2019 Conference

Elizabeth Fitzgerald currently serves as an Associate Director of Admissions at Stevenson University and has been employed in the Admissions Office since 2006. Working primarily with students from Pennsylvania and several counties in Maryland, she also holds more specific roles as athletics liaison and honors program liaison. Elizabeth holds a bachelor’s degree in international business and Spanish from King’s College and a master’s degree in business and technology management from Stevenson University.

Charlain Bailey worked as an educator and National Board Certified Counselor in Montgomery County Public Schools for 30 years. She currently serves as a mentor and College Counseling volunteer with Community Bridges Girls Leadership and Empowerment program in Montgomery County. Ms. Bailey has a BA in Art Education and a M. Ed in School Counseling.

Jordan Holmes is currently an Assistant Director of Admissions at American University’s Office of Enrollment. He has spent the past year and a half working with students in Virginia and West Virginia in addition to Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. His previous role as the Assistant Director of Student Volunteer Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania saw him recruiting current students to host admitted students during Penn’s yield events, as well as recruiting and evaluating applications in the Southeastern United States. He previously graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with an undergraduate degree in Architecture.

Melisa has diverse experiences working with learners from ages 5- 65 from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Her education career began as a substitute teacher in South Jersey and evolved into Assistant Director of Admissions at a trade school, and later an adjunct college instructor, resulting in expertise in supporting college, career, and life readiness. Driven by a passion for equity in education, Melisa currently serves as a college advisor at an innovative public high school, sits on the board of a local non-profit organization which focuses on student athletes and is the founder and CEO of an educational non-profit based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Melisa is often a featured presenter at college access events and has provided guidance to high schools, universities, and training facilities throughout the contiguous United States, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), Trinidad and Barbados. Born in Trinidad, Melisa puts her belief and lived experience that education changes lives into action in supporting families in the United States and the Caribbean. Melisa currently serves in a leadership role with the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC), was a Counselor of the Year and is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC).

Michael Kaplan has experienced “both sides of the desk”. He is currently in his 9th season as the Director of College Counseling at Norfolk Collegiate School and previously spent a year as a college counselor at Cape Henry Collegiate School. Prior to working at Cape Henry, Michael spent the last nine years working at colleges and universities most notably serving as an Assistant Dean of Admissions at the College of William and Mary.

A native of Connecticut, Michael earned his B.A. from Colby College in Waterville, ME with a double major in Philosophy and Religious Studies. He earned an M.P.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University while working as a graduate assistant in VCU School of Medicine Admission Office. Currently, Michael is in the latter stages of completing his doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the College of William and Mary where his research involves the college choice factors of high achieving students and enrollment in honors colleges at less selective universities.