Meet Our New Director of College Counseling:
Liz Jackson
Galin Education is thrilled to announce that Liz Jackson will be our new Director of College Counseling! In this role, she will lead and support our college counseling team. Liz works with students all over the world and is based in our Milwaukee-area office.
Liz brings with her over a decade of experience working in high schools as a teacher, dean, and college counselor. From the East Coast to Wisconsin, Liz’s experiences have exposed her to a variety of colleges and programs. Earlier in her career, Liz was the Director of College Guidance at AMSA Charter School and Newton Country Day School in Boston, where she was also a member of the Steering Committee of the Boston Independent School College Counselors Association. Most recently before joining the team at Galin, she worked in school leadership at University School of Milwaukee and Messmer High School. Galin Education is excited to welcome Liz to the team.
Liz, in turn, is excited to share with Galin’s students and families her passion for the college admissions process — a passion that helped her gain admission to Harvard University for both her undergraduate and graduate studies. “Learning about different colleges has interested me ever since I was a teenager,” Liz said. “I sometimes joke that I was the only kid I knew in high school who actually liked the college application process.”
As a college counselor, Liz loves getting to know students and matching their interests to the unique offerings of each college. She believes there is a lot of value in working with a college counselor. “Working with a college counselor helps make the decision about where to go to college feel more affirming, more intentional, and less overwhelming,” Liz said. “Having a college counselor in your corner helps families know that they are making choices with the best available information, and changes what can sometimes be a stressful process into one that fosters personal growth.”
Liz’s personal journey as a college athlete has developed into a particular interest in the athletic recruiting process. Liz grew up in Madison, WI, where she attended Madison East and rowed for the Mendota Rowing Club, and later joined Harvard’s Varsity crew team. As an athlete, former rowing coach, and avid sports fan (with loyalty to Wisconsin’s own Badgers, Packers, and Bucks), athletics have been a large part of Liz’s life, and she is excited to help students find ways that they can extend their athletic careers in college.
Liz will be stepping into the director position previously held by Brenda Ward, who is stepping back after leading the college counseling team wonderfully for the past five years. To her students’ and our team’s delight, Brenda will continue working as a College Counselor at Galin Education. Liz is appreciative of the opportunity to take on this leadership role.
“I am excited to be working with such a terrific team of talented and professional counselors,” Liz said. “This position is a great fit for me because it combines my love for college counseling with my interest in supporting and recruiting counselors, and also researching best practices in the growing, evolving field of college counseling.”
