Alison Almasian |
Director of Admissions - St. Lawrence University
Alison Almasian is the director of admissions at St. Lawrence University.
She began her admissions career in 1991 after graduating from Georgetown University.
During her tenure, she has served the profession in several ways including a stint
as a New York State delegate to the NACAC Assembly and director of curriculum for
the NYSACAC’s Summer Institute.
Affiliations: NACAC, NYSACAC
Amy Greenwald Foley
| Sr Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions - University of Delaware
Amy Greenwald Foley, a 23-year veteran of higher education administration, is
a Senior Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of Delaware
(UD) responsible for marketing, communication, and customer service initiatives
in support of undergraduate recruitment. Currently pursuing her Doctorate
in Education at UD, Amy received a BA in Communications from the University of Miami
and an MAT in Museum Education from The George Washington University. Amy lives
in New London Township, PA with her husband and two small children where she tweets
about the balance of life as a working mother, part-time student, and admissions
professional.
Affiliations: NULL
Amy Swords | Director
of College Advising - Kingswood Oxford School
Graduate of St. Lawrence University; admissions intern senior year. Assistant Director
of Admissions at LeMoyne College, Manhattanville College and Bentley University.
Consultant for College Programs at Aetna Life and Casualty, hiring entry level trainees
and summer interns for the company nationwide. College Advisor at Kingswood Oxford
School for 12 years prior to assuming the Director's position in 2009.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC, ACCIS
Andrea van Niekerk
| Educational Consultant - College Goals
Andrea van Niekerk served as Assoc. Director of Admission at Brown University for
ten years, reviewing applications from American and International students from
India, China, Europe, the UK. and other areas , as well as advising first-year students
at Brown.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA
Andrew Dworak | Sr
Counselor - St. Ignatius High School
Andrew Dworak has worked as a counselor and college advisor at St. Ignatius for
the past 36 years. He has travelled extensively, visiting colleges in the
U.S. and abroad. He has also served as AP Coordinator for more than 30 years,
helping the program grow to one of the largest and most successful in the country.
Affiliations: JHSCCA, NACAC, BAISCC
Anne Johnson | Director
of Admission - Iowa Lakes Community College
Anne has worked in admissions at Iowa Lakes Community College since 1981 with a
bachelor’s in journalism & biology (Wichita State), a master’s in public administration
(Minnesota State-Mankato) and an a.b.d. in community college leadership (Colorado
State). She also teaches adjunct occasionally for Buena Vista University and Iowa
Lakes Community College.
Affiliations: NACAC, President's Council, ACPA
Anne Richardson |
Director of College Counseling, International, & ESL Programs - Kents Hill School
Anne Richardson has served as the Director of College Counseling at Kents Hill School,
Maine, since 1998. She also currently serves as the President of the New England
Association for College Admission Counseling, and as a delegate to NACAC.
In her spare time, she chairs the ESL department at Kents Hill and directs the International
program.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC, AdmissionsQuest.com
Barb Fisher | Recruiter,
Marketing Director, & Foundation Liason - Rainy River Community College
Barb is a 51 year old mother of three (two college graduates and one currently in
college) and married 31 years to her high school sweet-heart. She lives on beautiful
Rainy Lake and has been working at Rainy River Community College for 7 years. She
is the Recruiter, Marketing Director, and Foundation Liaison at the college. Yes
- that's three departments in one person - and she loves it!
Affiliations: NACAC, MACAC
Betsy Bingham-Johns
| Director of College Counseling - Colorado Rocky Mountain School
Betsy Bingham-Johns has been the Director of College Counseling at the Colorado
Rocky Mountain School for 5 years. She was an Assistant to the Director prior to
her appointment. Betsy enjoys helping students and families navigate the college
admissions process. Originally from the East Coast, Betsy has lived and worked in
the Rocky Mountains for over 30 years. She has two sons who currently attend college.
Betsy was educated at the Hew Hampton School and Denison University.
Affiliations: NACAC, RMACAC
Betsy Morgan | Founder
- College Matters LLC
Betsy Morgan has spent over 15 years in the fields of college admissions, teaching
and educational planning. She holds a BA in Mathematics from Gettysburg College
and a MA from Wesleyan University, in addition to receiving a certificate in College
Counseling from UCLA Extension. An active member of the Board of Directors
for the A Better Chance program in Madison, Connecticut, Betsy has served in the
capacity as College Coordinator for the program since 2001. In 2002 she opened
College Matters, LLC, an independent educational consulting practice serving the
Connecticut Shoreline.
Affiliations: A Better Chance, IECA, NEACAC
Bill Pruden | Head
of Upper School, College Counselor - Ravenscroft School
Bill Pruden is Head of the Upper School and a college counselor at Ravenscroft School
in Raleigh, North Carolina. A history major at Princeton University, he earned
a J.D. from Case Western Reserve University, as well as Masters degrees from Wesleyan
University and Indiana University. An educator for almost 30 years, he has
extensive experience as a teacher, coach, administrator and college counselor.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC
Bill Roberts | Director
of Instructional Systems Design - Innovative Academic Solutions
William (Bill) Roberts is a premiere Presenter, Instructor and Director in the education
field. He has been affiliated with some of the most cutting edge educational endeavors
from corporate training to building the field of distance education. Bill is accomplished
in most of the post secondary education realms and is an innovator in the online
education filed.
Affiliations: NAPNES
Bill Yarwood | Director
of Guidance - Moorestown High School
Dr. Bill Yarwood is Director of Guidance at Moorestown High School in Moorestown,
New Jersey. He has held similar positions in Pennsylvania at Conestoga High
School in Berwyn and North Penn High School in Lansdale. Bill began his college
counseling career at Radnor High School in St. Davids, PA., after several years
as a science teacher in Springfield, Delaware County, PA. He is a past-President
of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling, and for 16 years,
was a faculty member for the PACAC Summer Institute on College Admission at Bucknell
University. Bill was a contributor to and is quoted in the 2004 College Board
publication College Counseling Sourcebook: Advice and Strategies from Experienced
School Counselors.
Affiliations: NACAC, PACAC, NCAA, HECA
Bob Bardwell | Director
of Guidance & Student Suport Services - Monson High School
Robert Bardwell is a school counselor as well as the Director of Guidance and Student
Support Services at MonsonHigh School. He is a Past President of the New England
Association for College Admission Counseling and the Massachusetts School Counselors
Association. He is an adjunct professor at SpringfieldCollege, Westfield
State University, Suffolk University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst,
teaching both school counseling and college admission counseling courses for aspiring
school counselors.
Affiliations: ACA, ASCA, ASCD, ACES, GLSEN, MASCA, NACAC, NEACAC, NARACES,
WMCA
Bob Grant | Director
of Guidance & Counseling - Fork Union Military Academy
Bob became director of Guidance and Counseling at Fork Union Military Academy in
2002 after 27 years as a counselor and principal in the public schools of Virginia.
Ed.D. from William and Mary in 1983. He is very familiar with the admission process
for US Service Academies.
Affiliations: NULL
Bob Schaeffer | Public
Education Director - FairTest
Bob Schaeffer is the Public Education Director of FairTest, the National Center
for Fair & Open Testing, a position he has held since the organization's creation
in 1985. He is the co-author of Standing Up to the SAT, "Standardized Tests and
Our Children: A Guide to Testing Reform," "Sex Bias in College Admissions Tests,"
"Standardized Tests and Teacher Competence," "Implementing Performance Assessment,"
and many other publications. Previously, he worked at the Education Research Center
of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he was an undergraduate
and graduate student.
Affiliations: NACAC
Bob Tillman | Director
of College Placement - Creighton Preparatory School
Bob is in his 16th year as Director of College Placement at Creighton Preparatory
School in Omaha, Nebraska. He has toured colleges all over the United States and
Great Britain and also coaches cross country.
Affiliations: NACAC, AAPC, JHSCCA
Brad Jackson | Director
of College Counseling - San Domenico School
Brad Jackson has been working in Private High Schools and Higher education for 15
years. He has been the Director of College Counseling programs at two Boarding
and Day Schools one outside of New York City and the other just north of San Francisco.
In these roles he has had the opportunity to lead 100's of students through
the exciting, stressful and sometimes confusing college application process. Brad
has been fortunate to work with a wide range of students from those competing for
coveted seats in the countries most selective art and performance schools or Ivy
aspirants to students who have struggled in their high school careers and seek environments
where support services are available and students are given a chance to prove themselves.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, BAISCC, NAIS
Bridget Herrera |
College Counselor - American School of Campinas Brazil
Bridget Herrera is the College Counselor at The American School of Campinas, Brazil.
She has worked abroad for 25 years in the area of college guidance in three additional
countries (Mexico, Ecuador and Peru). Bridget is the current President of
the Overseas Association of College and Admission Counselors (OACAC), and has served
as Chair of NACAC’s Human Relations Committee. Additionally, she has served
on a number of other advisory committees.
Affiliations: OACAC, NACAC
Candy Cushing | Associate
Director of College Counseling - King Low Heywood Thomas
Candy joined King Low Heywood Thomas as Associate Director of College Counseling
in August 2000. Prior to that, her career included 25 years in Corporate Human Resources
with Citibank in NYC, retail management, animal portrait artist, interior designer
and being a founding member of an improvisation troupe. Each day provides Candy
the opportunity to fully use her recognized skills in counseling, program development,
training and communications to manage, create, facilitate, instruct, and motivate.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC
Carol Jacobs | Director
of College Guidance - Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
For the past 12 years, Carol has served as the Director of College Guidance at Jack
M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, a pluralistic Jewish day school on the Main Line of Philadelphia.
They have achieved an impressive record of college placements that reflect the diverse
needs and good “fit” for their students, with about 25% of the class attending Ivy
League colleges. She has been published in or interviewed for Newsweek, The
Philadelphia Inquirer, Inside Magazine, Main Line Times, Jewish Exponent and more.
She has also appeared on several radio and TV shows, and given dozens of seminars
and presentations, including some at NACAC. Her past experience includes Director
of Undergraduate Programs in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania for Kaplan, Independent
Educational Consultant for Career Strategies in Philadelphia, and adjunct professor
at the College of General Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Affiliations: NACAC, NAIS, Pennsylvania AIS, PACAC, CASE, ISM, PEJE,
ADVIS
Carol Morris | Regional
Director of Admission - Southern Methodist University
Carol Morris is Regional Director of Admission at Southern Methodist University,
located in Dallas, TX. She graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor's
degree in Communications. Carol joined the SMU admission office in 1990
after 10 years on the admission staff at Tulane. She is based in Jacksonville,
FL and works with SMU applicants from Florida, Alabama and Georgia. She has also
survived this process as a parent; her two daughters graduated from Princeton
and are currently in dental school at University of Florida and medical school at
Washington University in St. Louis.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC
Carol Stack | Principal
- Hardwick Day Inc.
Carol Stack has worked for more than 35 years in the college admission and financial
aid industry and for the past 14 as a principal at Hardwick-Day, an enrollment consulting
firm working with the admission and financial aid offices of private colleges and
universities. Her career began in the admission office at Macalester College, continued
at Augsburg College and two international schools, and now is an extensive consulting
practice. Carol has assisted colleges and universities with recruitment, selection,
communication and the development and implementation of financial aid policy.
Affiliations: NULL
Carolyn Blair | Counseling
Services Director & College Counselor - Clayton High School
Carolyn Blair has dedicated her career to education. She has been employed by the
Clayton School District for ten years. She currently serves as the Counseling Services
Director and College Counselor for Clayton High School. She has spent 19 years in
the field of education where she has served on numerous boards and committees including:
the ACT, Missouri Association of College Admission Counselors as Chair of the Human
Relations committee, Assembly Delegate to the National Association of College Admissions
Counselors, and the NACAC liaison to the Missouri School Counselors Association
(MSCA). She has also served on the Counselor Advisory Board for Miami University,
Indiana University, University of Michigan and Northwestern University. In the summer
months Carolyn volunteers for College Summit, a college preparatory workshop for
students in urban areas. Carolyn attended Spring Arbor University before entering
the American Studies Program in Washington DC and finishing her undergraduate studies
at the University of Seville in Spain. She then completed her M.Ed. in counseling
from the University of Missouri prior to entering college counseling at St Louis
University High.
Affiliations: MACAC, NACAC, MSCA
Carolyn Kost | College
Counselor - Stevenson School
Having attended ten universities and taught at four, Carolyn is fascinated by the
vagaries of higher education. She has earned two Master's degrees, a PhD/ABD, and
several Certificates of Advanced Study, including the UCLA Certificate in College
Counseling. Carolyn had a college consutling pracice in her native Farifield County,
Connecticut, and currently works with the students of Stevenson School, a boarding
and day school in Pebble Beach, California.
Affiliations: NULL
Carolyn Lawrence
| Founder - AdmissionsAdvice.com
Based in Southern California, educational consultant Carolyn Z. Lawrence, AdmissionsAdvice.com,
helps families from across the country and around the world navigate the college
admissions process. She is a member of NACAC, WACAC, HECA, and OACAC.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, HECA, OACAC
Charles Moore | Director,
Enrollment, IT & Student Services - California State University Fullerton
Mr. Moore is owner of Moore Educational Services. This company has been engaged
during the past 15 years in hosting youth conferences and providing college advising
services. He is a proud member of the Council of African American Parents. He is
currently Director of Enrollment and Student Services at CSU Fullerton Irvine Campus
and has served in various enrollment management and college admissions roles for
25 years.
Affiliations: NULL
Chris Franken | Director
of College Planning & Assesment - Eastview High School
Chris serves as Director of College Planning and Assessment at Eastview High School
in Apple Valley, MN. She works with college planning initiatives as well as testing
programs and also serves as a college counselor for gifted and talented students.
Prior to working in Student Services & Counseling, Chris taught Health Careers
in the Career Development Program for District 196. Chris holds a Specialist degree
in Educational Administration.
Affiliations: MACAC, NACAC
Chris Hooker Haring
| Dean of Admission & Financial Aid - Muhlenberg College
Chris Hooker-Haring is a 1972 Muhlenberg College graduate with a major in English.
He began his career in college admissions in 1973, and has served in the Muhlenberg
College Admissions Office since 1987, with prior stints at Cedar Crest (Admissions
Counselor/Assistant Director; 1973-76), Lafayette (Assistant Director; 1976-80)
and Moravian (Director of Publications). Hooker-Haring came to Muhlenberg as Senior
Associate Director of Admissions in 1987, was named Director of Admissions at Muhlenberg
in 1989, Dean of Admissions in 1993, and assumed his current position as Dean of
Admission & Financial Aid in 1996.
Affiliations: NACAC, PACAC
Christine Greb |
Dean of Enrollment Management - Philadelphia University
Ms. Greb holds a M.B.A. from Philadelphia University, a B.S. Ed. from Millersville
University and completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University.
Prior to leading the Enrollment Management team, she served almost thirteen
years in the Office of Admissions, most recently as Dean of Admissions.
Affiliations: NACAC, NASFAA
Christopher Kaiser
| Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students - Seton Hall University
Chris received his doctorate at Seton Hall University, from the College of Education
and Human Services, specializing in Educational Administration and Supervision.
His research focuses on the issues concerning retention that challenges all institutions
of higher education. Chris has worked in higher education for 16 years, 12 of which
have been at Seton Hall, and strives for continued research, professional development,
scholarship and fellowship throughout the undergraduate population. Currently, as
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students at the College of Arts and Sciences, his
role focuses on the many aspects of the undergraduate educational experience. Additionally,
his work includes assisting undergraduate applicants in choosing the appropriate
major, and supporting students in becoming well acclimated to college life. Along
with continued policy reviews, ongoing development opportunities and preparing programs
to attract and retain students, he has the pleasure of assisting the university
through internationalization efforts and partnerships.
Affiliations: AHAA, NASPA, AACRAO, AACC, ACE, ASHE, NACAC, NSCS
Craig Meister | President
- Tactical College Consulting
Craig Meister is the president of Tactical College Consulting, a strategy-driven
college admissions consultancy advising students and parents during the college
search and application process. A magna cum laude graduate of the University of
Pennsylvania, Craig earned his Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and has
worked as an undergraduate admissions officer at a public university and a director
of college guidance at a Maryland independent school. Previously, Craig worked as
a management consultant in New York City, where he developed innovative communication
strategies for some of the world’s most successful corporations. An authority at
shedding light on the often intimidating and confusing, yet vitally important world
of college admissions, Craig speaks regularly at schools, non-profits, and corporations.
Affiliations: Examiner.com, University of Pennsylvania, UCLA
Dale Ford | Counseling
Department Chair - Singapore American School
Dale Ford has been an international counselor for over 20 years. He currently coordinates
an 8 person counseling team at the Singapore American School, the largest single-campus
international school in the world. He is Past-President of the Overseas Association
for College Admission Counseling.
Affiliations: NACAC
Daniel Parish | Director
of Recruitment and Communication - Dartmouth College
Dan Parish has worked in the field of college admissions since 1991, serving as
both an admissions officer and as a college counselor. Dan's professional interests
include expanding access to higher education, helping recruited athletes navigate
the admissions process, working with alumni volunteers, and applying new technology
and social media to the work of college admissions officers . A graduate of Dartmouth
and of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Dan returned to Dartmouth in 2000
and was promoted to Director of Admissions Recruitment and Communication in 2007.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC, The College Board Access, Diversity Collaborative
Danny Reynolds |
Director of College Counseling - Palmer Trinity School
Danny began his admission career at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. At
Georgetown he chaired the School of Business Admission Committee in addition to
chairing the committee on transfer admission to the College of Arts and Sciences.
During his five years at Georgetown, he coordinated the admission process for international
students and traveled extensively throughout Europe recruiting students for the
University. After leaving Georgetown, he served in the admission office of Florida
International University, a public university of 35,000 students in Miami, Florida.
At FIU he was the liaison from the admission office to the Department of Intercollegiate
Athletics. Currently, he is the Director of College Counseling at Palmer Trinity
School in Miami, an independent school of 650 students, where he has worked for
the past 17 years.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC, ACCIS, NAES, AACRO, NAFSA
Darryl Jones | Sr.
Associate Director of Admissions, Coordinator for Multicultural Admission - Gettysburg
College
Darryl is in his 26th year in admissions, all at Gettysburg College, and is currently
Senior Associate Director of Admissions/Coordinator for Multicultural Admission/Intercollegiate
as well as the Athletic Liaison. He is a volunteer Assistant Men’s and Women’s
Indoor and Outdoor Varsity Track and Field Coach and advises several clubs and organizations
on campus. He is a frequent presenter at public and private schools nationally
as well as at state, regional, and national conferences.
Affiliations: NACAC, PACAC
Dave Hamilton | Director
of College Advising - St. Mary's Ryken High School
After spending over a decade in college admissions at the University of Delaware,
Dave Hamilton has been active in the college advising community at two different
high schools since 1997. He has visited over 190 different colleges and universities
in the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2005, he attained the status of
being a Certified Educational Planner. CEPs are recognized for their knowledge and
strong commitment to the education advising profession. Mr. Hamilton is one of only
178 individuals in the entire country who have received this designation and one
of only 20 who are based at the secondary level.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC
David Miller | Director
of College Counseling - Stevenson School
David Miller, Director of College Counseling and English teacher, has taught secondary
school for 41 years, 23 years at a large, lower middle class mixed race public school
where he served as English Department Chair, President of the Faculty Council, Head
of the Gifted and Talented Program, Head Football Coach, and began a school within
a school during his tenure. He has taught, coached, and provided college counseling
at this private school for eightteen years and has been Director of the College
Counseling program for the last fifteen. Throughout his career he has served his
alma mater, Princeton University, as an Alumni Schools Committee Chair and interviewer.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACC, TBAISCC
David Montesano |
Admission Strategist & Founder - College Match US
For college-bound students, David Montesano is an internationally-recognized college
admission advisor who provides strategic coaching that results in a higher percentage
of successful admissions, scholarships and awards for students. Over the past 10
years, David Montesano, Admission Strategist and Founder of College Match US (www.CollegeMatchUs.com)
has offered individualized counseling and a summer College Application Academy for
seniors-to-be ( http://www.collegematchus.com/caa2010.html). In 2010, 96% of his
clients gained admission to at least one of their top choice colleges and a majority
of his clients won merit scholarships, averaging $57,000 over four years. David
gets consistently high approval ratings from his clients and has been profiled by
Washington Post education writer, Jay Matthews and is a frequent contributor to
articles in publications including, US News & World Report, CBS Money Watch,
and The Daily Beast.
Affiliations: HECA, OACAC, College Match Admission Academy
Deb Kalikow-Pluck
| Assistant Director of Admission - University of Maine Farmington
Debs expertise lies in her genuine belief that the college admission process should
be reflective, goal-oriented, well planned AND fun and enjoyable. She makes presentations
to students and parents about how to go through the process in a mindful and educational
way using humor and often helps students who are not even applying to UMF.
Affiliations: NCAN, NEEOA, MEOA, COE, NENACAC
Deborah Shames |
Independent College Search Consultant & Transfer Admissions Advisor - Kaplan
Leadership Program
Deborah Shames has been a college advisor for nearly 20 years, working in high
school settings, as well as privately and in the not-for-profit sector. She is a
Certified School Counselor in NY and NJ and is a member of NACAC, HECA, NJACAC,
BCSCA, and NCAG. She has worked with numerous students applying to college
as both freshmen and transfer students. She is also the Transfer Admissions
Advisor for the Kaplan Leadership Program in NYC. Ms. Shames earned her undergraduate
degree in human development and family studies from Cornell University and
her graduate degree in applied psychology (with a concentration in Counselor Education)
from NYU. She has been featured in NJ newspapers and national blogs as an
expert in her field and leads workshops in her local community, as well as occasional
webinars for a national audience.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA, NJACAC, BCSCA, NCAG
Diana Hanson | Independent
College Consultant - College Mentors
Diana is an independent college consultant who is committed to helping students
and their families prepare for college and discover the college or university that
best meets their needs. Since beginning her practice in 2005, Diana has worked with
students from all walks of life and from all kinds of educational backgrounds, assisting
them in every aspect of the college process and helping them find their future.
With a background in writing and editing, as well as teaching writing skills, Diana
is an expert essay adviser and editor with BA and MA degrees in English from UCLA.
She also has the Certification in College Counseling from UCLA.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, HECA
Don Fraser, Jr. |
Director of Education and Training - NACAC
Don Fraser, Jr. is the Director of Education and Training at the National Association
for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) in Arlington, VA. He earned his B.A. in
Psychology at Boston College, his Master's of Education in School Psychology at
the University of Massachusetts and is working on his Doctorate in Leadership in
Urban Schools. Don is a passionate educator who began his career as a guidance counselor
at a public high school in the Boston area and worked as Program Specialist for
Harvard University's GEAR UP program in Boston’s second lowest performing public
high school. Most recently, Don was the Director of College Access and Transition
at The Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center, an innovative urban public
school serving over 700 students and 120 faculty and staff in Providence, RI.
In that position, Don was named the 2010 Rhode Island Counselor of the Year. In
addition, Don has developed curriculum for Harvard University’s critically acclaimed
Crimson Summer Academy and served as an adjunct faculty member at Boston University
where he taught two courses in their School Counseling program.
Affiliations: Harvard University
Donnamarie Hehn |
Director of College Guidance - Canterbury School of Florida
A first generation college student from Philadelphia, Donnamarie Hehn began
her career in education as a high school English teacher at All Saints
Cathedral School in St. Thomas, USVI for six years. She then moved to
St. Petersburg, Florida where she has been employed by Canterbury School of Florida
for the past twenty years. Holding various titles as English teacher,
Upper School Dean, and Academic Dean, she was able to build Canterbury’s college
guidance program and has been Director of College Guidance for the past fifteen
years. Donnamarie has served as SACAC Conference Registration Chair, on the
SACAC board as Membership Chair, NACAC Tampa Convention Planning Committee, and
as a NACAC delegate.
Affiliations: SACAC, NACAC, ACT
Doretta Goldberg
| Founder - College Directions
Doretta Katzter Goldberg established College Directions, LLC in 2004 after practicing
law and working with Brown University admissions for almost twenty years. Since
that time she has quickly gained recognition on both the local and national stage
as a singular voice capable of providing the antidote to the frenzy that the field
of college admissions has become. She has contributed articles to books and websites
on college admissions and has written columns for a variety of publications. Her
Letters to the Editor have appeared in Smart Money and the New York Times. Her opinions
have been sought by a diverse cross-section of media outlets ranging from Newsday
to the student run Daily Pennsylvanian to The Erie Times. Ms. Goldberg has spoken
before business, student and parent organizations on the admissions process, writing
college essays and choosing college majors. Though her professional focus is working
closely with her clients, much of her time is also devoted to researching schools,
visiting campuses and attending conferences with colleagues and college admissions’
personnel.
Affiliations: HECA IECA, NYSACAC
Doris Sarr | Director
of Adventures in Math and Science - Murray State University
Doris Clark Sarr is currently director of the Adventures in Math and Science (AIMS)
I & II Programs (two Upward Bound Math and Science Programs) at Murray State
University. She received her Bachelor’s in Marketing, Masters in Public Administration
and Masters of Science in Organizational Communication from Murray State University
in Murray, Kentucky. Doris received her Ph.D. in Urban Higher Education from
Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Doris served for 10 years as a
public elected official, two years as President of the Kentucky Association for
College Admission Counseling, and two years as President of the Kentucky Black Caucus
of Local Elected Officials.
Affiliations: KACAC
Dorothy Missler |
Admissions Officer - Drew University
Since 1990, Dorothy Missler has offered students and parents a practical approach
to the college application process. Her background as the former Director
of the College and Career Center at Jesuit High School and current position as the
California Admissions Officer for Drew University, a liberal-arts college located
in Madison, New Jersey, as well as a part-time counselor at American River College,
gives her intimate knowledge from all perspectives. She has visited over 600 campuses
and has extensive experience in all facets of this process.
Affiliations: NULL
Dorothy Styles |
Director for College Readiness Programs & Initiatives - Project GRAD Atlanta
Dorothy Styles currently serves as the Project GRAD Atlanta Director for College
Readiness Programs and Initiatives. Dorothy has significant programmatic and project
management experiences as the leader of the College Readiness department and has
served in the capacity of College Readiness Coordinator, Team Leader, Program Manager
and was appointed the Director of College Readiness Programs and Initiatives in
2008. Her area of expertise in college readiness focuses on providing information
and exposure to students and parents about the college admissions process, college
affordability, academic preparation, and socialization necessary to be successful
in college.
Affiliations: NACN
Edward Devine | Mainland
Director of Admissions - Hawaii Pacific University
Since 2003, Ed has served as the Mainland Director of Admission for Hawai’i Pacific
University. He previously served as the Regional Director of Admission
for 3 years for Loyola University of Chicago. Both Regional positions were
based in California. Ed's admission career began in the Northeast at Massachusetts
College of Pharmacy where he worked for 5 years followed by 3 years at Le Moyne
College in Syracuse, NY. Ed is currently a WACAC Delegate and has served on
numerous committees for WACAC, NEACAC, NYACAC, and HACAC. Ed serves as
the Director of RACC overseeing programming and outreach to secondary school, independent,
and transfer counselors, as well as students and parents.
Affiliations: WACAC, NEACAC, NYACAC, HACAC, RACC, NACAC
Elinor Adler | Founder
- Elinor Adler College Counseling
Elinor has experience in the college counseling profession for over 20 years. Her
extensive college counseling background includes work in public and private schools
as well as college admissions. Currently, she has an independent college counseling
practice in the suburban Boston area.
Affiliations: HECA
Elizabeth Zucker
| College Admissions Consultant - NACAC
Before becoming a college admissions consultant in 2001, Liz Zucker was for twenty-six
years a teacher/advisor of juniors and seniors. She has served as a consultant
to the College Board, as well as to school districts in Virginia and Massachusetts.
Her professional memberships include the National Association for College Admission
Counseling, the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and the Higher
Education Consultants Association.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA
Ellen Fisher | Founder
& Independent College Advisor - College4U
Ellen Fisher is a graduate of The University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Syracuse
University graduate school. Ellen is the founder of College4u and provides
high school students and their family's expert guidance and consulting enabling
them to navigate the college selection, preparation, and admissions process successfully.
Each College4u engagement is sharply focused, completely personalized, and based
on expertise and success working with students and colleges. Ellen’s success
is in finding the best match with a college, and all of the things that go along
with the college experience. Ellen works in the in the San Francisco Bay Area)
and with students “virtually” throughout the United States and internationally too.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, HECA
Emily Snyder | Owner,
Managing Director - Know Your Options
Emily Snyder, an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC), is the owner and Managing
Director of Know Your Options, an educational consulting firm specializing in school
placement and college planning services. With a Masters degree in School Counseling
Psychology and experience as a former member of the Fairfax County, Virginia Board
of Education, where she chaired various education policy committees, Emily now works
with families interested in understanding their children’s educational opportunities.
She guides those who use her services through the school and college selection and
application process, helping families make informed choices and decisions that best
meet their child’s needs.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, WISER, PCACAC, SBSA
Enid Arbelo | Editor
in Chief - NextStepU
Enid Arbelo, editor in chief of NextStepU Magazine, graduated from the University
of Florida with a bachelor's degree in journalism and the University of London with
a master's degree in media. Over the past eight years she has been working in media
to help young people succeed in college, career and life. When Enid's
not working, she enjoys reading her Kindle and riding her bike along the Erie Canal.
Affiliations: BackToLearn.com, NAHJ
Eric Delehoy | Founder,
College Counselor - Delehoy College Counseling
Eric Delehoy is a college veteran, presenting nearly fifteen years of college admissions
and counseling experience. He has worked for large public and small private institutions,
helping thousands of students along the path of college exploration. Additionally,
Eric served as a college counseling intern at St. Mary’s Academy (Portland, OR)
and as a volunteer college counselor for the organization, College Summit.
Affiliations: HECA, NACAC, PNACAC
Eric Furda | Dean
of Admissions - University of Pennsylvania
Eric J. Furda has been Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania since
July 1, 2008. Mr. Furda began his career in admissions at Penn, as regional
director from 1987 to 1991. He joined Columbia University’s admissions office in
1991, holding increasingly responsible positions, including Executive Director of
Admissions from 1995-2004 and Vice President of Alumni Relations from 2004-2008.
He has a BA in international relations from Penn and an MA in education from Teachers
College at Columbia University.
Affiliations: Columbia University
Estelle Meskin |
Certified Educational Planner - EstelleMeskin.com
Estelle Meskin, a Certified Educational Planner and college coach, has an extensive
background in college and career counseling. For over a decade, hundreds of clients
have benefited from Estelle's extensive assistance in making successful transitions
from high school to college and from college to professional school or career. She
also helps students with selecting summer programs, gap year experiences, and transfer.
Affiliations: NACAC, IECA, HECA, CO Career Development Association
Esther Walling |
College Counselor - Thomas Jefferson High School
Esther has taught in Orange County for the past 25 years with the Los Angeles Unified
School District. She has been a College Counselor for the past 20 years in
the inner city of Los Angeles working with low income and immigrant students whose
resident status is in flux. She continues to help first generation and undocumented
students to attend and graduate college and earn scholarship grant money to assist
them. She has been a member of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling
(WACAC) and the National ACAC and served on the Executive Board of WACAC as well
as presenting on First Generation and Immigrant students at local, Regional and
National Conferences. Esther served on the Coordinating Council of the College
Counseling Organization of Los Angeles for 12 years and as its President in 2000-2001
and has also served on the Steering Committee of the Los Angeles Cash for College
Program for six years.
Affiliations: WACAC, NACAC, CCO
Farron Peatross |
Educational Consultant - EduCPlanner.com
Farron Goodell Peatross, M.A. has been an educational consultant for twenty one
years in Louisiana and Tennessee. She is a Certified Educational Planner, and a
member of NACAC, SACAC, and the Independent Educational Consultants Association.
She is particularly interested in helping students during their college search find
a good academic match that fosters growth towards becoming productive, responsible
citizens.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC, IECA
Francine Block |
President - American College Admissions Consultants
Francine E. Block is President of American College Admissions Consultants. Her career
in education and college admissions consulting and has spanned more than 25
years. Francine is past President of the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission
Counseling and is on their Board. She is again serving as a National Assembly Delegate
to the National Association for College Admission Counseling. She is co-founder
of the St Michael's Conference, now in its 21st year, for college admissions deans,
directors and other admissions professionals. She has served on the Admissions Advisory
Boards for several universities including of Penn State University and Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University. She is a Certified Educational Planner and is a Commissioner
for the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners.
Affiliations: NACAC, PACAC, NEACAC, NJACAC, NYSACAC, AICEP, ASCA, PSCA
Frank Leana | Author
- Pathfinder: An Action Plan - Making the Most of High School
Dr. Leana has worked for over thirty seven years with students, families, and schools
as teacher, educator, counselor, and consultant. He is the author of Pathfinder:
An Action Plan- Making the Most of High School and The Best Private High Schools
and How to Get in. He was awarded the NACAC John B. Muir prize for signifcant contribution
in the field of education and he has been featured in New York Magazine and The
New York Times.
Affiliations: NACAC
Gael Casner | Founder
- CollegeFindEdu.com
Gael Casner, a graduate of Tufts University, is a California-based educational consultant
who works with clients throughout the United States and internationally. She holds
a certificate in College Admissions and Career Planning from UC Berkeley, University
Extension where she is a frequent guest speaker. Gael also produces a monthly newsletter
that is distributed to clients and other independent consultants.
Affiliations: HECA, NACAC, WACAC, UC Berkeley
Gail Goetz | Educational
Consultant - Private Practice
Gail has been in private practice working with students who have learning disabilities
and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders since 1983. Prior to working in private
practice, she taught in special education classrooms in Texas and Maryland. In addition
to remediation, she has helped students with LD and ADHD find their “best fit” college
and navigate the entire college application process. Her students have been accepted
to many of their top choice schools and have arrived at college with the tools to
be successful.
Affiliations: LDA, CHADD, NACAC, HECA
Gail Grand | President
- The College Advisor Inc.
With over twenty years of experience as a college counselor, author, and enrichment
program advisor, Gail Grand has guided thousands of students to pre-college and
college opportunities. Working both as a school-based and independent college advisor,
Gail has also created the largest free search engine for summer, school year, and
gap year programs, EnrichmentAlley.com. Her company newsletter, The College Advisor,
reaches thousands of students and their families each month.
Affiliations: EnrichmentAlley.com, NACAC, HECA, ASCA
Gail Lewis | Educational
Consultant - College Goals
Gail Lewis is an experienced professional educator and information coordinator with
a strong interest in international students and students with unusual or challenging
backgrounds including homeschoolers and students with learning disabilities.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA
George Mills | Vice
President for Enrollment - University of Puget Sound
George Mills has served the University of Puget Sound, a selective liberal arts
college, for 40 years, the last 15 as its Vice President for Enrollment. George
has twice been a trustee of the College Board and has served on boards of several
non-profit schools and organizations. His interests are in governance, finance,
financial aid, college decision making and education policy.
Affiliations: IEA, NACAC, PNACAC, AACRAO
Gwyeth Smith | President
& CEO - College Quest Inc.
In his four-decade career, Gwyeth Smith ("Smitty") has advised students through
the college application process using a holistic approach built on self-discovery.
Drawing on his vast experience and uncanny knowledge about hundreds of colleges
and universities across the country, Smitty partners with families so they may find
the right fit for the college-bound student.
Affiliations: Homework Hotline Educational Services, NYSACAC, NACAC
Hamilton Gregg |
Educational Consultant - Private Practice
Hamilton Gregg has been a College Advisor for over 16 years. He has worked in international
schools in Switzerland, Japan and China. Most recently he has started his own company
as an independent education consultant while working for the Harrow International
School of Beijing.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, NACAC, OACAC
Hannah Serota | College
Counselor - McLean School
Hannah has spent the past twenty years working in college admissions: nine years
as Assistant then Associate Director of Admissions at OberlinCollege; the past 11
years as College Counselor at McLeanSchool, an independent school in Maryland.
Hannah also runs a college admission consulting practice in Loudoun County, VA.
Hannah holds professional membership with NACAC and IECA. Over the years she
has worked with a diverse group of students, including: high achieving students
and those with more modest academic backgrounds; students with special talents and
students who simply get involved; focused students who know exactly what they want
to study and those who enter college “undecided”; mainstream learners and those
with learning disabilities and ADHD
Affiliations: NACAC, IECA
Hector Martinez |
Director of College Guidance - The Webb Schools
24 years in college admissions, for 8 years served as a senior admissions officer
for The Claremont Colleges (Pitzer) in Claremont, California. Also worked as a teacher
and college counselor at The Buckley School in Los Angeles before coming to The
Webb Schools in Claremont, CA where he served as the Director of College Guidance
for past 14 years. He currently serves as a trustee for the Board of Directors
of ACCIS (Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools) and on the National
Executive Council of College Guidance and Admissions (GACC) of The College Board.
He has been Chairmen of both the Western and National College Board Association
and has also taught college counseling classes at UCLA in their counselor certification
program. Hector has written numerous articles, blogs, and columns and been quoted
in various publications including U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, Wall Street
Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, the L.A. Times and New York Times, and
most recently in Parade Magazine where he was chosen as one of the top 40 college
counselors in America and asked to serve on an educational advisory board charged
with reviewing colleges in the U.S.
Affiliations: ACCIS, GACC
Howard Verman | Senior
Associate - Strategies For College
Howard Verman is a senior associate with Strategies For College. An educator
for 37 years, he has spent the past six years traveling extensively throughout
the country, visiting over 100 colleges and gathering data to support his clients
in the college search and admissions process. Howard is a graduate of Middlebury
College and has a masters degree from the University of Vermont.
Affiliations: HECA, NACAC
Jacqueline Murphy
| Director of Admissions - Saint Michael's College
Jacqueline currently serves as Director of Admission at Saint Michael’s College
and has been inn admissions since 1976 and a Director since 1989. She attained a
BA from Saint Michael’s College and her M.Ed from University of Vermont.
Affiliations: NACAC, NCCAA, NERCBRC
James Goecker | Vice
President for Enrollment Management – Rose Hulman Institute of Technology
James Long | Educational
Consultant - Long Range Success
James’ background includes time as a secondary English teacher, co-founding a private
Catholic high school, as a high school guidance counselor, a curriculum director,
and as an independent counselor for the last 5 years. He is affiliated with HECA
and RMACAC. Areas of expertise include evaluating student's transcripts and matching
them up with an appropriate college placement and major.
Affiliations: RMACAC, HECA
James Maroney | Director
- First Choice College Placement
James Maroney, the owner and founder of First Choice College Placement, has more
than twelve years of educational consulting and test preparation experience. In
addition, he founded www.AdmissionHook.com andwww.CollegeTreasure.com where
he offers students advice on the college essay and locating college scholarships. A
1996 graduate of Yale University, Mr. Maroney holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics,
was the Captain of the Varsity Track Team.
Affiliations: AdmissionHook, CollegeTreasure, HECA, NACAC, EIA
James Montoya | Vice
President of Higher Education - The College Board
James M. Montoya is Vice President for Higher Education Relationship Development
at the College Board in New York City. Before joining the College Board leadership
team, Mr. Montoya served as Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Admission
and Financial Aid at Stanford University. He also taught for a decade at Stanford
through the Center of Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Mr. Montoya
recently co-authored a chapter on the globalization of higher education for university
student affairs chief officers, and he currently serves on the national advisory
board of the Stanford School of Education.
Affiliations: Stanford University
Jan Pearson | Director
of Counseling & College Guidance - Houston Christian High School
Jan Pearson, is the Director of Counseling and College Guidance at Houston Christian
High School. Her career spans 26 years in public and private schools as a
both a teacher and counselor. Jan received her bachelor’s degree in education
and master’s degree in counseling from Stephen F. Austin State University, as well
as additional graduate hours from the University of St. Thomas where she completed
certification as an educational diagnostician. Her expertise lies in working
with students and parents as they pursue and prepare for the college search and
application process as well as presentations to parents on high school prep &
survival, and parenting success.
Affiliations: NULL
Jane Gabin | College
Counselor - New York City
Dr. Jane S. Gabin has 10 years' experience in undergraduate admissions at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has worked as a college counselor in the NYC-metro
area for 7 years. In addition to presentations at various professional conferences,
she has published three books and numerous articles and encyclopedia entries, and
contributes a bi-monthly college column at www.insideschools.org
Affiliations: NACAC, NJACAC
Jane Hoffman | Founder
- College Advice 101
Jane has a proven track record of providing personalized guidance to help students
identify, apply and gain admission to the best colleges for them. Her experience
working in the administration of three universities, graduate business education
and natural tendencies to serve as a resource and demystify and empower have
contributed to her success with her clients and their successful application and
admission to colleges.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, HECA, WPRCA, NYSACAC
Jane Klemmer | Founder
- Klemmer Educational Consulting
Jane Klemmer is the founder of Klemmer Educational Consulting, LLC, a New York based
firm that provides guidance and financial strategies for college and graduate programs
through all phases of the admission process. Given her prior life experience
as a professional musician, a corporate finance executive, and a parent of three,
Jane brings creativity, as well as strategic and mentoring expertise to each student
relationship.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, NACAC, NYSACAC
Jane Shropshire |
Founder - Shropshire Educational Consulting LLC
Jane S. Shropshire, Lexington, KY, has been an educational consultant since 1996.
She brings significant admission experience to her advising (at Tufts, Brandeis,
and WashingtonU. in St. Louis), and is especially accomplished at guiding students
toward schools that are truly the right fit. Jane is an active member and
past president of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, and an active
member of NACAC and its Kentucky affiliate, KYACAC.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, KYACAC
Janet Elfers | Senior
Class Counselor - Mariemont High School
Janet Elfers is the Senior Class Counselor at Mariemont High School in Cincinnati,
Ohio. She has been a counselor in public high schools in Ohio for over 25
years. She has degrees from The Ohio State University and Bowling Green State
University, with post-graduate courses from Xavier University and Miami University. Although
Janet is knowledgeable and experienced working with all aspects of the college planning
process, she is an expert at asking good questions, staying organized, helping students
decide what information they should emphasize on their college applications, and
sorting through the abundant amount of information about colleges in order to arrive
at that which is most important to each student.
Affiliations: NACAC, OACAC, Xavier University, Miami University, The
Ohio State University
Janet Rosier | Independent
College Admissions Consultant - Janet Rosier's Educational Resources
Janet Rosier is an experienced Independent College Admissions Consultant in Woodbridge,
CT and the founder of Janet Rosier’s Educational Resources, Inc. Janet Rosier can
help relieve the stress and lower the anxiety by directing students to appropriate
college choices–schools that are an academic as well as a social and emotional
fit. Janet works with a wide range of students–those who apply to the most
competitive colleges as well as students with more modest academic aspirations,
students who are athletes, actors, musicians and those with learning or attentional
issues.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA, IECA
Jean Ward | Founder
- DrJeanWard.com
Jean Ward uses her training as a licensed clinical psychologist with 26 years of
post-doctoral experience to assist students in the college admissions process. Utilizing
a "positive psychology" model that highlights individual strengths, her extensive
background in psychological assessment and counseling with pre-teens, adolescents,
adults and families enables her to establish rapport quickly, develop a profile
of students’ core strengths, and help them to translate who they are onto a college
application. This puts students in control in determining their best college matches.
Affiliations: APA, NVACP, VACP, HSP, PACAC, HECA
Jeannie Borin | Founder
& President - College Connections
Jeannie received her Masters Degree in Education and Bachelor of Science Degree
in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles and is Founder and
President of the Los Angeles based independent educational consulting firm College
Connections. She has an extensive educational background having served as counselor,
school administrator, admissions director, teacher and curriculum supervisor for
over twenty years in both the public and private sectors. Jeannie also mentored
teachers through the UCLA teacher-training program, is state certified, and holds
a teaching credential issued for life. Jeannie has over fifteen years of college
admissions counseling experience, regularly attends professional conferences, networks
with colleagues and visits colleges throughout the United States building contacts
within the admissions staff.
Affiliations: IECA, NWACAC, HECA
Jeff Haig | Co-Founder
- Maximize Your Education
A former lead instructor at Kaplan Education, Jeff is passionate about education
and making a positive difference in students' lives. He has researched, developed
and implemented curriculums to help students maximize their educational success
as well as taught numerous classes on topics including education, finance, and personal
development. Jeff has taught students at both the domestic and international levels.
Jeff received his college counseling education from the Harvard Institute on College
Admissions (sponsored by Harvard University and the College Board), as well as at
the Summer Training Institute on College Counseling from the Independent Educational
Consultants Association. He also received additional education from the College
Counseling program at UCLA. Jeff is currently an education columnist, college professor,
20-time international award-winning author, and consultant.
Affiliations: Harvard University, NACAC, IECA, HECA
Jeffrey Makris |
Director of College Counseling - High School of Economics and Finance in New York
City
Jeffrey Makris has served as the Director of College Counseling at the High School
of Economics and Finance, a New York City public high school located one block south
of the former World Trade Center, since 2004. Jeffrey has been very active in the
National Association for College Admission Counseling, the New York State Association
for College Admission Counseling, and the College Access Consortium of New York,
Inc. In June of 2009 he completed a three -year term on the Executive Board of NYSACAC
as Co-Chair of the School - College Relations Committee. He currently serves
as a Vice -Chair on CACNY, Inc.'s Board of Directors and a mentor for NYSACAC's
Summer Institute. Each spring and summer Mr. Makris teaches Counseling the
College Bound Student, a graduate level course introducing students to the college
counseling profession, for the University of California Los Angeles through the
UCLA Extension program. He earned his BS in Psychology from Binghamton University,
S.U.N.Y. and his MSEd in School Counseling from Hunter College, C.U.N.Y.
Affiliations: NACAC, NYSACAC, CACNY
Jennifer DesMaisons
| Director of College Counseling - The Putney School in Vermont
Jennifer is in her fifth year as the Director of College Counseling at The Putney
School in Vermont, where she also serves as an academic advisor, faculty dorm head,
and as the senior class Dean. Previously, she worked in college admissions as the
Associate Director of Admissions at Marlboro College (8 years), and as Assistant
Director of Admissions at Marist College (1 year). She was a psychology major as
an undergraduate and her interest in admissions was piqued by her work study jobs
in her college’s student affairs and admission offices.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC
Jennifer Evans |
Counseling Department Chair - Broadneck High School
Jennifer L. Evans currently serves as the counseling department chair at Broadneck
High School in Annapolis, MD. Evans has been a member of the counseling staff for
eight years and was promoted to department chair in 2008. Prior to accepting the
position at Broadneck High Schoo, Ms. Evans served for six years as admissions counselor
and assistant director of admissions at Goucher College in Towson, MD.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC, ACT
Jill Greenbaum |
Founder - MajorInYou.com
Dr. Jill Greenbaum is the college coach who helps teens shift from anxious, confused,
and overwhelmed to confident, organized, and successful in finding the colleges
that are the right matches for them. Beginning her career as a teacher for
students with special education needs in the New York City public school system,
Jill became a principal and administrator. Her doctorate in curriculum development,
from Columbia University, and her experience with her daughter’s college search
inspired her to create a range of services for teens and families. Jill is
passionate about supporting teens on their journey toward becoming independent young
adults, and encouraging their parents to address change and transition in their
family dynamics.
Affiliations: ICF, IAC, IPPA
Jill Madenberg |
Independent Educational Consultant - Private Practice
Jill Madenberg has been a college admission professional in New York for over
fifteen years, serving as a certified high school guidance counselor and independent
college consultant in Long Island nearNew York City. She earned her bachelor’s
from The George Washington University and master’s degree from New York University.
Jill has worked with countless high school students as they take the journey through
the exciting college planning and selection process! Services range from high
school course selection, college selection, application preparation, essay review,
extra-curricular activities, mock interviews and overview of scholarship opportunities.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA, IECA, UAAS
Jim McCorkell | CEO
- Admission Possible
Having grown up in a low-income family, Jim McCorkell founded Admission Possible
in 2000 and is the CEO of this nationally growing nonprofit helping low-income youth
achieve college admission and success. In 2006, Jim was inducted into the Ashoka
foundation’s international fellowship of social entrepreneurs for his innovative
college access model. His work was recognized in 2009 by President Obama in a speech
highlighting innovative nonprofits that should grow and by the National Association
for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the National College Access Network
(NCAN) with their 2009 awards of excellence. Jim received an M.P.A. from Harvard
University’s Kennedy School, an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, and a B.A. from Carleton College with honors.
Affiliations: NACAC, NCAN, Ashoka, AmeriCorps
Jim Overton | Founder
- College Consultants of South Carolina
Dr. Jim Overton was a guidance counselor at Spring Valley High School, Columbia,
SC for 25 years, where his seniors have been awarded over $30 million in scholarships
since 1995. Following his retirement in June 2008, he founded College Consultants
of South Carolina, LLC, an educational consultation firm that helps high school
students in find colleges that fit and assists them in the entire application process
and scholarship search. For the past 27 years he has been an adjunct faculty member
at both the graduate and undergraduate level for a number of programs, including
the University of South Carolina, Limestone College, Coker College, Southern Wesleyan
University, St. Leo University and presently Troy University. In addition, he retired
from the US Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Affiliations: HECA, IECA, SACAC, SCSCA, SCCA
Joan Bress | Director,
Certified Educational Planner - College Resource Associates
Joan Bress, director of College Resource Associates, is a Certified Educational
Planner who provides college and career advisory services to students and their
families. Her experience includes more than twenty years experience in high
school and college teaching, clinical social work, and college admissions consulting.
Joan holds degrees from University of Pennsylvania, Simmons College School of Social
Work, and Boston University.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC
Joan Casey | President
- Educational Advocates College Consulting Corp.
Joan K. Casey is president of Educational Advocates College Consulting Corp., a
college admission consulting firm in Brookline, Massachusetts that she founded in
2004. Casey holds a master of education degree in Mind, Brain and Education from
the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and a BA in economics from the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has completed an advocacy-training program
sponsored by the Massachusetts Federation for Children with Special Needs, and is
trained in AD/HD coaching through the American Coaching Association.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC
Joan Koven | Founder
& Director - Academic Access
Joan R. Koven, Certified Education Planner, founder and director of Academic Access,
earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from SkidmoreCollege and her certificate in College
Counseling from UCLA. She also studied at La Varenne Ecole de La Cuisine in Paris.
Koven has spent most of her professional life as a manager, leader and marketing
executive. Joan brings her talents to Academic Access in many ways. Her strength
in pulling together a team of dynamic associates complements her expertise in organizing,
marketing, and preparing students for a successful "Plan of Action" for college
admissions. Her analytical and research skills ease the way for a student's entry
into uncovering the colleges that are the "right fit". Joan has lived the university
life as an academic spouse for over 29 years at HarvardUniversity, University of
California Berkeley, VillanovaUniversity and now Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Her academic family has given her first hand access to working with students and
their specific needs. .She is a member of NACAC, PACAC, IECA, and HECA . She devotes
over twenty percent of her time to visiting college campuses and is currently an
instructor in the University of California, Irvine Certificate Program for Educational
Consultants. She is teaching the course entitled Marketing and Public Relations
for the Educational Consultant. This vast depth of professional marketing and promotional
experiences make Koven the perfect instructor to bring real life stories to her
students with a track record of success. Her college counseling practice has a waiting
list of clients and with her abilities to market her talents she has been extremely
successful. In 2007, Koven was featured on the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer
speaking about her practice and college admissions.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, NACAC, PACAC
Joanna Schultz |
Director of College Counseling - The Ellis School in Pittsburgh, PA
Educated at Radcliffe College (BA, 1968) and the University of Pittsburgh (MEd,
1992), Joanna Schultz has spent over thirty-five years in education. She has
taught English in grades three through twelve, has taught teachers how to teach
English and how to counsel students, and, for the past fifteen years, has worked
as the Director of College Counseling at The Ellis School in Pittsburgh. She
has presented workshops at numerous national conferences, written journal articles,
was instrumental in the development of an annual conference for college counselors
from girls schools, and is currently the Director of Professional Development for
the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling.
Affiliations: NACAC, PACAC, ACCIS, GSCCC
Joanne Levy-Prewitt
| Creator & Founder - CollegeMapp
Joanne Levy-Prewitt is an independent college advisor working with high school students
in the San Francisco Bay Area. A former teacher, Joanne is also a short-fiction
writer. She wrote a weekly, nationally syndicated column (Universal Press
Syndicate) called “College Bound”. Joanne earned her Bachelor’s degree in
Psychology from San Diego State University, and her teaching credential from St.
Mary’s College of California. She completed her certificate in College and Career
Advising at the University of California, Berkeley. Joanne is co-founder of
Get Going College Admissions Workshops, and is the creator and founder of CollegeMapp,
the first iPhone app to help high school students organize their college applications.
Joanne has one son who is in graduate school, and she lives with her husband in
the Bay Area.
Affiliations: Get Going College Admissions, UC Berkeley, Princeton
Review, WACAC, HECA
John Carpenter |
Founder - AskJohnAboutCollege.com
John Carpenter is the owner of askjohnaboutcollege.com and has advised students
and families for more than 30 years in both public and independent schools, both
in the US and abroad. He has presented with colleagues on college admissions-related
topics at many venues including NACAC national conferences, ECIS European conferences,
MOACAC state meetings, OACAC and ACCIS. He was a founding Executive Committee member
of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools. His book Going
Geek: The Really Smart Kid's Guide to College Admission will be ready for publication
soon, and he is listed as resource for parents on the website College Money Insider
under "Blogs We Like." His own blog for high school students is updated weekly at
www.askjohnaboutcollege.com
Affiliations: NACAC, MACAC, ECIS, ACCIS
John Frahlich | Counseling
Department Chair - Hudson High School
John has served as a high school counselor for 23 of his 32 years in education.
He also has two years experience as an elementary school counselor. In addition
to working in Hudson he has worked in the Akron Public Schools, and Maple Heights
City Schools districts. He currently serves as an Executive Board Member of OACAC.
He is also an adjunct graduate instructor for The University of Akron.
Affiliations: OACAC, NACAC, OSCA, HEA, OEA, NEA
Jolyn Brand | Founder
& Director - Brand College Consulting
Jolyn Brand is the founder and director of Brand College Consulting, a college advisor,
and educational consultant (www.BrandCollegeConsulting.com). She was an award winning
educator who now helps students through the college search, application, essay and
admissions process. She is also the Houston College Admissions Writer on Examiner.com.
Affiliations: Examiner.com
Jon Boeckenstedt
| Associate Vice President for Enrollment Policy & Planning - DePaul University
Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president for Enrollment Policy & Planning,
has been with DePaul since 2002, leading efforts in undergraduate enrollment planning,
as well as freshman and transfer admissions and financial aid. Jon has 27 years
of enrollment experience, and is most interested in the ways in which higher education
institutions balance market realities and mission aspirations. Before coming to
DePaul, Jon worked at Mount Mercy and Grinnell Colleges in Iowa, the University
of Dallas in Texas, Communicorp (a marketing consulting firm working with not-for-profits)
in Atlanta, and St. Bonaventure University in New York, where he spent seven years
as dean and then vice president of Enrollment Management.
Affiliations: NACAC, ACAC, NCCAA
Jordan Goldman |
Founder & CEO - Unigo
Jordan Goldman is the author of Students' Guide to Colleges 2004, 2005,
2006, 2007 and 2008, from Penguin Books. He is also the founder
and CEO of Unigo.com, which The Wall Street Journal called "a
college resource built for the age of YouTube and Facebook", The New York Times called
"vivid in a way no guidebook can match," and Always On named "One of the
100 Private Companies with the Biggest Impact on the Public Sector." Through an
exclusive partnership with The Wall Street Journal, Jordan created a new brand -
WSJ On Campus - which produces journalism about college admissions and college life.
Though an exclusive partnership with McGraw Hill, he helped create original curriculum
on college and career readiness taught in high schools throughout America. He has
been an education expert on more than 50 episodes of ABC News, has moderated live
events for both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and is a blogger
for The Huffington Post. He is currently co-authoring a white-paper, titled "What
is the Purpose of High School", with McGraw Hill. Jordan has been featured in The
NY Times, The NY Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report,
Time, Forbes, Newsweek, Inc, Wired, Entrepreneur, USA Today and The Washington Post,
and has been a guest on ABC News, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Fox Business Channel and
Bloomberg News. He is 28 years old.
Affiliations: Wall Street Journal On Campus
Joyce Reed | Founder,
Educational Consultant - College Goals
Joyce Reed, founder of College Goals, served as Assoc. Dean of the College at Brown
University for fourteen years and has run an education consulting practice for eight
years, focusing on international and American students with a variety of academic
strengths. Her expertise includes not only college admission but also college advising
and students’ success.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA
Julia Surtshin |
Founder - Surtshin College Counseling
Julia Surtshin, a Ceftified Educational Planner and independent college counselor
in Portland, Oregon, has been helping students and families navigate the transition
to college since 1995. She offers workshops and writes freelance articles on
college search, writing effective admission essays, and understanding the financial
aid process.
Affiliations: AICEP, HECA, NACAC, PNACAC, PCCC
Julie Manhan | Founder
- College Navigation
Julie A. Manhan, founder of College Navigation, has been an educational professional
for over 25 years. She has worked with students of all academic abilities
and backgrounds in a variety of roles and is acutely aware of the needs of
the students and parents when it comes to navigating the college application
process.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA, PNACAC, SACC, LDA
Katelyn Klapper |
Founder - College Options
Katelyn Gleason Klapper has more than 20 years of experience working in higher education,
admissions, and college consulting. Katelyn’s company, College Options, provides
individual consulting services as well as seminars for employee assistance programs.
Since 2005, Katelyn has served as the college counselor to Dynamy Internship Year
a gap-year program in Worcester, MA, where she also develops curriculum and provides
program support for Dynamy’s Youth Academy, an access-to-college program.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, NEACAC, NCAN
Katherine Cohen |
Founder, CEO - IvyWise & Applywise.com
Dr. Katherine Cohen is CEO and founder of IvyWise, an internationally recognized
college admissions counseling company based in Manhattan, and ApplyWise.com, the
first online interactive college admissions counseling program. She is a former
reader in the Yale University Office of Admissions, has taught SAT prep classes
for The Princeton Review, and has written two books about the college admissions
process published by Hyperion: The Truth About Getting In and Rock Hard Apps.
Dr. Cohen graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from BrownUniversity,
has two Master's degrees and a PhD from YaleUniversity, and received certification
in College Admission Counseling from U.C.L.A.
Affiliations: ApplyWise, NACAC, YPO, IECA, WACAC
Kathleen Little |
Senior Advisor - The College Board
Kathleen Little has worked at the College Board since June 1986, and is currently
Senior Adviser, Student Aid Policy. In this position, she provides staff support
to the College Board’s advocacy projects related to college affordability, including
the Trends in Higher Education publications, the Rethinking Student Aid project,
and the State Need-based Aid Study. Prior to her current position, she served as
Executive Director, Financial Aid Services. In that role, she was responsible for
the design and management of all College Board financial aid services and was responsible
for communications with and training of college and university financial aid administrators.
Ms. Little came to the College Board from her position as Director of Financial
Aid at the University of California, Santa Cruz. While at UCSC, she served as President
of the Western and California Associations of Student Financial Aid Administrators
and as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators.
Affiliations: WASFA, CASFA, NASFA
Kathryn Favaro |
Independent College Admissions Counselor - Favaro College Counseling
Kathryn is a college counselor who works with students and parents looking for personalized,
one-on-one guidance through every step of the college admissions process. She provides
support, direction, knowledge and encouragement to simplify an overwhelming process.
She is committed to helping every student find happiness and success in college.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC
Kekoa Morton | Student
Services Manager - University of Redlands School of Business
Kekoa is originally from Hawaii and currently works for a private Liberal Arts University
in Southern California. Her prior experience consists of working as an Assistant
Dean of Admissions, a high school counselor, and an Academic Advisor. Currently,
she works with non-traditional degree seeking adult students.
Affiliations: NACADA, NACE
Ken Anselment | Director
of Admissions - Lawrence University
After graduating from Marquette University (twice), and working for 12 transformational
years in the admissions office (with some occasional dabbling in the English department
as a lecturer), Ken Anselment was extracted from the gravitational pull of his alma
mater by another force of nature, Lawrence University (Appleton, Wisconsin), where
he has been serving as admissions director since 2004. One of those strange people
that enjoys public speaking, road cycling and writing (sometimes all at once), Ken
is an active member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling,
particularly in the area of government relations. He also claims he can make a pot
of chili that can change your life.
Affiliations: NACAC, Colleges That Change Lives, WACAC
Ken Huus | Dean of
Admissions - Sweet Briar College
Ken has served Sweet Briar College as the Dean of Admissions for the last 8
years. Before coming to Sweet Briar, he worked in the Admissions Office at
Earlham College (coed, liberal arts school, affiliated with the Society of Friends)
for 8 years. He is passionate about the high school to college transition,
especially the college search, and enjoys talking with students and families about
how to conduct a college search and the options for continuing education past high
school.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC, CICV, Earlham College
Kevin Witham | Sr.
Associate Director of Admissions - Ohio University
Kevin has been in college admissions for 28 years from 2 years at Texas Lutheran
University and is currently going into his 26th year at Ohio University.
Affiliations: OACAC, NACAC, Ohio ACT State Organization Councel
Kiersten Murphy |
Director - Murphy College Consultants
Kiersten Murphy has spent her career in education, working in college and private
school admissions, high school guidance and now, as an independent college counselor
where she serves as director of Murphy College Consultants. Since 1993, she
has been successfully guiding students through the college search and application
process to ensure that each finds their best fits. Kiersten is committed to
continuing education and professional development and is a member of IECA, NACAC
and PNACAC.
Affiliations: NACAC, IECA, PNACAC
Kimberly Arias |
Director of Programs - Project GRAD
As Director of Programs, Kim Arias is responsible for serving as a counselor and
mentor to current Project GRAD students, recruiting new students into the Scholarship
Program, communicating regularly with families, and managing Project GRAD summer
institute programs at area colleges and universities. Prior to joining Project GRAD,
Kim spent nine years in a variety of high-level roles at the Long-Island based
Institute for Student Achievement (ISA), most recently as a Cluster Director of
Programs where she had oversight over implementation of the ISA model in several
Long Island districts.
Affiliations: American Psychological Association, Minority Fellowship
Program
Kris Hintz | Founder
- Position U 4 College LLC
Kris Hintz is founder of Position U 4 College LLC, a college and graduate school
admissions and career consulting firm in Basking Ridge NJ. Kris holds a Certificate
in College Counseling from UCLA (2010), MA in Psychology (concentrating in Career
Development) from Columbia University Teachers College (1996), MBA in Marketing
from The Wharton School (1980), BA in Psychology from University of Pennsylvania
(1978), and 12 years of brand management and recruiting experience with top consumer
marketing companies including Nabisco (Kraft), Coca Cola, Quaker Oats and Clorox
(1980-1992). Member of NACAC and PARWCC. Author of Perspectives for Parents of College-Bound
Teens, available 9/2011.
Affiliations: NACAC, PARWCC, Perspectives for Parents of College-Bound
Teens;
Kristen Tabun | Director
of College Guidance - Woodlynde School
Kristen Tabun is the Director of College Guidance at the Woodlynde School in Strafford,
PA. She has nine years experience in college guidance. She has BA
and M.Ed. from Widener University.
Affiliations: NACAC, PACAC
Lana Klene | Counselor
- Lawrence North High School
Lana has been a counselor for thirty years at Lawrence North HS in Indianapolis.
She has three children and has presented at several conferences related to college
access.
Affiliations: NULL
Larry Dannenberg
| Founder - College Solutions
Larry Dannenberg is founder of College Solutions, specializes in helping families
find the right college; the right fit for the student and the right fit financially.
College Solutions assists families with the complete college admissions, and financial
aid process.
Affiliations: NULL
Laura Miller | Director
of College Guidance - North Shore Hebrew Academy High School
As the Director of College Guidance Laura has built the College Guidance Office
up from the ground level when the school first opened its doors in September 2001.
From the first graduating class of 25 seniors to the current senior class of 97
students, Laura has created a vibrant, enriching and dynamic College Guidance program.
She is a frequent guest lecturer at State and National conventions in the College
Counseling field and has been featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams on
a segment on “College & the Economy” in the fall of 2009. Laura was named Super
Counselor for 2007 by nextSTEP magazine and “Educator of the Year” for 2004-05 by
Teen Ink magazine.
Affiliations: CACNY, NACAC, NYSACAC, NJSACAC
Laurie Favaro | Independent
College Counselor - Marin County, SF Bay Area
Laurie provides information, support, and effective strategies to make applying
to college an enjoyable and enlightening experience. By helping students understand
their unique qualities, she identifies the factors that will contribute to their
success and happiness. Bringing a personalized commitment, she works with students
and their families to successfully navigate the steps to college – from high
school preparation to completing the application.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, HECA
Laurie Starks | Founder
- Starks College Connection
Laurie Starks, of Starks College Connection, located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area,
is an independent college consultant, working with high school students to help
navigate the highly competitive and increasingly complex college admissions process.
Her goal is to match each student to the schools that will provide the best educational
experience for their individual dreams and ambitions. The end result is gaining
acceptance into the best college environment where each student is inspired to grow
emotionally, intellectually, and socially.
Affiliations: TACAC, NCAG, HECA
Lee Bierer | President
- College Admissions Strategies
Lee Bierer is an Independent College Counselor and owns College Admissions Strategies.
She also dispenses “accessible college wisdom” in her weekly Countdown to College
column in The Charlotte Observer that she’s been writing for over four years. Countdown
is syndicated nationally through McClatchy Newspapers. She received her BA in Spanish
from Colgate University, her M. Ed from Antioch College and recently received her
Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA Extension. She has been interviewed
in newspapers across the country and is a frequent guest on Charlotte’s National
Public Radio station, WFAE.
Affiliations: SACAC, Princeton Review National College Counselor Advisory
Board
Leigh Anne Spraetz
| President - Academic Futures Inc.
Leigh Anne Spraetz is president of Academic Futures, Inc., and has been providing
individualized college/career counseling and coaching for students and their families
for over fourteen years. She is a licensed professional counselor and an independent
college counselor. She currently spends about 25% of her time touring and evaluating
college campuses at an average of 60 per year. Her specialized knowledge about
majors, campus environment, and programs helps her determine a best ‘fit’ for her
clients. She utilizes an individualized approach with her students, helping them
to explore their strengths and interests in order to develop a planned approach
for their academic futures.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, SACAC, HECA
Linda Abraham | Founder
- Accpted.com
Linda Abraham founded Accepted.com in 1994 and has helped thousands of applicants
get accepted to college and graduate school since then. In addition to growing
Accepted.com and guiding applicants, Linda is sought by the media, including The
Wall St. Journal, The New York Times, The Sunday Times of London, and Bloomberg
BusinessWeek, for her admissions expertise. She is the co-founder and past president
of the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants.
Affiliations: AIGAC
Linda Sturm | Director
of Guidance - South Portland High School
Linda has been an educator for 34 years. Her first two years were spent as a special
education teacher at Lisbon high School (Maine); she then transitioned to guidance
counselor at Mt. Ararat School for 17 years. In 1997, she became the Director of
Guidance at South Portland High School.
Affiliations: SAT Initiative Advisory Board, Dollars for Scholars
Linda Turner | President
- The College Choice
Linda Cohen Turner is the President of The College Choice, Ltd. in Evanston,
Illinois, providing comprehensive and personalized guidance for families throughout
the college selection and application process. Ms. Turner has had a long career
in education, including positions as a high school English teacher, Assistant Dean
of Students at Southern Methodist University, Manager of Training and Education
at Motorola, Inc., and as Senior Project Director at Executive KnowledgeWorks, designing
and developing executive education programs for Fortune 100 companies. Ms.
Turner holds a B.A. in English from Mills College, an M.A. in secondary education
from Stanford University, and an M.A. in higher education administration from the
University of Denver.
Affiliations: HECA, IACAC, Mills College
Lisa Bain-Carlton
| Educational Consultant - CollegeMatchPoint.com
Finding a college that fits is Lisa’s passion! For more than 25 years,
she has held multiple roles in the field of education, including counseling with
adolescents and their families. Many adolescents in Dallas County participated
in her award winning career-development program for high school students. She served
as program advisor at Southern Methodist University. She earned her
Master’s in Counseling and Student Services with honors from the University of North
Texas and a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Texas A&M University.
Additionally, she obtained her Certificate in College Counseling from the UCLA College
Counseling Certification Program. She currently lives in Austin, Texas and
serves clients nationwide.
Affiliations: CHAD, ACA, LDA, IECA
Lora Lewis | Founder,
Educational Consultant - Lora Lewis Consulting
Lora is a a professional college admissions mentor and educational consultant who
guides clients of all backgrounds and aspirations toward the educational opportunities
where they will thrive. She provides comprehensive college advising through all
stages of the admissions process, with an emphasis on helping students find their
"best fit" college and assisting them in crafting applications that present a rich,
well-rounded picture of themselves as individuals and as learners. She holds
a B.A. degree in English from the University of California at Berkeley, a M.A. in
English from Boston University, a M.A. in Educational Leadership from St. Mary's
College of California, a certificate in College Counseling from the University of
California at Los Angeles, and has worked as a school administrator, English teacher,
and college counselor for over ten years.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, IECA, HECA
Lucia Tyler | Founder
- Tyler Admissions Consulting
Dr. Tyler’s entire professional life has been in education, much of it at Cornell
University where she obtained her Ph.D. in food/analytical chemistry. Her professional
experience includes work as a research scientist, a teacher, a student advisor,
a lab manager and an admissions counselor. In 2005 she opened her admissions consulting
business with a local client base near Ithaca, NY and a national client base through
Tyler Admissions Consulting.
Affiliations: IECA
Lynda McGee | College
Counselor - Magnets High School
Lynda McGee is the College Counselor at Downtown Magnets High School in Los Angeles,
has been counseling since 2000, and became College Counselor in the spring of 2005.
She is a graduate of Xavier University and University of Illinois in Urbana-She
is also a member of the board of the College Counselors of Los Angeles, the National
Assoc. of College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Western Assoc. of College
Admission Counseling (WACAC), and has presented several times at both local and
national counseling conferences. She was "College Counselor of the Year" for L.A.
County in 2007, received the Yale Counselor Award in 2008, and was one of the "Counselors
That Change Lives" in 2009.
Affiliations: WACAC, NACAC, College Counselors of LA
Lynette Mathews |
Director - The College Planning Center
Lynette Mathews stays up to date on college admission trends as the Director of
The College Planning Center, a resource for parents and students. She has extensive
experience working with students from all academic backgrounds and has authored
the TRACK IT! College Planning Curriculum, which is in use by educational consultants
as well as high school counseling departments across the country. As a member of
the Educational Writers Association, Lynette enjoys sharing her expertise with families
that are embarking on the college admission process.
Affiliations: Educational Writers Association, WACAC
Lynn Luckenbach |
Founder - LynnLuckenbach.com
Lynn is a Certified Educational Planner who has lived in the Detroit area her entire
life. She has been a member of IECA since 1984 and has served as a Board Member
(1999-2006) and as President. Her areas of expertise include advising students in
the areas of boarding school, college and therapeutic placements. Lynn has followed
the needs of her clientele as those needs have changed over the years, spending
a third of her professional life visiting campuses and programs.
Affiliations: IECA
Mabel Freeman | Asst.
VP for Undergraduate Admissions - Ohio State University
Dr. Mabel G. Freeman is Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Admissions and
First Year Experience at The Ohio State University, one of the nation’s largest
and most comprehensive public research universities. Her responsibilities
include the recruitment, selective admission, orientation, transition, and first
year experience of freshmen and transfer students at the Columbus campus.
Previously Freeman served as the Director of the University Honors and Scholars
Center at Ohio State.
Affiliations: ACT, MBNSHS
Marcia Hunt | Director
of College Counseling - Pine Crest School
Marcia Hunt is the Director of College Counseling at Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida and is Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Association of College
Counselors in Independent Schools. The former President of both the National Association
of College Admission Counseling and the Southern Association of College Admission
Counseling, Marcia has also served as a member of the Board of the Common Application.
She serves on the advisory boards of a number of universities and has been a reader
for several scholarship competitions, including Coca Cola Scholars.
Affiliations: NACAC, ACCIS, SACAC, Common Application
Margaret Eszlinger
| College Counselor & Life Coach
Margaret has dedicated 25 years of passion for students in Southern California after
completing her bachelors in psychology and masters in educational psychology and
counseling. She has worked in diverse public and private secondary schools developing
college counseling programs. She has served for years on the board of directors
in her community for youth programs, as well as WACAC planning committees, and as
a NACAC National College Fair chair. Margaret maintains a private practice in Orange
County, CA for educational and life planning.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC
Marie Bullock | Independent
Counselor - Washington Lee High School
Marie Bullock was the managing partner in a successful business when her interest
in education was sharpened by having a learning disabled son. Once that happened,
Marie went on to get her BA in Special Education from Marymount University, her
MA in Counseling from Trinity University, and her Ph.D. in Counseling and Human
Development from American University. As an educator, Marie taught in both
LD and ED programs for 7 years, was Director of Counseling at Jefferson Middle School
for 8 years, and Director of Counseling Services at Washington-Lee High School for
10 years. She also has taught at the university level for Counselor Education
Programs.
Affiliations: ACA, NACAC, IECA
Marie Putnam | College
Counselor - Private Practice
Marie Putnam has a Bachelor of Arts from University of California Davis and a Masters
in Business Administration from University of California Berkeley. She completed
the College Admissions Counseling program at UC Berkeley and has been counseling
high school and transfer students in the Sacramento and Davis, California area for
the past eight years.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, HECA
Marilyn Emerson |
Founder - College Planning Services
Marilyn G.S. Emerson, M.S.W., C.E.P. began working as an independent educational
consultant (IEC) in 1996 and founded College Planning Services, Inc. in 2001. She
has visited several hundred colleges and universities, and continues to visit approximately
forty campuses each year. Marilyn is currently Vice-President for Education
and Training, and also a member of the Board of Directors of the Independent Educational
Consultants Association (IECA). She has been an instructor for UCLA Extension
online and has served on the faculty at the IECA Summer Training Institute (STI).
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, NYSACAC
Marilyn Morrison
| Founder - Morrison Educational Consulting
Marilyn C. Morrison has been guiding students through the college admission process
since 2003, when she established Morrison Educational Consulting. She is a
graduate of Stanford University and earned a certificate in college counseling from
UCLA Extension. Marilyn has been a guest speaker for organizations such as
the California Association for the Gifted, the National Charity League, and the
Los Angeles Unified School District.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, IECA, HECA
Marilyn Watson |
Former School College Counselor - Oakland International High School
Raised in India, the daughter of a YMCA social worker, Marilyn has involved herself
in youth work and leadership since she was a young teen. After serving with Peace
Corps in Thailand (teaching English) and in Washington, D.C. (recruiting and leading
staff development teams), she earned her M.Sc/Counseling. It is with High School
and Middle School youth that Marilyn has lived her career, teaching Youth Leadership
and guiding both parents and children in the art of decision making. Retired now
from a formal position as School Counselor, Marilyn volunteers in the Oakland International
High School as well as conducts training in Conflict Mediation. She and her husband
make their home in the Bay Area, and where ever the need calls.
Affiliations: Peace Corps
Marjorie Goode |
Founder - Start Early: College & Career Planning Service
Marjorie A. Goode is an experienced school counselor in the Montgomery Co. Public
Schools, MD and an educational consultant. Her practice, Start Early: College
& Career Planning Service, in Rockville, MD, assists students in grades 7-12,
as well as high school graduates who are pursuing an undergraduate education.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, ASCA, NACAC, PCACAC, NCDA
Marjorie Shaevitz
| Author, Founder - adMISSION POSSIBLE
Marjorie Hansen Shaevitz is an award-winning author, speaker and Stanford-trained
professional counselor who has one goal: to make sure every student has the best
college admissions advice free of charge, regardless of their family background,
financial resources, geographic location or attendance at a public or private school.
In addition to helping thousands of students gain admission to colleges that best
fit them, Marjorie has worked for the Dean of Students Office at Stanford University,
was Orientation Officer for the East West Center at the University of Hawaii and
directed the Re-Entry Program Adult Students at the University of California, San
Diego. Marjorie has appeared on many national radio and television programs, including
The Oprah Winfrey Show and the original David Letterman Show and has been quoted
as an expert in newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and
USA Today.
Affiliations: NACAC
Mark Kopenski | Vice
President & Dean of Enrollment - Richmond the American International University
in London
Mark Kopenski has spent the last twenty years in the field of enrollment management
at four private American institutions. Mr. Kopenski served Carthage in Wisconsin
as the Director of Admissions, was the Director of Enrollment Retention Services
at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and was the Vice President for Enrollment
Management at Rockhurst University in Kansas City before moving to London, England
to manage enrollment at Richmond, The American International University in London.
Mark holds degrees from both Carthage and Saint Joseph’s University. Mr. Kopenski
has travelled to over 75 nations and all 50 US states during his enrollment career.
Affiliations: American Universities Overseas, CIS
Mark Montgomery |
Founder - Montgomery Educational Counseling
Mark Montgomery is a caring, compassionate educator with deep experience in higher
education, classroom teaching, and college administration. He is a college insider
who uses his knowledge of schools and empathy for students to help young people
decide for themselves their educational journey. Mark has held such positions as
associate dean at the University of Denver, admissions counselor for Fort Lewis
College, and external evaluator for teaching and learning programs at other universities,
including the Yale University and University of Kansas.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA, IECA, CCHS/CR, RMACAC
Martha Merrill |
Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid - Connecticut College
Martha Merrill is Dean of Admission & Financial Aid at Connecticut College in
New London, CT. She joined the staff at Connecticut College in 1990 and served in
various capacities within the Advancement Office until 1996 when she joined Admissions.
She served as associate director of admission, director of international admission
and then director of admission until she was named dean of admission & financial
aid in 2001. She received her B.A. in psychology from Connecticut College and completed
the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Management Development Program.
Martha is a member of the board of directors of the Common Application and is currently
serving as President Elect. She has presented at numerous conferences on topics
ranging from “International Diversity on Campus: Is it Worth the Cost?” to “Effectively
Counseling the College Essay”.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC, OACAC, ECIS
Marti White | Dean
of Studies - The Oxford Academy
Marti White is the Dean of Studies at The Oxford Academy, a boarding school for
young men grades 9-PG in Westbrook, CT. With a B.A. from the University of Michigan
and a Masters in Education from St. Joseph College, CT, Mrs. White began her teaching
career at TASIS Hellenic International School in Athens, Greece.
Affiliations: NULL
Mary Ann Willis |
College Counselor
Mary Ann Willis has decades of experience as a college counselor. She has written
on topics related to college admissions and success in college for Off to College,
College Bound and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. She
has made presentations at local, state, regional, and national meetings and conferences,
including ALSCA, AAIS, SACAC and the College Board SRO Forum, as well as serving
on assorted boards and councils. Among these she includes Monster’s Making It Count
Educator Advisory Board, College Bound’s Board of Advisors, and the College Board’s
SRO Council. Having logged thousands of travel miles in these endeavors and in making
personal visits to college campuses, she considers counseling not just as a job,
but as a daily adventure.
Affiliations: NULL
Mary Beth Fry | Director
of College Counseling - Savannah Country Day School
Mary Beth Fry has worked in secondary, independent-school education for 18 years
as an English teacher, and has also served as a college counselor since 1995; she
has been the Director of College Counseling at Savannah Country Day since 2004.
She holds a Master's Degree in English Literature from Middlebury College's
Bread Loaf School of English, and a BA in English/American Literature from Manhattanville
College. Before becoming an educator, Mary Beth worked in children's-book
publishing in New York.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC, NCTE
Mary Hill | Co-Director
of College Counseling - St. Paul Academy & Summit School
Ms. Hill has 25 years experience in both sides of the admission profession. For
ten years she has been active with Minnesota ACAC, receiving the President’s Service
Recognition Award and leading Committees on Membership, Technology and Naviance
User Groups. She is Chair-elect of the College Board Midwest Regional Council and
served as Midwest Representative to the Guidance and Admission Assembly Council.
She was Associate Director at Williams College and Dean of Admission at Colgate
University from 1995-2000. A regional and national conference presenter, she
served nine years on the Common Application Board of Directors representing both
the admissions and counseling sides of the profession.
Affiliations: MACAC, NACAC, ACCIS, Common Application
Matthew Baker | Founder
- Riley Baker Educational Consulting
Matthew Baker is one half of a husband and wife team, Riley Baker Educational Consulting.
Matthew graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1994 with a BS in Education,
and then returned in 1998 for a M.Ed in Special Education. Matthew works with all
types of students helping them in the college admissions process and brings an in-depth
understanding of the student-athlete recruiting process. Matthew has been an educational
consultant since 2001.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA
Maura Kastberg |
Vice President of Client Services - CFAS
Maura Kastberg is the Vice President of Client Services for CFAS. For nearly 15
years she has helped high school students prepare for college, research their career
options, and complete financial aid paperwork.
Affiliations: NULL
Maureen Lawler |
College Counselor - Bishop Kelley High
Maureen is a graduate of the University of Tulsa. She has been one of the
College Counselors at Bishop Kelley for the last 20 years and has extensive experience
with the college admission process, testing (ACT & SAT), and the NCAA.
Affiliations: NACAC, GPACAC, The College Board
Megan Dorsey | SAT
Prep & College Advisor - College Prep LLC
Megan Dorsey is a leading expert in SAT preparation and college advising, specializing
in providing the exact steps and systems needed to achieve peak performance on the
SAT. Megan has her Bachelor's degree from Rice University, Master's in Educational
Psychology & Counseling from University of Houston, and Certification in College
Counseling from UCLA. Megan has enjoyed a 16 year career in education, and understands
the inner-workings of SAT evaluation processes; she graded SAT essays for
the new writing section in 2005. Megan's highly regarded SAT prep course is
taught in person and will launch online in early 2011 along with the publication
of her SAT study guide.
Affiliations: SugarLandSAT
Michael Goran | Director
and Educational Consultant - IvySelect College Counseling
As a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, a former Admissions Interviewer
who has served on the Secondary School Committee at Penn, and the parent of gifted
and highly gifted children, Michael Goran developed a natural affinity for, and
an interest in, working with high-achieving students seeking the best educational
opportunities available at top tier colleges. He is an award-winning writer, a nationally
quoted college-admissions expert, and a Top College Specialist, whose credentials
include the Certificate Program in College Counseling from UCLA. Michael is a graduate
of Emory University School of Law and brings the skill set he honed as a practicing
attorney – advocacy, counseling, research and writing – together with
the specialized background, training and experience of a college admissions consultant
to the selective college admissions process.
Affiliations: HECA, WACAC, NACAC, IECA
Michael Minutello
| College Advisor & Test Prep Tutor - Huntington Learning Center
As an SAT tutor over the last eight years Michael has prepared countless students
to excel on the SAT and beyond by teaching test-specific strategies and strengthening
general reading and math skills. He has also counseled students and their families
on the intricacies of the college admissions process. Michael is now working toward
earning a certificate in college counseling from UCLA Extension and plans on beginning
doctoral studies in the fall.
Affiliations: Greenwich Education Group, UCLA Extension
Michele Hernandez
| President & Founder - HernandezCollegeConsulting.com & ApplicationBootCamp.com
Dr. Michele Hernandez is known as America’s premier college consultant through her
work with high school students and her bestselling books: A is for Admission (Warner),
The Middle School Years (Warner), and Acing the College Application (Ballantine).
She is the president and founder of Hernandez College Consulting (www.HernandezCollegeConsulting.com)
and founder and co-president of Application Boot Camp (www.ApplicationBootCamp.com).
Hernández has been featured in hundreds of newspapers, magazines, radio and television
programs including Newsweek, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal,
The New York Post, Atlantic Monthly, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN,
and MNSNBC and NPR.
Affiliations: ApplicationBootCamp.com, Dartmouth College
Mike Petroff | Web
Manager for Enrollment - Emerson College
Mike Petroff has been working in higher education for six years and is currently
the Web Manager for Enrollment at Emerson College in Boston, MA. He leads lead web
marketing and online recruitment efforts for undergraduate and graduate admission.
He chairs the Social Media Committee at Emerson, working with about 20 other staff
members from a broad range of campus departments to share ideas and implement marketing
initiatives. The Social Media Committee implemented Emerson College's official Facebook
fan page, Twitter account, Flickr account and YouTube EDU channel, all running sustainably
with positive growth and audience engagement. Mike is also a writer for the award-winning
.eduGuru (Internet Marketing and Web Development in Higher Education) blog, covering
topics in marketing, social media, admissions and online communities.
Affiliations: NEACAC
Mitch Clark | Executive
Director - College Sherpa
Mitch Clark (College Sherpa) started his professional career in college admissions
at the University of Utah. He has over 20 years of sales and marketing management
experience with Fortune 500 companies. Leveraging this unique education and
corporate executive background, Mitch positions each student for college admissions
success by creating an individual plan to assist them in making the right college
choices and guiding them through the competitive admissions process. Mitch holds
a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA and is a member of the Higher Education
Consultants Association (HECA), the Wisconsin Association of College Admissions
Counselors (WACAC) and the Wisconsin Career Development Association. College Sherpa
contracts college and career counseling services within the Milwaukee Public School
system and conducts community and school-based workshops on college preparation,
selection, admissions and financial aid.
Affiliations: WACAC, HECA
Mitchell Lipton |
Dean of Admissions & Records Registrar - Cooper Union
Mitchell Lipton currently serves as Dean of Admissions and Records and Registrar
for Cooper Union where he began as an Admissions Officer in 1997. Prior to
joining Cooper Union Mitchell worked at NYU in Residence Life and The Partnership
for The Homeless as an Employment Counselor. He has a Masters Degree in Public
Administration from NYU and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from SUNY Binghamton.
Affiliations: NACAC, NYSACAC, AACRAO, MSAACRAO, NCA, CACNY
Moira O'Riordan |
College Counselor - St. Ignatius High School
Moira O’Riordan is a College Counselor at St. Ignatius High School, the Jesuit preparatory
school in Cleveland. She has been a college counselor for ten years and taught at
the secondary level for five years prior. She holds a Masters Degree in History
and 7-12 teaching certification in Comprehensive Social Studies from John Carroll
University.
Affiliations: JHSCCA, OACAC, NACAC
Monica Inzer | Vice
President & Dean of Admission & Financial Aid - Hamilton College
Monica became Hamilton’s Dean of Admission and Financial Aid in the summer of 2004.
She was formerly dean of undergraduate admission and student financial services
at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. Prior to her position at Babson, Monica was
director of admissions at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., and
held various admission and development positions at Moses Brown School in RI, The
Gunnery School in CT and Muhlenberg College in PA. Though her career adventures
have been rewarding and interesting, not to mention her own liberal arts experience
as a graduate of Skidmore College in NY, Monica credits her own children (Kelsey
(21) and Jack (9)) with teaching her the most important life lessons.
Affiliations: NULL
Myra Smith | Executive
Director, Financial Aid Services - The College Board
Myra Baas Smith is the Executive Director, Financial Aid Services at the College
Board where she is responsible for ensuring that the Institutional Methodology continues
to provide an independent, economically sound measure of a family’s ability to pay
for higher education. She oversees all College Board financial aid programs
and services, including the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE. Prior to coming to the
Board in July of 2005, Myra served as University Director of Financial Aid at Yale
University and Director of Student Financial Services at Smith College. Myra
started her 28-year career in financial aid as Director of Financial Aid at William
Woods College in Fulton, Missouri. She holds a MA from Texas Woman’s University
and a BA from Hope College.
Affiliations: Yale University
Nancy Benedict |
Vice President for Enrollment - Beloit College
Has served as chief enrollment officer for Beloit College since 2001 and before
that, served at Bryn Mawr College (PA) for nearly 25 years in senior positions in
admissions, financial aid, development, and career planning. As vice president for
enrollment and member of senior staff, responsible for strategic policy and practices
for financial aid and merit scholarship programs, and admissions marketing and enrollment
efforts.
Affiliations: NACAC, NAFSA, ETS
Nancy Griesemer |
Founder - College Explorations LLC
Nancy Griesemer is an independent college consultant practicing in Northern Virginia.
A graduate of Penn and Harvard with a certificate in college counseling from UCLA,
Nancy launched College Explorations LLC to help high school students and their families
navigate the college search and application processes. Based on her experiences
working in the field, Nancy began commenting on the practices, oddities, and quirks
of colleges and admissions in her College Explorations Blog and now writes regularly
for the Examiner.com, as the DC College Admissions Examiner.
Affiliations: Examiner.com, NACAC, IECA, HECA, PCACAC
Nancy McDuff | Associate
Vice President for Admissions & Enrollment Management - University of Georgia
Nancy G. McDuff has a 33 year career in higher education, spanning enrollment management,
financial management and admissions. As Associate Vice President for Admissions
and Enrollment Management at the University of Georgia, she directs undergraduate
recruitment, selection, academic scholarships, orientation and enrollment projections
for the almost 35,000 student campus. A graduate of Loyola University, Tulane University,
Harvard IEM program and a Fulbright Scholar, she has served on state, regional and
national committees for both College Board and ACT.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC, ACT
Nancy Meislahn |
Dean of Admission & Financial Aid - Wesleyan University
Nancy Hargrave Meislahn has been dean of admission and financial aid at Wesleyan
since January 2000. Prior to coming to Wesleyan, she was the director of undergraduate
admissions at Cornell University for 15 years. She served on the Ivy League admission
and policy committees and was president of the New York State Association of College
Admissions Counselors, from which she received the inaugural President’s Award for
Excellence in Counseling in 1989. Ms. Meislahn is a member of the US News and World
Report admissions advisory committee, recently on the board of the Test of English
as s Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the National Merit Scholars selection committee.
Nancy is a member of the advisory committee for the College Board Overseas Schools
Project and in that capacity has consulted for the US Department of State since
1996.
Affiliations: TOEFL, National Merit Scholars
Nicole Oringer |
Partner - Ivy Educational Services
Nicole Oringer has a 22 year record of guiding students to schools that suit them
well academically and socially. Nicole received her undergraduate training at Bucknell
University in Education and Psychology and taught elementary school. She then completed
her MA and an EdM in Psychological Counseling at Columbia. Nicole worked as a high school guidance counselor before opening up her private practice in 1995. She has worked with a broad range of
students and has visited hundreds of colleges.
Affiliations: NACAC, NJACAC, IECA, HECA
Nina Marks | Founder
- Marks Education
Educated in India, the United Kingdom, and at Harvard, Nina W. Marks founded Marks
Counseling Associates, LLC an educational counseling and tutoring business,
and a non-profit, Collegiate Directions, Inc. (www.collegiatedirections.inc), which
offers similarly comprehensive support to low-income, first-generation-to-college
students. Previously, she served as Assistant Head and Director of College Guidance
at the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC. Nina has spoken on issues related
to U.S. and international college admissions at national conferences, on PBS' NewsHour,
and on the Diane Rehm Show. For several years she moderated the National Association
for College Admission Counseling's workshops on selective college admission issues
and served on Harvard University's Schools and Scholarships Committee.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC, NCAN, HSICA, Catalogue for Philanthropy
Nitin Sawhney | Director
of Tutoring Services - Marks Education
Over the last thirteen years, Nitin Sawhney has helped thousands of students around
the United States and the world prepare for the PSAT, SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SSAT,
ISEE and SAT Subject tests. In 2006, Nitin started the Tutoring and Test Preparation
Division of Marks Counseling Associates and in 2007, he started the test preparation
division of the non-profit college access foundation Collegiate Directions, Inc.
Nitin has also worked at PrepMatters, Inc., Kaplan, Inc., and at the USDA Graduate
School in Washington, DC, and tutored privately. Nitin tutors full-time and sees
clients in his Bethesda offices and over Skype, from countries including Belgium,
Switzerland, Hong Kong, South Africa and Columbia.
Affiliations: NULL
Nola Lynch | Owner
- Northwest College Search
Nola Healy Lynch, owner of Northwest College Search, is an independent educational
consultant in Bellingham, Washington. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College
(B.A.) and New York University (M.A.). At the School for Creative and Performing
Arts in Cincinnati she established and directed the college resource center, and
she has also worked as a professional editor for major publishers in New York, Washington,
D.C., and Chicago.
Affiliations: PNACAC
Pam Proctor | Author
- The College Hook
Cited as "cheerleader extraordinaire" for college-bound students, Pam empowers students
of all levels from New York to New Delhi to maximize their chances for admission
to colleges and graduate schools of their choice. As author of The College
Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game, she helps students
discover their "hook" – the special activity, interest, or passion that will
catch the eye of admissions officers – and "sell themselves" through the application,
essays, résumé, and interviews. A former senior editor of Parade, Pam
has written 11 nonfiction books, is a sought-after conference speaker, and has appeared
as college admissions expert on TV, radio, and other news media, including U.S.
News & World Report, Newsweek, and the Associated Press.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC, HECA, Overseas Press Club, Teen Writers
Workshop
Pamela Ellis | Founder
- Compass Education Strategies LLC
Pamela Ellis, MBA, PhD, aka ³The Education Doctor,² is the founder of Compass Education
Strategies, LLC. Compass is a private, comprehensive consulting firm that helps
families navigate education options and helps students find and apply to education
settings where they can thrive and graduate. She advises families across the US
who are seeking admission to boarding schools, colleges, and graduate schools. In
addition to advising students and families, Dr. Pamela has over 20 years consulting
experience in the private sector and field of education with state education agencies,
school districts, and higher education. Her advising and client focus is informed
by current education research and professional experience as a researcher and teacher.
Dr. Pamela graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in linguistics,
before earning a Masters of Business Administration from The Tuck School at Dartmouth
College. She completed her PhD from Stanford University School of Education. Her
research publications have focused on African-American males, teacher retention,
and high school transitions.
Affiliations: AERA, IECA, AEA, OACAC
Patricia Gibbs |
Vice President for Student Affiars & Dean of Students - Wesleyan College
Ms. Gibbs is currently serving as the Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of
Students and has also served as the Vice president for Enrollment Services at Wesleyan
College in Macon, Georgia. She has severed as the Dean of Enrollment for Stephens
College in Columbia, Missouri and the Director of Admission and Financial Aid as
well as the Director of Student Life at the College of St. Catherine in Minnesota.
In addition to her administrative roles at these institutions she has also served
as a faculty member, teaching a first year experience course as well as Women’s
Studies courses. Ms. Gibbs has extensive experience working at Women’s Colleges
in the areas of admission, financial aid and student affairs. The natural combination
of enrollment and student affairs has served her well in her working relationships
with students, faculty and staff. A recipient of a Bush Foundation Faculty Development
Grant, entitled, “Exploring Diverse Lifestyles: Educating the Campus Community to
Increase Awareness.” In addition, Ms. Gibbs has a wide-ranging list of professional
presentations during her 24 years in higher education adminstration.
Affiliations: Stephens College, College of St. Catherine
Patricia Tamborello
| College Counselor - Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
Patricia Tamborello has a Masters of Education in Secondary School Counseling from
West Chester University. As a School Counselor at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School,
her primary responsibility is college counseling. She is a Past-President of The
Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling and currently serves on
the conference planning committee. She is an active member of the National Association
for College Admission Counseling and have been a member of the Professional Development
Committee. She has presented many sessions about the college admission process with
the most recent one at NACAC National College Fair in Philadelphia in the fall of
2010.
Affiliations: PACAC, NACAC, PDC
Patricia Young |
Independent Counselor - College Advising Services
Having advised hundreds of students for over 20 years, Patricia became knowledgeable
about college placement for those in the top of the class and those in the bottom,
athletes, musicians, artists, special-needs students, and more. Having taken a leave
of absence to work for the Department of Defence Dependents' Schools for one year,
she came to understand the special needs of US students living abroad. Patricia
enjoys working with military families as well as foreign students who come to the
US with aspirations of attending college. Lastly, Patricia relates to parents on
a one-to-one basis because she has been through the process herself.
Affiliations: NACAC
Patti Demoff | Co-Founder
- College Circuit
Patti Demoff, co-founder of College Circuit, and an independent college counselor
for twenty-three years, works privately with students in Southern California and
nationally. She is a former regional admissions officer for Mills College. An advocate
for higher education access for all students, Patti counsels underserved students
through the Constitutional Rights Foundation and Camp College, and makes regional
and national presentations on the college process.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC
Paulette Jones |
School Counselor - LMHC New York State
Paulette Jones is a graduate of Teachers College Columbia University Department
Of Clinical and Counseling Psychology, College Of New Rochelle Department of Teaching
with a Masters of Science In Learning Disabilities. Paulette Jones was a High School
Guidance Counselor for the NYC Department of High school Education from 1997 to 2010.
Before Counseling she was a Special Education Teacher for 17 Years. Paulette is
also a Therapist as she is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor for New York State.
Currently, she has a Private Practice in Manhattan and belongs to 21 insurance panels.
In April 2010 Paulette was awarded the Thomas W. Clawson’s award for outstanding
Clinical Service. She is only the second person to receive this award in its 50
year history. She has served as a Counselor for City College and Touro College.
After 911 Paulette became a member of The American Red Cross and New York Medical
Corp. Clinical Division.
Affiliations: ACA, NYSCA
Peggy Hock | Educational
Consultant - UC Berkeley
Peggy Hock received her Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. She was the
director of college counseling at a private, college preparatory high school for
many years. Following her "retirement", she maintains an independent educational
consulting practice and teaches in the college counseling certificate programs at
UC Berkeley extension and UCLA extension (online). She also works part-time as the
learning specialist at Kehillah Jewish High School. She serves on the Western Association
of College Admissions Counseling executive board, as co-chair of the technology
committee and delegate to the NACAC assembly.
Affiliations: UCLA, WACAC, NACAC, HECA
Penny Deck | College
Counselor - Maggie Walker Governor's School
Penny Deck is a College Counselor at Maggie Walker Governor’s School, a selective
high school in Richmond, Virginia that offers a rigorous and accelerated college
preparatory program. She received her B.A. from the University of Virginia and her
M.Ed. from Virginia Commonwealth University. Penny is also the founder of Champion
College Counseling, where she works one-on-one with students assisting them with
all phases of the college admissions process. She is also a parent of three college-age
children, including an athlete and an artist, and thus has seen how important it
is for student’s with unique talents to find the right college fit.
Affiliations: Champion College Counseling
Peter Brass | Director
of Student Services & University Advisor - St. John's Ravenscourt School
Peter is a Canadian who has worked in independent schools in Quebec and Manitoba
since the mid-1970s. Over the course of his career he has worked with thousands
of students interested in post secondary education in colleges and universities
at home in Canada, in the U.S. as well as around the world. He is currently Director
of Student Services and University Advisor at Western Canada's oldest day and boarding
school renown for its academic excellence - St. John's-RavenscourtSchool located
in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Affiliations: NACAC, NEACAC, NAIS, SEL, ASCD
Philip Ballinger
| Director of Admissions & Assistant VP of Enrollment - University of Washington
Philip has been a college admission professional for over 20 years, having
worked at both private and public institutions of higher education. He currently
serves as Dean of Faculty for the College Board Western Region’s Summer Institute
for new admission professionals, as Chair of the College Board’s Advanced Placement
Advisory Committee, and as an elected member of the College Board’s national College
and Admissions Guidance Council. Philip is a primary author of the holistic application
review process used at the University of Washington, a process that takes applicants’
educational and socio-economic contexts strongly into consideration. In addition
to a book on the Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, Philip has written extensively
on college admission and enrollment issues. His recent works include an essay in
College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions Frenzy (Harvard University Press,
2005), and a chapter on the use of socio-economic factors in selective college admissions
in Key Issues in New Student Enrollment (Jossey-Bass, 2007). Philip has spoken extensively
on college admissions in view of demographic shifts in the United States, and recently
completed work as a member of the Commission on the Use of Standardized Tests in
Undergraduate Admissions.
Affiliations: NULL
Rachel Smith-Vaughan
| College Guidance Counselor - American Nicaraguan School
Rachael Smith-Vaughan has been the College Guidance Counselor of the American Nicaraguan
School for eleven years. During which time she has been published in various
journals for higher education, is a member of NACAC and OACAC and sits on the CIS
Latin American Committee. Prior to working as a College Guidance Counselor
Rachael worked as an attorney in the US.
Affiliations: NACAC, OACAC, CIS Latin American Committee
Rachel Winston |
President - Educators with a Vision
Rachel Winston (B.S., M.A., M.S., Ph.D.-2011) is the President of Educators with
a Vision - College Counseling Center, Irvine, CA where she advises high school through
graduate school students primarily from California and Texas through the application,
admission, and athletic recruitment process. As an honors student and scholarship
award winner in UT Austin’s Community College Leadership Program, her dissertation
focuses on graduate school retention, persistence, and graduation. Outside of counseling
she teaches college counseling through UCLA’s College Counseling Certificate Program
and is a professor of mathematics at Cerro Coso College (10 years) and Orange Coast
College (25 years).
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, WACAC
Rachelle Wolosoff
| Founder - CollegeSearchExpert.com
Dr. Rachelle Wolosoff is the founder of College Search Expert, a college advisor,
counselor and educational consultant (www.CollegeSearchExpert.com). She is an award
winning educator who helps students through the college search, application essay
and admissions process. She successfully works with college bound students,
no matter where they are located using the Internet.
Affiliations: IECA , HECA, Hofstra University adjunct professor, National
Board Certified Teachers member (NBPTS), National College Advocacy Group (NCAG)
Ralph Becker | Owner
& Director - Ivy College Prep LLC
Ralph Becker is co-founder and director of Ivy College Prep, LLC, a college counseling
and test preparation service located in Tustin, California. He received his certificate
in college counseling from UCLA Extension in 2006 and is currently in his 6th admissions
cycle. Ralph Becker writes a weekly column on college admissions for the Kyocharo
America newspaper, in English and Korean, and posts on his blog. A former Yale Alumni
interviewer, Becker received his MBA from UCLA. Becker authored two vocabulary workbooks,
The Ultimate and Nonpareil SAT Vocabulary Builder Book A, and Book B.
Affiliations: WACAC, HECA
Ralph Figueroa |
Director of College Guidance - Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico
Ralph Figueroa is Director of College Guidance at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico.
He was formerly Associate Dean of Admission at Wesleyan University in Connecticut,
and Assistant Director of Admission at Occidental College in California. Mr. Figueroa
had a degree in American Studies from Stanford University and a J.D. degree from
UCLA.
Affiliations: NACAC, RMACAC,
Rebecca Joseph |
Executive Director & Founder - Get Me To College
Dr. Rebecca Joseph is committed to providing high quality education to all students.
A former urban English teacher, she received her BA at Harvard, her teaching credential
and masters at Towson University, and her PhD at UCLA. She also holds a Certificate
in College Counseling from UCLA. An Associate Professor at California State University,
Los Angeles, she believes that college should be an option for all and devotes her
teaching, research, presentations, evaluations, and service to helping all students
qualify for and receive a high quality, college ready education. She also helps
students and schools focus on empowering students throughout the college readiness,
application, and admissions process. She is an expert on helping students write
powerful college application essays to communicate their unique stories. Dr. Joseph
is also committed to helping teachers, counselors, school and community leaders
develop a stronger understanding of how to encourage all students to succeed in
and out of school and to develop the skills and traits necessary for success in
college and in life. She is increasingly being invited to address groups across
the state, country and Canada about college access, especially powerful college
application essays.
Affiliations: Cal State LA, NACAC, WACAC, UCLA
Rene Bickley | Director
of College Counseling - The Hammond School
Rene is a member of administrative staff at Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina
where she has served as Director of College Counseling for the last seven years.
She has served as the South Carolina’s State Initiative Chair since 2008; and as
co-chair of the annual SC SACAC Drive In Workshop for the past three years. Rene
has also served on the Conference Awards and Nominations Committee two years and
the Conference Program Committee one year, while presenting at six of the last seven
SACAC annual conferences. She completed a two year term on UNC/Chapel Hill’s Counselor
Advisory Team (C-CATs) and a two year term on Converse College’s Advisory Board.
Currently, Rene is on the College Counselor Advisory Board at the University of
South Carolina, on the Furman University High School Counselor Board, and on the
South Carolina Commission on Higher Education Scholarship Appeals Committee.
Affiliations: NULL
Ric Stackpole | Assistant
Dean of Student Affairs & Support Services - University of Cincinnati
Richard C. Stackpole is the current Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Support
Services and Director of the Undergraduate Student Services Center at the College
of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati.
Previous experiences include academic advising, admissions, records, registration,
retention, financial aid and student life at small private colleges and public universities.
Affiliations: NACAC, OACAC
Ricki Sara Bennett
| VP, Product Development - COLLEGEdata
Ricki has more than 25 years experience in the admissions field. Prior to joining
COLLEGEdata 10 years ago, she was the Director of Communications for Undergraduate
Admissions and Outreach at the University of California Office of the President,
responsible for educating prospective students, parents, and counselors about UC
admission and financial aid. COLLEGEdata is a college planning website provided
as a free service by 1st Financial Bank USA.
Affiliations: NACAC
Robert Mansueto |
Director of University Counselling - Chinese International School in Hong Kong
Mr. Mansueto has over 35 years of experience in American and International Education.
He has served in Admissions as counselor, assistant and associate director at various
institutions including Monmouth University, George Washington University and Oberlin
College. Mr, Mansueto later held the position of Dean of Admission at Reed College
for thirteen years and Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at the University
of Vermont. Following his work in higher education administration, he held the post
of Director of College Counseling and History Teacher at the York School in Monterey,
California, and in September of 1999 was appointed Director of University Counselling
at Chinese International School in Hong Kong, a position that he currently holds.
Mr. Mansueto earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Drew University,
and completed graduate work in the School of Public and International Affairs at
George Washington University.
Affiliations: NAFSA, OACAC, NACAC, AACRAO, CAIS, PNACAC, CIS
Robin Boren | Founder
- The College Doctor LLC
Dr. Robin Boren, The College Doctor, LLC, provides a comprehensive college advising
program for families specializing in reducing the anxiety of the college admissions
process while helping students evaluate their priorities and personal learning style.
She was a high school counselor and school psychologist with 30+ years in education.
Robin offers both proactive directions for students’ academic, social/emotional,
and post-secondary growth as well as creative and dynamic counselor workshops.
Affiliations: RMACAC, NACAC,
Robin Groelle | Founder
- CollegeCounselling.com
Robin S. Groelle has a Master’s Degree in Counseling with over twenty-five years
of experience in college admissions and directing College Counseling programs in
schools in the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. She has personally assisted
over 1,000 students with their journey from high school to college. Although many
of these students have attended some of the most selective institutions in the U.S.,
her focus is matching each student’s attributes, interests, and goals with the learning
and living environment of the colleges.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC, WACAC, NEACAC, ACT Council
Robin Revis-Pyke
| Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid - Montverde Academy
Dr. Robin Revis-Pyke is Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Montverde Academy.
She received her Doctorate of Philosophy from Barry University in Leadership and
Education. Dr. Revis-Pyke is a published author and serves as a reviewer for scholarly
educational journals.
Affiliations: AERA, NAIS, FCIS, SSATB, ISEE, TABS
Roby Blust | Dean
of Admissions & Enrollment Planning - Marquette University
Roby Blust currently serves as the Dean of Admissions and Enrollment Planning at
Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, where he has been for the past 13+ years.
Roby has over 27 years of experience in the admissions field, and has served as
the chief admissions officer at Loyola University Chicago, Regis University in Denver,
and Edgewood College in Madison, in addition to Marquette. He holds a bachelor’s
degree from Brown University, and a masters degree from St. Louis University.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, CJAD, WAICU, CRN
Robyn Moreth | Independent
Educational Consultant
Robyn T. Moreth, Independent Educational Consultant, has fifteen years of experience
in education. A former Spanish teacher, Ms. Moreth entered the field of counseling
with the specific goal of helping students and their families with their post-high
school plans. She holds a Master of Arts degree in School Counseling and Guidance
and has worked as both a generalist and college/career counselor in two Illinois
high schools in Township High School District 214. She has professional membership
in the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), National Association
for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the Higher Education Consultants Association
(HECA).
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, HECA
Rod Skinner | Director
of College Counseling - Milton Academy
Rod is currently Director of College Counseling at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts.
In his 30+ years in secondary education, he has worked at schools in Boston, Connecticut,
California, and Florida. Rod has also chaired the Admission Practices Committee
for National Association for College Admission Counseling. While in Florida, he
directed the SACAC Summer Institute for Secondary School Counselors. Presently,
Rod teaches on the faculty of the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions,
chairs the Oversight Committee at The Mountain School in Vershire, Vermont, and
serves on the Executive Committee of the Common Application.
Affiliations: SACAC, Common Application
Roland Allen | Director
of College Counseling - St. Margaret's Episcopal School
Mr. Roland Allen has been the Director of College Counseling at St. Margaret's Episcopal
School since 2004. In addition, he teaches Philosophy and Ethics in the Upper School,
is a faculty advisor and chairs the diversity steering committee. Mr. Allen has
over 25 years of previous college counseling and has built a national reputation
in the field of College Counseling. He has admissions experience at a number of
institutions, including Westmont College, Colby College, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Stanford University, The Branson School and Sidwell Friends School.
He actively participates in professional organizations, including the College Board,
National Association for College Admission Counseling, Western Association for College
Admission Counseling and the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools.
Affiliations: White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, College
Summit, NACAC, WACAC, ACCIS
Rondalynne McClintock
| College Counselor - Claremont Graduate University
Rondalynne McClintock wants to change the world by changing the way students fund
post secondary education. She believes that there are enough resources for
anyone who wants them. “The money is out there, you just have to know how to ask
for it!” Rondalynne McClintock is currently a PhD student in the Information Systems
& Technology program at Claremont Graduate University . She holds a Bachelor
of Science degree in Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master of Arts degree
in Education from the Claremont Graduate University. Rondalynne McClintock founded
the Scholarship Club in 2005. At the Scholarship Club, students learn techniques
for finding and winning scholarships, fellowships, and grants. They write
essays, study past scholarship winners, evaluate scholarship opportunities, and
learn the things Scholarship judges look for in an application.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, NAAMCP
Ruth Vedvik | Principal
- Hardwick Day Inc.
Ruth Vedvik has worked for 35 years in the college admission and financial aid industry
and for the past 9 years (respectively) as a principal at Hardwick-Day, an enrollment
consulting firm that works with the admission and financial aid offices of private
colleges and universities. Ruth has extensive experience in both the public and
private sectors, serving as the Director of Admission at Ball State University,
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Agnes Scott College. She began
her career as an admission counselor at Gustavus Adolphus College. In her extensive
consulting practice, Ruth has assisted colleges and universities with recruitment,
selection, communication and the development and implementation of financial aid
policy.
Affiliations: NACAC
Samia Ferraro | Independent
College Counselor - College Connection
Samia Ferraro, M.Ed has been advising students and their families in South Florida
as an independent college counselor for 16 years. Her earlier professional experiences
as a high school classroom teacher, dean of students and International Baccalaureate
coordinator have given her the skills to connect with students and the knowledge
to help them navigate the increasingly complex maze of college admissions.
Affiliations: NACAC, SACAC, HECA, IECA
Sandra Bryant | Assistant
Professor - Regent University
Sandra has been teaching classes, both traditional face-to-face, on stage, and online
for over 10 years. She began teaching as a Corporate Trainer. She developed, designed
and implemented training programs for corporations and governments delivered to
and for their employees. She’s been teaching in the academic world for over 6 years
and enjoys the mix of theory and practice. She volunteers with the local Children's
Hospital, my local church, the International Salute to NATO, Virginia Arts Festival,
and the Norfolk International Azalea Festival to name a few.
Affiliations: Old Dominion University,
Sandra Farris | College
Counselor - Indian Hill High School
Sandra is currently a College and School Counselor at Indian Hill High School, where
she has been for 14 years. Before that, she was Guidance Director and College
Counselor at Roger Bacon High School in Cincinnati, OH. I’ve been an Adjunct
Instructor in the Graduate Counseling Program at Xavier University for the past
ten years, teaching classes in the field of School Counseling. She co-developed
at course called Introduction to College Counseling there, which is offered as an
elective in the graduate school.
Affiliations: ACT, NACAC, OACAC
Sandy Furth | College
Advisor - World Student Support
Sandy Furth has a MS Degree from University of Utah with course work in Educationally
Handicapped from the University of Colorado. In addition, she has her College Counseling
Certificate from UCLA. Sandy has taught for over 20 years in Colorado, Japan, Malaysia
and England with experience as a regular educator as well as a Learning Disabilities
specialist. Sandy remains active in her community, volunteering with College Summit
and sits on the board of an IB World School for students who are twice exceptional.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, CHADD, LDA IDA, AAIE
Sarah Hernandez |
Director of the Office of Diversity Programs in Engineering - Cornell University
Sara Xayarath Hernández is the Director of the office of Diversity Programs in Engineering
at Cornell University. In her current position, Hernández oversees strategic efforts
to outreach, recruit, retain, and develop underrepresented populations in engineering
at Cornell University. This includes facilitating access and success programs targeting
pre-college, undergraduate, graduate student populations. She also has several years
of experience in undergraduate admissions having previously worked as an independent
admissions counselor and as an admissions professional at Cornell University, Lake
Forest College, San Diego State University, and Ohio Wesleyan University.
Affiliations: NACAC, NYSACAC, ASEE, NADOHE, NAMEPA, WEPN
Scott Hamilton |
Founder - Future Stars College Counseling Center
Scott Hamilton has operated Future Stars College Counseling Center in Sacramento,
California since 1998. Having coached hundreds of students to college admissions
success, Scott is an expert in the application process and helping students discover
the right college match. Scott was lead instructor for the UC Davis Extension College
Counseling Certificate program and serves on the board for the Higher Education
Consultants Association.
Affiliations: HECA
Scott White | Director
of Guidance - Montclair High School
Scott White is a national leader in the field of college counseling. He has
worked in the field for over 30 years. He is presently the Director of Guidance
at Montclair High School in NJ and has previously held positions as Director of
College Counseling at Montclair Kimberley Academy in NJ, Director of Admissions
and College Counseling at the McBurney School in Manhattan, Assistant Director of
Admissions at Bard College and Assistant Director of Admissions at the Oakwood School
in New York State. Mr. White has been a Keynote Speaker, with Jacques Steinberg,
NY Times writer and author of “The Gatekeepers, at numerous events. He has
lectured and led panels at National Conferences for college admissions on a wide
variety of topics, including athletic recruiting, legal issues in admissions, counseling
of learning disabled students, among many others. He has numerous publications
in professional jourmals, and is regularly quoted in national publications including
the NY Times, the Washington Post, Newsweek Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, the
Wall St. Journal, the Boston Globe and the LA Times. Mr. White was interviewed
for the ABC Nightly News and the CBS Radio Network. He is one of the authors
of the only gradual level text for college counseling, Fundamentals of College Counseling.
He was the only public school counselor on the National Association of College
Admissions Counseling (NACAC)’s Admissions Standard Steering Committee, a group
that rewrote the rules governing college admissions.
Affiliations: NACAC
Shelley Krause |
Co-Director of College Counseling - Rutgers Preparatory School
Shelley Krause began her work helping students find their learning “tribes” while
serving in the admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania, more years ago
now than she typically likes to admit. A graduate of Brown University (B.A.) and
the University of Pennsylvania (MS.Ed.), Shelley has also taught English, and is
grateful that her current school setting gives her the opportunity to get to know
and work with a wonderful group of engaging and inspiring young people. She has
expertise in the intersection of social media and learning, as well as essay writing,
storytelling, and the transfer process. Shelley tries to empower purposeful networks
wherever she goes, is the lead curator of the College Lists Wiki, and can be found
on Twitter at @butwait.
Affiliations: NACAC, NJACAC, collegelists.pbworks.com
Shelly Levine | Certified
Educational Planner - College Bound
Shelley Levine, a Certified Educational Planner, has been helping high school
students and their parents navigate through the college admission process for over
20 years. Founder of MATHWORKS, Shelley is an expert in the area of standardized
test preparation. Shelley is a Professional Member of Independent Educational
Consultants Association and a Member of National Association of College Admissions
Counseling. Shelley has received a Certificate in College Counseling through
UCLA graduate school extension program. Shelley has written for the
Washington Jewish Week, has been a speaker at local college fairs and many area
high schools, and has been featured on ABC Nightly News and an AP online video production.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, HECA
Stacey Kostell |
Director of Undergraduate Admissions - University of Illinois
Stacey Kostell is the Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She started her position as director in July
2004. Ms. Kostell oversees the recruitment and admissions selection process for
a freshman class of approximately 7,000 and a transfer class of 1,500 each year.
Affiliations: NACAC, AACRAO
Stephanie Campbell
| Executive Director - Bright Prospect
Stephanie Campbell is the Executive Director of Bright Prospect, a community-based
college access and success organization serving high schools in and near Pomona,
CA. Bright Prospect programming results in students achieving outstanding rates
of college retention and graduation. Bright Prospect staff participate actively
in SoCalCAN (Southern California College Access Network), NCAN and NSPA. Prior to
helping to found Bright Prospect, Ms. Campbell taught Spanish for many years and
is the author of Cuentos de Ensalada: A Soap Opera for Spanish 1 & 2.
Affiliations: SCCAN, NCAN, NSPA
Stephanie Meade |
Owner - The Collegiate Edge
Stephanie Meade has been helping teenagers prepare for and apply to college for
over twenty years. She advises students on all aspects of the college preparation,
selection and application process, and owns The Collegiate Edge, which provides
a superior approach to standardized test preparation and long-term academic support.
She is a graduate of Stanford University.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, IECA, HECA, CHADD
Steve Blanchard |
Assistant Head of School for Advancement - Wasatch Academy
Steve Blanchard has more than 35 years of experience in the field of education.
He earned his BA in European History from Oklahoma City University and his
M.Ed. in Secondary Education Administration from the University of North Texas.
In his career, he has served as Headmaster at three schools increasing their
enrollments, raising endowments, and developing strategic plans. He has won
numerous honors and distinctions as well, including receiving the prestigious Bretnall
Award from the SSATB, and being elected to distinguished positions in the
National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, the Country Day Headmaster
Association, and the Executive Committee of the Georgia Independent School Association.
The NAIS appointed Mr. Blanchard to their Admissions Committee, where he served
from 1987-1992, and as a Multicultural Assessment Evaluator and visiting Chair,
a responsibility that he held from 1985-1996.
Affiliations: NULL
Steve Loflin | Founder
& CEO - NSCS
Steve Loflin is the founder and CEO of The National Society of Collegiate
Scholars (NSCS). Originally from South Carolina, Steve attended the University of
South Carolina, receiving a B.S. in Business Administration Marketing. Upon graduation,
Steve attended Florida State University where he received an M.S. in Higher Education
Administration with an emphasis on College Student Development. Steve has held professional
positions at the University of North Florida, The George Washington University,
Georgetown University and the Semester at Sea Program. In 1994, Steve founded NSCS
to recognize students who had been successful during their first years in college
and to provide members with an opportunity to take a leadership role in an organization
devoted to scholarship, integrity and service.
Affiliations: NULL
Steve Thomas | Director
of Admissions - Colby College
Steve Thomas currently serves as Director of Admissions at Colby College in Maine
and has worked in education for 34 years, 11 in Independent schools as a teacher
and administrator and 23 in college admissions. He holds a bachelors degree from
North Carolina State University and a masters degree from Wesleyan University. He
has attended the Brown University Teaching Institute, the Harvard University Admissions
Institute, and serves on the Council of Advisors of College of the Atlantic and
the Afghan Student Initiative. He is raising two daughters, Bailey (19) and Sara
(14) on the banks of the Damariscotta River in Maine and loves to ride his bicycle
very long distances.
Affiliations: CACAASI
Steven Graff | Sr.
Higher Education Professional - The College Board
A senior higher education professional on the staff of the College Board, he currently
serves as a product director for three data-based enrollment services. He holds
a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University
and has over 40 years of experience working at and consulting with hundreds of institutions
of higher education across the country. Prior to joining the College Board he held
positions in enrollment and student affairs at the College of Wooster (OH) and Case
Western Reserve University (OH).
Affiliations: R&A Data Services
Sue Enis | Director
of College Counseling - RASG Hebrew Academy
Sue has served as a College Counselor for over twenty five years, mostly in the
private sector. Prior to moving to Florida ten years ago, she was the Director of
College Counseling at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, in New
Jersey. Presently, she is the Director of College Counseling at RASG Hebrew Academy
in Miami Beach, Florida.
Affiliations: SACAC, NACAC
Susan Chiarolanzio
| Director of College Counseling - Flint Hill School
A graduate of both Lafayette College where she earned an AB in History and Teachers
College, Columbia University where she earned an MA in Higher and Adult Education,
Susan began her career in college admissions as an admission counselor at Gettysburg
College before working at Drew University and Georgetown University. After ten years
on the college side of the admission process she transitioned to the high school
setting and has spent the last twelve years working closely with students and their
families as they navigate the college search and application process at Flint Hill
School. She is the author of Barron's Head Start to College Planning, an introduction
to the college search process.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC, ACCIS
Susan Marrs | Director
of College Counseling - Seven Hills School
After teaching English, first at the University of Cincinnati and then at the Seven
Hills School, Susan joined the Seven Hills’ College Counseling team and became its
Director in 1981. She is also Director of Studies for grades 6-12 and Assistant
Head of School.
Affiliations: NACAC
Susan Reznick | Independent
Educational Consultant - The College Connection
Suzan Reznick has advised hundreds of families through the college search and application
process over the last decade. When not working with students, she spends her
time visiting colleges all over the country; she has been on close to three hundred
campuses. Prior to her career in college counseling, Suzan spent a dozen years
teaching at community colleges after receiving her MA from Columbia in Educational
Psychology.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, HECA, NYSACAC
Susan Smith | Educational
Consultant - Bedford Educational Consulting
In addition to more than twenty years of high school and private guidance work,
Susan has tutored learning disabled students at Iona College, has been on the staff
of The Therapy Center in Bedford Hills, NY and has been a presenter at the National
Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) workshops and numerous local
ones. Her corporate clients include Sunburst Communications, Human Relations Media
and American Express. Susan has taught elementary school, owned and directed a day
care center, researched and written for children’s television and produced an award-winning
short film. More currently, she has been volunteering at the High School for Arts,
Imagination and Inquiry on the Martin Luther King Campus in New York City, setting
up and reinforcing a college culture for inner-city students. She has recently
written a grant and received funding to bring computers to her students for use
in a guidance lab for college applications.
Affiliations: NACAC, NYSACAC, NYSSCA, ACA, HECA
Susan Sykes | President
- SS Advisor
Susan Sykes is an educational consultant in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St.
Paul. After a career as a teacher and college counselor in an independent
school she "retired" and continues to help students find the best college fit. Each
year she visits and re-visits colleges, attends conferences, and dives into college
web sites.
Affiliations: IECA, NACAC, MACAC
Susie Watts | College
Consultant - College Direction
Susie is a college consultant in Denver, Colorado and the founder of College
Direction. She has been assisting high school students with their college
search, applications and essays, college visits and interviews for more than twenty
years. She is also a test prep coach for the SAT and ACT.
Affiliations: NACAC, HECA, RMACAC, CCHSCR, CCC
Suzanne Petrusch
| Vice President for Enrollment Management - St. Mary's University
Suzanne Petrusch is the Vice President for Enrollment Management at St. Mary’s University
in San Antonio where she oversees the Offices of Undergraduate Admission, Financial
Assistance, Enrollment Marketing, and Retention Management. Enrolled in a doctoral
program in Educational Leadership at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Suzanne
sees the relationship between her work and her studies where she examines issues
related to the college choice process, student success, and persistence to graduation.
Suzanne also consults for Noel-Levitz from her position at St. Mary’s University,
specializing in undergraduate and graduate student enrollment, campus marketing,
and strengthening enrollment through new technologies.
Affiliations: NRCCUA, NCCAA, AACRAO, AMA, NACAC, TACAC
Suzanne Shaffer |
Founder - Parents Countdown to College Coach
Suzanne Shaffer is the founder and creator of Parents Countdown to College Coach
and also the College Preparation Expert for CollegeParenting.com. Being a
parent herself, she helps parents prepare and navigate the college maze by connecting
them with the right information and the right experts.
Affiliations: College Money Insider Blog, CollegeParenting.com, Galtime.com
Sylvia Correa | College
Counselor - Northwood University
Sylvia Correa has worked in Higher Education at both public and private universities
for nearly 15 years. She works with traditional undergraduate populations as well
as with working adults and graduate students. Her areas of interest and expertise
include Student Retention, Student Financial aid and Online marketing and Social
Media.
Affiliations: AACRAO, NACAC, NASFA
Teresa Church | Assistant
Director of Admissions Communications and Marketing - Boise State University
Teresa Church is Assistant Director of Admissions Communications and Marketing at
Boise State University where she has worked since 1995. A fourth generation Oregonian,
Teresa holds a Master of Science degree from University of Oregon in Educational
Policy and Management as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oregon State University
in Technical Journalism.
Affiliations: PACRAO, AACRAO, IACRAO, PNACAC, OrACRAO
Terri Williams |
Admissions Recuiter - Baltimore City Community College
Terri has been an Admissions Recruiter with Baltimore City Community College for
the past 10 years. Prior to that she was a Guidance Counselor in the School System
for 6 years. Currently, she is in charge of the Student Ambassador Recruitment Program.
Affiliations: NACAC, PCACAC, PACE
Todd Fothergill |
Founder - Strategies For College
Todd Fothergill has been providing financial aid counseling for over 21 years to
parents, students and financial services professionals. As a provider of continuing
education to the CPA and CFP professions, Todd is well recognized for his expertise
in college financial planning. He is the Founder of Strategies For College,
Inc. and co-creator of The College Search GamePLAN.
Affiliations: HECA, NACAC, NCAG
Todd Johnson | Founder
- College Admissions Partners
For the past 11 years Todd Johnson has provided college admissions counseling to
students throughout the United States and internationally. He attended Northwestern
University and St. Olaf College for his undergraduate work and graduated from the
law school at Washington University in St. Louis. Todd works with a wide range of
students although he has a focus on helping students applying to BS/MD programs.
His blog, College Admissions Counseling, reaches tens of thousands of students each
month. He is the author of “BS/MD Programs-The Complete Guide: Getting into Medical
School from High School”.
Affiliations: IECA, HECA, NACAC, MNACAC
Tony Bankston | Dean
of Admissions - Illinois Wesleyan University
During his eighteen year career, Tony Bankston has sat on numerous panels advising
school boards on the use of class rank in selective college admission, been active
in the national dialogue on the use of standardized testing and test-optional policies
in college admission, and presented on everything from the liberal arts and selective
college admission to essay writing and the college decision process. Tony currently
sits on the Admissions Practices Committee for the Illinois Association for College
Admission Counseling (IACAC) and recently finished his third term as a college delegate
to the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC), serving as
chief delegate in 2008 and 2009. He was also the head men's and women's soccer coach
at Illinois Wesleyan from 1994 to 2000.
Affiliations: NACAC, IACAC
Troy Hammond | Director
of University Counselling - Bayview Glen School
This is Troy's ninth year as the Director of University Counselling at Bayview Glen
School, and his 12th year working in such a capacity. He earned his Bachelor of
Arts with Honours from Trent University (Peterborough, Ontario), Bachelor of Education
from Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario), and Certificate in College Counseling
from UCLA. In addition to being a qualified high school History and Visual Art teacher,
Troy has obtained his Guidance Specialist qualifications from Queen’s. Along with
teaching, he has been a Social Sciences Department Head and a marketing analyst
responsible for international student recruitment. Within the school setting he
is quite active as a coach and as a committee volunteer (ranging from professional
development, spirit & leadership to strategic planning).
Affiliations: NACAC, CISC, NYACAC, NEACAC, OSCA
Vanessa Roth | Founder
& Director - Scholar's Station
Vanessa is the founder and director of Scholar's Station, a comprehensive academic
support company, offering academic tutoring, standardized test prep, college advising,
essay assistance, and study skills workshops and tutoring in the San Francisco Bay
Area. As an independent adviser, Vanessa has assisted hundreds of students in all
aspects of the college planning process. She graduated with honors from the University
of California, Berkeley with a degree in English and holds certificates in both
Professional Editing and College Admissions and Career Planning.
Affiliations: NACAC, WACAC, HECA
Wayne Camara | Vice
President of Research and Development - The College Board
Wayne J. Camara is vice president of research and development of a variety of testing
programs at the College Board, including the SAT, AP, CLEP, and Accuplacer. He
is president of the National Coincil on Measurement in Education, and serves on
advisory panels for several state, national and professional assessments programs.
He is a fellow of several national scientific organizations in psychology
and education and author of books and research studies on issues ranging from test
validity, group differences, and ethical issues in the use of assessments.
Affiliations: National Council on Measurement in Education
Wendy Williams |
Educational Consultant - Williams Educational Resources
Wendy Williams, M.A., has been an influential part in assisting families throughout
the United States by helping students with their educational options since 1997. Wendy
graduated from Kennesaw State University with a B.S. in Psychology and received
a master’s degree in Professional Psychology, specializing in Counseling from Argosy
University. She practices in the Atlanta area and is a partner of Griest & Williams
Educational Resources, LLC. Griest & Williams specializes in Day School, Boarding,
College and Graduate Admissions. In addition, they are a Flex Test site for the
Secondary Schools Admissions Test.
Affiliations: IECA, LDAG, SACAC, HECA
Whitney Bruce | Independent
College Counselor - Accpeted.com
Whitney Bruce has worked in college admissions since 1996. She has served as an
Senior Assistant Director of Admissions (Washington U), Application Reader (University
of Michigan), Assistant Director of College Counseling (private prep school in St.
Louis), and an independent college counselor. She estimates that she has evaluated
more than 15,000 college applications.
Affiliations: NULL
Wynne Curry | College
Advisor - Seven Hills School
Wynn has a B.A. from Kenyon College in French literature and language as well as
a M.A. from Middlebury in French lit and language. She has been in independent school
college counseling and guidance for 30 years. She is also a member of NACAC and
has attended the Blackberry River Retreat on counseling techniques numerous times.
Affiliations: NACAC
Yolanda Watson Spiva
| Executive Director - Project GRAD Atlanta
Dr. Yolanda L. Watson Spiva serves as the Executive Director for the non-profit
organization, Project GRAD Atlanta. Project GRAD Atlanta collaborates with the Atlanta
Public School system in order to increase the number of students graduating from
high school and college. Prior to joining Project GRAD, Dr. Spiva served as
the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs at Trinity College for Women in Washington,
D.C., Director of Research and Programs for the American Association of University
Women in Washington, D.C., as well in various capacities within the U.S. Department
of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (Washington, D.C.) and the Region
IV Office of the Secretary’s Regional Representative (Atlanta, GA). Dr. Spiva
has also consistently been engaged as a consultant with a number of institutions
of higher education and support organizations affiliated with academe.
Affiliations: Ron Clark Academy, Oglethorpe University Center, GA Partnership
for Excellence in Education