Wes Butterfield

Experience

1. SVP of Retention Services

   Encoura

   Jan 2026 — Present

   I have spent my entire higher education career in roles assisting campuses with impacting the student experience and the student journey. In his current role, he’ll spend more time advancing college student success solutions, with the goal of helping institutions improve retention, persistence, equity, and degree completion.My work sits at the intersection of strategy, data, and people. I have partnered with presidents, provosts, enrollment and student success leaders, advisors, and faculty to design and implement scalable student success frameworks—from first-year transition and advising redesign to predictive analytics, early-alert systems, and institution-wide retention strategies.I’m particularly passionate about equity-minded student success, organizational change, and helping teams move from good intentions to measurable impact. I believe student success work is at its best when it is strategic, collaborative, and relentlessly student-centered.

Education

• University of Iowa

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Higher Education Student Affairs

• University of Iowa

  MA, Education

  1994 — 1996

• Cornell College

  BA, History

  1987 — 1991