Workshop Panelists

Session A: Messages we send: The Language of College Admisson

Moderator: Lexi Eagles - College Counselor, Greensboro Day School

Lexi earned her B.A. from The College of Wooster and her M.A. from Northwestern University. Her teaching and college counseling experience spans 27 years, and includes public and private schools in Ohio, New York, Illinois, Texas, and North Carolina. She spent 14 years at Greenhill School in Dallas, TX, where she earned the Yearbook Dedication in 2002. In North Carolina, Lexi spent 4 years at American Hebrew Academy, building the college counseling program for the inaugural graduating class of 2004. Currently she is completing her second year at Greensboro Day School where she is a College Counselor and teaches British Literature.

Marty O'Connell - Executive Director, Colleges that Change Lives, Inc

Martha “Marty” O’Connell’s college admissions career spans almost three decades including posts at large and small colleges, starting with Rutgers University and ending with McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. She served McDaniel, one of the 40 colleges in the book, Colleges That Changes Lives, for sixteen years, with a final post as Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions. In July 2006 inspired by author Loren Pope, she began her role as Executive Director of the non profit, charitable organization Colleges That Change Lives, Inc.As a dynamic national speaker, Marty’s efforts to calm the frenzy surrounding college admissions and to educate students and their parents about finding the right school for them-beyond the high stakes game of rankings and ratings-have earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues. As a first generation college student, she believes that college admission is not a competitive sport where only those admitted to big-name institutions are winners. Marty knows personally the advantages students enjoy when enrolled in colleges where individual attention is the norm not the exception. To calm the anxieties of the parents she counsels, Marty uses both empathy and humor, drawn from her experience as a parent of three children who successfully navigated the college search process.

Steve Farmer - Assistant Provost & Director of Undergraduate Admission, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Stephen Farmer serves as Assistant Provost and Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  Since his appointment in September 2004, Carolina has established new records for the quality and the diversity of its entering classes, as well as a national reputation for admissions practices that are thoughtful, humane, and educationally sound.

Over the last two years, Farmer has secured $3 million in grant funding for programs that foster excellence and access for low-income students across North Carolina and the nation.  The Carolina Student Transfer Excellence Program helps low-income students transfer successfully to Carolina from three partner community colleges.  The Carolina College Advising Corps places recent UNC alumni as college advisers in thirty-six low-income high schools across North Carolina.  The Carolina Corps is a member of the National College Advising Corps, a nationwide consortium of thirteen similar programs that is also headquartered in the UNC admissions office.

Farmer came to Carolina in September 2000 as Senior Associate Director of Admissions after serving as Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at the University of Virginia, where he also taught English.  Born and raised in rural Virginia, Farmer earned his master’s degree in English from the University of Virginia and his bachelor's degree from Duke University, where he was an A.B. Duke Scholar.  Farmer lives in Carrboro with his wife, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and their two children.

Laura Legg - Director of the College Office, Asheville School - Asheville, NC

Laura earned a B.A. in International Studies from Dickinson College in 1995. After graduation, Laura worked at her alma mater’s admission office. Laura managed MidAtlantic enrollment, coordinated campus open houses, and organized print communications for six years; she finished her tenure as an Associate Director. In 2001, Laura moved to Asheville School, a boarding and day high school. As the Associate Director of Admission, she traveled extensively, coordinated international admission, managed a volunteer program, and advised a group of students. In 2003, Laura began working as an associate in Asheville School’s College Office. Laura has served as the Director of the College Office since 2006; she views her role as a resource to students (approx. 65 in each class) and their parents regarding the college application process and as a liaison to college representatives and scholarship directors. Laura will complete a M.Ed. program at Western Carolina University in College Student Personnel this spring. Laura is a member of NACAC and SACAC.

Dawn Calhoun -Assoc. Director of Undergraduate Admission, Wake Forest University - Winston-Salem, NC

Dawn has been with the Admissions Office since 1999.  She completed her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa Honorary.  She also holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from Wake Forest and is a National Certified Counselor.  She is responsible for the recruitment and selection of applicants, specifically North Carolina applicants, to the University and serves as a voting member of the admissions committee.

Kelen Walker - Director of College Counseling, Salem Academy- Winston Salem, NC

Kelen Walker is currently the Director of College Counseling at Salem Academy. She has spent the past 6 years working in college counseling in all-girl's schools. She also worked in college admissions at her
undergraduate alma mater, Union College in New York. Kelen received a Master's in Counseling from North Carolina State University in 2006. Kelen is a member of SACAC and NACAC.

Mary Karen Vellines - College of Wooster

Mary Karen has been the Vice President for Enrollment at The College of Wooster since May 2007. Prior to The College of Wooster, Mary Karen was the Senior Associate Dean of Admission at Hamilton College for 13 years. Before transitioning to college admission, Mary Karen was the Director of College Guidance at Charlotte Country Day School. During her career, she has been involved in NACAC, SACAC & NYSACAC.

Session B: Lessons They Learn: Adolescence and the College Admissions Experience

Moderator: Dr. Sandra Tarbox, Director of College Counseling, American Hebrew Academy - Greensboro

Sandra L. Tarbox, Ph.D. is the Director of College Counseling at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro, NC. She is a relative newcomer to the field of high school college counseling, after working for over twenty years in higher education. She was the Director of Financial Aid at both Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She served a term on the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance in Washington, DC. She has a B.A. in Economics from Antioch College, an M.A. in Higher Education/Management from Antioch University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education (Public Policy) from the University of Michigan.

Dr. James M. Benshoff - Professor of Counselor Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Dr. Benshoff received his Ph.D. in Counseling and Development in 1988 from The American University. Dr. Benshoff received an undergraduate degree in English from the College of William and Mary and an M. Ed. in Counseling and Development from George Mason University. Dr. Benshoff has been a Professor of Counselor Education at UNC- G since 2003. Prior to Professor, he held the positions of Assistant & Associate Professor.

Phyllis Gill - Associate Director of College Guidance, Providence Day School - Charlotte, NC

Phyllis Gill is the Past President of SACAC and a former member of College Board's Southern Regional Council. A former English teacher at South Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte and Providence Day School, where she began her college counseling career in 1987. Now in her 26th year at Providence Day, she is working part time as an Associate Director of College Guidance. Phyllis is a member of College Board's Task Force on Admissions in the 21st Century and co-chairs the NACAC- CS0 (Center for Student Opportunity) initiative to create a college guidance curriculum for students in grades 6-12.

Anthony Clay -Co-Director of College Counseling - Durham Academy, NC

Anthony, a U.S. historian by training, began his college counseling and teaching career in 1996 at Holland Hall, an Episcopal day school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He helped build the college counseling program for the inaugural graduating class (2002) at Raleigh Charter High School and then spent three happy years as counselor and teacher at Carolina Friends School in Durham. Anthony is in his third year at Durham Academy as Co-Director of College Counseling and Economics and AP US Government teacher.

Sheila Baisden - Director of College Counseling, Lovett School - Atlanta, GA

Shelia's admission career began at Lafayette College in 1982. After leaving Lafayette, Sheila spent 7 years in the admission office at Lake Forest and 5 years in the Admission Office at Swarthmore College where she was the Director of Admission. Prior to Swarthmore, Sheila was the Director of College Counseling for 7 years at the Tatnall School in Wilmington, Delaware. In July 2007, Sheila began her position as the Director of College Counseling at The Lovett School.

Craig Allen - Director of College Counseling, Forsyth Country Day School - Lewisville, NC

Craig is currently the Director of College Counseling at Forsyth Country Day School. In the fall of 2008, he will become the new Director of College Counseling at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA. Prior to coming to Forsyth CDS, Craig was Co-Director of College Advising at the Hotchkiss School (CT) and Director of College Counseling at Phillips Exeter Academy (NH). Prior to transitioning to college counseling, Craig worked in the Undergraduate Admission Office of his alma mater, Duke University. As an undergraduate at Duke, Craig majored in History. After graduating from college, Craig was employed at Enloe HS (Raleigh, NC) as a teacher and coach.