DIRECTOR
aLLISON w. mATLACK, m.a.t.
Allison W. Matlack, M.A.T. has devoted her professional life to helping students find their greatest academic and personal successes. Before opening the doors of Matlack Educational Consulting 2015, she was a consultant with AHP Educational Consulting in Sudbury, MA, for 12 years where she helped guide students and their families through the independent school and college planning processes. Allison began her career teaching English at Westtown School in Pennsylvania where she also served as swim team coach, dorm head, associate dean of students, and college counselor.
Allison graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College and received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Tufts University. Allison is deeply involved in IECA, the national professional organization for educational consultants, recently having served as VP for Education and Training on their Board of Directors and as Vice Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee. Previously, Allison served as the Chair of the Schools Committee for IECA from 2016 – 2017 and has been a member of the faculty for the IECA Summer Training Institute several times. Allison is a member of NACAC and NEACAC and sits on the Board of Trustees for Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, MA where she chairs the Graduate Support Program Committee.
In her free time, she and her husband enjoy gardening, biking, traveling, and marveling at the accomplishments of their two grown children as they pursue their own paths.
OUR PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATES
Brennan E. Barnard, M.Ed.
A graduate of Westtown Friends School, Brennan E. Barnard earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish from Franklin & Marshall College and a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration from The University of Vermont. Brennan has worked as teacher, coach, admission officer, and student affairs administrator at a number of independent high schools and colleges, including Westtown School, Northfield Mount Hermon School, Hyde School, Franklin & Marshall College, and the University of Vermont. He has served as a college counselor for the St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program and the Royal Thai Scholars program at Brewster Academy. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Global Studies Foundation and off-site college counselor for The Monteverde Friends School in Costa Rica.
Most recently, Brennan and his co-author Rick Clark, published their most recent book, The Truth About College Admissions Workbook, the companion piece to the book they published a few years ago. When he’s not writing for Forbes, his more recent jobs include being the Director of College Counseling and Outreach at Khan Lab School, CA and the Director of College Counseling for the College Guidance Network. He also serves as the College Admissions Program Advisor with the Making Caring Common, a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Brennan authored a year-long column in Concord, New Hampshire’s Sunday Monitor that helped parents and students navigate the sometimes confusing world of applying to college. In addition, he is a regular contributor to Forbes, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Most recently, he and Rick Clark published The Truth About College Admissions, an insightful guide to the college application process. A three-year, elected member of the College Board’s New England Regional Council, Brennan is also a member of The Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools and the National (NACAC) and New England (NEACAC) Associations of College Admission Counselors which named him Counselor of the Year in 2018. This father of two lives in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Email Brennan.
CAROL KINLAN, M.Ed, m.b.a.
Carol Kinlan is our senior educational consultant and works with students seeking traditional school or college placement and students with learning or attentional requiring more specialized school or college options. Carol was an educational consultant with McMillan Education in Boston for five years. Carol was an educational consultant with McMillan Education in Boston for five years. Other past experiences include her work as Director of Learning Resources at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA and Learning Coordinator at the Dedham Country Day School in Dedham, MA. She has also worked at The Institute for Learning and Development (ILD) in Lexington, MA, where she conducted neuropsychological assessments and tutored students with weaknesses in reading comprehension, written expression, and executive function skills. Carol has a master’s degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Mind, Brain and Education Department, an M.B.A. in Marketing from Boston University, and an undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA. She currently serves on the Board of Visitors for The Fenn School in Concord, MA and on several IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association) committees that focus on supporting students with learning and attentional challenges. Email Carol.
JENNIFER HINES
Jennifer Hines has 26 years of leadership in education, having recently retired from Noble and Greenough School after 20 years as Dean of Enrollment Management, overseeing admission and financial aid. As Dean, Jennifer led a period of exceptional growth in admissions applications and drove a soaring increase in student diversity, a legacy poised to endure. She was a member of the school’s senior administrative team and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leadership team. She also mentored faculty members and was faculty advisor to 3 to 7 students each year.
Jennifer’s leadership in education is recognized by peers both regionally and nationally. She identified an opportunity for peer schools to collaborate on outreach in order to provide greater access to more families in the Boston region to an independent school education. Her efforts helped lead to what is now the Boston Independent School Collaborative, a group of 15 Boston-area independent schools that hold two sessions each year for area families.
She also served nationally on the Admission Leadership Council of the Enrollment Management Association for several years, as well as on the boards of trustees of the Fessenden School and the Chestnut Hill School, both in Newton, MA.
Jennifer is a graduate of Wellesley College. She began her career with a brief stint in commercial bank lending, before returning to Wellesley College as Associate Director of Admission. Email Jennifer.