About Us

Katherine Cohen, Ph.D.

CEO, Founder and College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students seeking admission to highly selective institutions, international students, and transfer students.

Dr. Katherine Cohen (known as "Dr. Kat" to her students) is the founder and CEO of IvyWise and one of the leading independent university admissions counselors in the world.

Dr. Kat is the best-selling author of The Truth About Getting In and Rock Hard Apps. She graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and continued her studies at Yale University, receiving two Masters degrees and a Ph.D. She also received her certificate in College Admission Counseling from U.C.L.A. Extension. Prior to founding IvyWise, she served as a reader in the Yale University Office of Admissions, evaluating undergraduate applications to Yale College. Read more

Scott, M.P.A

Principal College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students seeking admission to highly selective schools, international students, under-represented minorities, and students who need significant personal support.

A former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale University, Scott has worked with families in the US and abroad, guiding them through the application processes for some of the world's most selective institutions. Read more

McGreggor, M.D.

Master College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students interested in a wide range of schools, students seeking admission to highly selective schools, STEM programs, and international students.

McGreggor is a former Director of Selection at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he oversaw freshman, transfer, and international student selection. At MIT, McGreggor worked closely with his colleagues to create the freshman class each year, and worked with the MIT faculty to identify promising scholars, athletes, musicians, and artists. Read more

Jamal, M.F.A.

Principal College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students interested in a wide range of schools, students seeking admission to highly selective schools, and fine arts students.

Jamal is a former Assistant Director of Admissions at Yale University and previously worked as an adjunct admissions officer at Columbia University, covering regions such as the Boroughs of New York City, Maryland, Virginia, parts of the Texas, the Midwest and Southwest areas.

In his time at Yale, Jamal was part of some of the school's most dynamic years in admissions, with significant increases in applications and an acceptance rate shift well below 10% for the first time in the school's history. Read more

Victoria

Principal College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students interested in a wide range of schools, students seeking admission to highly selective schools, and fine arts students.

Victoria was previously an Assistant Director of Admissions at her alma mater, the University of Chicago, and after moving to New York City, Victoria served as an Assistant Director of Admissions at Sarah Lawrence College. During her tenure at both places she recruited in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, and her home state of Illinois. Read more

Nat

Master College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: International students, under-represented minorities, students interested in a wide range of schools, and student athletes pursuing the recruitment process.

Nat is a former Associate Director of Admissions at his alma mater, Skidmore College, and pioneered many new recruitment techniques during his time there, including the integration of Facebook in college admissions. Nat also served as a Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at New York University and, most recently, at the hyper-selective NYU Abu Dhabi. Read more

Meg, M.A.

Master College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students seeking admission to highly selective institutions, international students, and transfer students.

Meg has extensive experience in admission at highly selective institutions. A graduate of Brown University and Columbia University's Teachers College, Meg's career in education has spanned the globe over the past two decades. She served recently as an associate dean of admission at Princeton University, previously having held the same position at Amherst College. Read more

Christine, M.P.P.

Master College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students seeking admission to highly selective schools and under-represented minorities.

Christine Kim is a former Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at both Yale University and Georgetown University. A graduate of Yale University magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in History, Christine received a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown and is currently a PhD candidate in Political Science there. Read more

Abby, M.A.

Principal College Admissions Counselor
Additional specialties: Students seeking admission to highly selective schools, transfer students, student athletes pursuing the recruitment process, students studying the International Baccalaureate program.

Abby, a former Assistant Director of Admissions at Brown University, has also served as a reader for Princeton University.  While at Brown, Abby's geographic regions included Manhattan, New Jersey, Maryland, and the southeast United States. A graduate of Brown herself, Abby also earned a Master’s Degree in teaching from the University of Virginia. Read more

IvyWISEKIDS Counselors

Dana, MS.Ed.

IvyWISEKIDS Counselor
Additional specialties: Pre-Kindergarten Programs, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, Secondary and Boarding Schools and post-grad (PG) year Students.

Dana received her Master of Science Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education. She is an experienced public and private school teacher, as well as having extensive experience in the NYC Admissions world. Dana served as the Director of Admissions at Claremont Preparatory School in Manhattan and the Associate Director of Admissions at Horace Mann School with campuses in Manhattan and the Bronx. Read more

For Athletes

Wally, M.P.A.

Co-Director, IvyWise Athletes

One of the finest basketball players in New England history, Wally Halas also was one of its best coaches. In 16 years as a college head coach, the first 13 at Clark University in Worcester, MA, the next three at Columbia University, Halas' teams won 251 games and lost only 163, a percentage of .606. Read more

Wayne, M.S.

Co-Director, IvyWise Athletes

A national expert on the secrets of athletic recruiting, Coach Mazzoni shares his years of experience helping IvyWise families understand the athletic recruiting process at all levels. Coaching at the NCAA-I level since 1992, Coach Mazzoni is the author of Athletic Recruiting & Scholarship Guide. His articles have been published in Men's Fitness, Baseball Digest and Scholastic Coach. Coach Mazzoni routinely speaks at high schools and athletic director conventions and has been featured on US News and World Report, ABC News, Fox Good Day New York and WFAN (610 AM) Sports Radio. Read more

IvyWise Board of Advisors

Liz Hamburg, M.B.A.

Member, IvyWise Board of Advisors

Liz Hamburg is a “serial entrepreneur” with extensive experience as an entrepreneur, angel investor and mentor to entrepreneurs and small businesses. She is the founder of Upstart Ventures, where she has consulted to and incubated many start-ups including her latest venture, ApplyWise, an online college admissions counseling company. Read more

Lee Stetson, M.S.

Member, IvyWise Board of Advisors
Additional specialties: Students seeking admission to highly selective institutions and international students.

For almost three decades, Lee Stetson served as Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was responsible for the administration of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, including over 20 admissions officers and 30 support staff. As one of the longest-serving deans among Ivy League institutions, Lee has mentored and trained professionals who are now leading admissions and guidance professionals worldwide. While at Penn, Lee increased the number of applications from students with multi-cultural backgrounds, and upon his departure, the admissions rate was the lowest in Penn's history. Read more

Staff

Alexandra Kaplan

Client Relations Manager

As Client Relations Manager, Alexandra maintains close relationships with IvyWise families, regularly checking in with them, as well as addressing client questions and concerns. She is excited for the opportunity to support students throughout the college admissions process and help them find the best fit schools where they will be successful and thrive. Read more

Amanda Bernstein

Client Relations Associate

In her role as Client Relations Associate, Amanda maintains close relationships with IvyWise families, regularly checking in with them to ensure that students are staying on track and that their IvyWise experience is flawless. Amanda graduated from New York University with a major in Political Communication. Prior to joining IvyWise, she worked as the customer service coordinator for a popular website. Passionate about education, Amanda is excited to work with families and help students reach their admissions goals. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.

Anna Chambers

Marketing and Media Coordinator

As the Marketing and Media Coordinator, Anna works closely with the IvyWise marketing team and expert counselors to keep students and families informed on the latest admissions news and developments. Read more

Carrin David

Student Enrollment Manager

As the IvyWise student enrollment manager, Carrin helps families identify how IvyWise can help their students achieve academic and personal success. Her knowledge of IvyWise programs and counselors enables our families to identify the best-fit programs for each student's individual needs. Read more

Lydia Rexhaj

Executive Assistant

As the Executive Assistant, Lydia is often the first point of contact for families who work with IvyWise. Lydia helps families take their first steps in the college admissions journey by informing them of IvyWise's services and helping them choose the counselor that best fits their needs. Read more

Merrily Bodell, M.B.A.

Chief Operating Officer

Merrily is responsible for managing all aspects of our operations in order to maintain Ivywise's commitment to clients, impeccable service and outstanding results. She also works closely with our CEO on strategic planning and business development. Read more

Reyna Machado, M.B.A.

Director of Student Enrollment and Marketing

Reyna Machado is the Director of Student Enrollment and Marketing at IvyWise. In that capacity, Reyna oversees student enrollment, corporate communications, media relations, and marketing. She also works with partner organizations to deliver value-added programming, including webinars and live events. Read more

RJ Dabbar

Research and Data Analyst, Tutoring Manager

As Research and Data Analyst, RJ is a key member of the IvyWise Research Team. RJ enjoys helping students find the schools and programs that will be the best fit for their unique backgrounds, interests, and goals. RJ also serves as Tutoring Manager for one of IvyWise's tutoring divisions. Read more