James Atkins

Biography

Mr. Atkins joins Exeter’s College Counseling team with more than a decade of experience in higher education, with roles spanning from admission to public relations. Most recently, he served Rice University’s enrollment division for six years, first as Assistant Director of Admission and finally as Deputy Director for Enrollment Marketing & Communications. In that time, he worked with students and counselors at schools all over New England, New Jersey and the Bay Area. In the office, he supervised the senior interviewer program, all outbound communication projects, and large on-campus events for prospective and admitted students. In addition to his work in the enrollment division, Mr. Atkins served as a Resident Associate in Rice’s residential college system, where he mentored students navigating their transition to college life from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Prior to Rice, Mr. Atkins served on the education team for Edelman, an award-winning global public relations consultancy firm. There, he gained insight into university branding and marketing at some of the top universities in the world. Before that, he launched his career in college admissions at his alma mater.

A native of Indiana, Mr. Atkins has also lived in Georgia, South Carolina and Texas before moving to New Hampshire. He enjoys reading tech blogs, exploring cities by way of their restaurants, fostering community around RuPaul’s Drag Race, and spending time with Josie Jones, his rescue dog.