Our Team

col•lab o•ra tiv

adj.– accomplished through working with others for a common purpose or benefit; "a cooperative effort."

Our collaboration takes many forms.

We meet as a team twice weekly to discuss student profiles, developments in the field of learning differences, and offerings at colleges and universities.

We travel frequently, meeting with admissions officers, touring campuses, and talking to students. We also investigate college supports such as tutoring, writing centers, academic coaching, counseling, and disability services.  Thoroughly evaluating the learning support enables us to give the most up-to-date advice to our families and students.  We capture that information in a unique proprietary database that benefits our students.

We collaborate with respected professionals across the country to build a college readiness team around students.  We help find the right coach for students with organizational and time-management challenges, locate psychologists who will work well with students for neuropsychological testing, recommend test prep professionals for the SAT or ACT, and pair writing coaches with students who struggle with written expression.  We never receive fees from our referrals.

We listen carefully to our families and collaborate throughout this highly-individualized process.  Our work together guides the right-fit college for each student.

Our Team

joan wittan

Joan Wittan

joan@collegeLD.com 

Joan Wittan is a founding member of the College Consulting Collaborative and helps students with a wide variety of learning differences prepare for and find the right fit college. She loves the challenge of building on their strengths to maximize their potential.  Joan has developed a manual and materials and frequently speaks to parents, professionals, and students about college planning, essential skills for success, and writing.

Through her years of service to the GTLD Network, Montgomery County Public Schools, The Barker Foundation Adoption Agency, and the Montgomery County Business Round table on Education, she has gained expertise in twice-exceptional students, education policies, assistive technology, workforce preparation, and adoption.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), where she regularly leads sessions and delivers training. Joan also serves on the faculty at IECA’s Summer Training Institute (STI). Joan travels frequently to bring first-hand knowledge of colleges and universities across the country to her families, spending about one week each month meeting with admissions representatives, learning support staff, and students on campus.

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Kyle Kane

Kyle Kane

kyle@collegeLD.com

Kyle is a passionate and caring mentor of students with learning differences. She believes that every student should have the opportunity to go to college no matter their challenges and that, given the right guidance, students will thrive in a college that matches their strengths and needs. She works in a holistic manner to ensure each student is ready to make the transition to college.

Kyle is a former private practice attorney and law professor. She first came to the consulting world by volunteering to work on the college process with first generation students at her local high school. She trained to be a college consultant at the Summer Training Institute, offered by the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA). Kyle has earned Professional status within IECA and carries the Learning Disability specialty designation. In addition to her work with students, she also trains other consultants, gives presentations throughout the country and publishes articles on the college process for students with learning differences. She is a past Chair of the Learning Disabilities Committee of IECA and remains active in the association.

Kyle earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Miami University of Ohio and a JD degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

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lori-vise

Lori Vise

lori.vise@gmail.com

Lori loves helping high school and college students identify colleges where they can thrive. Cited as an expert by CNN and US News and World Report, she guides students with different learning styles through every aspect of the college process. Lori deliberately limits the number of students she works with so she can give each of them, and their parents, the attention they deserve. “You are excellent at what you do, and we literally could not have done this process without you,” said one client. “Your patience, advice and endless support have been a blessing for our whole family,” said another.

Lori’s goal is to help students find colleges that are the best fit and have the right learning support. She visits colleges frequently to determine whether they live up to their promises about student support. After Lori’s students graduate from high school, she assists them with their college transition.

Active in the Washington, DC community for years, Lori served on the board of Martha's Table and other academic and community groups. She is an honors graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and remains at the cutting-edge of college consulting by engaging in numerous activities and initiatives.

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sue cook christacos

Sue Cook Christakos

sue@collegeld.com 

Sue Cook Christakos is a former attorney who, in this capacity, drafted policy pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  With her expertise in the ADA, the law that governs supports and services at the college level, Sue helps guide students and their families through the college process. Her goal is to reduce the stress often involved in this process, and give the student the essential tools needed to find a college where they will be successful and happy. 

Sue has always had a passion for helping individuals with disabilities, and has devoted much of her time as a volunteer reading tutor, parent surrogate, advocate, and parent mentor for first generation college students within Montgomery County Public Schools. 

Sue is active in the dyslexic community and is a member of the International Dyslexic Association, as well as the National Association of College Admission Counseling, Counsel of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, the Learning Disabilities Association of Montgomery County, and the Independent Educational Consultants Association. Sue has a BA in Psychology from Bucknell University and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

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Liz Cooper Headshot Webpage

Elizabeth Cooper

liz@collegeLD.com 

Elizabeth (Liz) Cooper is an educational consultant whose passion is supporting students with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia as well as neurodiverse teens as they navigate high school, the college admissions process, and the transition to college. Liz works with her students to find colleges where they can be challenged, supported, and thrive, so that their learning differences will not be a barrier to their success in college and beyond.

Liz is a former practicing attorney. She has served on a number of non-profit boards including at independent and public schools. Liz is an active Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), where she serves as Chair of the Learning Disabilities/Neurodiversity Committee and as a member of the Education and Training Committee. Liz is also a member of the Higher Educational Consultants Association (HECA).

Liz is a student herself, constantly seeking to expand her knowledge about college admissions and learning differences. Liz has earned her Independent Educational Consultant Certificate at the University of California, Irvine, and is a graduate of the IECA Summer Training Institute. Liz is also the co-founder of MILD, a group of Massachusetts-based independent educational consultants who meet regularly to explore and discuss colleges and other programs for students with learning differences.

Liz is a graduate of Brandeis University and Boston University School of Law, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar.

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Jennifer Hambleton

jen@collegeld.com 

Jennifer (Jen) Hambleton is an educational consultant based in Portland, OR. She is passionate about supporting all students on their paths towards college and careers, regardless of their learning profile.

Jen comes to this work from the higher education administration world, having served for over twelve years as an advisor and program director with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, a graduate school of Middlebury College. She has also worked in the private and public sectors both nationally and internationally.

Jen strives to stay connected to professional communities of practice and takes every opportunity to ensure that she has the most up-to-date knowledge for you and your family. She has taken part in Landmark College’s professional certificate program in Learning Differences and Neurodiversity as well as UC Irvine’s Independent Educational Consultant Certificate Program.

She is an active Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the Vice Chair of the IECA’s Learning Disabilities/Neurodiversity Committee. She is also a member of the Pacific Northwest Association of College Admissions Counselors (PNACAC) and the local Portland Area College Counselors Consortium (PACCC).

Additionally, Jen has served on the boards of arts and education organizations and has volunteered for organizations working with high school students from marginalized communities on their paths towards college.

Jen received her MA in International Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a BA in Sociology and Anthropology from Lewis Clark College.

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