MY COLLEGE PLANNING TEAM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Assistant Principal at Bednarcik Junior High School in Aurora
Adam Lester is the Assistant Principal at Bednarcik Junior High School in Aurora, Illinois. He has 13 years of experience in education, with the last 8 years as a professional tutor in addition to teaching. He tutors both the SAT and ACT along with helping students with college essays, executive functioning, and academic tutoring. He has tutored over 300 students during the past 8 years and has worked with students of all abilities.
When he's not tutoring, Adam loves spending time with his wife and two sons. He enjoys reading, working out, and listening to podcasts. He is excited to join the team at MCPT in order to help students gain access to new opportunities through improved standardized test scores.
Job Titles:
- Marketing Director
- SEO Specialist
Aidan Longstreth has been a part of the My College Planning Team since early 2020. He has spent the last three years working in the digital marketing field; from public relations to search engine optimization, Aidan has a holistic approach to digital marketing which encompasses many different avenues to tell a story and spread the word about a brand or a business. His key responsibilities are branding and design for social media as well as updating the website to reflect the current information being produced by My College Planning Team.
Aidan is a graduate of UC Berkeley in Northern California where he graduated with honors in the college of Letters & Sciences. He believes everyone should have access to an affordable college education and is thrilled to be a part of an organization that is making that a possibility for so many families.
Alison ("Ali") Worland has been tutoring SATs for years, and will stop at nothing to ensure that each and every one of her students receives a uniquely catered, highly-effective, personalized learning experience. Ali's passion for helping students began when she reflected upon how valuable her own tutors were to her as she navigated through her own high school education. Central to Ali's mission of success is to change the way her students view the SAT: rather than being a high-pressure test on which they must do well (or else!), Ali reframes the test as an exciting opportunity for them to impress colleges with what their potential is. In addition to Ali's personable, organized, creative, and illuminating teaching style, one of her primary aims is to develop her students' confidence through upbeat motivation and positive reinforcement. She keeps students on track outside of sessions with additional practice assignments and mock tests. Ali is an athlete (think twice before challenging her to a swimming race!), former educator, big sister, and a proud University of North Carolina Tarheel!
Job Titles:
- Member of the Student Services Team
- Director of Student Services
Amelia Manning has extensive career and college counseling experience, having worked as the career and college counselor at a large public high school in the Chicago suburbs. In her role, Amelia worked closely with students and families from freshman year through graduation to help them with the post-secondary planning process, starting with career planning and college exploration all the way through final college decision-making and enrollment. She also led a team of school counselors in developing career and college curriculum for each grade level.
Prior to earning her Master's in education with a concentration in school counseling from DePaul University, Amelia worked in the private sector in healthcare marketing and advertising. During this time, Amelia was a founding member of the strategic planning practice at an agency focused on technology and digital marketing. Amelia graduated with her B.S. in advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Amelia's personal experiences have a strong influence on her work with families. Through her experience of transferring from one four-year university to another, she came to know the importance of college fit and the steps needed to transfer and graduate on time. As the daughter of an immigrant to the United States, Amelia is passionate about helping students who may be the first in their families to pursue higher education in the United States. As a career changer, she believes strongly in the value of early and thorough career exploration so that students feel fulfilled by their future careers while achieving financial stability.
Job Titles:
- Client Service Manager
- Counselor
Anna is a high school counselor in Naperville who is passionate about helping families find high quality and affordable post-secondary education options. Anna has over a decade of experience helping students and their families navigate the financial aid and college admissions process.
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- High School Counselor / Workshop Speaker
Becky Martin is a high school counselor in southeastern Minnesota. With almost 20 years of high school counseling experience, she has helped thousands of students and families navigate the college planning process from start to finish.
Becky received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse, her Master's degree in Counseling and Psychological Services from St. Mary's University of Minnesota and her School Counseling Licensure credentials at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
In her first decade of high school counseling, she worked with a diverse population of mostly first generation college students to realize their potential and follow their dreams. She developed a comprehensive school counseling program that included college and career exploration beginning in 9th grade. Through classroom presentations, small group work, and
individual sessions she helped each of her students develop a plan for high school and beyond. She was instrumental in Triton High School being chosen as one of the first grant recipients of the University of Minnesota's Ramp Up to Readiness schools. She was also named Southeastern Minnesota School Counselor of the Year in 2009.
Since 2014, she has served the middle and upper income students and families of Byron High School. As Lead High School Counselor, she plays a crucial role in ensuring students have the knowledge and resources needed to become college, career, and life ready. She also offers numerous parent presentations to ensure families understand the key role they play in supporting their student's post secondary journeys. She was part of the steering committee responsible for the development of Byron's Profile of a Graduate and spearheaded Byron High School's Link Crew Program. With 80% of her graduates pursuing post secondary education, she devotes much of her time to individual meetings with students, exploring their interests,
identifying their strengths, helping with college and major exploration, college applications, scholarships, and recommendations. She also strives to incorporate authentic learning opportunities for all students to explore their passions and identify their life's path beyond high school.
Becky is excited to be part of My College Planning Team where she can utilize her expertise to assist students and families in navigating the post secondary planning process.
Job Titles:
- College Funding Specialist
- Head of the Client Service Manager Team
- Vice President of Client Services, CSS Profile Specialist
Billie Jo received her BA in accounting from San Jose State University and quickly attained her CPA license. Her license was active until 10/31/2004. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance at a variety of companies including Symantec Corp, Thomas Weisel Partners (a San Francisco investment firm) and several Silicon Valley startups. Her most recent experience is in small business bookkeeping, family budget analysis, and individual/small business tax return preparation.
As head of the Client Service Manager Team, Billie Jo creates customized college funding plans detailing the most cost-efficient options for parents to pay for college. She identifies income, asset, and borrowing strategies to reduce college costs and increase students' financial aid eligibility. She also assists clients with the appeals and negotiations process, reviews their award letters, and monitors each client's progress until all of their children are out of college.
As our senior college funding strategist, Billie Jo also works with our business owner clients to help them identify unique strategies for reducing college costs.
Billie Jo is a mother of three children in high school. With a passion for family success, she devoted many years to her boys' athletic, social and academic lives, including volunteer work at her children's schools with programs such as Junior Achievement. Billie Jo is driven and passionate about helping families find the most cost-efficient college financing strategies. With three children soon to be entering college, Billie Jo knows the challenges and concerns of preparing for college firsthand. Billie Jo has been published in Parent magazine, The Penny Hoarder and Collegiate Parent.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor
- Certified Financial Planner and Team Leader
- Owner of Shamrock Financial Planning
Bob Proctor is the owner of Shamrock Financial Planning in Naperville, IL. Shamrock offers comprehensive financial planning along with securities and advisory services. He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) with over 25 years in the financial services business.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Media Team
- Social Media Director
Brooke Bernstein is the Social Media Director for My College Planning Team. Her role is to manage the social media accounts of MCPT. She not only plans online strategies to meet company goals but also is responsible for creating content, scheduling posts, and monitoring social media metrics. Brooke Bernstein is a graduate of Tufts University where she received her B.A. in Film & Media Studies. Brooke was also the captain of the Swimming & Diving Team where she earned recognition as a team record holder, NCAA All American and NISCA Scholar All American. She is currently in her second year at Teachers College at Columbia University where she will receive her M.A. in Elementary Inclusive Education.
Contributions to her former jobs in marketing and social media, and this field at-large, revolve around her essential talents in project management and attention to detail. She has developed strong abilities in communication and fostered a reputation as a key contributor through organization and innovation skills. As a team player, she is collaborative with peers and searches for ways to integrate valuable insights. As a leader, she has found confidence in her ability to facilitate positive change and deliver proven results.
Brooke hopes to one day combine her degree in media with her passion for education and reform our education system. She strongly believes that media will continue to be an integral aspect of our society and it is important not only for students to develop their media literacy skills but also for educators to use media as a positive tool for social and academic development.
Job Titles:
- Client Service Manager
- Vice President of Finance and Administration
Chandani Rao received her BA in Communications with a minor in Statistics from Rutgers College. She later earned her MBA from the Rutgers Graduate School of Management (now Rutgers Business School). She has been in Client Services for close to 30 years and also partners with her husband in their real estate investment business. Aligned with her interest in personal finance, she manages the bookkeeping and business management, always eager to learn creative approaches.
With her oldest child having recently completed the wild world of college applications and admission, Chandani engaged My College Planning Team to advise on award offers received from their top choice schools. MCPT confirmed there was a discrepancy with one of the awards,
which was the first-choice school. The base issue was an erroneous assumption based on a one-time event which resulted in an inflated EFC. MCPT guided the successful appeal, and her child is now enrolled at her dream school.
Chandani's passion for helping to guide others to understand and make decisions with the often daunting college transition is what propelled her to join the MCPT client service team. Her first-hand experience with FAFSA and the CSS Profile helps keep her up-to-date with the process.
Chandani is married with 3 children, who will keep her intimately involved with the college process for at least the next 10 years. She grew up playing tennis, played for Rutgers, and has a goal to get back to playing in the coming year. When she can find the perfect intersection of
everyone's schedule, Chandani loves to travel and explore with her family, enjoying new adventures together.
Job Titles:
- Associate With
- Marketing Associate
Charlotte Carr is a Marketing Associate with My College Planning Team. Previous to this position she was managing a fellowship program at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned degrees at the University of Maryland, College Park, and at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
Charlotte firmly believes that everyone should have the ability to receive a quality education. She is passionate about supporting the work of My College Planning Team, to help ensure more equitable access to learning.
Charlotte has worked as an educator in the United States and abroad. She has taught art classes in Philadelphia, served as an AmeriCorps NSSC tutor in third-grade classrooms in Sacramento, taught English in Costa Rica, and digital storytelling classes in retirement communities in Monterey, CA.
Charlotte loves learning and is known to drag friends along to museums (especially art museums!) during her free time.
Job Titles:
- Producer
- Podcast Team Leader
Chris Maraboli is a content producer. He began working in media about 7 years ago on a local podcast. Since then he has helped to build many successful and long-running shows. He has done production work for several major companies including, Johnson & Johnson, NASCAR, and Aetna.
In addition to his work on podcasts, he has worked on several feature-length films including "Open Your Eyes" (2020) and "The Kid Who Only Hit Home Runs" (2021).
Job Titles:
- Senior Counselor
- High School Counselor / Community Development Manager
Corey Bernard is a Junior/Senior counselor at a public high school in the west suburbs of Chicago. During her 10 year counseling career, Corey has assisted numerous students with their post-secondary plans and the college admissions process. She loves nothing more than helping students find their best-fit pathway that helps foster their passions.
Corey graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and a concentration in Public Relations. She began her career working as a PR specialist at a mid-size Chiagoland firm helping to manage campaigns for some of the world's most iconic food and beverage brands.
Corey enjoyed helping her clients find solutions and new opportunities; however, she learned that her true calling was to carry her skills over to education and assist young students instead. Corey then earned her Master's Degree in School Counseling from Lewis University and has since found fulfillment in helping her students discover their true potential academically and personally as they work towards their post-secondary goals.
In addition to her school counseling duties, Corey oversees scholarship opportunities for students. She is her school's main contact for NCAA student eligibility and she also coordinates SAT test prep opportunities. She has been a member of the School Leadership Team, and serves as a sponsor for Student Council.
Corey enjoys new adventures and movie nights with her family. She resides in Geneva, Illinois with her husband and her two children.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
David Fortosis is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and has been providing financial advice to individuals and families since 2013. He has a bachelor's degree from Calvin College where he studied business and played on the men's soccer team. After spending a few years working in the non-profit sector, he entered the financial services industry. He lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters. When not working, he spends his time cooking, reading, playing golf, watching Duke basketball and spending time with family.
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- Member of the Student Services Team
- High School Counselor / Career Development Specialist
David Hess currently serves as a School Counselor at a large suburban high school outside of Chicago. After teaching Social Studies for 15 years he has found his true passion in college counseling. He also coached basketball for 16 years, at 4 different high schools. He has had a tremendous impact on the lives of students at Elgin, helping families with diverse economic backgrounds navigate the college search, application, and financial process. He has serves on the U-46 Dual Credit Council, the U-46 Post Secondary Success team, the Eastern Illinois Advisory Board, and the Illinois Association of College Admission Counselors (IACAC) CAP Committee. He served as one of the high school counseling representatives at the Summit for Democratizing Information in Post Secondary, put on Making Caring Common at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was the winner of 2017 IACAC Mentor Match of the Year and was a 2020 Illinois School Counseling Association (ISCA) finalist for School Counselor of the year.
He earned his BA from Millikin University, where he also played basketball and baseball. He earned his Teaching Certificate from National Louis, and his MA in Counseling from Concordia University.
David lives in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with his wife, son, and two daughters. When he's not working, David enjoys playing competitive golf, traveling with his family, fishing, reading, and watching sports.
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- Member of the Communications and Community Outreach Team
- Member of the Podcasting Team
- Counselor at Batavia High School
- High School Counselor, Vice President of Communications
Erin Hack is a school counselor at Batavia High School in Batavia, IL. She has over 11 years of cross-functional expertise in high school counseling, higher education leadership, and college career counseling environments.
Erin graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis, IN with her B.S. in telecommunications and a minor in journalism. She took a leap of faith and moved to the Windy City where she began her career in corporate training and recruiting. The six years she spent recruiting on college campuses across the Midwest helped her discover her true calling in life: helping students achieve academic, personal, and career success.
Before becoming a high school counselor, Erin worked in higher education as a college career counselor and Director of Career Services. It was during this time that she earned her M.A. in School Counseling from Concordia University as she sought to use her talents and passion for helping high school age students.
In addition to her school counseling duties at Batavia High School, Erin is the AP and SAT testing coordinator, the sponsor for the Open Circle club, and a member of the School Leadership Team.
Erin enjoys live music, hiking, hosting backyard BBQs, and renovating the 1887 farmhouse where she resides in Wheaton, IL with her husband, two sons, and two Border Terriers. Erin is thrilled to be a part of My College Planning Team where she partners with families to provide guidance on their post-secondary planning journey.
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- High School Counselor / Community Counselor - Special Populations
Gavin Engel is a generalist school counselor at a public high school in the western suburbs of Chicago. He specializes in careers and sponsors the community service club at his high school. Gavin also works part-time at a private practice and provides in-home therapy for children and adolescents within the DCFS system. Gavin is a Licensed Professional Counselor and has worked in the field for over 20 years. Gavin's past employment includes working at a residential treatment center and as lead counselor at a public alternative junior high / high school, both that serve youth with severe emotional and behavioral issues. As such, Gavin brings unique and thorough professional experience and is always looking for new challenges and forming new relationships within the communities that he serves.
Gavin completed his Master's Degree at Concordia University Chicago in Mental Health / Community Counseling. Gavin's undergraduate studies were at Northern Illinois University where he earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology. Gavin also received both his school counseling and school leadership certifications at Northern Illinois University.
In Gavin's role as a school counselor, he teaches classroom lessons to students in grades 9-12 that are focused on the college and career planning processes through personal college/career exploration, research, planning, self-awareness, self- reflection and genuine dialog. Gavin maintains the career page within his school's counseling department link on his school's website and prides himself on keeping all the information up to date and brings in professionals within certain career fields to present to interested student populations. Additionally, Gavin works with special populations by supporting students and parents with IEP's, 504 plans and mental health issues. Gavin has an innate ability to connect with his students and parents and promotes the balance of advocacy and accountability.
Job Titles:
- Client Enrollment Manager
Job Titles:
- Founder of My College Planning Team Director of College Funding
- Founder, Director of the Executive Team
Jack has over 50 years in marketing, management, career development and business leadership. At age 24, he started his first business, Career Counselors, which launched the careers of hundreds of college graduates at major companies throughout the Chicago area.
In 1984, Jack started the Illinois Trade Association and grew it into the largest commercial barter exchange in the United States. Jack and his team mentored over 5000 business owners, teaching them creative financial strategies to reduce expenses, improve cash flow, and boost their bottom line.
During his tenure, he also served for 15 years on the board of the National Association of Barter Exchanges, and was the association's president for five years. He received multiple outstanding service awards and was a keynote speaker at six manor conventions.
Planning to retire, he sold the business to International Monetary Systems in 2006 and was ten years later was inducted into the Barter Hall of Fame by the International Reciprocal Trade Association (IRTA).
Jack came out of retirement in 2015 and founded My College Planning Team (MCPT) where he brings the same creative edge in helping families reduce the cost of their children's education. He and his team of over fifty professionals are committed to providing high value at affordable prices to middle income families struggling to pay for college.
Jack has been featured in dozens of publications, including Inc. and Forbes magazines, which highlighted his unique ability to retain talented employees by fostering a culture of leadership throughout his companies.
I'm here to answer any questions you might have about the financial aspects of getting into a great college program. Feel free to contact me using any of the following methods:
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Member of the Support Team
Jeffrey R. Platt, concentrates his practice in commercial litigation, banking, employment litigation, and international law. Formerly, Mr. Platt was an associate at Hinshaw & Culbertson in Chicago, where he handled the defense of Legal Malpractice claims involving underlying cases dealing with, Business Torts, Civil Rights, Contracts, Copyright, Corporate Law, Real Estate, RICO, Securities and Trademark matters. Prior to joining Ice Miller, LLP Mr. Platt was a partner at The Coman Law Group, P.C. for 14 years. Mr. Platt has served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Illinois Department of Public Health from 1994 - 1996. Mr. Platt has been on the Board of Directors of Metropolitan Family Services of DuPage County since 2010.
Mr. Platt received his Bachelor of Arts degree (cum laude) in Economics from the University of Illinois in 1988. Mr. Platt obtained his Juris Doctor degree (with honors) from IIT Chicago Kent College of Law in 1991, and an LLM degree in International Law (with distinction) from Georgetown University Law Center in 1992.
Job Titles:
- Financial Advisor
- Certified Financial Planner
Financial Advisor | Workshop Kit Producer | Workshop Speaker
Jim has been a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) for over 29 years. He has taught financial planning at several area colleges, written multiple financial planning articles, and authored five books on the subject. With his expertise in designing non-assessable financial instruments for college funding and his previous long-term experience as a Series 7 and Series 63 securities advisor, he has been able to design unique multi-advantaged solutions for our clients.
I'm here to answer any questions you might have about the financial aspects of getting into a great college program. Feel free to contact me using any of the following methods:
Job Titles:
- National Marketing Director
- Health Insurance Consultant
Jim Novak, a National Marketing Director for Health Care Solutions Team, has consulted small business owners, their families and their employees in the Health Insurance field for almost 30 years, providing affordable options to navigate the maze that has become Healthcare Benefits in today's marketplace. It's critical for small business to understand HDHPs, HSAs, Qualified HSA Funding Distribution (QHFD) and Retirement Medical Expenses. He specializes in annual reviews to reduce burdensome healthcare costs for the small business owner.
Job Titles:
- Content Writer / Workshop Speaker
Joanne is a professional speaker, writer, organizer, and certified life coach. She received her Communications/Creative Writing BS degree from Chapman University in Orange, California.
Since deciding to attend college in her later years, she is well versed in the why and how it works. Her children were inspired to continue their education after high school, after watching their mom attend at an advanced age. Joanne was working for a Fortune 500 Company and knew getting a college degree would make her more competitive in the job market. She started at the junior college level and transferred her credits to Chapman. To her amazement, after graduation, a new Communications Department opened up and she was selected to be one of the Communications Specialists in the new department. It was also at a pay increase which made it all the more satisfying.
Currently, Joanne has her first two e-books in her Better Life Series on Amazon.com: "How to Have More Love and Peace in Your Life," and "Four Steps to Happiness." "Beyond Hoping" is in the works along with a children's book.
Joanne has seen how a college education can create new opportunities for young and old students and wishes she had a team like My College Planning Team available to her and her children to assist with their process and save them time, stress and money.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Community Development Manager, Faith - Based Venues Workshop Speaker
- Director of College
- High School Counselor / Community Outreach Manager, Faith - Based Venues
Jon is the Director of College and Career at a private, Christian high school in Elmhurst, Illinois that serves students from over 50 communities in the Chicagoland area.
Jon has served in his current role since 2015, leading students and families through the entire college admissions process, while also providing academic and personal-social counseling to all students. As part of his role, he has conducted and hosted yearly workshops about the college search, application and financial aid processes.
Prior to his current role, Jon spent three years as an Admissions Counselor and Assistant Director of Admission at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois, where he recruited high school and transfer students from all over the midwest, guiding them through the application, financial aid and course registration processes.
In addition to his counseling duties, Jon is also a coach within the boy's basketball program at his high school, serving as an assistant varsity coach for four years and currently as the head 6th-grade-boys coach.
Jon earned bachelor degrees in psychology and exercise science from Trinity Christian College. At Trinity, he was also a collegiate athlete on the men's basketball team. Upon graduation, Jon earned his master's degree in school counseling and guidance from Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.
Jon lives in Villa Park with his wife and three young children. He enjoys playing, coaching and watching just about any sport, but especially basketball. He's a life-long fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bulls and Bears.
Job Titles:
- Financial Aid Appeals Specialist
Julian Treves works with families to help them lower their college cost through the college financial aid appeals process. Julian uses cutting-edge analytics to bring greater transparency to college pricing to help students and their families know how much college really costs - and to lower that cost.
In 2019, Julian founded College Tuition Advisory Services (CTAS). Julian recently partnered with My College Planning Team to assist families as a Financial Aid Appeals Specialist. Previously, Julian spent 20 years in corporate finance and treasury management. Within those roles, Julian employed the expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis that he uses today to help families as they prepare for college.
Julian holds a bachelor's degree from Indiana University and master's degrees from Columbia University. While he works with families all across the United States, Julian lives in Pennsylvania with his beautiful wife and two pre-college-age children, and enjoys music and all sports with 11 people on each team.
Job Titles:
- High School Counselor / Community Counselor - 504 / IEP Specialist / Community Development Manager
Julie L. Bortoli, MA, NCC, LPC, has been a school counselor in the southwest suburbs for 16 years. She has 23 years of counseling experience in total, with prior experience as a school based probation officer and a counselor at a homeless shelter.
Julie earned her BA degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a MA in Political and Justice Studies from Governors State University and a MA in School Counseling and Guidance from Lewis University. A life-long learner, Julie continues her education to maintain NCC and LPC licenses.
Throughout her years as a counselor, Julie has assisted countless students with their post-secondary plans and the college admission process. Julie has a passion for helping students find their purpose at an affordable, yet challenging university.
Having served as the ACT testing coordinator for over ten years, Julie currently collaborates with the Junior-Senior group guidance planning team and is the school liaison to Joliet Junior College. Presently, Julie is helping students with medical conditions obtain academic accommodations.
Julie enjoys speed walking, tandem bike rides and beach days. Julie also serves on the board of her local community pool and racquet club. She resides in Naperville with her three children.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Trainer Workshop Speaker
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- Member of the Podcasting Team
- Financial Aid Appeals Advisor
Kate Kaushal has been a professional high school counselor in the Chicago Public School system since 2011 and has played many roles including: senior academic and social emotional counselor, post secondary counselor, head of counseling, ACT test coordinator, CPS selective enrollment test proctor and master counselor for the district.
She received her Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Saint Xavier University and a Master's in School Counseling from Roosevelt University. Prior to 2011, she worked in various positions in social service, including a partner organization to DCFS, a group home for young men, and an experiential outdoor education camp for at-risk youth in North Carolina.
At Phillips Academy in Bronzeville, she started as the Junior counselor and then moved into the post-secondary arena where she found her passion. She believes in holistically working with students and prides herself in her ability to match students with resources, especially scholarship opportunities and enrichment programs. In her years as a postsecondary counselor, she drastically increased the amount of scholarships (from 500,000 in 2015 to over 15 million in 2019) earned by the graduating classes and received a Data Impact award from Chicago Public Schools. She was also a final nominee for College and Career Counselor of the year in 2018 and has presented at multiple CPS School Counselor professional development events.
Kate is a lifelong learner and is excited to join the My College Planning Team to help families find the best holistic college fit for their child and the most scholarship money possible to offset their educational costs. Kate also has a knack for matching families to the resources they need, including alternate options like trade or gap year programs. Outside of work, she enjoys running, yoga, event planning and spending time with her 2 young children.
Kathryn Giuffrida has been a part of the My College Planning Team since the start of 2022. She has worked in the field of digital marketing since 2019 and specializes in SEO content development for both blogs and long-form articles. Her key responsibilities include conducting SEO research and updates for MCPT's blog as well as learning more about emerging topics in higher education and financial assistance.
She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2015 as well as a Master of Public Health in Environmental and Occupational Health from the University of South Florida in 2018. She also earned national certification in public health in 2018 from the National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE).
Kathryn decided to start her career in regulatory compliance for a specialty chemical industry but soon found her way into the digital marketing world and hasn't looked back ever since. She has contributed to websites including Muscle and Brawn, Pay It Forward Fertility Foundation, My Subscription Addiction, The Unwinder, and SHALE Magazine and is excited to continue her work in writing and editing at My College Planning Team.
Outside of work, she's a year-round swimmer who qualified to compete in the 2020 TYR Pro Series and whenever she's not behind the keyboard typing up new articles you can most likely find her in a pool.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Communications and Community Outreach Team
- Director of National Outreach at MCPT
- National Outreach Director
Keira McDonald is the Director of National Outreach for My College Planning Team. She has five years of experience in various avenues of education. Keira has a passion for working in higher education.
Keira was an Assistant Dean of Admission at a private university on Long Island, NY. At that time, she specialized in recruiting transfer students. She has seen the excitement in a student's eyes when they realize that they have finally found the best-fit college. She is determined to assist parents in learning about the best ways to pay for college in order to make a student's dream their reality. Keira has assisted students in the college planning process and she has also assisted families in the financial aid process. Additionally, Keira has experience as an online ESL teacher. She mainly taught children from China. She believes that all students should be able to receive the education that they desire.
Keira graduated from St. Joseph's College in New York with a Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management and a minor in Psychology. As a student, she volunteered as a teacher's assistant in an introduction to college class. Right after Keira graduated College, she did an internship at Walt Disney World. Before working in education, Keira worked in the hotel and bridal industry.
As the Director of National Outreach at MCPT, Keira is responsible for booking workshops with libraries outside of Illinois. In 2021, the college planning workshops were introduced to libraries in Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, and New York. Keira is also responsible for marketing our free 1:1 free conference calls to workshop attendees. In 2021, we had 300% growth in this area. In 2022, Keira will be working on promoting recorded workshops in order to assist more families throughout the United States.
In addition to pursuing her professional passion, Keira remains focused on her personal passion as well. Traveling the world and immersing herself in new cultures is very important to Keira. She has traveled to 18 countries and plans to visit many more over the next few years. When Keira is not traveling, she enjoys spending time with her family, her friends, and playing with her dog.
Ken Johnson is an attorney with a varied legal and business background. He is a seasoned "thought leader" in identifying and capturing substantial savings through cost-effective tactics and strategies in a rapidly shifting business climate. He has also gained extensive experience over the years while in private practice in drafting wills, trusts, estate planning, tax planning, and handling complex transactions.
Ken was also an adjunct professor at IIT Kent College of Law in the LLM program and taught such courses as Finance, Broker Dealer Regulation, Venture Capital for Lawyers, Investment Banking, Electronic Markets and Exchanges, and Mergers and Acquisitions.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Social Media Team
- Financial Aid Appeals Advisor
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tutoring Team
- Director of Tutoring Services
- Tutoring Manager
Linda has her BA in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis and her MBA from the University of Chicago. With over 30 years' experience in business and career coaching, she currently owns College Tutors of Barrington, Illinois which focuses on providing intelligent, experienced tutors to residents throughout the Northwest Suburbs.
She is a results-oriented individual with excellent leadership, coaching, mentoring and problem-solving skills. Linda is certified in MBTI and leadership coaching. Her company helps to build stronger families by providing one on one ACT and SAT test prep, as well as homework help. All tutoring is customized and focuses on the individual student's goals.
Feel free to contact me using any of the following methods:
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- Member of the Specialty Services Team
- Member of the Student Services Team
Job Titles:
- Certified Funds Specialist
Lisa M. Christie, CFS (Certified Funds Specialist), is an Independent Financial Advisor. She is fully licensed and has been in the business for 28 years. She and her business partner have their own practice, L & M Financial Services, Inc., providing well rounded financial planning that examines your total financial picture. We work with Life, Health, Disability, Long Term Care insurance as well as Investment planning for College Funding and Retirement Planning. L & M was nominated for Small Business of the Year for 2015 & 2016 by the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- MCPT Paralegal
Lynn received her BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois and her Masters of Business Administration from the University of Dallas. For the last 20 years she has worked as a paralegal, primarily in corporate, probate, and trust law. Lynn is also a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and received her training at Duke Integrative Medicine. She combines business, legal, and coaching skills to realize her mission of helping families get the support need as they navigate the complex landscape of college financial aid.
Lynn is also an avid and on-going student of personal finance. Thanks in part to her own financial aid experience as a college student, she spent the last decade preparing herself and her family for the realities of paying for college for her two children. When her oldest child applied to several colleges in 2019, Lynn gained first-hand knowledge of the CSS profile as part of the financial aid process. As an overwhelmed parent of a prospective college student, she learned a great deal more about the college financial aid world during her trial-by-fire adventure.
Lynn enjoys advocating for her clients, researching new aspects of the law, and keeping abreast of the latest trends in college admissions. When she is not working, she loves spending time with her husband and two sons, playing competitive tennis, choral singing, and being a beginning alto saxophone student.
Job Titles:
- High School Counselor / Pell Eligible Family Specialist
From the Westside of Chicago and a proud Chicago Public School (CPS) graduate, Marbella brings 8 years of postsecondary advising experience and perspective as a first generation Mexican-American college graduate. (YES! She is a Spanish-Speaker!)
Marbella received her B.A in Biology & Environmental Studies from the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota. She later attended Northeastern Illinois University to receive a M.A in Higher Education with a focus in ENgaging Latina/o Communities for Education (ENLACE).
She is currently a College and Career Coach helping 1st generation families understand the college going process. Prior to assuming this position she served as a financial aid expert with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). In spring of 2019 she was announced as the Chicago Public Schools' College and Career Coach of the year. Lastly, she is one of only a selected few to serve as Master Counselors and College and Career Coaches in the city of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Certified Public Accountant
- Member of the Support Team
Job Titles:
- Counselor
- High School Counselor, Community Development Manager
Paige Buttels is the college/career counselor at public high school in the west suburbs of Chicago. Prior to this position, Paige worked in another school district as a generalist school counselor for four years. Paige also works part-time at a local community college as the TRIO Upward Bound college/career counselor, supporting disadvantaged and first-generation high school students to support their college exploration, career planning and develop life skills to overcome barriers and cycles of achievement gaps.
In Paige's role as a school college/career counselor, she teaches classroom lessons to students grades 9-12 focused on the college and career planning processes through personal college/career exploration, research and planning. She enjoys helping students learn about career pathways and connecting students to professionals in their local communities to increase awareness of the careers they are interested in.
Paige was a first-generation college student. She earned her bachelor's degree with a major in psychology and minor in Spanish at Illinois State University. She earned her master's degree in counseling at Northern Illinois University. Paige has also been published in Collegiate Parent.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Student Services Team
- Higher Education Author, Small College Specialist
Job Titles:
- Director of Career Planning
Job Titles:
- Member of the Tutoring Team
- Director of Tutoring
Job Titles:
- Member of the Communications and Community Outreach Team
- Chicagoland Outreach Director
Job Titles:
- Member of the Podcasting Team
- High School Counselor / Podcast Specialist
Job Titles:
- High School Counselor / Director of Community Development
Job Titles:
- Member of the Support Team
- Business Tax Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Student Services Team
- High School Counselor / Workshop Speaker
Job Titles:
- Government Loan Specialist
Job Titles:
- Member of the Specialty Services Team
- Christian College Exploration and Selection Specialist
Job Titles:
- Executive Functioning Coach