Holding an MBA shapes how I evaluate decisions, not just outcomes. MBA training emphasizes structured thinking, ethical tradeoffs, data-driven analysis, and leadership under uncertainty—skills that directly inform how I advise students and professionals navigating complex academic and career choices.

My MBA training allows me to assess not only what is impressive on paper, but what is credible, internally consistent, and sustainable across the arc of a candidate’s academic and professional trajectory. It enables me to distinguish between polish and preparedness, and to guide clients toward pathways that are coherent, defensible, and aligned with long-term goals.

The Certified Educational Planner designation reflects advanced training in educational systems, admissions practices, student development, and ethical advising. It requires demonstrated mastery across these domains through a rigorous, peer-reviewed certification process and is sustained through ongoing professional development.

This training strengthens my ability to evaluate academic pathways holistically—accounting for institutional context, student readiness, developmental timing, and long-term alignment—rather than approaching admissions decisions as isolated or purely tactical exercises.

Professional Membership in IECA reflects sustained experience and demonstrated competence in independent educational consulting. Advancement to this level requires documented advising experience, professional references, substantive campus and program engagement, and adherence to IECA’s Principles of Good Practice—a formal ethical and professional code governing the field.

This designation signals that my work meets established industry standards for integrity, responsibility, and ongoing professional engagement, reinforcing a commitment to advising that is informed, ethical, and accountable.

Serving in senior leadership roles at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame involved direct responsibility for evaluating candidates, shaping enrollment and program strategy, and stewarding institutional standards within highly selective graduate business environments.

At Chicago, I participated in the recruitment and evaluation of thousands of Full-Time MBA applicants, led yield and outreach initiatives, and designed programming intended to engage and assess prospective students across multiple decision points. At Notre Dame, I oversaw the academic and co-curricular experience of graduate business students, with responsibility spanning academic planning, program progression, international study, crisis and conduct matters, and graduation readiness.

This work required continuous, comparative judgment—often in complex or high-stakes situations—and informs how I assess readiness, trajectory, and credibility today. It allows me to advise clients with a clear understanding of how decisions are made inside institutions, and how individual elements are evaluated in context rather than isolation.