HECA Community Network Coordinators

With over 30 years in education from the college side, to high school, to admissions, to college consulting, Genevieve has the context to help all types of students navigate the college process. Genevieve has a BA from UCLA, a MA and Ph.D from UCLA, and a college counseling certificate from UCLA. 

With over a decade of combined experience as an independent consultant and as a licensed school counselor in a nationally ranked International Baccalaureate World School, I have supported hundreds of students’ search, application, and matriculation process into selective and highly selective institutions across the United States, Canada, and Europe. I possesses a deep knowledge of high school education systems and how students can best navigate and collaborate with their school-based professionals who need to support their post-secondary processes from the school side. Based in Calgary, Alberta, I provide students and families the opportunity to work locally with someone who understands the unique educational and cultural contexts of Alberta and how to best leverage and articulate these contexts in admissions applications. In addition, I work with students and families across Canada, the United States, and around the world in support of finding the best fitting schools and submitting the most authentic and strongest applications possible. 

After over 20 years of classroom teaching, I have found great satisfaction in helping students on an individual basis. I believe that all students have options and I enjoy guiding and supporting them on their journey to college. Seeing my students discover and get admitted to their best fit college is my greatest pleasure!

I live in the Concord/Walnut Creek area. My husband, Bill, and I have spent the last 20+ years raising five children a set of twins and a set of triplets--each with their own educational interests and needs. Our two eldest have graduated from undergraduate institutions and are on to graduate school, our son in a Ph.D. program and our daughter is a practicing veterinarian. Our three younger children have graduated their best fit colleges and are pursuing careers in teaching, criminal justice, and a DPT degree in physical therapy.

Education has always been my passion. I completed my Bachelor’s degree at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and received my Master’s degree in education from Cal Poly, Pomona. I hold teaching credentials in California and Texas.  I also have a certificate from the UC Berkeley Extension College Admissions and Career Advising program.  I am a member of WACAC (Western Association for College Admission Counseling) and HECA (Higher Education Consultants Association). I believe ethics, confidentiality,  and professionalism are essential in working with clients.  I adhere to the NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling) statement of good practices and principles www.nacacnet.org/advocacy--ethics/statement-of-principles-of-good-practice/.

Hailee DeMott is the owner of DeMott College and Education Consulting and is an Independent Educational Consultant. She founded DeMott College and Education Consulting to work privately with students and families seeking guidance with education and university planning. Hailee previously worked in higher education in student recruitment and admissions, academic advising and as a faculty member. She is a 2013 United States Fulbright Scholar where she studied in Berlin, Germany and Strasbourg, France. She is proud to service as the Las Vegas Community Coordinator for the Higher Education Consultants Association.

Ellen Kuppersmith is a Los Angeles native with over 18 years of experience in education and college advising. She started by assisting in the College Center at Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES), a magnet school ranked #1 in Los Angeles. Ellen began college advising after completing her College Counseling Certificate from UCLA Extension in June 2015, and in June 2019, started her own practice, College Kupp. 

Through personalizing the experience, Ellen guides students into finding the universities and colleges that meet their needs academically and socially no matter the field they wish to study from liberal arts to business, STEM to Performing and Visual Arts. She provides hands-on support through the entire college application process all while minimizing the stress that often can arise for students (and their parents). And as a NACAC International University Advocate Badge holder, Ellen can also help students who wish to apply to universities all over the world. 

Ellen is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), the Western Association for College Admissions Counseling (WACAC), the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and an associate member of the Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA).  Through these groups and activities, she builds her knowledge base and network of industry professionals to better serve her students.  Ellen is also the HECA College Fair Co-Chair (2019 – 2023).

Terry Mady-Grove is a Certified Educational Planner. This certification is granted by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners to consultants who meet stringent application requirements including a Master’s degree, specialized training, significant professional experience, involvement in professional organizations and the passing of a board-certified exam requiring both institutional and professional knowledge.

As a founding partner of a law firm, Terry Mady-Grove has over 25 years of experience as an attorney. During this time, she finely tuned negotiating skills, assisted clients in all types of documentation and mentored young attorneys while running the business of the law firm. Ms. Mady-Grove also has an M.A. in Teaching of English from Columbia University Teachers College and holds a teaching certification in New York, having gone back to school with a unique perspective as a mature student. The many years of practicing law combined with understanding the psyche of a high school student create a perfect combination as she helps families choose the right school and program for their student.

As an interviewer for Cornell University for over ten years, Ms. Mady-Grove knows what pressure students are under in this competitive environment. She also knows what makes for a successful application and interview and what does not.

As a parent, Ms. Mady-Grove has first hand experienced that the college application and selection process can be stressful. We can provide the buffer between the student and the parent, allowing the parent-child relationship to be a pleasant one in those important high school years rather than a battleground.

Ms Mady-Grove has two children. One child chose to attend the local public high school while the other opted to attend a boarding school several hours away from home.  They attended their first choice colleges and graduate schools, Princeton University and Columbia Law School and University of St. Andrews in Scotland and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Education:

• Cornell University, B.A. in psychology
• Boston University School of Law, J.D.
• Columbia University Teachers College, M.A.
• UC Irvine, Independent Educational Consultant Certificate

Teaching Position:

• University of California Irvine – Independent Educational Consulting Practicum

Professional Memberships:

• Independent Educational Consultants Association, professional member (IECA)
• Higher Educational Consultants Association (HECA), Community Representative
• New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC)
• Nassau and East End Counselors’ Associations

Volunteer Positions:

• Moxxie Mentoring Foundation, board member
• Cornell University Alumni Interviewer (former)

As a student affairs professional who has lived in university housing for most of her career, she’s had her finger on the pulse of the campus and her head in the admissions game. Having been part of shaping the national live/learn trend, she’s built bridges between staff and faculty, teaching First Year Experience to college freshmen and weighing out admissions against enrollment goals, has given her a unique perspective on what college readiness means. She uses her experience to recognize family transitional issues weighed against admissions cues and cultural reflections, with unfading compassion and enthusiasm for her students. After a decade providing private college counseling services and building the premiere college counseling industry software platform, CounselMore, Margaret continues to innovate the industry by pushing the boundaries of what college access truly means.

As an independent educational consultant based in Silicon Valley, I advise high school students and their families on all aspects of the college admissions process.  I help students applying to colleges and universities in the United States and other countries, as well as international students interested in coming to the United States for their studies.

Prior to working in college admissions, the majority of my professional career involved the implementation and support of manufacturing systems for semiconductor companies.  As part of my career transition, I completed the UCLA Certificate Program in College Counseling. I maintain memberships in HECA, IECA, NACAC, WACAC, and International ACAC.