harvard summer institute on college admissions 2018 · 2018-06-05 · institute’s leadership for...
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HARVARD SUMMER INSTITUTE ON COLLEGE ADMISSIONS 2018
FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
Mary Ellen Auriemma
Executive Director, State and District Partnerships
New England Regional Office
The College Board
Waltham, MA 02451
Mary Ellen Seavey Auriemma is the Executive Director of State & District Partnerships for the New
England Regional Office of the College Board. In her role, Mary Ellen works to ensure the College
Board’s partnerships with K12 school districts and State Departments of Education across New England
achieve their goals of college and career readiness for all students. Since joining the College Board in
January 2005, Mary Ellen has supported educational leaders at the school, district, and state levels –
from Maine to Hawaii – with data analysis, strategic planning, and policy implementation.
Prior to joining the College Board in 2005, Mary Ellen taught high school social studies, including AP
Government & Politics and AP US History, and served as Department Chair in the Northwest R-1 School
District, House Springs, MO. In addition, Mary Ellen served as an AP Exam reader and earned
certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Social Studies-History. Mary
Ellen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Villanova University, a Master of Education
in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and a Master of Science in
Educational Leadership from the University of St. Francis.
Mary A. Barrows
Senior Director, Learning Strategies and Student Success
Northeastern University
Boston, MA 02115
Mary Barrows, M.Ed., C.A.G.S., is the Senior Director for Learning Strategies and Student Success at
Northeastern University. She is responsible for ensuring the access, integration and inclusion of students
with disabilities into curricular and co-curricular university programs and services, providing oversight to
the Disability Resource Center, the Learning Disabilities Program and Student Athletic Support Services.
Previously she was the Director of the Learning Disabilities Program. Additionally, she is a member of the
Documentation Review Committee, dedicated to the evaluation and interpretation of disability
documentation with the purpose of determining reasonable accommodations. She has also served as
Chairperson for the summer orientation/transition-to-college program offered through Northeastern’s
Disability Resource Center. As a founding member of this committee, she has presented this model at
the AHEAD annual conference in 2010 and 2011. In her many years of experience, Mary has developed a
strong interest in collaborating with faculty and staff to raise awareness of diverse learning styles. Mary
holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Boston College in special education as well as post
graduate training in psycho-educational/neuropsychological assessment and in management leadership.
She was recently awarded a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in e-learning and instructional
design.
Recent presentations include: “Beyond Accommodations: Strategies for College Students with LD and
AD(H)D” at the 36th and 38th Annual AHEAD Conference in 2013 and 2015 and at the Postsecondary
Training Institute in 2013, as well as “A Dynamic Roadmap: Navigating the Evolving Documentation
standards under the ADAAA” at the 35th Annual AHEAD Conference in 2012, and “New Student
Orientation: A nuts and bolts orientation model for DSS departments and their students” presented at
the AHEAD national conference in 2010 and 2011. She is co-author, along with Jennifer Newton, M.A.T.,
M.S. and Emily (Estep) Collins, M.Ed. of Beyond Accommodations: Strategies for College Students with
LD and AD(H)D, a manual for disability providers published by AHEAD. Presently, co-author of “Beyond
Transitions: An Interactive Workbook for College-Bound Students with LD and AD(H)D,” a guide for
students, parents and disability providers published by the Association on Higher Education and
Disability. She also serves as a collaborative member for Dana Farber Cancer Institute’s college night and
Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Endocrinology’s college transition programs. Both initiatives
provide transition and college information for students with chronic disorders.
Susan Bartzak-Graham
Project Director, Student Services
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, MA 02125
Tarik Bell
Education Manager
Red Hook Initiative
Brooklyn, NY
Tarik Bell is currently the Manager of Educational Programs and Partnerships for the Red Hook Initiative.
He has been a part of the RHI team since 2016. Tarik is dedicated to creating equitable spaces that
encourage youth of color to reach their full potential by providing culturally relevant programming,
teaching youth advocacy skills and building partnerships for access to post-secondary opportunities. His
education background coupled with his passion for impactful youth services gives him the skills to build
the College Access Pipeline beginning with middle school programming and supporting youth up to 24
years old. He provides positive and uplifting educational, emotional and social programming to promote
academic curiosity, post-secondary readiness and knowledge of self. He believes that students are
capable of reaching all of their individual goals and that it is our job as educators to provide them with
all of the tools they need to become successful.
Martin Bonilla
Director of College Counseling
The College Preparatory School
Oakland, CA 94618
B.S., Economics, concentration in Organizational Behavior, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania,
1991
In July of 2006, Martin assumed the duties of Director of College Counseling at The College Preparatory
School in Oakland, CA. The College Preparatory School (CPS) is a coeducational, independent day school.
The school's purpose is to prepare students for productive, ethical lives in college and beyond through a
challenging and stimulating education in an atmosphere of consideration, trust, and mutual
responsibility. From 2002-2006, Martin served as Director of College Counseling at the Ransom
Everglades School in Miami. Prior to arriving in Miami, Martin was the Director of College counseling at
the Saint Mark’s School of Texas, an independent, all–boys school in Dallas. He previously spent eight
years as Senior Regional Director of Admission at the University of Pennsylvania. His duties included
chairing admission selection committees as well as the recruitment of international students,
underrepresented students, and student athletes.
Christian Bray
Associate Director of Athletics-Compliance
Harvard University, Department of Athletics [email protected]
Christian Bray joined Harvard’s Department of Athletics in 2018 and oversees the department's compliance
efforts within Ivy League and NCAA rules and regulations. Prior to Harvard, Christian worked at Yale and was
named Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance in 2015. In addition to overseeing compliance at Yale, she
was named Senior Woman Administrator in 2016, while also serving as a sport administrator for the women's
volleyball and gymnastics programs.
In 2014, Bray earned her Juris Doctorate from Marquette Law School, where she was the recipient of the
National Sports Law Institute's Sports Law Certificate. Bray also worked in the compliance offices at
Wisconsin, Texas Christian University, and Marquette. In 2010, she earned her bachelor's degree in sport
management from Texas A&M, where she was a four-year student manager on the women's basketball
team.
David Coleman
President and CEO
The College Board
David grew up in a family of educators. He went to public school in New York City before enrolling at
Yale University. At Yale, he taught reading to high school students from low-income families and started
Branch, an innovative community service program for inner-city students in New Haven, Conn. Based on
the success of Branch, David received a Rhodes Scholarship, which he used to study English literature at
the University of Oxford and classical educational philosophy at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.
He returned to the U.S. to work at McKinsey & Company for five years, where he led much of the firm’s
pro bono work in education.
With a team of educators, David founded the Grow Network, an organization committed to making
assessment results truly useful for teachers, parents and students. McGraw-Hill acquired the Grow
Network in 2005.
In 2007, David left McGraw-Hill and cofounded Student Achievement Partners, a nonprofit that
assembles educators and researchers to design actions based on evidence to improve student
outcomes. Student Achievement Partners played a leading role in developing the Common Core State
Standards in math and literacy. David left Student Achievement Partners in the fall of 2012 to become
president of the College Board.
David was named to the 2013 TIME 100, the magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in
the world. He has been recognized as one of the POLITICO 50 in 2014, TIME Magazine’s “11 Education
Activists for 2011,” and he was one of the NewSchools Venture Fund Change Agents of the Year for
2012.
Robin Coyne
Guidance Counselor
Josiah Quincy Upper School
Boston, MA 02116
Angela Cyrus, PhD, PCC
Consultant, Executive Leader Development
Angela is President of The Cyrus Group, LLC, a practice committed to developing transformational
leaders who can effectively navigate the complexities of today’s work demands. A former Navy Captain,
Angela bridges her real-world leadership experience with doctoral education in Public Administration
and leadership studies to effectively serve individual and organizational clients.
Angela has taught, facilitated and coached in graduate and leadership programs such as Center for
Creative Leadership, Georgetown University’s US-China Business Training Center, Strayer University’s
Masters of Public Administration, University of Maryland’s Executive MBA, the Federal Executive
Institute’s Leadership for a Democratic Society, National Leadership Institute and Under Armour’s Peak
Performance program. She taught leadership theory at the US Naval Academy and is serving her 7th
year as a Distinguished Faculty member of the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions.
Angela is a graduate of the Extraordinary Leader Course at University of Virginia, Center for Creative
Leadership’s Leader Development Program and the Executive Leadership Coaching Certificate Program
at Georgetown University. Her doctoral studies in Public Administration at Old Dominion University
included directed research in Industrial Organizational Psychology where she focused on leadership in
the public sector. She attained her master’s in Information Systems at Naval Postgraduate School, after
completing her undergraduate degree in Computer Science at Mississippi State University. Angela is
certified by International Coach Federation to coach executives and she also holds certifications in
Hogan Leadership Forecast Series, Workplace Big 5, Organization Workshops, Conflict Dynamics Profile,
and the Center for Creative Leadership Benchmark Assessment Suite. She currently coaches executives
around Myers Briggs Type Indicator, DiSC, Emotional Intelligence, 360° Leader Assessments, Career
Leader, Strengths Deployment Inventories and StrengthFinders. Angela delivered a highly successful
Transformational Leadership Workshop Series to leaders at VA Debt Management Center and the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, and has supported senior executives from myriad federal agencies. She has
also provided leader development programs to Fannie Mae, Raytheon, US Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, Public Service Enterprise Group of New Jersey, Baltimore Urban Housing and Development,
Navy Medical Service Corps Annual Symposium, Booz Allen Hamilton and multiple professional
development conferences.
While in the Navy, Angela held several positions in higher education administration, including Vice
Dean/Director of Admissions at the U.S. Naval Academy, where upon retirement from the military, she
was named Associate Dean for College Enrollment and Strategic Initiatives. Prior to that, she was
Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs and then Director of College Operations at the U.S. Joint Forces Staff
College, a division of the National Defense University. Her military career specialization was Installation
Management, a designation akin to city management, where she oversaw military base operations. One
of Angela’s career highlights while serving in command leading a recruiting team of more than 300
people, located in 52 recruiting stations spread among five states, to achieve Navy Recruiting District of
the Year.
Suzanne Day
Senior Director of Federal Relations
Harvard University
Suzanne Day is Senior Director of Federal Relations for Harvard University in Washington, D.C. focusing
on higher education, tax, budget, and student aid related issues. Suzanne joined Harvard Public Affairs
and Communications in June 2000 and serves as a part of the department’s senior staff. She manages
the University’s DC-based federal relations office and oversees strategic advocacy and
policy-engagement. Before coming to Harvard, Suzanne was Democratic staff director of the Senate
Subcommittee on Children and Families of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions for
ranking member, Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT). Her primary responsibilities included all legislative
issues related to education, Head Start and family and medical leave as well as coordinating children’s
policy issues overall. Suzanne was with Senator Dodd for over nine years and worked in the Senate for a
total of 14 years, including service with Senators Spark Matsunaga and Tom Eagleton. Suzanne is a Phi
Beta Kappa graduate of Pomona College in Claremont, California and was raised in Guam.
Anne M. De Luca
Associate Dean, Admissions and Financial Aid Recruitment
Harvard College
Cambridge, MA 02138
Anne De Luca serves as Associate Dean, Admissions and Financial Aid Recruitment for Harvard College,
where she has worked since August 2016. In that role she coordinates communications and on- and
off-campus outreach to prospective and admitted students, as well as communications for currently
enrolled Harvard College students who receive financial aid. Prior to her time at Harvard, Anne served as
Associate Vice Chancellor for Admissions and Enrollment at the University of California Berkeley. In that
role the offices of Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid and Scholarships, the Office of the Registrar,
and an administrative services one-stop shop were part of her Enrollment Management portfolio.
She has 25 years of experience working in higher education, including time spent in admissions and
advising roles at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the University of Arizona. A first-generation
college student, Anne holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in interdisciplinary studies, and a Ph.D. in
higher education administration, both from the University of Arizona. Her doctoral research focused on
the institutional factors that help or hinder retention of African American, Native American and Chicanx
students at predominantly white research universities in the United States.
Grace Cheng Dodge
Director of Admission
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA 02481
Grace Cheng Dodge is the former Director of Admission at Wellesley College. Prior to joining Wellesley in
2015, she was an Associate Director of Admissions at Harvard College, having first joined the Harvard
Admissions Office in 2002. From 2009-2012, she took a professional leave to spend three years as a
math teacher, college counselor, and Director of College Counseling at the Taipei American School in
Taipei, Taiwan. In Asia, Grace also presented to lower school and middle school communities on topics
such as developing the whole child and mastering the building blocks to being a successful student in an
American high school system. She has been a presenter at the EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of
Schools) Teachers' Conference on the subject of college application essay writing, and she has also
presented at NACAC and regional and national College Board Forums. Grace has been a College Board
Overseas Schools Program traveler to western Europe for the past three years and she has also just
completed a year as Chair-Elect of the New England College Board Regional Council but will now be
leaving the region. Grace will return to the Taipei American School immediately following the conclusion
of this week to do college counseling and to assume the position of Deputy Head of School starting in
2019.
Grace is a 1997 graduate of Harvard College with a cum laude degree in applied mathematics. She holds
an MS in accounting and MBA from Northeastern University and is completing her Ed.D. this summer
from Northeastern. Prior to entering the field of higher education, she was employed by
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and she remains a licensed CPA in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Almost seen on Season 4 of MasterChef, Grace enjoys cooking and teaching adult education cooking
classes.
Sally Donahue
Griffin Director of Financial Aid and Senior Admissions Officer
Harvard College
Cambridge, MA 02138
Ms. Donahue has held a number of positions at Harvard University over the past thirty- five years, and
since January of 2000 has been the Director of Financial Aid and Senior Admissions Officer at Harvard
College. Previous positions have included serving as Director of Financial Aid first at the Kennedy School
of Government, and then at the Law School, and from 1998 through early 2000 directing the Law
School’s Office of Career Services. Her earlier tenure in the College Admissions and Financial Aid Office
spanned a six year period in the early 1980’s, before which she worked briefly at Cornell University, from
where she graduated with an A.B. in English Literature in 1975.
Ms. Donahue has been an active member of a number of national and regional financial aid committees;
she has in the past served as chair of the College Board’s Financial Aid Standards and Services
Committee; a member of their Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century, a member of the College
Scholarship Council of the College Board; as chair of the National Committee on Graduate and
Professional School Financial Aid; and as a member of the National Association of Financial Aid
Administrators’ Reauthorization Task Force. At Harvard, she has also served on a number of
committees, including the Financial Aid and Admissions Committees of both the Law School and the
College; the Law School Faculty Committee on Placement, and their Administrative Board. She is a
member of the Board of Directors for Harvard Student Agencies, and has also weathered the college
admissions process with her two children, now well beyond their college years.
Stephanie Fernandez
Assistant Dean, College of Science and Mathematics
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, MA 02125
Stephanie Fernandez brings over 10 years of higher education policy, research, academic assessment
and administration experience. In her academic administrative roles, Stephanie has been working to
increase access and persistence in higher education for minoritized populations including Latino through
federally and state-funded grant programs. Currently, she serves as an Assistant Dean for the College of
Science and Math at University of Massachusetts Boston where she works with projects related to
student and faculty participation and success. Her research focuses on the role of participation and
achievement of minoritized populations in STEM, role of public policy and its impact on Latinos student
success and completion, and the historical context of higher education. She has also worked with
several nationally recognized higher education scholars and policy organizations on developing policy
briefs on the implications of existing policies for the success of Latina/o students.
William R. Fitzsimmons
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Harvard College
Cambridge, MA 02138
Bachelor, Master’s and Doctoral degrees: Harvard University
Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at Harvard College since 1986; Executive Director of the Harvard
College Fund 1984–86; Director of Admissions at Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges 1975–1984 (Assistant
and Associate Director of Admissions 1972–75; Acting Dean of Admissions 1981–82); Lecturer,
Department of Psychology and Social Relations, Harvard University 1973–74; Assistant Professor of
Sociology, Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA 1970–72; Instructor, Harvard University Extension
1976–78; Resident Proctor and Freshman Advisor 1968–70; Former Staff Assistant, Office of the
Harvard Governing Board; Former Trustee of the College Board; Member National Association for
College Admissions Counseling; various research projects, publications, and professional activities on
issues related to Admissions and Financial Aid.
Eric J. Furda
Dean of Admissions
University of Pennsylvania
Eric J. Furda, a 1987 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, has served as Penn's Dean of Admissions
since 2008. Dean Furda has served as a higher education administrator for nearly three decades with 25
years of experience in admissions, including the position of Executive Director of Admissions at
Columbia University in the City of New York from 1995 until 2004. He was appointed as the inaugural
Vice President for Alumni Relations at Columbia University, a position he held from 2004-2008. Dean
Furda earned a Master's degree from Teachers College Columbia University. While a student at Penn he
was a four-year letterman on the varsity lightweight football team and was captain and MVP his senior
year. Over his career, Dean Furda has served on or led committees for The Ivy League and the
Consortium on Financing Higher Education (COFHE). He was previously on the Board of Directors for The
Common Application and has served as Chair of the Board. He is currently a member of the scholarship
selection committee for The Lenfest Foundation, based in Philadelphia. Dean Furda also hosts a show on
college selection called The Process on SIRIUSXM Radio. Furda recently received the A. Philip Randolph
Award for Diversity and Inclusion from student leadership at Penn.
Ara B. Gershengorn
University Attorney, Lecturer on Law
Harvard University, Office of the General Counsel
Cambridge, MA 02138
Ara Beth Gershengorn is an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Harvard University, where
she manages complex litigation involving the university in federal and state court and provides advice to
Harvard College and graduate schools regarding a wide range of issues. Ara is also a Lecturer on Law at
Harvard Law School. Before joining Harvard, Ara was a Partner in the Boston office of Foley Hoag LLP,
where she represented clients in connection with complex disputes and internal and government
investigations. Following her graduation from law school, Ara was a law clerk for the Honorable Amalya
L. Kearse on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and then joined the U.S. Department of
Justice through the Honors Program. As an attorney on the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division, Ara
briefed and argued constitutional and statutory cases in federal courts of appeals across the country.
She then served as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia. Ara is a
graduate of Columbia Law School where she served as an editor of the Columbia Law Review, and she is
a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College.
Jacqueline Giordano
Senior Director, Higher Education Services
The College Board
New England Regional Office
Waltham, MA 02451
In her role at the College Board, Jacki leads a team working with colleges and universities in the east to
help manage enrollment goals. She is a partner with her K-12 colleagues in the regions to promote
educational opportunity for students. Jacki was a key player in the reinvigoration of the Financial Aid
Institute and works with the Enrollment Leadership Academy and The New Chief Enrollment Officer
Seminar.
Prior to joining the College Board, Jacki held a number of related positions across the region, including
VP for Enrollment at Newbury College, and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Admission at Babson
College. She also held admission roles at Bentley University. Jacki has served on the Board of Trustees
for Babson College, and is a past president of the Babson College Alumni Association. She holds a
Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Communication from Babson College and a Master of
Education degree in Higher Education Administration from Boston College.
Anesha Grant
Associate Director of College Admissions
SEO Scholars
New York, NY
Anesha Grant is the Associate Director of College Admissions at SEO Scholars, a college access and
success organization in New York City. At SEO, Anesha oversees the college advising process for all 12th
grade Scholars. She develops systems and partnerships to ensure 100% of students are admitted to
competitive four-year colleges across the nation. Under her leadership, SEO Scholars has successfully
supported over 700 12th grade students in submitting nearly 14,000 college applications and garnering
over $10 million in scholarships annually at their matriculating colleges and universities.
Prior to SEO, Anesha served as an Education Pioneers Fellow, supporting the grant-making efforts for
the Foundation for Newark’s Future. She also coordinated college success programs at the Harlem
Children’s Zone College Success Office and consulted with The Future Project in its early development of
college prep support.
A native New Yorker and a graduate of Harvard College, Anesha holds an Ed.M. degree in Education
Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Jill Green
Senior Director, Case Management
The College Board
New York, NY 10028
Jill Green serves as a Senior Director in the College Board’s Services for Students with Disabilities. This
office is responsible for ensuring that students with disabilities are provided accommodations on College
Board tests, including the SAT, PSAT/NMSQT and Advanced Placement tests. Prior to the joining the
College Board, she worked as Senior Attorney for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil
Rights, where she investigated issues relating to Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in
schools and colleges.
Rachelle Hernandez
Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
University of Texas at Austin
Rachelle Hernandez serves as Senior Vice Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Texas
at Austin. Her portfolio includes the offices of admissions, enrollment analytics, financial aid, registrar,
student success initiatives, and the college-to-career initiative. Ms. Hernandez is establishing and
implementing student-centered policies and practices designed to improve access, affordability and
student success. Her initiatives include the development of a new One-Stop Center to help students
better access resources from across campus, the launch of a new financial aid program, Texas Advance
Commitment, to provide additional resources to students with family incomes up to $100,000,
coordination of a new First-Generation initiative to help these students engage and navigate campus,
and a new Center for Career Exploration and Development.
Ms. Hernandez has worked in admissions and enrollment management for over 20 years. She served as
the Associate Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and Director of Admissions at the University of
Minnesota Twin Cities before her move to UT Austin. Over the course of two decades, she developed a
strong track record for implementing strategic programs and initiatives that support the achievement of
student-centered goals. In her work at the University of Minnesota she led the creation of an enrollment
management framework that engaged units and colleges across campus, resulting in the development
of a coordinated campus-wide effort for new student enrollment and student success.
Ms. Hernandez is a frequent national speaker on admissions and access, student recruitment,
enrollment management, and student access. She has served the higher education community in various
professional association leadership roles and currently serves as co-director of the National Association
for College Admission Counseling Chief Enrollment Management Officer Seminar and as a member of
the SAT advisory committee, the ACT Higher Education Council, and the Access and Diversity
Collaborative Advisory Council.
Ms. Hernandez holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Minnesota Twin
Cities.
Kedra Ishop
Vice Provost for Enrollment Management
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Kedra Ishop, PhD, is the first vice provost for enrollment management at the University of Michigan –
Ann Arbor, reporting to the provost. She is a nationally-recognized expert and speaker on issues in
higher education admissions and enrollment, serving on multiple national and international committees
and advisory boards related to diversity, affordability, assessment, admissions, and enrollment. With
responsibility at U-M for undergraduate admissions, financial aid, new student programs, and the
registrar, Dr. Ishop leads a strategic enrollment management practice tied to the U-M enrollment vision.
She holds three degrees from UT-Austin, where she began her career in admissions: a B.A. in sociology,
a Master of Education in higher education administration, and a Ph.D. in education administration.
Stacey Kostell
Vice President for Enrollment Management
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
Kostell joined the University as Vice President for Enrollment Management on September 2, 2014. At
the University of Vermont, Kostell oversees Undergraduate Admissions, Student Financial Services, the
Registrar, Office of International Education, ROTC, and retention. She also provides vision and
leadership to campus-wide marketing efforts. Since joining the University of Vermont, she has increased
the quality and selectivity of the first year class, and increased transfer and international enrollment.
Prior to UVM, she served as Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign (the “University of Illinois”). At the University of Illinois, Kostell provided leadership
to four units of the Enrollment Management group: undergraduate admissions, student financial
assistance, registrar, and marketing and communications. She led successful efforts to nearly double
applications and significantly enhance the quality and diversity of the applicant pool.
Before joining the University of Illinois, she held admissions leadership positions at Arizona State
University and Purdue University. Kostell received her B.A. in Communications from Indiana State
University and her M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Ball State University.
Jessica L. Marinaccio
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid
Columbia University
New York, NY 10027
Jessica Marinaccio has served as Dean of Undergraduate Admissions for Columbia College and The Fu
Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University since 2004 and in 2012,
she was named as Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid. Prior to this appointment Ms.
Marinaccio served as Director of Admissions at Columbia, joining the office in 1999. Ms. Marinaccio has
also worked in the undergraduate admissions offices of both the University of Chicago and Boston
University. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature from Harvard College
and a master’s degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also taught
English in the Boston area prior to beginning her admissions career.
Victoria Marzilli
Director of Communication and Outreach
Harvard College Admissions & Financial Aid
Cambridge, MA 02138
Victoria Marzilli is the director of communications and outreach for the Harvard College Admissions &
Financial Aid Office. In her current role, she leads the Office’s digital communications strategy, especially
as it applies to recruiting prospective students, as well as overseeing the day-to-day communications
from the office. She joined the office in 2014 as the manager of digital recruitment, in which capacity
she worked for three years before moving into the director role. Prior to Harvard, Victoria worked at
Oxfam America as their digital specialist, creating social media and digital campaigns to further the
mission of eradicating hunger and poverty and responding to humanitarian disasters. Her ten-year
career has been focused on crafting effective mission-driven communications strategies. Victoria is a
graduate of Boston College with a concentration in Management and Marketing and a minor in French.
Col. Deborah McDonald
Director of Admissions
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996
Colonel Deborah J. McDonald was appointed by President George W. Bush as a Professor of the United
States Military Academy and the fifth Director of Admissions on August 1, 2008.
Col. McDonald, a native of Newport, R.I., held the position of Deputy Director of Admissions for the
United States Military Academy at West Point from March 2004 through September 2007 and became
the Acting Director October 1, 2007.
Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1985, Col. McDonald was commissioned as
a Second Lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. Col. McDonald has served in a wide variety of field
assignments, first as a platoon leader in the 471st Light Truck Company, then as an assistant S2/3 at the
47th Combat Support Battalion, both at Fort Sill, OK. After completing the Transportation Officers
Advanced Course, she served as the Combat Support Battalion Adjutant before assuming command of
the 104th Medium Truck Company at Fort Devens, MA., where she deployed as a separate company in
support of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Her company provided long-haul transportation,
primarily hauling water, ammunition, and food in support of XVIII Airborne Corps Operations in theater.
Upon completion of her command, she spent four years at Fort Campbell, KY., as the 101st Corps
Support Group Transportation Officer, Brigade S-4, and an Inspector General on the 101st Airborne
Division (AASLT). She was the battalion Executive Officer and battalion S-3 of the 58th Transportation
Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, MO., and is on her second assignment with the Admissions Office at
West Point.
In addition to her Bachelor of Science degree from West Point, Col. McDonald holds a Master’s Degree
in Information Management from Oklahoma City University. Her military education includes the
Transportation Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Master Fitness Course, the Combined Arms Staff
Services School (CAS3), the Army Inspector General Course, the Army Operations Research and Systems
Analysis Course, and the United States Army Command and General Staff College.
Col. McDonald’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal with
three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Army
Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the National Defense Service Medal with one Oak
Leaf Cluster, the South West Asia Medal with three Bronze Stars, the Army Service Ribbon, the Saudi
Arabian/Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, the Air Assault Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.
Col. McDonald is married to her West Point classmate, Lt. Col. (retired) Dr. Kenneth McDonald. He is
currently assigned to the Systems Engineering Department as an Associate Professor and is the
Engineering Management Program Director. The couple has two children.
Matthew L. McGann
Director of Admissions
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139
S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.Ed. Northeastern University
Ed.D. Northeastern University
Matt McGann is Director of Admissions at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. An admissions professional
since the turn of the millennium, Dr. McGann has been a global voice on the topics of access and
enrollment, including at the Biennial International Baccalaureate World Heads Conference in Sevilla,
Spain; at the Hotchkiss Symposium on International Admission in Lakeville, Connecticut; and for the US
State Department's EducationUSA group in Mexico City, Mexico; Helsinki, Finland; San Juan, Costa Rica;
and Colombo, Sri Lanka. He received his bachelor’s degree from MIT and his master’s degree and
doctorate from Northeastern University.
Jon McGee
Vice President of Planning and Public Affairs
College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University
Collegeville, MN 56321
Jon McGee is Vice President for Planning and Public Affairs at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint
John’s University in Minnesota. He serves on the cabinet of both colleges and is responsible for research
and analysis in support of enrollment and budget decision-making, state and federal government
relations, and strategic planning. He has worked in higher education research and policy for 26 years.
Prior to joining the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University in 1999, he worked as a budget
analyst with Minnesota’s Department of Finance and as Vice President for Research and Policy
Development with the Minnesota Private College Council.
McGee is a frequently invited speaker nationally on demographic trends, the economics of higher
education, and the intersection of mission, market, and institutional values. His book, Breakpoint: The
Changing Marketplace for Higher Education (published by the Johns Hopkins University Press in
November 2015), examines key forces of disruption in higher education and offers a framework to
colleges and universities for addressing those issues. His new book, Dear Parents: A Field Guide to
College Preparation (to be published by the Johns Hopkins University Press in October 2018), provides
parents with insights and guidance about the value of college, educational preparation for college,
college fit, finance, college choice, and the emotional process of transitioning to a new family and
parental reality as children leave for college. McGee serves as a trustee of the College Board and is
past-chair of the College Board’s College Scholarship Service/Financial Aid Assembly Council.
McGee is a 1984 graduate of Saint John’s University and lives in Cold Spring, Minnesota – a small town
with a real hardware store, a small craft brewery, and a great bakery – with his wife and their four
children. In fall 2015, he and his wife began 12 consecutive years of undergraduate tuition payments.
Benjamin C. McNamee
Student Services Specialist for the College of Management
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, MA 02125
Ben McNamee is a Student Services Specialist for the College of Management at the University of
Massachusetts Boston. In his role he provides academic advising support to Management and IT
students. Ben also coordinates the TRAIL program which is a learning community designed specifically
for Transfer students, internally and externally.
Maria Mendoza
College Counselor
G. Holmes Braddock Senior High School
Miami, FL 33185
For the past 27 years, Maria Mendoza has served as college and career advisor at Miami-Dade County
Public School District in Miami, Florida, the fourth largest district in the nation. She is currently a
member of the Student Services Leadership Team at the district level, training and mentoring new
college advisors for future roles as such. In addition, Mrs. Mendoza has been featured regularly as a
guest expert on Univision and Telemundo television networks discussing the college admission process
along with insights into financial preparations for post-secondary education. These broadcasts focus on
spreading awareness to a diverse community of Spanish-speaking students and parents at the local and
national level.
Mrs. Mendoza believes that her truest accomplishments are those of the students themselves. During
her career, Mrs. Mendoza has assisted over 25,000 students in preparing for higher education, which
she considers to be her greatest accomplishment.
Cal Mosley
Vice President for Admissions and Financial Aid
College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University
PO Box 7155
Collegeville, MN 56321
B.A., Pacific University, (OR); M.Ed., Springfield College (MA)
Ed.D. in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy, Harvard University
Cal has worked in higher education over 40 years. Prior to his current position, he has held posts at
Pacific University (Assistant Dean of Admission), Harvard College (Associate Director of Admission), the
Kennedy School of Government (Associate Dean for Academic Programs), Hamline University in
Minnesota (Vice President for University Admissions and Financial Aid), and the College of St. Catherine
(Special Assistant to the President). Presently, Cal is the Vice President for two Catholic colleges in
Minnesota—The College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. Cal has also been a higher education
consultant for over 25 years.
Amee Naik
Senior Director of High School Programs
Breakthrough Greater Boston
Cambridge, MA 02238
Amee started at Breakthrough Greater Boston in 2009 as the College Access Coordinator, working to
support high school juniors and seniors as they navigated the college search and application process. As
the Senior Director of High School Programs, she oversees high school programming at Breakthrough’s
Cambridge and Dorchester campuses and ensures that the organization works with families, teachers,
and guidance counselors to provide all BTGB high school students with the supports and resources
needed to succeed throughout high school and ultimately enroll in a 4-year college or university. Prior to
joining the Breakthrough team, Amee was an Assistant Director of Admissions for her alma mater,
Washington University in St. Louis. She has also received her M.A. in child and adolescent development
from Tufts University.
Lucerito Ortiz
Senior Manager, Data and Impact
UnidosUS
California Regional Office
Los Angeles, CA
Lucerito Ortiz, daughter of immigrant parents from Guatemala and Mexico, has always been passionate
about issues of educational access and equity. She currently serves as the Senior Manager of Data and
Impact for UnidosUS’s Education component, developing data collection strategies to better measure
and communicate UnidosUS’s work and impact. Lucerito previously served as UnidosUS’s Escalera
Manager, overseeing Escalera: Taking Steps to Success, a national college and career readiness program
supporting Latino students across the country. Prior to joining UnidosUS, Lucerito was a Senior
Admissions Officer at Harvard College, where she Co-Directed the Undergraduate Minority Recruitment
Program and the Tour Guide Program. She also served as an Education Pioneers Fellow and Consultant
at The Broad Center for the Management of School Systems, conducting research and analysis on
leadership development and human capital strategy. Lucerito holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Studies
with a minor in Psychology from Harvard College, and a master’s in Education Policy and Management
from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Logan Powell
Dean of Admission
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Logan Powell is the Marilyn and Charles H. Doebler IV Dean of Admission at Brown University He is
responsible for the identification, recruitment, and selection of all undergraduates seeking entrance to
Brown. Powell reports to Provost Richard M. Locke.
Powell works closely with students, faculty, staff and alumni to capture and convey to potential students
and their families Brown’s distinctive approach to education, research and service. He partners with
University leaders—including the dean of the College, dean of financial aid, vice president for campus
life and student services, the provost and the president—to develop, implement and communicate
admission priorities. He also serves as Brown’s representative for a number of professional
organizations and committees, including the Ivy League Deans of Admission, the Consortium on
Financing Higher Education, Admissions Deans Committee, and the College Board.
Prior to joining Brown, Powell served as the director of admission at Princeton University. There, Powell
was responsible for the overall office management and operations, supervising a team of 40 and
directing a comprehensive student application review process. He led strategic planning to inform
policy development regarding issues such as early action and standardized testing requirements, and
partnered with colleagues in financial aid to develop strategies for low-income student outreach and
enrollment. He also served on the Education Access Committee, dedicated to enhancing access and
opportunity for low-income and first-generation students at Princeton. Powell worked closely with
Princeton’s athletic department and has been a Princeton Faculty Athletic Fellow, serving as an advisor
to student athletes. Previously, he served as senior associate dean of admission at Bowdoin College and
senior admission officer at Harvard. He earned his master’s in education from Harvard, with an
emphasis in higher education, and a bachelor of arts from Bowdoin.
Matthew T. Proto
Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Colby College
Waterville, ME 04901
Vice President and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Matthew T. Proto oversees all aspects of
enrollment for Colby College. Prior to joining the Colby community in May 2015 he served as assistant
dean of admissions at Stanford University. Proto has benefited from working in multiple admissions
roles, having served as director of scholar selection for the Morehead-Cain Scholars program, associate
director of admission and college counseling at Choate Rosemary Hall, and assistant director of
admission at Yale University. A graduate of Yale University, Proto earned a master of liberal studies
degree at Wesleyan University and a doctorate in educational leadership at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Jeremiah Quinlan
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid
Yale University
New Haven, CT 06510
As Dean of Undergraduate Admissions & Financial Aid, Jeremiah is responsible for Yale’s outreach
efforts to high-achieving students around the world, the College’s selection, recruitment, and financial
aid processes, development of admissions and financial aid policy and practices, and the advancement
of Yale’s position as a global leader in affordability and undergraduate education.
Jeremiah has served in a variety of roles in the Yale Admissions office since 2003. As the Director of
Outreach and Recruitment, he led Yale’s efforts to attract high-achieving low income students and
overhauled the admissions office’s yield activities. As Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Admissions,
Jeremiah served as the senior member of the admissions committee responsible for science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) recruitment.
In July 2013, Jeremiah was appointed Dean of Undergraduate Admissions. Jeremiah worked to diversify
the applicant pool and increase the diversity in each first-year class of approximately 1,370 students in
preparation for enrolling the first class of approximately 1,570 in fall of 2017. Compared with the
first-year class that began at Yale fall 2013, the class that began in fall 2017 includes nearly 100 more
Pell-eligible students, and 100 more first-generation college students. The percentage of first-year
students who are US Citizens or Permanent Residents who identify as a member of a minority racial or
ethnic group has increased from 36% to 48%. The first-year class that began in fall 2017 includes the
largest number of African American, Hispanic/Latinx, and Asian American students to enroll in a class at
Yale, as well as the highest representation of these groups within a Yale class.
In August 2017 Jeremiah’s portfolio grew to include oversight of the new Yale Office of Undergraduate
Financial Aid. Dean Quinlan works closely with the Provost and Dean of Yale College to establish
effective financial aid policies, practices, and communications strategies. With the Yale College Financial
Aid Working Group Jeremiah has developed several policy enhancements that have benefited all
students receiving aid, while significantly reducing financial expectations for students from families with
the greatest financial need.
From 2011 to 2013, Jeremiah also served as the inaugural Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid at
Yale-NUS College, the first liberal arts college in Singapore. As the second staff member in the
Yale-NUS’s history, Jeremiah assembled a highly functioning staff of admissions professionals, designed
a holistic admissions process from scratch, implemented a global outreach and recruitment strategy,
and oversaw the administration of financial aid. In its first admissions cycle, Yale-NUS attracted over
11,400 applications from over 130 countries and welcomed a class with an academic profile similar to
the most competitive liberal arts colleges around the world.
In addition to his responsibilities as Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, Jeremiah is a member of the
senior management team of Yale College and has chaired the searches for the Dean of Student Affairs
and the Director of Undergraduate Financial Aid for Yale College. Jeremiah is a fellow of Franklin College
at Yale and has served as a College Advisor for first- and second-year students since 2003. He also serves
on the College Board’s advisory group for the redesigned SAT and is a member of the Board of Directors
of The Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success.
Jeremiah graduated magna cum laude from Yale with a B.A. in History. More recently, he received his
M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, majoring in Marketing, Finance,
and Social Enterprise.
F. Duane Quinn
Financial Aid Specialist
Consultant: Higher Education Assistance Group
Wellesley, MA
B.S. and M.A., University of Rhode Island
F. Duane Quinn was the Special Assistant to the President for American Student Assistance (ASA®), a
national guarantor of student loans located in Boston, MA. In this position he promoted ASA’s “Student
Success” activities which advance student financial literacy, retention, loan repayment and default
prevention. For the prior twenty years, however, he was employed as a financial aid administrator at a
variety of institutions, among them: Clark University, Brandeis University, and Lesley University. He has
been a staff member of the Harvard Institute on College Admissions since 1989. He had also served as a
resident faculty member at the Summer Financial Aid Institute sponsored by the New England Regional
Office of The College Board. He has held a number of elected and appointed positions with both the
Massachusetts and Eastern associations of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA / EASFAA),
and has acted on the advisory boards of numerous organizations advocating student aid. He is the
recipient of the Charles “Jack” Sheehan Distinguished Service Award (MASFAA) and the Mapping-Your
Future Excellence Award. Since his retirement he recently served as Interim Director of Financial
Services at Wellesley College and as Interim Director of Financial Aid at Suffolk University Law School.
Janet Lavin Rapelye
Dean of Admission
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544-0430
Janet Lavin Rapelye was appointed Dean of Admission at Princeton University, July 1, 2003. As
Princeton’s Dean of Admission, Rapelye serves on the President's Cabinet and holds responsibility for
articulating the University’s mission to prospective students and their parents, working closely with all
University constituencies and a 40-person staff.
Dean Rapelye served as Dean of Admission for 12 years at Wellesley College. She joined Wellesley
College in 1991 from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she was Associate Director of
Admissions. Earlier she worked in the admissions offices at Stanford University and Williams College.
She was certified by the Vermont Board of Education and taught high school English in a rural public
school in the Northeast Kingdom.
She is a graduate of Williams College and holds a master’s degree from the Graduate School of
Education at Stanford University.
Dean Rapelye serves on the Board of Directors of the Common Application. She is a member of the
College Board and the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. She is past chair of the
New England Regional Council of the College Board. She has served on the Board of The Principia
Corporation and on the Board of Trustees of the College Board. She is a member of the Corporation of
the Noble and Greenough School where she is also an alumna.
Aaron Ribaudo-Smith
Guidance Counselor
College & Career Center
Lowell High School
BA in Psychology, Curry College
M.Ed in School Counseling, UMass Boston
● College Counseling Certification Degree, UCLA
● Admissions Counselor & Assistant Director of Admissions at Curry College
● Assistant Director of Admissions at UMass Lowell
● Guidance Counselor in the College and Career Center at Lowell High School
● College Counselor at Campus Bound
● Contact and Consultant for the Learning Disabilities Association of Massachusetts
Aaron worked in higher education from 2004 through 2015, has been on the secondary education side
now since 2015, and has worked as a College Counselor for Campus Bound since 2009. Aaron is often
actively sought out by many schools and organizations to speak during College Panel, College Access
events, or regional and national conference workshops; giving him the opportunity to speak about the
college search process in many different capacities and in front of hundreds of different audiences.
Aaron enjoys helping all students find the college/university that is the right fit for them.
Aaron said this about his approach to counseling:
“I believe deep down in my heart that there is a college/university for any student willing to learn.
Helping students and their families navigate the college search process is something I truly enjoy. The
college search process can be daunting. My role is to help the student understand what they are looking
for in a college/university, assist in creating a plan to make the process manageable, less stressful, and
to get it all done in a time frame that works for them and their family. My goal with every student is to
make the process fun and enjoyable. Once they get their acceptance letters I enjoy celebrating right
along with them, it’s why I love what I do!”
Greg Roberts
Dean of Admission
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Greg W. Roberts was appointed Dean of Undergraduate Admission at the University of Virginia in 2009.
Dean Roberts served as the Associate Dean of Admission at UVA from 2003-09. Prior to arriving in
Charlottesville, Greg served as the Associate Director of Admission at Georgetown University and as the
Assistant Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Emory University. He has over twenty years of
experience in the field and holds a B.A. in History and an M.A. in Education from Wake Forest University.
As Virginia’s Dean of Admission, Roberts serves on the President’s Committee on Financial Aid, the
President’s Athletic Advisory Committee, and is a University Legislative Advisor for the Virginia General
Assembly. In 2006, he co-authored the first guaranteed admission agreement for transfer admission
between the University and the Virginia Community College System and he served as a member of the
State Council of Higher Education in Virginia for six years. Dean Roberts is the past chair of the
Admission Practices committee for the Potomac and Chesapeake Association of College Admission
Counseling and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Common Application. He is a member
of the University of Cambridge U.S. Higher Education Advisory Committee and serves on the selection
committee for the Robert Byrd Scholarship and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation Scholarship.
Stuart Schmill
Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139
Stuart Schmill is dean of admissions and student financial services for the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Schmill’s career began at MIT began in 1982 when he enrolled at the university as a
freshman. Following his graduation in 1986 with a degree in mechanical engineering, Schmill spent a
year working as a project engineer at General Motors before returning to his alma mater in a
professional role. During his long tenure at MIT, Schmill has served the Institute in a variety of positions,
including Director of Crew; Director of Parent, Student, and Young Alumni Programs in the Alumni
Association; Director of MIT's Educational Council; and Senior Associate Director of Admissions. Schmill
joined the admissions office in 2002 and was appointed Dean in 2008. In 2016, Schmill added Student
Financial Services to his portfolio. Schmill has been honored with the MIT Dean for Undergraduate
Education Infinite Mile Award for Leadership and the MIT Alumni Association Harold E. Lobdell '17
Distinguished Service Award, and was named Coach of the Year in the Eastern Association of Rowing
Colleges, the most competitive rowing league in the country. Schmill has been a speaker at admissions
conferences around the world, and serves on advisory boards for a variety of organizations, including
the College Board, Cambridge Assessment, Khan Academy, and the Reimagining College Access project.
Schmill received the S.B. degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in 1986.
Richard H. Shaw
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions & Financial Aid
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305
B.A., History, Dartmouth; M.A., Education and Certification in Guidance and Counseling, University of
Colorado, Boulder.
Richard H. Shaw has been at Stanford as Dean of Admission and Financial Aid for over ten years.
Previously he served at Yale in the same role, 1993 – 2005; as Director of Admissions at the University of
Michigan from 1988 to 1993; Associate Director of Admissions and Records at the University of
California-Berkeley from 1983 to 1988 and in various admission and residence positions at the University
of Colorado-Boulder from 1972 to 1981. He is a member of—and has served in leadership positions
for—several national admission groups. Dean Shaw is married to Delphine Red Shirt, Ph.D., a lecturer at
Stanford and has three children in California.
Emily Singer
Director, Office of College Success
City of Cambridge
Emily Singer is the Director of the Office of College Success for the City of Cambridge, MA. She oversees
the Cambridge College Success Initiative (CSI), a collaboration of city, public school, non-profit, public
housing and higher education partners focused on increasing degree attainment of low-income,
first-generation students from Cambridge. Prior to this role, she served as a program manager and
success coach for a non-profit partner in the Success Boston Initiative, and managed a college access
program for Boston Public School students in grades 7-12. Emily has a Bachelors in Anthropology and
Masters in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a
Masters in Counseling with School Guidance Certification from Lesley University.
Rod Skinner
Director of College Counseling
Milton Academy
Milton, MA 02186
A.B., English, Harvard College, 1976; Ed.M., Harvard University, 1980; Woodrow Wilson Fellow,
1977–1980.
Rod has just completed his eighteenth year at Milton Academy. Part of a team of five counselors, he
shares responsibility for counseling 190 seniors. In his 35+ years in secondary education, Rod has
worked at schools in Boston, Connecticut, California, and Florida. During those years he has coached
football, wrestling, lacrosse, and soccer; sponsored on-campus singing groups; run dormitories; chaired
curriculum committees; taught English, European history and ethics; organized Special Olympics
basketball tournaments; written on educational matters for alumni magazines and other journals; and
served, at various times, as Upper School Principal, Dean of Students, and faculty trustee. Rod has also
chaired the NACAC and NEACAC Admission Practices Committees and has served on the board and the
executive committee of the Common Application. 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 and advisory board of the Mountain
School in Vershire, Vermont, and serves as a board member at Boston Collegiate Charter School in
Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Timothy J. Smith
Associate Director for Recruitment Programs and Senior Admissions Officer
Harvard College
Cambridge, MA 02138
As the Associate Director for Recruitment Programs and Senior Admissions Officer, Tim helps oversee
recruitment efforts at Harvard College. He works closely with the Undergraduate Minority Recruitment
Program, the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, the Harvard First Generation Program, the Harvard College
Connection, the Undergraduate Admissions Council and the Tour Guide Program. Additionally, he
coordinates yield events for the College, including the admitted student program. Tim is a graduate of
Harvard College and Northeastern Law School.
Joy St. John
Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA 02481
Joy St. John joined the Wellesley Admission Office in 2010 as its director, and became the Dean of
Admission and Financial Aid in May 2015. She has spent the last twenty years dedicated to issues of
access and diversity in college admission and higher education. Joy holds an A.B. from Stanford
University and a J.D. from UCLA School of Law. Prior to coming to Wellesley she worked at Occidental
College, The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California, Tufts University, and Amherst College.
Amy Staffier
Director of Financial Aid
Simmons College
Boston, MA
Amy is the Director of Financial Aid at Simmons College in Boston where she serves their undergraduate,
graduate and online students. Prior to Simmons, she spent 21 years working in the Admissions and
Financial Aid office at Harvard College, most recently as the Associate Director of Financial Aid,
Admissions Officer and University Director of the Federal Workstudy program. Amy firmly believes in
sharing the knowledge she has. She has spent the last 18 years volunteering her time helping families
navigate the financial aid process through presentations at local high schools, FAFSA Day workshops and
simply sitting down one on one to personally walk them through applying for aid and comparing offers.