Emmi Harward
ACCIS Executive Director
ex officio member

Emmi Harward is the Executive Director of the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS). After serving in this role in a part-time, volunteer capacity for three and a half years, she became the Association’s first full-time employee in January 2017. As executive director of ACCIS, Emmi is tasked with day-to-day operations of the Association, whose mission is to support the essential role of college counselors as leaders in independent schools through professional development and support. She is a frequent presenter and panelist at regional and national conferences and speaker at professional meetings. Emmi’s experience in college admission and counseling spans more than 20 years in the profession. She learned college admissions during five years as a member of the undergraduate admission offices at Emory University in Atlanta and Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Emmi moved back to her home state of Virginia and to Hampton Roads Academy for her first role in an independent school, serving as director of college counseling, government teacher, swim coach, testing coordinator, and "other duties as assigned." Emmi joined The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California in the fall of 2006, where she helped to grow the department from two co-directors to a team of four full-time college counselors; it was also at Bishop's where she began her involvement in ACCIS as a committee member, chair, and ultimately executive director. Emmi holds degrees from Emory University with a BA in Political Science and Psychology and an M.Ed. from The College of William and Mary. She is based in San Diego, California.

Gabrielle Dorsey
The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles, CA

Gabrielle Dorsey joined the ACCIS Board of Trustees in 2019. She is currently the Director of College Guidance at The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles. Prior to her move to Archer in 2017, Gabrielle served as Associate Director of College Counseling at Marin Academy.  She has served ACCIS on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and the Audit and Review committee in the past. She previously worked in college admission at American University and Rice University, tackling both domestic and international admission work.  

Vicki Englehart-Thompson
St. Mary's Episcopal School, Memphis, TN

Vicki Englehart-Thompson joined the ACCIS Board of Trustees in 2018.  She began her role as Dean of College Counseling at St. Mary's Episcopal School (TN) in 2015.  Vicki served as Dean of College Counseling at Lake Highland Preparatory School (FL) for thirteen years.  She is a Past-President of SACAC and a former member of the NACAC Governance and Nominating Committee.

Aaron Fulk
Marin Academy, San Rafael, CA
Strategic Planning Chair

Aaron Fulk joined the ACCIS Board of Trustees in 2017 and serves as the chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Since 2016, he has served as the director of college counseling at Marin Academy (CA). Previously, Aaron worked as a college counselor and coach at St. Margaret's Episcopal School (CA) and Collegiate School (VA). Prior to working at independent schools, Aaron worked in admissions at Washington & Lee University and Stanford, and he spent a year serving low-income families at a non-profit housed at Foothill College.

Jeff Fuller
Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Houston, TX
Finance Chair/Treasurer

Jeff Fuller joined the ACCIS Board in 2019 as Treasurer. He currently serves as the Director of College Counseling at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston, Texas. In this role, Jeff oversees all college counseling department initiatives while also leading a team of 5 professionals. Before joining Strake Jesuit in 2017, Jeff served for 24 years at the University of Houston in a variety of roles in UH’s admissions office ultimately serving as Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions. Jeff has been actively engaged in both NACAC and Texas ACAC, serving as president of both in 2015 (NACAC) and 2007 (TACAC). Jeff previously served as NACAC’s Finance Committee Chair and TACAC Treasurer. 

Scott Herrmann-Keeling
Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School, St. Louis, MO
Governance & Nominating Chair

Scott Herrmann-Keeling joined the ACCIS Board of Trustees in 2017 and currently serves as the Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee.  He has been a College Counselor at MICDS in St. Louis since 2010. Before moving to the Midwest, Scott worked for ten years in the admission office at Trinity College in Hartford, CT.

Peter Jennings
Concord Academy, Concord, MA
Board Past Chair

Currently serving as past-chair of the ACCIS Board of Trustees, Peter has supported ACCIS as a member of the New Counselor Training and through participation in the ARC team.  After five-years in admissions at Pomona College, Peter worked at Harvard-Westlake School before coming to Concord Academy in 2000. During a 2009-2010 sabbatical, Peter joined the Tufts University staff as Admissions Officer and Counselor-in-Residence. Peter also serves on the board of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation and is a former member of the Common Application’s Outreach Advisory Group.

Claudia Jolivert
Ransom Everglades School, Coconut Grove, FL
Board Chair

Claudia Jolivert is the chair of the ACCIS Board of Trustees and previously served as its Treasurer. She is starting her 10th year in College Counseling at Ransom Everglades School. Prior to joining the counseling team at RE, she worked in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at her alma mater, Georgetown University. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Claudia is the mother of three and the proud owner of two rescue dogs named Picasso and Chuleta.

Nikki Magaziner Mills
St. Albans School, Washington, DC

Nikki Magaziner Mills joined the ACCIS Board of Trustees in 2018. Since 2005, she has served as the Director of College Counseling at St. Albans School in Washington DC. Prior to St. Albans, she worked as Director of College Counseling at TASIS, The American School in England and as Assistant Director of Admissions at both Rice University and Washington and Lee University.

Matt Mettille
Menlo School, Atherton, CA

Amy Rogers
Miss Porter's School, Farmington, CT
Board Chair-elect

Jody Sweeney
William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA

Birage Tandon
Lakeside School, Seattle, WA

Robert Awkward
Marin Academy, San Rafael, CA
Advisor to the Executive Director

Robert Awkward is the Advisor to the Executive Director of ACCIS, an appointed role that also serves as an Ex-officio Board Member. Before moving to California to join the college counseling team at Marin Academy, Robert helped to establish the college counseling program at The Post Oak School, an IB-Montessori, PreK-12 school in Houston, Texas. Previous to his work in independent schools, Robert worked in admissions at Southwestern University (TX) and his alma mater Earlham College (IN).

Sam Bigelow
Middlesex School, Concord, MA
Communications

Sam Bigelow has served as ACCIS Communications Chair since 2017.  He has been the Director of College Counseling at Middlesex School (MA) since 2012.  Prior to his time at Middlesex, Sam served as Senior Associate Director at Choate Rosemary Hall (CT).   Before college counseling, Sam was a Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Boston University (MA) and an Admissions Representative at Harvard University (MA).

Lisa Clay
Out-of-Door Academy, Sarasota, FL
Summer Institute

Lisa Clay has served ACCIS as Summer Institute Chair since 2016, having previously served as chair of Organizational Advancement. She is currently the Co-Director of College Counseling at The Out-of-Door Academy (FL). Prior to her recent move to ODA, Lisa was the Director of the Center for College and Life Planning at Parish Episcopal School (TX) for two years and also served as the Associate Director of College Counseling for three years. Before arriving at Parish, Lisa served as a College Counselor at Casady School (OK). Before college counseling, Lisa was a Senior Admission Counselor at Texas A&M University (TX) and an Admissions Counselor at the University of Texas at Austin (TX).  

Michele Davis
The Walker School, Marietta, GA
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Michele Davis is co-chair of the ACCIS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She is the director of college counseling at The Walker School in Atlanta, was previously a member of the college counseling team at Hutchison School (TN), and has also worked in independent schools in Maryland and Georgia. Before stepping onto the secondary school side, Michele worked in undergraduate admissions at Emory University (GA) and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Canh Oxelson
Horace Mann School, Bronx, NY
New Counselor Workshop and Series

Canh Oxelson began directing the ACCIS New Counselors Workshop in 2017 and its corresponding webinar series. He has been the Executive Director of College Counseling at Horace Mann School (NY) since 2011.  Prior to HM, Canh served as an Upper School Dean & college counselor at Harvard-Westlake School (CA) and in college admission roles at four different schools, most recently at the University of Pennsylvania.

Jessica Raab
Kent Denver School, Englewood, CO
Colloquia

Stacy Richardson
Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, Washington, DC
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Stacy Richardson is the Co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She has been the Lead College Counselor at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School (DC) since 2015. Prior to her time at Visitation, Stacy served as a college counselor at Gonzaga College High School (DC). She has held numerous positions within higher education, including Associate Dean and Director of Multicultural Recruitment at The College of William & Mary (VA) and Assistant Director of the College Park Scholars-Life Sciences Program at the University of Maryland.

Barbara Sams
Whitfield School, St. Louis, MO
Organizational Advancement

Barbara Sams has been director of college counseling at Whitfield School in St. Louis, Missouri since 2017. Prior to Whitfield, Barbara served as director of college counseling for thirteen years at Saint Louis Priory School. She has spent more than thirty years in the profession, including time in college admission, student life, and marketing.  

Rhonda Collins
Townsend, MA
Member Services Coordinator

Michelle Niles
Fitchburg, MA
Bookkeeper