Jill Hutchins
As the Chair of McMillan Education’s School Planning practice, Jill’s leadership of colleagues, and her guidance of families, are both informed by her student-centered values and extraordinary background working in schools and admissions offices over many years at both the school and college level. Jill immediately infects those around her with a sense of ease […]
Jeanne Deschambeault, M.Ed
Jeanne (pronounced Jahn) is the first point of contact for most of our McMillan Education families. As our Professional Outreach Specialist, Jeanne brings her extensive experience as an educator, her training in child, adolescent, and young adult development, and her knowledge of admissions to her work with families. Jeanne is dedicated to learning about students’ […]
Peter Olrich, MBA
Informed by his passion for student-centered educational values and practices, Peter enjoys using his truly impressive depth of experience in college and school admissions on behalf of the students and families he guides through the planning, search, and application process.
Tony Lambert, M.A.
Tony is the definition of a “school person,” the highest compliment you can pay someone in the world of student-focused education. Simply put, Tony combines his incredible skill and experience as an admission expert in the worlds of college and school planning with his genuine desire to know and support all facets of a student’s […]
Susanna Beckwith, MALS
Susanna most enjoys the close relationships with students and families she builds in her work in school and college planning. She relishes the privilege of helping parents of younger students just starting out on their independent school education understand the educational landscape; she derives a deep sense of fulfillment from guiding families toward that middle […]
Samantha McMillan New, OTR/L MOT
Samantha has always been driven by an authentic desire to help others. Her chosen educational, training and career path as an occupational therapist has allowed her to develop the expertise to serve a wide range of children, adolescents and young adults in need of specialized guidance in finding the educational or treatment environment that will […]
Rachel Leja, M.S.
Rachel brings her wealth of experience as a special educator of students with a wide range of learning, emotional and behavioral challenges to her school and college planning work at McMillan Education. Families love working with Rachel because they are immediately taken by her combination of genuine warmth and consummate professionalism. Rachel considers herself on […]
Nanny Noyes, M.Ed.
Nanny brings decades of experience as an educator and admissions expert in school and college planning to her work with McMillan Education students and families. Her mixture of personal warmth and enthusiasm for young people is obvious in the genuine relationships she builds as she guides students to discover their unique talents and interests through […]
Krista Despotovic-Jacobson, M.A.
Krista is another of McMillan Education’s highly versatile counselors with deep experience in everything college and school planning and the added expertise of both U.S. colleges and independent schools as well as international schools and universities. Whether you are a U.S. citizen or an expat looking to pursue boarding school or university abroad or an […]
Kelly McAdams, MSW, LICSW
Kelly comes to McMillan Education with decades of experience working with students and families in schools and private behavioral health programs. A highly skilled clinician, school counselor and admissions expert, Kelly enjoys working with children, adolescents and young adults whose learning, emotional, or behavioral challenges have become obstacles to their healthy development and educational progress. […]
Jamie Paul
Jamie enjoys working with students of all ages, from elementary school through college, who are taking either a traditional or non-traditional path on their educational journey. Jamie’s extensive experience as an educator uniquely qualifies him for working with students with a wide range of skills, interests and abilities, from the gifted to the learning challenged, […]
Jacquie Magiera, MSW, LCSW
A seasoned admission and college counseling expert, Jacquie brings her signature warmth and humor to her work with a wide range of students, from the high achiever to the learning challenged, seeking personalized and hands-on guidance in the college planning process. In addition to her unrivaled knowledge of the ever-evolving admission landscape and technical features […]
Elizabeth “Whiz” Hutchinson, M.Ed.
Whiz brings her extensive “triple threat” boarding school experience to all aspects of her work in school and college planning. Having spent decades advising, nurturing, teaching, counseling, and coaching students in residential settings, Whiz’s focus on the whole student and her related understanding of the positive effect of the best fit educational environment on the […]
Chris Hawk, MSW, LCSW
Chris uses his extensive experience as a clinical social worker, therapist, teacher, and school administrator to guide students with a wide range of needs and abilities to the best educational or therapeutic fit. Working with students from the middle school years through young adulthood, Chris counsels those who are facing academic, emotional and/or behavioral challenges […]
Bill Southwick, C.A.G.S.
Bill brings to McMillan Education decades of experience in admissions and teaching in schools and camps serving elementary, middle, and high school-aged students. Truly a renaissance man, Bill works with a wide range of students of all ages, and various abilities, interests, and challenges. His deep knowledge and appreciation for how different learning styles impact […]
Kim Chorosiewski, Ed.D., CSCS, CMAA
As Chair of Innovation at McMillan Education, Kim embodies the firm’s commitment to both anticipating and contributing to changes in the field that prioritize a strong student-centered experience and impact how our counselors best serve students and their families in the college and school planning processes.
Carolyn Nelson, M.Ed.
As Chair of the School Planning Practice at McMillan Education, Carolyn’s leadership of the firm’s team of school admission counselors is informed by her extensive experience as an admission professional in the independent day and boarding school world. Widely respected by colleagues throughout the field for her student-centered guidance and admission practices, Carolyn’s leadership is […]
Amy Christie, M.A.
Amy brings over 15 years as a college counselor in independent schools to her work guiding McMillan Education families, her experience encompasses knowledge of the distinctive opportunities and complexities posed by a wide range of college- and graduate school-bound students, from the high achieving traditional student to the student with learning differences.
Sarah McMillan, Ed.D.
Along with husband Don, Dr. Sarah McMillan manages the team of McMillan Education counselors. In close collaboration with the practice’s leadership team, Sarah enjoys continually enhancing the best guidance practices of the group by developing and delivering regular in-house supervision and professional development trainings focused on education and child, adolescent and young adult development. Sarah’s […]
Don McMillan, M.A., M.F.A.
Don brings over 30 years’ experience as a passionate educator to his work overseeing McMillan Education’s leadership team and the counselors working in traditional and international school and college planning. In close collaboration with his leadership team, Don enjoys staying out ahead of admission trends and continually enhancing the best guidance practices of the group […]
Kelly Cusack Chauncey
Kelly comes to us after spending the last 13 years managing a fast-paced real estate law office. Kelly oversaw all aspects of the office, fine tuning all areas so that the office would run efficiently and effectively. Kelly is extremely detail oriented and highly organized. Kelly and her husband have spent the last 30 years […]
Noah McMillan
Like all family businesses, the children of the proprietors are often conscripted into service and Noah was no different! So Noah has experienced McMillan Education’s multifaceted work with families and students first hand since he was old enough to be put to work. Over his many years working side-by-side with McMillan Education’s most seasoned educational […]
Crash McMillan
As CHO, Crash is the resident McMillan Education office supplier of all things happy, comforting, and soothing. For those McMillan Education students and families who love dogs or enjoy a moment of calm cuddling, Crash greets everyone with wiggly tail wags and an immediate request for a belly rub. While Crash is a happy presence […]
Socrates McMillan
As CWO, Socrates has a busy daily schedule enlightening the McMillan Education team to the priorities of a well-educated, virtuous, happy life. Known by some as the philosophy dog, Socrates has his own brand of wisdom to share. For Socrates, the most important lessons to learn are kindness, affection, fun, and how to identify the […]