSIG co-lead, she has another opportunity to help create that sense of connection for others.
About Alexis
Alexis G. Perkovich serves as Assistant Vice President of Enrollment Management Solutions at Liaison and co-lead of the Black and African Diaspora Special Interest Group (BADSIG). Holding an MBA from Stetson University and a background spanning key higher education leadership roles at Johns Hopkins University and Stetson University, Alexis brings deep expertise in strategic recruitment, event management, and enrollment pipeline development. Passionate about driving client growth and expanding student access, she is dedicated to fostering belonging, mentorship, and equity within the higher education community.