The
AICEP Commission is pleased to announce the election of a new executive
committee team as well as the appointment of new Commissioners Dr. Erin
Avery, CEP, Sandy Furth, CEP, Steve Syverson, and Jake
Weld, M. Ed. These Commissioners join Lora Block, CEP, Kathie
Carnahan, CEP, Vita Cohen, CEP, Katelyn Klapper, CEP, Erika
Smith, CEP, Dr. Rachel Sobel, CEP, and Julia Surtshin,
CEP, as members of the 2019 - 20 Commission Board. The
Commission is also advised by Dr. Steven R. Antonoff, CEP,
and Past Chair, Judith Bass, CEP.
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Katelyn Gleason Klapper, newly elected Chair of AICEP, has 30 years of experience working in higher education and college consulting and is the founder of College Options, LLC. Katelyn has worked on the campuses of Boston University, Bentley College and WPI and has been an independent educational consultant since 2005. She is an instructor in the University of California, Irvine’s Certificate Program in Independent Educational Consulting, is a former board member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), having served as Chair of the Standards and Ethics Committee, and she is a frequent presenter at IECA, HECA, and NACAC conferences.
Prior to being appointed Chair of the AICEP Commission, Katelyn served as AICEP Vice-Chair and also Chair of Outreach. Katelyn is a graduate of Scripps College and received her Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA, Division of Continuing Education, and is a Certified Educational Planner. She is an active college affordability volunteer in her community and has also volunteered with Peer Forward and Habitat for Humanity Nepal.
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Dr. Rachel B. Sobel, elected Vice-Chair of AICEP, is a licensed clinical social worker with special training in child and adolescent psychopathology and learning disorders. She holds a doctorate in Counselor Education, a Certificate in College Counseling and is a Certified Educational Planner. She has taught education classes at both the graduate and undergraduate level and has mentored countless students in both effective teaching strategies and college fit for students who learn differently. Her more than 30 years of experience working with adolescents and their families as a psychotherapist, college counselor, and educator informs her approach to consulting with families and working with students with learning, emotional, behavioral, and social challenges. She founded COLLEGE POSSIBILITIES to address the unique needs of these students as they plan for their future.
Rachel is a highly sought-after speaker for professional and parent groups throughout the country. She has served on the Board of Directors and as a Vice President of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) as well as Chair and Vice-Chair of the LD Committee. In addition to becoming the Vice-Chair of the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP), she serves as Co-Chair of the Assessment Committee. She is an active member of several college, therapeutic and LD associations.
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Steve Syverson, AICEP’s newly elected Secretary/Treasurer, graduated from Pomona College, and worked in Admissions at Pomona (1978-1983), culminating as the Director. For 28 years until 2011 he served as the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at Lawrence University, substantially increasing the proportion of students of color and international students. He has designed and programmed admissions and financial aid computer systems for Pomona, Claremont McKenna, and Lawrence. In 2016, after a short stint as a retiree, in southern California, he accepted an appointment as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management at the University of Washington-Bothell.
Active in professional organizations, Steve has variously served on the NACAC Board of Directors (2011-2014), as NACAC Vice President for Admission Practices (1988-91), and on the NACAC Commission on the Use of Standardized Testing in Undergraduate Admissions which issued its highly influential report in 2008. He also served as President of Wisconsin ACAC and on the ACT Executive Council of Wisconsin.
A frequent author and speaker on admissions and financial aid topics, Steve co-authored Defining Access, the largest national study of the impact of Test-Optional Admissions on students and colleges. He has also has been a long-time member of the advisory board of Cappex.com and re-joins the AICEP Commission after serving as it’s part-time Executive Director in 2015-16.
Welcome New Commissioners
Beginning at the annual meeting on June 7th, these new Commissioners will serve a 3-year term. Join us in welcoming:
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Dr. Erin Avery, CEP, holds a BA from Boston College, Masters degrees from Oxford and Yale Universities, and a doctorate from Drew University. She founded Avery Educational Resources in 2003 where she and her team advise, inform, guide and encourage students and their families to identify Best Fit Decisions™️. She is a professional member of IECA and a member of The Enrollment Management Association and NACAC and NJACAC. She teaches online for UC Irvine’s Continuing Education Certificate Program in Educational Consulting and is the recipient of the UC Irvine Certificate Program Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Avery volunteers in Asbury Park, NJ at Sisters Academy, a middle school for disenfranchised girls and was awarded the prestigious Mercy Award in 2018.
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Sandy Furth, CEP, was a teacher for over twenty years, including thirteen at private international schools in Malaysia, Japan and England, before she founded World Student Support (www.worldstudentsupport.com), an international educational consulting business helping families identify appropriate schools and programs that meet the specific needs of their student, be it internationally or in the United States. Sandy visits countless programs- universities and specialized programs; many in Europe and Asia.
Sandy has her Bachelor’s Degree from University of New Mexico, Master’s Degree from University of Utah, teaching certificate from University of Colorado, and a College Counseling Certificate from UCLA. Sandy has worked on many volunteer forums, including the UT Tyler Justice League, board member of a twice -exceptional school in Colorado (including opening of a school in Boulder, Co). In her spare time, Sandy travels extensively, hikes in a variety of places, and spends time with family.
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Jake Weld, M. Ed., is the Director of Admissions and Business Development for Mansfield Hall, a specialized college support program located in Burlington, VT, Madison, WI, and Eugene, OR. Jake has over twenty years of experience in various educational organizations and has served as the executive director of a residential therapeutic school, the assistant headmaster of a specialized LD boarding school, and as the academic and program director of various schools and programs. Additionally, Jake was a founding board member of the Therapeutic Consulting Association (TCA). When not at work in the field of education, Jake can be found pursuing peaceful relaxation by working on his sailboat, thrashing about with a fly rod or a golf club, or traveling in pursuit of such opportunities - all of which are best enjoyed with friends and family.
