Why me? I help families complete the process of applying to schools and school programs, and I encourage families to make solid, reasonable decisions about their children’s schooling. Rather than telling families what they should do, I work with families to develop questions that will help them understand their preferences in education, and the ways particular schools do or do not align with those preferences. In general, I don’t believe there are “good schools” and “bad schools” — instead, there are good choices and bad choices for each particular family and student.

• Success in placement. I have worked with about 400 students on school placement. Just under 90 percent of those students have matriculated at their first-choice schools; a bit over 90 percent have matriculated at first- or second-choice schools.

• Both sides of the table. I have served on admission committees that have reviewed hundreds of applicant files. I have also helped hundreds of students find placement at independent, boarding, parochial, and public school programs in the Washington area, and around the US. Few consultants in the U.S. have such extensive experience on both sides of the table in the school application process.

• All kinds of schools. I worked at independent schools near Chicago and Washington, DC for 23 years. I have experience at PK–12 schools, a PK–8 school, and a 9–12 school; at day schools and a boarding school. I have helped applicants gain admission to day schools, boarding schools, parochial schools, and public magnet schools. There are very few kinds of schools with which I do not have direct, specific experience.

• Established relationships. I have spent 20 years understanding the nuances of schools and their admission processes, and I have established relationships with admission officers in the DC area and around the US. I know how to help your family represent your children at their best, and I know the questions to ask during the process to help families apply to schools effectively. (Alas, despite this experience, it should go without saying that none of this means I can “get somebody in.”) It may help to think of my services as similar to an attorney’s: No attorney can guarantee that a court will rule in your favor, but a good lawyer can help you present your best case through knowledge of the system, its rules, and those who work in it.

Last school position My last position in a school was Middle School Head (i.e., principal) at Green Acres School in Rockville, Maryland, where I served from 2003 to 2014. I stayed an extra year as Director of High School Placement, at the request of the Head of School.

Other school roles In addition to Middle School Head and Director of High School Placement, my formal titles have included: Middle School Teacher; Director of Communications, and Upper School Head (at age 33). Other previous roles include: varsity baseball coach, yearbook advisor, newspaper advisor, dormitory master, student advisor, and Middle School soccer coach at my very first school. (I have coached baseball from age 7 through high school, but I was then, and remain now, absolutely, thoroughly, entirely unqualified to coach soccer.)

Education I earned my masters degree in education at Harvard. It was my first choice, but it turned out not to be the right program for me. I earned my bachelors degree at Wesleyan because I didn’t get into my top two choices. I loved it. I’m living proof that first choices don’t always turn out best, that there’s no magic fairy dust in the Ivy League, and that people survive rejection!

Other stuff A school application is a multi-faceted exchange of information between an applicant family and a school. I’ve always been intrigued by the ways people present and consume information — words, images, music, other arts, even video. To that end I’ve been an editor in every job I’ve ever held, whether nominally that of “editor” or not. I’ve published articles on music and sound, and my career took two brief digressions into graphic design, which is essentially the study and practice of how people interact with visual information. (The lines between professional obligation and personal interest are sometimes blurry.) I’m also a photographer, occasionally professionally; a pretty good cook; a wine and cocktail snob; an amateur woodworker; a terrible guitar player; and a music collector. I have about 3000 LPs. I understand vinyl is hip again. My children remind me that I am not.

Favorite quotations

• “When I was 14, I couldn’t believe what a fool my father was. When I was 21, I couldn’t believe how much the old man had learned in seven short years.” (Mark Twain, perhaps apocryphal, but still pretty good)

• “Believe those who seek the truth. Doubt those who find it.” (André Gide)

• “Not all who wander are lost.” (unknown)

Michael or LeBron? Michael. (I’m a Chicagoan.)

Oxford comma? In favor. Adamantly.

Beatles or Stones? Grateful Dead. Sorry, yeah, I was one of those people.

Real life I live in the Maryland suburbs of Washington with my wife and Stella, a neurotic but sweet lab/hound rescue dog. We have an adult daughter who lives in Mexico City, and a son in college.

Affiliations and memberships I am a member of IECA (the Independent Educational Consultants Association) and WISER (Washington Independent Services for Educational Resources).

Reviews To see what others say about my work, visit the Reviews page. Additional references are available.

Georgetown Day School (Washington, DC)
Georgetown Preparatory School (Bethesda, MD)
Georgetown Visitation School (Washington, DC)
Grace Episcopal Day School (Kensington, MD)
Green Acres School (Rockville, MD)
Green Hedges School (Vienna, VA)
Harbor School (Bethesda, MD)
The Heights School (Bethesda, MD)
Holton-Arms School (Bethesda, MD)
Ideaventions Academy (Reston, VA)
Landon School (Bethesda, MD)
Langley School (McLean, VA)
Lowell School (Washington, DC)
Madeira School (McLean, VA)
Maret School (Washington, DC)
McLean School of Maryland (Potomac, MD)
National Cathedral School (Washington, DC)
National Presbyterian School (Washington, DC)
Nora School (Silver Spring, MD)
Potomac School (McLean, VA)
Sheridan School (Washington, DC)
Sidwell Friends School (Washington, DC)
St. Albans School (Washington, DC)
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (Potomac, MD)
St. Anselm’s Abbey School (Washington, DC)
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School (Washington, DC)
St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School (Alexandria, VA)
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (Bethesda, MD)
Washington Episcopal School (Bethesda, MD)
Washington International School (Washington, DC)
Washington Waldorf School (Bethesda, MD)
Westminster School (Annandale, VA)