About Us
John Gray, M.Ed. has been working in education as a teacher, athletic coach, administrator and educational consultant for the last 25 years. He received his Teacher Certification in 1983 and began teaching social studies and geography in a Boston-area independent day and boarding school in 1984. John also coached numerous teams and ran a dormitory with his wife and daughters for seven years. He received a Masters Degree in Education in Policy, Planning and Administration from Boston University in 1993.
As an administrator, John has served as a Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Dean of Enrollment and Director of Secondary School Placement, where he has successfully placed nearly 2,000 students in more than 100 day and boarding schools locally, nationally and internationally. John also works with high school juniors and seniors in the college search and application process, and in 2007 he became a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, a national organization recognized for its high standards and membership training.
In the early 1990s, John was one of the founding members of the Junior Boarding Schools Association, and he was an Advisory Board Member of the International Coalition of Boys Schools. He is often an invited speaker at The Association of Boarding Schools' annual training workshop for new admissions officers, and he works closely with several large Boston based companies to place the children of re-locating employees in area independent schools. Recently John joined the Corporation of Tenacre Country Day School in Wellesley, Ma.
John Gray is widely respected in the independent school admissions world and he constantly visits schools to keep his knowledge of programs current. A teacher and coach by training, John has a great way with young people and their parents, and you will find him highly organized and an excellent listener. His goal is to help families find schools where their children will shine and continue to develop high self-esteem and confidence.
Nancy Federspiel, MS. enjoys helping people make big decisions and has been doing so since 1995 - first as a career counselor at Babson's F.W. Olin School of Business, and then as an independent college counselor. She holds a Master's degree in College Student Development and Counseling and is certified in High School Guidance by the state of Massachusetts.
Currently, Nancy is a member of the Nashoba Regional School District's School Committee and is involved first-hand with the educational issues confronting today's schools and their students.
Her current professional affiliations include being a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), and she has successfully completed IECA's Summer Training Institute for educational consultants. Additionally, Nancy is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). She has committed to ongoing professional development opportunities with these and other organizations in the field of college admissions counseling in addition to continuing with college visits on a regular basis to stay current with the trends on college campuses.
Nancy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Urban Studies from Brown University and has been an Alumni Admissions Interviewer for Brown for the past 20 years.
Previously, Nancy worked in the advertising industry for both Hill, Holliday and Arnold Advertising in Boston for eight years. Subsequently, Nancy committed to a career change and earned a Master of Science degree in College Student Development and Counseling from Northeastern University. After completing her practicum experience in career counseling at Brandeis University, she took a position as Career Counselor for the F.W. Olin School of Business at Babson College.
Recently, Nancy has presented workshops to schools for professional development of teachers and counselors. She has also presented for major corporations on the college search process as an employee benefit. She appears on the DVD "How to ACE the College Interview" published by Wintergreen Orchard House.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it"
-Aristotle