Shorecrest Welcomes Alvanita Hope as Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid

After an extensive national search, Shorecrest is pleased to welcome Ms. Alvanita Hope as the incoming Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid. Currently the Director of Enrollment at The Friends School of Atlanta in Decatur, Georgia, Ms. Hope and her family will join the Shorecrest community in June. 

Alvanita brings a wealth of experience in independent schools as an administrator as well as a parent and student; she, herself is an alumna of UMS-Wright Preparatory School in her hometown of Mobile, Alabama. She holds a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Dance from Agnes Scott College and a Master of Science degree from Central Michigan University. 

After beginning her career in healthcare administration, Ms. Hope returned to her alma mater to apply her data and analytical skills to her role as Associate Director of Admission at Agnes Scott College. She went on to use her college admissions knowledge to support high school students by serving in the College Counseling offices at The Weber School and The Westminster Schools, respectively. As the Director of Enrollment for The Friends School, a position she has held since 2018, Alvanita has successfully met or exceeded her enrollment goals while working to find best-fit families for the school community. A proven relationship-builder, Ms. Hope makes meaningful connections across the school, empowering faculty, staff, students and parents to effectively tell the school’s story. 

Beyond the school, Alvanita is actively involved in the greater community. She has served on the Board as Nominating Chair of the Junior League of Atlanta, and is a member of Jack & Jill of America, Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, among other organizations and causes. 

Alvanita is the proud mother of three children; Kirklen, Enrique, and Alejandro; and Coco-Chanel, their rescue Australian Shepherd/chocolate lab. Her sons will be attending Shorecrest in the fall; Enrique will join the Class of 2025 and Alejandro will join the Class of 2031. Her daughter Kirklen is moving to New York in the fall to continue her training with the Joffrey School of Ballet, where she is currently a Joffrey Trainee Program Summer Intensive Ambassador, as she works toward her B.F.A. 

Alvanita succeeds Dr. Jean Spencer-Carnes, the current Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, who will retire in June after more than 25 years of dedicated service to Shorecrest. 

“What a legacy Dr. Jean is leaving! I am profoundly honored to have the opportunity to build upon her foundation,” says Ms. Hope. “The moment that I stepped onto Shorecrest's beautiful campus, I knew that I had found our new home. My boys and I are looking forward to becoming a part of the school community. Shorecrest is truly the gem of Tampa Bay.”