CollegeWeekLive

Dr. Katherine Cohen, CEO, Founder, and Admissions Counselor - IvyWise and ApplyWise

"How to Go to College in a Tough Economy"

Katherine Cohen graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University . She continued her studies at Yale University receiving two Master's degrees and a PhD. She received certification in College Admission Counseling from U.C.L.A. She is the founder of IvyWise, a nationally recognized, highly respected admission counseling company. Prior to founding IvyWise, Dr. Cohen gained valuable experience as an intern college counselor at Palisades Charter High School . She also served as a Reader in the Yale University Office of Admissions, reading applications and evaluating hundreds of applicants for admission or rejection to Yale College. At Yale, Dr. Cohen taught undergraduate courses and for four years was an advisor to sophomores at Yale College. In her capacity as Sophomore Advisor, she approved course schedules, counseled students experiencing academic and personal problems and wrote recommendations for students seeking summer employment or supplemental or social service experiences.

Dr. Katherine Cohen, CEO, Founder, and Admissions Counselor - IvyWise and ApplyWise

"How to Go to College in a Tough Economy"

Matthew Greene, Educational Director - Howard Greene and Associates

"Changes In the College Admissions Process"

Dr. Matthew Greene is Educational Director of Howard Greene & Associates. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Dartmouth College, (1990), where he majored in history modified with government. He earned both his Master's Degree in Public Policy in 1993, and his Doctorate in Political Science in 1997, from the University of Colorado at Boulder. His graduate work focused on education policy making, the structure of public school systems, and school discipline and violence. Matthew's professional experience includes teaching and counseling university undergraduates, and training graduate level teachers. He has interned at the United States Information Agency and the U.S. Department of Education, and has consulted to the Education Commission of the States. He is the author of Learning about School Violence: Peter Lang Publishers, 2001, and is co-author with his father, Howard Greene, of the books in the Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning Series, published by HarperCollins: Making it into a Top College; Inside the Top Colleges; The Hidden Ivies; The Public Ivies; Making it into A Top Graduate School; and Presenting Yourself Successfully. They also co-authored Paying for College, published by St. Martins Press, and their most recent book, the Greenes' Guide to Boarding Schools, published by Thomson Petersons. They have written a national bi-monthly column for Knight Ridder-Tribune News Service and are regular contributors to University Business Magazine. Matthew and Howard are co-hosts of two PBS television programs "Ten Steps to College with the Greenes" and "Paying for College with the Greenes." Matthew is a frequent presenter on educational planning and college admissions, and is trained in mediation and conflict resolution techniques. He has appeared in People Magazine and Bloomberg Magazine, and is frequently interviewed on educational issues by such news media as The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, News 12 Connecticut, and NPR radio programs. He serves on the Boards of the Family and Children's Agency in Norwalk, CT, the Dartmouth Partners in Community Service Program, and Suffield Academy. He joined Howard Greene & Associates in 1997.

Dr. Patrica Peek and Gil Rogers, Admissions Officers - Fordham University and University of New Haven

"Perspective From the Admissions Office"

Patricia Peek is an Associate Director of Admission at Fordham University. She has been working at Fordham for 11 years and has been in the field of higher education for 17 years. She is a member of the NY State Association of College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC), where she serves on its Executive Board as well as a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). She holds a PhD in English Literature and teaches Writing as well as Speech and Rhetoric courses in one of Fordham's Honors Programs. Gil is a Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions for the University of New Haven, a small private university located in West Haven, Connecticut. Gil started his career in Higher Education Administration as an Admission Counselor at his Alma Mater, the University of Hartford. During his first two years he travelled throughout the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of the U.S. guiding families through the admission process. Gil has also worked with families from New Jersey, as well as students from counties encompassing about half of the state of Connecticut. During his time at the University of New Haven, Gil has taken on the role of Coordinator of Electronic Recruitment and has worked closely with the IT and Marketing departments to implement a strong presence on the web, including Web 2.0, Search Engine Optimization, and Social Networking projects. Gil also oversees the “Charger Ambassadors”, a group of UNH students that assist with reaching out to prospective students and parents at campus events, through phone-a-thons, and online chats.

Rob Franek, Editor - The Princeton Review

"Choosing a College"

Robert Franek, 36, oversees The Princeton Review's guidebook publishing program -- a line of nearly 200 titles from best-selling test-prep guides to college, graduate school, career-related and reference books. As the company’s chief expert on higher education issues, he directs The Princeton Review annual surveys of college, business school, and law school students upon which the well-known Princeton Review rankings are based. As lead author of the company's annual "Best Colleges" guide, he visits more than 50 colleges a year and has been a lecturer and panelist on college admissions for audiences of educators, parents and students. Robert has been interviewed and sourced on standardized tests, college, graduate school, financial aid and career topics by a range of media from Time to The Chronicle of Higher Education and from USA Today to the Wall Street Journal. He has also appeared on ABC "Good Morning America," CBS "The Early Show," (viewable at http://tinyurl.com/5w3dzj) and NBC "Today," (viewable at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9050138/) as well as several CNN and FOX programs, National Public Radio and network radio shows. Prior to joining The Princeton Review in 1999, Robert was a college admissions officer at Wagner College (Staten Island, NY) for six years. He obtained his B.A. at Drew University in Political Science and History. An avid history buff, he conducts historical walking tours of New York City for Sweet City Tours, a company he founded. He lives in Manhattan

Andrea "Rae" Jones, Director, Elementary/Secondary Services - ACT

"How to Prepare for and Take the ACT"

Andrea “Rae” Jones presently serves as the Director of Elementary and Secondary Services for the ACT Midwest Region Office. Since joining ACT in 1989, Rae has held several key administrative positions including Assistant Director and Director of Career Planning Services. Due to both the depth and breadth of Rae’s background in the field of education (she has served within elementary, secondary and postsecondary settings as a teacher, admissions and financial aid counselor, and admissions assistant director), she serves as an important resource to learning organizations throughout the Midwest and the United States. She has a keen understanding of critical issues across the educational continuum including learning standards and benchmarks; assessment for learning, as well as assessment of learning; underserved populations and associated achievement gaps; and resources and tools that function in robust and dynamic ways to help in guaranteeing success for all students. Her insights have informed many individuals and organizations in focusing acute attention on the needs of learners and in seeking to rally programmatic resources for addressing these needs. In her current position, Rae assists state-level administrators, legislators, other government officials, educators, and organizational executives in increasing student achievement and college and workplace readiness through the use of an integrated series of curriculum and standards-based assessments and educational planning programs and tools. She holds both her B.S. and M.S. degrees in education from Indiana University.

Laurence Bunin, Senior Vice President of the SAT Program - The College Board

"Mythbusting the SAT"

Laurence Bunin is the College Board’s senior vice president of operations and the general manager of the SAT® Program. He is responsible for managing all operational aspects of the College Board’s assessment programs, including registration, test day administration, scoring, and score reporting for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests as well as the strategy and planning for these admissions exams. Previously, Laurence ran a boutique management consulting firm, Handshake Dynamics, which provided guidance to companies from such information-intensive industries as education and financial services, media and publishing. Its clients included Access Group, Consumer Reports, Deutsche Bank, the Hearst Corporation, the McGraw-Hill Companies, Meredith Corporation, Pratt & Whitney (United Technologies), Standard & Poor’s, Starbucks Corporation and Zagat Survey, to name a few. Before Handshake, Laurence worked for Hearst Corporation’s New Media & Technology unit as director of operations, where he managed operations and technology for the media conglomerate. He began his career with the New York Times Information Services Group, where he was director of communications, managing operations and technology for divisions such as the media giant’s newswire service and the New York Times Syndicate. A New Jersey native, Laurence is a graduate of Yale University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering.

Amy Newmark, Editor - Chicken Soup For the Soul: Teens Talk Getting into College

"Getting Into College Support"

Amy Newmark has led a successful 30-year career as a writer, speaker, financial analyst and business executive in the worlds of finance and telecommunications. Most recently, Newmark has teamed up with one of the most successful book series of all time – Chicken Soup for the Soul® – as publisher, author, and editor. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College in 1979, Newmark majored in Portuguese and minored in French, earning a summa cum laude on her thesis which concerned popular poetry in Brazil. She traveled throughout the poverty-stricken northeast section of Brazil while in college, meeting with poets and writers and collecting their stories for her dissertation on whether this form of popular expression would survive the modernization of Brazil. Newmark then joined the commercial sector while a college senior, editing a newsletter about opportunities to sell telecom equipment in Brazil. This led to a new passion for the telecommunications industry, and she became a consultant to the industry, culminating in a position at the Gartner Group, where she wrote several books on telecommunications and ran the telecommunications services practice. Newmark then moved to Wall Street in 1981, where she spent many years writing and speaking about telecommunications and information services, providing her stock picks and pans to mutual funds and hedge fund clients. Newmark started her own hedge fund in 1993, specializing in telecommunications and technologycompanies, and then joined the original management team of Winstar Communications, Inc. in 1995 asexecutive vice president of strategic planning. She left Winstar in 1997 and spent the next ten years serving on the boards of several public companies in telecommunications and technology. Newmark stepped in as publisher of Chicken Soup for the Soul in 2008, the year of the brand’s fifteenth anniversary. She is delighted to have come full circle in her writing career – from collecting poetry “from the people” in Brazil as a 20-year-old, to 30 years writing about business, back to collecting stories and poems “from the people” for Chicken Soup for the Soul. Since its first release in 1993, the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series has sold more than 112 million copies with more than 180 titles and 40 languages. The brand holds a place in The Guinness Book of World Records for having the most books on the New York Times bestseller list at one time, and in 2007, USA Today named Chicken Soup for the Soul one of the five most memorable and impactful books in the last quarter century. Today, Newmark is working to deliver the Chicken Soup for the Soul® brand’s message of hope and inspiration all over the world. For more information,visit www.chickensoup.com.

Jaye Fenderson, Author - Seventeen Magazine

"Writing A College Essay"

Jaye is a college advice columnist for Seventeen.com and the author of the Seventeen’s Guide To Getting Into College. As a former senior admission officer at Columbia University, Jaye recognized a need for greater awareness about the college admission process and decided to use entertainment and pop culture to educate students and families about what it takes to get into college. Jaye co-created and produced ABC’s The Scholar, an unscripted television drama that gave 10 high school seniors the chance to compete for a full ride college scholarship, and she’s currently in production on the feature-length documentary First Generation which chronicles the lives of high school students who are first in their family to attend college. Jaye volunteers as a college counselor with the non-profit organization College Summit and writes a college advice blog Guide & Seek. She has 8 years of film and television experience directing documentary-style interviews, producing television shows and short films, and casting such shows as Project Runway, 30 Days, Laguna Beach: The Real OC, The Simple Life, I’m With Rolling Stone, and Dance Life. Jaye has been interviewed by USA Today, US News & World Report, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed, and has published numerous articles on college admission. Jaye graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French. For more information about Jaye and her latest projects visit http://www.jayefenderson.com.

Bev Taylor, Founder - The Ivy Coach

"How to Make the Most of the College Interview and Visit "

Bev Taylor, Founder & Director of The Ivy Coach, is a dynamic and highly respected educational consultant in the field of college admissions. She has been frequently quoted in the press in national magazines, radio and television broadcasts and in major newspapers throughout the country including, US News & World Report, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Fox TV News, National Public Radio (NPR), The New York Times, Forbes Magazine, Smart Money, TheStreet.com, The Washington Times, USA Today, The Bergen Record, The New York Post, Daily Pennsylvanian, Newsday, Fast Web and others. In speaking engagements with audiences of guidance, admissions and independent counselors, or with groups of students and parents, Bev Taylor has addressed topics such as: Finding the College That’s the Right Fit, The College Admissions Process, Examining the Application - The College Application Case Study, Helping Students to Write Powerful College Essays, Writing Inspiring Letters of Recommendation, Preparing Students for Alumni and Campus Interviews, Understanding the Early Decision/Action Application Process, The Interest Quotient, Issues Facing New Counselors and Promoting the Talented Student.

Katie Brewer and Brian Hazlett, AP Programs & Director of Undergraduate Recruitment - The College Board & Binghamton University

"AP: The Value of AP in College Admissions and Managing College Costs"

Katie Brewer: Katie Brewer serves as the Assistant Director for College and University Services in the Advanced Placement Program. Katie’s primary responsibilities include the development of projects that increase the awareness and support of AP by higher educational institutions. Her focus is on creating infrastructure and new programs that better support college faculty with the development and sustainability of research-based AP credit and placement policies. Before joining College Board, Katie worked at Saint Louis University, The University of Texas at Austin, and Wake Forest University in admissions and program/curriculum coordination. She holds a Bachelors degree from Wake Forest University. Brian Hazlett: Mr. Hazlett currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Recruitment at Binghamton University. As a senior member of Binghamton’s Admissions team since 1999 he currently directs the campus’ strategic enrollment plan. Under his leadership, non-New York enrollment has grown 33%, overall applications have increased 26% and the average SAT score has increased 26 points. In 2009, Binghamton had over 28,000 applications for a class of only 2,000 freshmen. Prior to arriving at Binghamton he was an Assistant Director at Philadelphia University. Brian holds a Bachelors degree from Saint Francis University of Pennsylvania and a Masters degree from Binghamton University.

Annette Singletary, Senior Relationship Manager - UNCF

"Finding the Fund-UNCF’s Scholarship Opportunities "

Annette Singletary, M.Ed currently serves in the role of Senior Relationship Manager at UNCF. During her tenure with UNCF, Annette has managed 35+ scholarship programs. In addition to administering scholarships, she is the coordinator for all outreach efforts for the Program Services department. Recently, UNCF has participated in several major events in its effort to bring to the public the many resources UNCF has to offer. UNCF has participated in the ESSENCE Music Festival, National Urban League Conference, DC Mayor Annual College Fair, Black College Expo, and San Francisco City College Fair to name a few. Prior to joining UNCF, she worked in academia for over 12 years at Georgetown University Law Center and Howard University School of Law as the Director of Student Life and Career Placement Specialist respectively. It was through her experience at Georgetown, she discovered her passion for the field of education particularly postsecondary education and the desire to encourage all young people who dream of going to college to make it their reality. She obtained her Masters of Education in Administration and Policy from Howard University and Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Psychology from George Washington University.

Giuseppe (Seppy) Basili, Senior VP - Kaplan, Inc

"ACT vs. SAT: Which Test is Right for You? "

As Senior Vice President of Learning and Assessment, Kaplan, Inc., Guiseppe (Seppy) Basili guides strategy and product development for Kaplan K12 Learning Services. In this role, he has helped Kaplan K12 Learning Services design and deliver high quality instructional programs to hundreds of school districts nationwide. A 20-year veteran of the education industry, Basili has also served as Executive Director of Pre-College Programs, overseeing Kaplan’s test preparation programs and publications for the SAT, ACT and PSAT exams as well as college admissions services. In this capacity, he launched 23 test preparation titles in conjunction with Simon & Schuster and founded the Kaplan-Newsweek imprint publications, which include the annual “How to Get Into College” guide. Basili also serves as a Kaplan spokesperson for issues related to the college admissions process, including test prep and financial aid, state assessment preparation and professional development. Among other major outlets, he has appeared in broadcast segments on CNN’s “Your Money,” NBC’s “The Today Show” and ABC’s “Good Morning America” and featured in USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. In addition, he has written and edited numerous Kaplan publications on test preparation and college admissions. As Director of Research for The Institute at Renaissance Learning from 1998 to 2000, Basili spearheaded a range of research studies involving the Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math software programs. Basili received a B.A. from Kenyon College, an M.A. in Education from University of California at Berkeley and a J.D. from Emory University. About Kaplan, Inc. Kaplan, Inc., is a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan serves students of all ages through a wide array of offerings including higher education, test preparation, professional training and programs for kids and schools. Kaplan, which had 2008 revenue of $2.3 billion, is a subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE:WPO - News) and its largest and fastest-growing division. For more information, please visit www.kaplan.com.

Karan Goel, CEO - PrepMe

"Preparing For the SATs "

Karan Goel is CEO and Co-Founder of PrepMe. Goel was previously a Metcalf Fellow in finance and equity research for The Pritzker Organization (TPO), which oversees Hyatt Hotels, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and other Pritzker family assets. Additionally, Goel has startup and industry experience at college application database firm myTrak and at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In high school, Goel scored a 1530 on his SAT I, a perfect 800 on 4 different SAT II exams and perfect 5s on all 11 AP exams he took, making him a National AP Scholar. In May 2004, he was named the U.S. Small Business Administration's Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Goel graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago with a BA in Economics in three years. He immediately went on to business school and graduated Beta Gamma Sigma with an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Finance from the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business.

Kevin Ladd, Vice President - Scholarships.com

"Scholarships: Find Free Money For College"

Kevin Ladd has been helping students find scholarships and financial aid for over 10 years. Originally from the east coast, Kevin graduated from the University of Maine over 15 years ago. Kevin’s experience funding his own education influenced his participation in the creation of Scholarships.com, one of the most comprehensive, trusted and longest-running online resources for student financial aid. Kevin has been involved in the development of Scholarships.com from concept to the present day, while also developing and fostering relationships with high school and college counselors as well as scholarship providers. Kevin has amassed personal experience in all aspects of the scholarship process and has played a key role in establishing and awarding the scholarships offered by Scholarships.com since 2006. His hands-on experience and personal drive to improve the scholarship search experience have fueled the growth of Scholarships.com and have provided countless students with opportunities and information to help them reach their college goals. Over the years, Kevin has become an authority on scholarships and financial aid, and has given interviews for several publications, including Kim Stezala’s recent book Scholarships 101: The Real-World Guide to Getting Cash for College. He is a frequent attendee at National Scholarship Providers Association conferences and can regularly be seen manning the Scholarships.com booth at the National Association of College Admission Counselors conference. In or out of the Scholarships.com office, he can be found speaking with college counselors and scholarship providers across the country.

Adam Essex and Misty Parkinson, Office of Federal Student Aid - Department of Education

"Fundamentals Of The FAFSA Form"

Misty Parkinson is a Management & Program Analyst with the Office of Federal Student Aid of the U.S Department of Education. Misty joined the Department in 1998 after spending six years as a finanicial aid administrator for a group of career colleges in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. Upon joining the Department, Misty spent five years working in the New York regional office as a Client Account Manager for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. She then became a project manager, responsible for several Federal Student Aid Web sites such as FAFSA on the Web, FAFSA4caster, and the PIN site. Misty relocated to the Department's headquarters office in Washington, DC two years ago. She has been married for fifteen years and has a four-year old daughter. Adam Essex, a former Presidential Management Fellow, is a senior project manager with the Office of Federal Student aid of the U.S. Department of Education. During his tenure with the Department, Adam has worked in the agency’s headquarters office in Washington, DC and a regional office in San Francisco, where he was responsible for helping to launch the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program on the west coast. He is the recipient of numerous agency achievement awards, including Federal Student Aid’s ‘Service Award’ and a Certificate of Distinction from former Secretary of Education Richard Riley. He holds a B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, an M.P.A. from American University, and is currently pursuing a Graduate Certificate in School Administration & Supervision from Johns Hopkins University.

Adam Essex and Misty Parkinson, Office of Federal Student Aid - Department of Education

"Fundamentals Of The FAFSA Form"

Angela Nuzzi, College Outreach Specialist - Center for College Planning (NHHEAF)

"Planning For Paying For College "

Angela Nuzzi joined the Center for College Planning in 2008 as a College Outreach Specialist. Angela holds a Masters of Social Work from Rutgers University. Past work experience includes over 10 years working with troubled youth as Program Coordinator for the Somerset County Rape Crisis Center and then the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Initiative. She has worked with high school students for many years in various guidance and social work roles and recently made the shift to college outreach and planning. Angela is the lead on the Center for College Planning’s STAR (Students Transitioning through Achieving Results) Program. STAR is an initiative centered on providing foster youth and youth-in-care in the State of New Hampshire the resources they need to successfully pursue their higher education aspirations. Originally from New Jersey, Angela attended undergraduate school in New Hampshire and recently returned and joined the Center for College Planning’s college outreach efforts.

Donna Kendall, Dir. Financial Assistance - Bentley University

"Perspective From The Financial Aid Office "

Donna Kendall is Executive Director of Financial Assistance at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. She earned her BA at Boston College and has spent the last 24 years in the financial aid profession, the last 12 at Bentley. Donna is a member of both the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrator (NASFAA) and the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA). She has presented at various professional conferences and events including the annual MASFAA conference, the College Board New England Regional Forum, and Massachusetts College Goal Sunday. Donna is well-acquainted with financial aid from a parent’s perspective as well. She has two daughters in college, both of whom are receiving grants, scholarships, and loans.

George Boggs, CEO & President - American Association of Community Colleges

"Financial Aid Alternative: The Community College Experience"

Dr. George R. Boggs is President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). From its Washington, D.C., headquarters, AACC represents over 1,100 associate degree-granting institutions and some 12 million students. Dr. Boggs holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from The Ohio State University, a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in educational administration from The University of Texas at Austin. He has served on the Boards of Directors of the California Association of Community Colleges, the Community College League of California, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the American Association of Community Colleges, serving as Board Chair in 1993/94. He served as a member of the Committee on Undergraduate Science Education of the US National Research Council, the Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), and several US National Science Foundation panels and committees. He has testified before both state legislative and US Congressional committees on subjects related to higher education. He is the author of more than sixty articles and chapters in professional journals and books. Dr. Boggs has been recognized by the Public Broadcasting System with its Terry O’Banion Prize for Teaching and Learning for “triggering the most significant educational movement of the past decade.” He has been honored by The University of Texas as a Distinguished Graduate. Dr. Boggs was recognized by the Chair Academy with its Paul A. Elsner International Excellence in Leadership Award and by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) with its International Leadership Award. He received the Professional of the Year Award for Motivational Leadership from the Leadership Alliance, the Harry Buttimer Distinguished Administrators Award from the Association of California Community College Administrators, the Marie Y. Martin Chief Executive Officer Award from the Association of Community College Trustees, and the Stanley A. Mahr Community Service Award from the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce. The City of Vista proclaimed January 15, 1994, as Dr. George Boggs Day in recognition of his community service. August 24, 2000, was proclaimed as Dr. George Boggs Day in San Diego County in recognition of service to education and in the cities and counties of the 51st Congressional District in recognition of educational leadership. Dr. Boggs is listed in Who’s Who in America and six other Who’s Who directories. Dr. Boggs served as a faculty member, division chair, and associate dean of instruction at Butte College in California and, for fifteen years, he served as the Superintendent/President of Palomar College in California. He is currently the President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges.

Dion Wheeler, Author & Speaker - National Collegiate Scouting Association

"Sports Scholarships "

Dion Wheeler is the author of the highly regarded college prospect recruiting book, The Sports Scholarship Insider's Guide, Getting Money at any Division, Published by Sourcebooks, Inc. He is also a Recruiting Education Speaker for the National Collegiate Scouting Association. As a former high school football Chicago Tribune All-Star and track student-athlete, Wheeler was recruited by a number of colleges. He chose to attend UW-La Crosse and was a conference champion and NAIA All-American. After his collegiate career Wheeler coached sprinters and hurdlers at the high school and college level. While coaching more than two dozen All-Americans and nine Division II National Champions, two of his athletes went on the compete in the Olympics. As a semi-retired author and speaker, Wheeler continues to help prospects successfully navigate, with his book and NCSA, the recruiting process.

Lisa Strasman, Counselor - National Collegiate Scouting Association

"Being a Student Athlete "

Lisa Strasman is a graduate of Yale University where she captained the women's ice hockey team. After graduation she traveled to Switzerland to play professional hockey. Strasman ultimately returned to her hometown of Chicago and joined NCSA in 2004. During the last four years Strasman has worked with student-athletes and college coaches in all sports and has played a critical role in the growth and development of NCSA's Recruiting Coach Department. She still remains involved with the youth hockey community through speaking events and coaching in Chicago's North Shore community.

Patrick Campbell, Chief Legislative Counsel - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

"Understanding the GI Bill"

Sgt. Patrick Campbell is the Chief Legislative Counsel for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). IAVA is the country’s first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Founded by Paul Rieckhoff in 2004, IAVA has more than 125,000 active veteran members and grassroots supporters nationwide. Campbell is a combat medic serving with the Washington, DC National Guard. He returned from Iraq in October 2005 after a year-long deployment with the 256th Infantry Brigade, based out of Louisiana. During his deployment, he was assigned to regularly patrol the western region of Baghdad. Campbell helped secure Iraq’s first elections in January 2005 and later provided security at Abu Ghraib prison. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge and the Meritorious Service Medal. After returning from Iraq in 2005, Campbell drafted a bill to help veterans complete their educations. Based on Campbell’s leadership and recommendations, Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) and Representative Susan Davis (CA) introduced The Veterans Education Tuition Support (VETS) Act in Congress in June 2007, two-thirds of which has become law. Campbell was also at the forefront of the fight for a World War II-style GI Bill for America’s newest generation of veterans, which passed in June 2008. He has worked closely with Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle to improve the lives of servicemembers and their families. Campbell also advocates for better mental health care for veterans, speaking candidly about his personal experience with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He has testified numerous times in front of Congress on issues ranging from reservists’ reintegration issues to appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs. While overseas, Campbell was labeled as a prominent blogger by MSNBC. More than 1,000 people regularly read his entries from the war zone. Campbell’s media appearances include ABC’s World News Tonight, Fox’s Fox and Friends, CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Lou Dobbs, MSNBC’s Coast to Coast, and NPR. Campbell received a J.D. from Catholic University and a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley, where he served as Student Body President. He resides in Washington, DC.

Christina Couch, Author - MSN.com contributor

"Financial Aid Planning for High School Seniors and Their Families"

Christina Couch is the author of one of the first state-specific financial aid guides, Virginia Colleges 101: The Ultimate Guide For Students of All Ages. She writes a monthly adult education column for Msn.com and her work can also be found on Yahoo! Finance, Bankrate.com, Aol.com, the Chicago Sun-Times, Wired Magazine, and over 20 college guidebooks.

Kal Chany, Author and President - Campus Consultants

"Financial Aid Planning for High School Juniors and Their Families"

Kalman A. Chany is a nationally recognized expert on college funding. He is the president of Campus Consultants Inc., a Manhattan-based financial aid advisory firm he founded in 1981. He is also the author of Paying for College Without Going Broke (Random House/ Princeton Review Publishing). With a foreword by former President Bill Clinton, this annually-updated guidebook is currently in its seventeenth edition. Kal has appeared on Good Morning America, the NBC Nightly News, the CBS Evening News, and PBS’ Nightly Business Report. He is regularly interviewed for segments on CNN, CNBC, and National Public Radio. Kal is a frequent information source for major publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times and Money Magazine as well as The Associated Press. He has written articles for Family Money Magazine, Consumer Reports and Parade Magazine. He has also developed content and calculator tools for PrincetonReview.com. Kal has also served as the college funding expert for various on-line chat sessions sponsored by Money Magazine as well as the Washington Post. He was interviewed for a Massachusetts Financial Services college-funding webcast, was also selected to be the first non-employee expert for a Consumer Reports on-line forum, and served as the featured presenter for The New York Life Insurance Company’s college financing webinar series. Kal has conducted hundreds of seminars for schools, corporations and other groups. He has also appeared as a presenter at Money Magazine’s college financing seminar that was part of their Elgin, Illinois project.