Why Expert Admissions?

Dr. Norman worked as an Admissions Officer at Barnard College/Columbia University. She has been featured as an expert on college admissions by virtually every major media outlet.

Admissions Experience

• Admissions Officer, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Director of Pre-College Programs, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Chair, Pre-College Admissions and Financial Aid, Barnard College/Columbia University

Education

• PhD in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
• MA in Sociology, University of Pennsylvania
• AB in Sociology, magna cum laude, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Certificate in College Counseling, UCLA
• Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions

Related Education Experience

• Associate Director of College Counseling, Hillel High School
• Curriculum Consultant, New York University
• Undergraduate Instructor and Academic Advisor, University of Pennsylvania
• Secondary Schools Committee Member, University of Pennsylvania
• Alumnae Admissions Representative, Barnard College/Columbia University
• Board Member and Faculty, University of California – Irvine, Independent Educational Consultant Certificate Program
• Past-Chair, College Committee of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)

Media

See Press.

Professional Development

• American Institute of Certified Educational Planners, Certified Educational Planner (CEP)
• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Member
• Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Professional Member
• Overseas Association for College Admission Counseling (OACAC), Member
• Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), Member

Mr. Norman received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from Columbia College. He served as an Admissions Ambassador at Columbia Business School, advising prospective applicants, helping to lead admissions information sessions, and interviewing candidates for admission. As an alumnus, he continues to serve as a resource and interviewer for Columbia Business School applicants. In addition, Mr. Norman conducts interviews with candidates for undergraduate admission to Columbia University as a member of the Alumni Representative Committee.

Mr. Norman has worked as a consultant to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). At NYSED, he designed innovative performance management systems that more effectively utilized the resources of the 3,500-person department. Mr. Norman’s work impacted New York students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Jacob Hansen is a former admissions officer and recruitment group director at Harvard College. He holds an AB in Government and a secondary in Economics from Harvard College.

While at Harvard, Jacob was responsible for evaluating applicants from all over the US, stretching from Alaska to Florida, as well as international students, and served as an admissions liaison for three athletic programs. He also served as the director of the Harvard College Connection, which focuses on rural and international student recruitment, as well as the director of the Harvard College Admissions tour program. In these roles, Jacob had the pleasure of working with dozens of undergraduate student workers, as well as interacting every day with prospective applicants and their families.

His favorite part of his work was (and is!) helping students feel less intimidated by the college application process and more confident in finding the right college fit for them.

Tova Meyer is a former Assistant Dean of Admission at Princeton University. She holds an AB from Williams College and an M.S.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

While at Princeton, Ms. Meyer traveled to recruit students from across the United States and Canada. She reviewed domestic and international applications and led admission committees through their selection process. She was also responsible for training and mentoring new application readers. Additionally, Ms. Meyer was the liaison to the creative and performing arts departments and coordinated the review of performing arts supplements.

Ms. Meyer brings a broad range of experience guiding students and families to Expert Admissions, having previously worked as an Associate Director of Admission at an independent middle and high school and as a Senior Associate Director of College Counseling at an independent high school.

Tania Asnes holds a BA summa cum laude from Barnard College in English (Creative Writing) with a minor in Russian. She was inducted early into Phi Beta Kappa, participated in the Centennial Scholars independent study program, and received departmental awards in English and Russian. While at Barnard, Tania served as a Writing Fellow, advising peers on their academic papers. She also served as a writer and editor for the DemiDec and World Scholar’s Cup academic competitions.

Adin Walker graduated from Princeton University with a BA in English Literature and is currently completing a PhD in Performance Studies at Stanford University. At Stanford, Adin joined the leadership team of the University’s Writing Center where they worked with undergraduate and graduate students on everything from first-year academic assignments to application materials for graduate programs, grants, and fellowships. Adin’s published writing has received awards from the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, American Society for Theatre Research, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the International Society for the Society of Musicals. More than anything, Adin enjoys working with students on their writing and helping them thrive.

Lia Romeo earned her B.A. from Princeton University, and holds advanced degrees in playwriting from Rutgers and Juilliard. She taught playwriting workshops at Middlebury College and has taught in the M.A. program in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her plays have been produced off-Broadway and regionally around the country, and four of them have been recognized by the Kilroys List of best new plays by women. She has published a novel and a humor book, and her essays have appeared in Newsweek, the Washington Post, and other major national publications.

Natalie Rose Richardson graduated with honors from the University of Chicago with a BA in English Literature. She also received an MA in English Literature and an MFA in Poetry from Northwestern University. Most recently, she graduated with an MFA in fiction from New York University’s Graduate Creative Writing Program. In addition to teaching undergraduate Creative Writing courses, Natalie has worked as a Writing Consultant in the Academic Writing Centers at both NYU and Columbia University. She’s received numerous awards and fellowships, and has had her work featured at BBC Radio London, Tedx, WBEZ Chicago, The British Royal Library, and the Poetry Foundation, among other magazines and journals.

Dr. Deborah Williams earned her Ph.D. in literature from New York University, where she also taught in the Expository Writing Program, primarily to first-year students. She has been a literature and writing professor for more than twenty years, including eleven years at NYU Abu Dhabi. Her books include Not in Sisterhood (Palgrave), about early twentieth-century women writers; The Necessity of Young Adult Fiction (Oxford), about reading and citizenship; and she co-edited The Oxford History of the Novel in English Volume Eight: US Fiction Since 1940 (Oxford). Dr. Williams’s writings have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Rumpus, The Paris Review Daily, and Brevity.

Dr. Meredith Kaplan earned her PhD in Literature and Film from the University of Oregon and her BA in Theater Studies from Guilford College. Dr. Kaplan has taught Writing and Rhetoric to first-year students at the University of Notre Dame and also taught undergraduate courses in literature, film, drama, and composition.

Padya Paramita has been in digital content creation for the admissions space since 2019. She received her BA from Wellesley College and her MFA from Columbia University. She is also a writing professor at Southern Connecticut State University and the University of New Haven. Her debut novel, Appetite, is forthcoming from The Dial Press in 2026.

Kelsea Mucherino has a background in program coordination, with many years of experience both in the United States and internationally. She holds a BA from the University of Connecticut in English and French, an MS in Education from the University of Bridgeport, and an MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of Reading in the UK. She also speaks French and Spanish.

Kelsea has worked in education for her entire career, beginning as a middle school French teacher and most recently as Programme Lead at a private language school in England. Now, she is committed to supporting the Expert Admissions team in bringing passion and excellence to everything we do.