Our Counselors

Joann has been helping students navigate the college admission process for over 30 years. Encouraging students to reach their potential while reducing their stress is always at the forefront of Joann’s mind. 

Before Interface, Beth taught at the Middlebury Institute where she worked with international students to raise their language proficiency to perform at the graduate level. Her courses focused not only on language skills, but also introducing students to the formal and informal expectations of American higher education, in addition to pedagogy and second language acquisition.

A graduate of Middlebury with a master’s in Applied Linguistics/ESL, Beth is one of Interface’s experts in communications and public speaking, overseeing the practice interview training program for Interface students.

Katy-Jane has experience working from both sides of the desk in the college admissions field for over fifteen years. She was an undergraduate admissions officer at Loyola University Chicago for over 10 years and most recently she is the Director of College Counseling at a highly respected high school.

Her students have applied and have been accepted to some of the top schools in the United States including Dartmouth, Duke, Washington University, Vanderbilt, University of Michigan, and the University of Chicago. She also works closely with many of the well-known liberal arts colleges such as Davidson, Rhodes, Vassar, and the University of Richmond. In both positions, Katy-Jane has helped hundreds of students navigate the application and admission process. Over the past 8 years, as an Interface counselor, she has shown her passion for helping her students find their talents and interests and research colleges that are their best academic and personal fit.

With more than 20 years of experience in both post-secondary and secondary private education, Allie brings a wealth of college admissions experience, counseling relationships, and time-tested interpersonal rapport to her work with her students.

Working in admissions at selective universities, Allie developed strong and lasting relationships with institutions across the country that she has maintained over time. She honed her understanding of competitive admissions in these roles, seeing firsthand how a student’s preparation to apply for college – professional guidance, family support, and academic rigor – all contribute to their collegiate success.

Ellyn’s holds a master’s degree in education and has 35 years of experience with U.S. higher education, including 21 years as a university guidance counselor at the International School of Geneva. She has successfully helped over 1,000 students of diverse nationalities create admissions applications which highlight their individual uniqueness, securing acceptances at the most selective universities and colleges in the world.

With years of independent school and college level experience, Meg brings a long-standing career of academic advising and counseling students to Interface. She has been successful in helping high school students attain admission to a host of wonderful colleges and universities and, for the past several years, has worked exclusively in the JumpStart Leadership program.

Leanne has held several counseling positions before her time at Interface, including the Director of Admission at Kents Hill School, Director of College Counseling at Colby College, and an applications reader for Northeastern University. Her experience in a boarding school setting has provided the opportunity to work with students from around the world. She has personally worked with hundreds of students, both domestic and international, advising and guiding them as they navigate the college search and application process.

Nanette has nearly forty years of experience in admissions and college counseling. Her work with students began at Washington University where she as the Director of Admissions for 13 years. During this time, Nanette read evaluated thousands of applications from the strongest and most talented students in the world.

Working with students is a passion and led Nanette to become the Director of College Counseling at one of the most respected independent secondary schools in the country. She remained the Director of College Counseling for thirteen years and mentored students applying and being admitted to every selective university in the United States. She loves seeing the students and their thought processes as they apply to college and she clearly understands the importance of starting early and creating a plan.

Nanette has the benefit of working with students and their families from both sides of the desk. She understands the importance of students finding and pursuing their interest at an early age and she has the experience of knowing what an impressive application includes.

Nanette has been invited to be a guest speaker at hundreds of high schools around the country and enjoys helping students and families understand the complexities of college admission.

Working with students brings Nanette such joy! In addition to admissions and college counseling, she was also an academic advisor for several years, helping students decide on the courses that would be the best fit for them and where they could achieve success. Helping young people think about their next steps is an absolute delight.

Katerina holds an MBA and began her career in higher education at Washington University in St. Louis in the Department of Undergraduate Admissions. She was also the Assistant Dean in the College of Art, one of the most prestigious art programs in the country.

Karen has a master’s degree in counseling and has spent over two decades as a high school counselor helping students with emotional and social issues, as well as teaching the skills they need to improve their confidence and self-esteem. Her work at a highly regarded high school has led numerous students to admissions at the most prestigious colleges and universities, and she herself has also personally visited over 150 college campuses.

Joy holds a master’s degree in Social Work from Loyola University in Chicago, and her work in college counseling has spanned over a decade. With her experience and background, Joy facilitates a process where students make well informed decisions as they consider their future path. Working one-on-one, Joy creates an environment where each student has time to explore their interests, abilities, achievements, and challenges while guiding them effectively through the college planning process. She enjoys a close relationship with her students and families often keeping in touch with them for years.

Debbie brings over 20 years of college counseling experience to Interface as a former college counselor at one of St. Louis’ leading private high schools. She also developed a college counseling curriculum and program for a nationally recognized college access program. Debbie’s students love her energy and enthusiasm, knowing that she genuinely cares about their well-being and success.

Carol Lee is an award-winning college admissions counselor with three decades of experience advocating for students and families. She has advised over 4,000 students, read more than 15,000 applications, and visited over 700 college campuses. Carol Lee worked as the college counselor at one of the most elite private prep schools in Chicago for seventeen years and has served on admission committees for the University of Chicago and Bates College.

Claire is one of Interface’s senior counselors with four decades of college counseling experience. She has guided hundreds of top students to successful admissions results at the most selective universities in the United States. She is known for motivating and fully engaging each student in activities that result in preparing the strongest possible college applications.

Leanne has held several counseling positions before her time at Interface, including the Director of Admission at Kents Hill School, Director of College Counseling at Colby College, and an applications reader for Northeastern University. Her experience in a boarding school setting has provided the opportunity to work with students from around the world. She has personally worked with hundreds of students, both domestic and international, advising and guiding them as they navigate the college search and application process.

With over a decade of experience in education, Erica is bringing her student-centered approach to Interface.  Having worked on both sides of the desk in college admissions and college counseling, she has built, fostered, and maintained relationships with many admission officers and college counselors around the world.  Her approach to the college process is to invest time and immerse herself into each student so that she can enjoy helping and assisting them through every part of the process. 

A 20-year veteran of teaching and college counseling, Josh taught humanities at the Archer School, a private high school in his native Los Angeles, and later served as lead editor at Application Boot Camp, a pioneering college counseling workshop based in Boston. Josh solidified his international experience in his role as Director of International Development for the test preparation company, ArborBridge. In that role he visited over 200 high schools worldwide. 

Vicki has over thirty years of experience in college counseling and educational leadership.  She has directed college counseling programs at four private and independent day schools and worked with students in a prominent boarding school.  Vicki has built a career guiding thousands of students throughout their college search and application experiences and finds it rewarding when students make a great match.  The opportunity to work with students from all over the world in a boarding school setting added new experiences and expertise working with international students.  

Clare has spent fifteen years guiding students through the UCAS university application process in the UK with a very high success rate for admissions to Oxford and Cambridge. She is an expert in providing advice on how to stand out from the competition by crafting an exceptional and compelling application including preparation for the all important Oxbridge interview.

As a graduate of Cornell University and Boston College Law School, she has a unique understanding of the distinctions between the UK and US university systems. She has hundreds of students who have attended all the top British universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College, Kings College London, London School of Economics, Edinburgh University, and St Andrews University - Her own son graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Mandarin and Japanese.

As a former Harvard admissions interviewer, Rob knows what admissions officers at top schools are seeking in an applicant, and will position students competitively when they apply. Rob earned a BA with honors from Harvard University and a JD with honors from Cornell Law School. He continues to learn through courses at Columbia Business School. His students have recently been admitted to

U.S.

Harvard (3), Princeton (1), Yale (1), Columbia (5), Stanford (3), UPenn (5), MIT (2), Cornell (7), Dartmouth (1), Brown (3), U. of Chicago (4), Johns Hopkins (7), UC Berkeley (6), UCLA (9), USC (6), Northwestern (2), Vanderbilt (2), NYU (5), Wash. U. St. Louis (4), Georgetown (2), Parsons (3) (Arts/Design), Pratt (4) (Arts/Design), RISD (2) (Arts/Design)

UK

Oxford (1), Cambridge (2), Imperial (3), UCL (2), King's (3), Edinburgh (5), UAL (2) (Arts/Design)

Assistant Director of Admission at Princeton University

Assistant Director of College Counseling at Charlotte Country Day School

Associate Member of Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA )

Member of Southern Association of College Admissions Counselors (SACAC)

Member of Overseas Association of College Admissions Counselors (OACAC)

Graduated from Princeton University

Hope's experience includes work in all dimensions of the college admissions process. As an Assistant Director of Admission at Princeton University, she learned how selective admissions decisions are made and what makes students stand out in the global applicant pool at highly competitive universities. She was trained by Fred Hargadon, the longtime Dean of Admissions at both Princeton and Stanford Universities, and an acknowledged leader in admission philosophy and process.

Susan is a graduate of Harvard College, Harvard Law School, and Oxford University, where she was chosen as a Rhodes Scholar, one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world and awarded to a small number of college graduates.

After practicing law for many years, Susan turned to using the persuasive skills she developed through writing legal briefs and arguing cases to help students craft compelling college applications for the most selective schools.

Having spent over 20 years in college admission, most recently as the Associate Vice President and Dean of Undergraduate Admission for Loyola University Chicago, Erin has overseen admissions for undergraduate, international and transfer students. In her role, Erin not only read thousands of applications, she also interviewed students for scholarships.

Marguerita received an M.A. in Shakespeare from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and has written an M.Phil thesis on modernist poetry at the University of London. She also holds a B.A. in English literature from Columbia University.

Since completing her graduate degree, she has worked with countless 11th and 12th graders throughout the college application process. She has helped many students gain admittance into top-tier universities such as Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Barnard, NYU, Emory, Tulane, Boston University, Vassar, McGill (Canada), and St. Andrews (Scotland).

Kathleen has led and directed college counseling programs at highly respected high schools around the world from Hamburg, Germany to Thailand; most recently in Shanghai. She is experienced in helping her students apply and be accepted to the most selective universities in the USA, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. In addition to her work in school counseling, she also reads undergraduate applications for UCLA where she has personally evaluated thousands of applications.

Leanda grew up in Australia with close family ties to Europe. Before dedicating her professional life to education, she worked as a journalist and in the marketing department of a large international accounting firm. She, her husband, and two boys left Australia to work in international schools, and more than 20 years later, they are still on this adventure! Her boys are true Third Culture Kids who have now lived in over five countries. Leanda taught English for many years, teaching GSCE, AP, and IB Literature, as well as serving as an IB examiner before transitioning full time as a high school counselor.

Over her 25 years of professional experience in sales, project management, and teaching, Sally Michael has relied on research and active listening to guide her clients and students to successful outcomes. As a teacher, advisor, and admissions reviewer, she developed and taught graduate level classes in managerial communication in Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as assisting in admissions review for graduate programs.

Susan graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a master’s in global education with a concentration on higher education and student mobility. With ten years of experience working in admissions, advising, recruiting, and program management, Susan is dedicated to assisting students and families with navigating the college process and finding success.

Sonja has served more than 23 years in the college admissions profession, having extensive experience in the areas of freshman, transfer, and international admissions. After earning her master’s degree in education, she began as an admissions officer for the University of California system, followed by becoming a director of college counseling at a private preparatory school in California where nearly 100% of students attended four-year universities worldwide. 

Mary spent the last twelve years in Admissions for the University of Chicago, including nine years as Director of International Admissions. In this role, she chaired the international admissions committee and has exceptional insight into what makes a strong application. Mary has met and worked with hundreds of international students and families and has a keen sense of the unique characteristics that help a student stand out in a highly selective application pool. In her professional capacity, she has traveled extensively in China and around the world.

Mary holds a BA from the University of Virginia in Economics and a BS in Information Systems and MBA from Washington University (St. Louis).

Marty is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and Harvard University and is one of Interface’s most experienced counselors. Before joining Interface, she spent 10 years as a member of the Harvard/Radcliffe admissions committee and 25 years as the Director of College Advising at Deerfield Academy, a well-respected New England boarding school.

With over 20 years in college admissions experience at a selective liberal arts college focusing on international students, Keith joined Interface in 2015 to continue helping students find success. Building on his years of travel to China, he enjoys working with students as they begin planning for the next stage in their growth. Keith provides extraordinary guidance and support throughout the entire process and his professional guidance leads to excellent college outcomes.

Kathy holds a doctorate in education and has over three decades of professional experience as the Associate Vice President of Admissions at two selective universities in Washington, DC, and California. In these roles, she made final admissions decisions, personally reading thousands of student applications, as well as traveling the world meeting with students and families seeking college admission in the U.S. It is especially important to Kathy to build a strong relationship with her students while providing extraordinary guidance and support throughout the entire college process that has led to excellent results.

Julie worked for a decade as the International Admissions Director for New York University & Washington University in St. Louis where she reviewed thousands of student applications. She also launched the NYU's international student interview program and has a special interest in helping young women access opportunities in higher education. Julie provides extraordinary guidance and support throughout the entire college process that has led to successful admissions results to the most prestigious colleges and universities.

Jacqueline holds a master’s degree in education and has spent the last three decades in the field of university admissions and college counseling working with undergraduate, graduate, international, and student-athletes. She is an expert in the admissions process and has served as an Assistant Director, Senior Assistant Director, and Associate Director of undergraduate admissions as well as Director of Admission for the graduate school at Virginia Tech. She has also served as the Chief Enrollment Officer overseeing undergraduate, graduate, and international admission at Concord University - a liberal arts college.

Eileen has lived on both US coasts and internationally providing her with a breadth of understanding of cultures and lifestyles. She earned a BS in biology from Purdue University and an MBA from UCLA. Working in the corporate environment (Ernst & Ernst, Levi Strauss & Co., Converse Inc., and her own strategy consulting firm) prior to joining Interface, Eileen facilitated a strategic thinking process for businesses and organizations. She now applies that thinking process to help students understand their own ambitions and create a personalized strategy for the admission process.

Dana is dedicated to her students, providing professional guidance and support to navigate the application process with confidence. Her goal is to motivate them to continue performing, learning, adapting, and growing.

Dana is a graduate of Columbia University and former NCAA Division I athlete. She remains active as an alumni interviewer for students applying to Columbia. After university, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in Ghana.

Claire is one of Interface’s senior counselors with four decades of college counseling experience. She has guided hundreds of top students to successful admissions results at the most selective universities in the United States. She is known for motivating and fully engaging each student in activities that result in preparing the strongest possible college applications.

Ben grew up in both Asia and North America, as his parents were engaged in scholarly research at Cornell and the University of Wisconsin. After earning his graduate degree in Counselor Education from UW-Madison, Ben returned to Asia where he has worked as a college counselor at Shanghai American School, Concordia International School Shanghai, Brent International School Manila, the American School of Doha and as the Director of Counseling at Concordia International School Hanoi in Vietnam.

Andrew holds a master’s degree in education from Lehigh University and brings a wide range of experience to Interface. He has spent over a decade as an international college counselor, where he has helped hundreds of students get admitted to the most selective universities and colleges in the US, UK, and Canada. He has visited a wide range of institutions worldwide.

Zach has spent almost a decade working with students from many backgrounds and the past three years at Interface. He has recently worked with students at an award-winning high school in North Carolina.

Zach approaches every student with the goal of helping them discover their strengths, interests, and goals. He sees counseling as the art of building relationships that lead to discovery and achievement.

Lei holds a master’s degree from the University of Southern California and a Ph.D. in Social Gerontology from Miami University, along with a graduate certificate in Applied Statistics. With several years of experience in graduate school consulting, Lei specializes in planning, program selection, academic background building and enhancement, scholarship interviews, and research coaching for applicants.

Marguerita received an M.A. in Shakespeare from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and has written an M.Phil thesis on modernist poetry at the University of London. She also holds a B.A. in English literature from Columbia University.

Since completing her graduate degree, she has worked with countless 11th and 12th graders throughout the college application process. She has helped many students gain admittance into top-tier universities such as Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Barnard, NYU, Emory, Tulane, Boston University, Vassar, McGill (Canada), and St. Andrews (Scotland).

Rob is a seasoned admissions consultant with more than 14 years of experience. He graduated from Harvard University, BA, with honors and Cornell Law School, JD, with honors.

Rob enjoys helping students from all over the world apply to top undergraduate and graduate programs in the U.S. Rob is a former Harvard Admissions Interviewer.

Susan is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She also has a master’s degree from Oxford University, where she studied on a Rhodes Scholarship.

After practicing law for many years, Susan turned to using the persuasive skills she developed through writing legal briefs and arguing cases to help students craft compelling college applications for the most selective schools. Every year Susan has multiple students accepted to the Ivies and other top colleges.

Over her 25 years of professional experience in sales, project management, and teaching, Sally Michael has relied on research and active listening to guide her clients and students to successful outcomes. As a teacher, advisor, and admissions reviewer, she developed and taught graduate level classes in managerial communication in Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, as well as assisting in admissions review for graduate programs.

Susan graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a master’s in global education with a concentration on higher education and student mobility. With ten years of experience working in admissions, advising, recruiting, and program management, Susan is dedicated to assisting students and families with navigating the college process and finding success.

Jacqueline holds a master’s degree in education and has spent the last three decades in the field of university admissions and college counseling working with undergraduate, graduate, international, and student-athletes. She is an expert in the admissions process and has served as an Assistant Director, Senior Assistant Director, and Associate Director of undergraduate admissions as well as Director of Admission for the graduate school at Virginia Tech. She has also served as the Chief Enrollment Officer overseeing undergraduate, graduate, and international admission at Concord University - a liberal arts college.

Chris Carr has worked in higher education since 2007 and holds a PhD from Brown University, a Bachelor of Business from University of Michigan and an MA in Russian from Middlebury College.

Sam earned his B.A. from Princeton University, where he majored in history and minored in East Asian Studies. He holds an M.A. from Columbia University, where he is currently working on his Ph.D. in United States history.

Prior to joining Interface, Elizabeth was a private secondary school department chair and English teacher for the last fifteen years. She founded and advised a nationally award-winning student art & literature magazine; taught Advanced Placement courses in English literature and English language; scored writing for both the College Board and numerous educational research affiliates; and continues to guide other educators in the teaching of composition as a consultant for the National Writing Project.

At Interface, Elizabeth guides her students through all steps of the writing process, from brainstorming to finished product. With her kind attention and constructive feedback, students discover their unique voice while crafting their personal statements.

Marguerita received an M.A. in Shakespeare from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon and has written an M.Phil thesis on modernist poetry at the University of London. She also holds a B.A. in English literature from Columbia University.

Since completing her graduate degree, she has worked with countless 11th and 12th graders throughout the college application process. She has helped many students gain admittance into top-tier universities such as Columbia, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Barnard, NYU, Emory, Tulane, Boston University, Vassar, McGill (Canada), and St. Andrews (Scotland).

Dr. Angel Valchinov is an internationally-recognized musician, teacher, and a violinist. For more than twenty years he continues to teach in the United States, Bulgaria, Japan, and others. Currently a faculty at Bunker Hill College in Boston, and Concord Conservatory of Music (where he is String Department Chair), his students have won awards and established successful careers.

A member of the Boston String Quartet since 2005, Dr. Chen Lin is a distinguished teacher and performer. Her students have won outstanding awards, including acceptances into Juilliard School Preparatory Division and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Jordan Hall and Troy Music Hall. Described by the Boston Globe as “exploring different ways of sparking musical interest,” Dr. Lin’s Quartet frequently concertizes in the New England area, and has created its educational programs in collaboration with high school and college music departments throughout the United States. As an orchestral musician, she is currently a member of the Lexington Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Chamber Orchestra.