Melissa is currently the Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT.  She has 30 years of progressive higher education experience in financial aid and in enrollment management which began as student employee in the financial aid office. Melissa M. Stephens was a first- generation college graduate who earned a Bachelor of Science in Justice and Law Administration and a Master of Science in Community Counseling. Melissa was the Director of Financial Aid for 10 years after holding every position and role in the office of financial aid and before her current role.  

Melissa has presented regularly at conferences and presents on the topics of best practices financial aid, federal student aid regulations, strategic awarding, compliance and staff development. On a national level, Melissa served as Chair of the NCAA DIII Financial Aid Committee. Her involvements and roles have been many, varied and each distinctly unique, but what remains at the core of all that he does is her unparalleled work ethic toward social mobility, her unwavering passion and drive for higher education and her fearless advocacy to ensure access for all students. Melissa resides in Connecticut with her husband of 25 years and her two sons.  

Joe Korfmacher has spent 15 years helping families navigate the college admissions process with less stress and more confidence. A proud graduate of Saint Joseph’s University, Joe also earned his Master’s Degree in School Counseling from Seton Hall University. He spent 10 years working in private high schools, including seven years as the Director of College Counseling at a top-tier private school in Manhattan, where he guided hundreds of students toward their best-fit colleges.

In addition to his work in schools, Joe launched and ran his own college application bootcamps in Manhattan for five years, helping rising seniors jump-start the process and stand out. His hands-on workshops combined strategy, structure, and plenty of real-world advice—giving students a major advantage when application season kicked into high gear.

Joe also spent six years at Collegewise as a Senior College Advisor, where he not only supported families one-on-one but also built and led their employee benefits program, bringing expert college counseling to workplaces nationwide. Along the way, he’s visited more than 350 college campuses, giving him a deep, personal understanding of what different schools offer—and what families really need to know.

Today, Joe lives in Westfield, New Jersey with his two young children. He brings the same energy and care to every family he works with, making sure they feel confident about their choices and excited about what’s ahead. At College Aid Pro, Joe is passionate about helping families find the right college, at the right cost, and with the right support every step of the way.

Jason Slone, PhD, CCFC has over 20 years of experience in higher education as a Professor, a Department Chair, and a Dean. 

He also has over 7 years of experience as a Financial Advisor, having first started in 2008 with Edward Jones. 

He holds a BA from the College of Wooster, a MA from The Ohio State University, and a PhD from Western Michigan, and is a Certified College Financial Consultant.

Most importantly, he’s a father of 3, with 2 in college now who will graduate debt-free. 

He lives in Savannah, GA with his wife and bonus daughter and loves to spend time on his boat and playing music.

Navigating the college selection process can be challenging. As an experienced college admission counselor and a mother of two boys based in Tucson, I offer personalized guidance to simplify the application journey. With an unconventional education path, I understand the value of having a dedicated counselor—something I lacked when navigating my future, and I would have greatly benefited from that support.

As an Admission Pro at CAP, I have helped hundreds of students secure their spot at their best-fit colleges, including prestigious institutions such as Stanford, UCLA, Dartmouth, the University of Chicago, UNC Chapel Hill, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, and numerous outstanding public universities.

I confidently empower students and families to navigate the admissions process by specializing in essay reviews, balancing college lists, in-depth college research, and maintaining excellent communication. I also enjoy visiting college campuses—what can I say? I love college swag!

Kevin Murphy began his journey in college planning after recognizing the complexities and challenges families face when navigating the college financial aid process. He has made it his mission to simplify college planning, ensuring that every family can confidently manage one of the most significant financial decisions of their lives.

Since 2018, Kevin has guided nearly 1,000 families through the intricacies of college funding, helping them secure the financial resources needed to make higher education attainable. As a lifelong New Jersey resident, Kevin is deeply committed to his community, offering expert advice to help families build a strong financial foundation for college planning success.

Kevin is widely recognized as a trusted advisor in the college planning industry, known for delivering customized strategies that lead to both academic and financial achievements. His dedication to empowering families with the critical information and support they need has cemented his reputation in the field.

When Kevin isn’t helping families navigate the college financial aid maze, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Alejandra, and their two American Hairless Terriers, Coco and Cabo, in Wanamassa, NJ. He also continues to develop innovative solutions for the ever-changing landscape of college planning.

Hablo Español!

Mr. Lundgren has been focusing solely on college planning since 2001.

He has educated thousands of parents and their college-bound students throughout Southern California.
Mr. Lundgren is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC), the
American College Counselors Association (ACCA), the National Association of Student Personnel
Administrators (NASPA), the Western Association of College Admissions Counselors (WACAC) and the
California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA)’s High School Relations
Committee.
He has been a member of CAFSAA since 2004, and receives U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid Commission, California Student Aid Commission, and College Board continuing education through national, regional, and local training conferences.
Jim is the Southern California Regional Representative of the American College Planning Foundation, a
past member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the National College Advocacy
Group, and a current member of the American School Counselors Association and the California
Association of School Counselors.

From 2004 to 2010, he was a Financial Aid Consultant presenting for the Los Angeles Unified School
District’s (LAUSD) Annual Cash4College community education program. In the fall, he presented the
College Admissions and Financial Aid curriculum, and in the winter, he explained the FAFSA completion
and submission process. Subjects included Financial Aid 101, Completing the FAFSA, and Cal Grants.

Since 2009, Jim has been contracted by the Southern California College Access Network (SoCalCAN) &
the Los Angeles Educational Partnership to provide Train-the-Trainer instruction for both teachers and
counselors. He then provides student-direct instructional presentations on the FAFSA, Cal Grant,
“Financial Aid 101”, AB540, Dream Act, and Financial Literacy processes.

Brian is an expert college admissions professional with experience on both sides of the admissions cycle.

As a member of admissions offices at schools including Bryant University and Boston University, Brian oversaw the recruitment, review and retention of prospective undergraduate students for close to 20 states over a seven year period. During his time, he read well over 60,000 college applications in some capacity. Brian then spent four years as the Director of College Counseling at Austin Preparatory School in Reading,Massachusetts, where he led the complete overhaul of the college office that now boasts a half year prep program, a full parent curriculum, and unique college representative involvement. He has presented at the New England Association of College Admissions Counselors Conference, as well as at the New England Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers Yearly Meeting. He has also presented or spoken in multiple webinars related to college admissions throughout the region. In his career, he has served as a coach at both the collegiate and high school level in cross-country and soccer, a student government moderator, has planned multiple major events for admissions, orientation, student life and college counseling initiatives, and has been a member of New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation review teams.

Brian holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Bryant University in Smithfield, RI, where he was a collegiate athlete in Cross-Country and Track and Field. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University, specializing in Educational Policy and Leadership Studies. Brian is an avid runner.

It may not surprise you to learn that the number one concern of Gen X parents is how to pay for college for their kids. 

As a parent of three great kids (21 months apart), I understand the pressure and anxiety that come with the prospect of paying for college.

Thanks to the massive cost (especially if you have more than one college-bound child), the complexity and confusion surrounding merit vs. need-based financial aid, your “expected” financial contribution, scholarships, loans, standardized testing, etc—you may fear having to make a tradeoff between a great education and an affordable education. 

My wife and I were knee-deep in this college shopping vortex for our 17-year-old twins two years ago. We worked with financial advisors and saved for years and sent our kids to a great independent education consultant to help them explore their interests, research academic majors, begin creating a list of prospective colleges, and write compelling college application essays. 

But NONE of these specialists had a PROCESS or a TOOLSET that made it easy for my family to make an informed college buying decision. We wanted our kids to graduate with little or no debt without robbing our retirement.  

After doing a bunch of research, I found that there is a better way. You don’t have to trade quality for affordability. You just need a better way to shop for college—one that’s personalized and prioritizes your financial situation AND your student’s needs. I can show you how.

In 2021, after a successful 30-year career as head of marketing for a bunch of fast-growing, venture-backed, high-tech startups, I began to transition my diverse skill set toward a college-savvy financial coaching role.

I believe that every student deserves a great college education for a price their family can afford, so now I help families make more informed college buying decisions through education, personalized coaching, and best-of-class, purpose-built software. I look forward to serving you!

Education

• Executive Certificate in Financial Planning – University of Washington / Kaplan
• MBA, Corporate Strategy & Marketing – University of Washington, Foster School of Business
• BA, Business (Finance), Minor in Math – University of Puget Sound

A native Virginian, Jonathan graduated from Davidson College before anyone knew who Steph Curry was. He has spent his professional life in the financial industry, and has extensive experience with commercial and real estate lending, commodities trading, and investment management. Jonathan was drawn to college funding planning when the first of their four college-bound children needed it over a decade ago. He has been published in several newspapers including the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot. Jonathan created the CFG Scholarbank, a free, online database of over 500 local scholarships for Central Virginia families to explore. As a college planning expert, Jonathan sees each family's situation as a unique blend of desires, values, and circumstances, and strives to craft plans that honor those.

Dan Maga has been helping parents on the North Shore of Chicago pay for their children’s college educations in the most tax-efficient manner since the spring of 2004.

He believes that every parent, if guided properly, can save some money on their kids’ college educations. Dan graduated with a Consumer Economics degree from the University of Illinois in 2003. He currently lives in Lake Bluff with his wife, Linnea, and daughters Vivienne, Margaux, and Beatrix.

J.P. is a former financial aid director who worked alongside the admissions office at the University of Southern California. He was the face and voice of the financial aid office as he traveled all over the country for admission’s recruiting events to help explain how families can afford college. Ever since 2001, J.P. has helped thousands of families qualify for more free money with his inside experience.

Even so, J.P. understands the college experience is much more than just a money issue.  It’s also important that your child finds a school that they are excited to attend -AND- a school that will help set them up for success. With that in mind, J.P. loves helping students find the right colleges for them and then create a winning admissions strategy, which encompasses class selection, standardized testing, strategic extracurricular activities to stand out, as well as reviewing and editing college application essays. 

J.P. helps families apply for scholarships and grants, such as filing the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE, as well as providing guidance with financial aid appeals when warranted. J.P. actively networks with college admissions personnel, college faculty, and financial advisors all over the country. This helps him keep a pulse on what is happening and continue to provide holistic support to families.

J.P. wants both the student and parent to win when it comes to this crazy thing called college. 

Mike is the Director of the Scholarship Office at the University of Oklahoma. Mike has worked at the University of Oklahoma since 2010 helping students in a variety of different ways. Prior to becoming the Director of Scholarships, he worked as the Director of the MoneyCoach program for five years where he worked with students and families to create and implement financial plans. Prior to his role in the MoneyCoach program, he worked as an Academic Life Coach for seven years in the Sooner Success Program at OU serving students to understand their values and develop motivation with better understanding of their values.

Mike has a passion and drive to help others learn and grow which is why he pursued a Master of Education in Adult and Higher Education at OU, which he received in December 2010. Mike is passionate about personal finance and specifically motivated to help serve students and families trying to make college affordable. He also enjoys working with young professionals regarding financial wellness in order for them to live into their values.

Mike also enjoys teaching and has taught classes at OU since fall 2011. He currently teaches a personal finance course called 9 Things About College and Money. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Matt started his college planning career in 2005 after realizing both he and his parents had made some major mistakes in navigating the college admissions and financial aid processes.

It became Matt’s mission to show other families how to avoid making similar mistakes in one of the biggest investments of their life. Today, Matt is recognized as one of the nation’s leading authorities within the College Funding niche. Matt has successfully guided thousands of families through the college financial aid maze. As Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of College Aid Pro, Matt continues his mission to help every family find an affordable path to college.

Matt grew up in the Birthplace of American Independence, otherwise known as Ipswich, MA. He graduated from Stonehill College in 2004 after enjoying a great career in the classroom, much less so on the football field.

When he’s not busy saving families from the college loan crisis, Matt enjoys hanging out with his wife Rosey, their daughter Emma, and their lab Tommy. They reside in Beverly, MA.

Peg Keough is a college financial planner who specializes in working with parents who have college-bound high school kids. Through her guidance, parents take a proactive role in creating a comprehensive college funding plan to maximize financial aid and discounts on the cost of college.

Peg’s background in financial planning and investments, coupled with her expertise in college financial planning make her uniquely qualified to support families. She has also been through this process with her twin children, so she gets it. Peg is a recognized thought leader and frequent speaker at schools and organizations. She is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling (PNACAC), and the National College Advocacy Group (NCAG). Peg holds degrees from Cornell University and Indiana University.

Laura Meek is a current financial aid administrator at a small liberal arts college and has over 30 years of experience in higher education. She has served thousands of families during her career assisting them in their financial aid applications, navigating complex college forms, coaching with financial aid appeals, assisting with college scholarship searches, discovering student lending options and more! She has presented for numerous high schools on financial aid, served as an expert on conference panels and has presented at state association conferences.

Laura is a 1994 graduate of Capital University with a Bachelor of Social Work, magna cum laude. She pursued a helping profession and worked in her alma mater financial aid office as a student in her undergraduate studies. She’s never left the financial aid industry since! Her passion is educating and coaching students and their families during their college exploration and helping them form a solid financial plan for college.

She has served in financial aid roles within enrollment management at both public and private colleges. She is a long standing member of the Ohio Association of Financial Aid Administrators (OASFAA) and has held multiple positions on their executive board. She also earned the designation of Certified Financial Aid Administrator from the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and upholds the NASFAA Statement of Ethical Principles.

Laura lives in central Ohio with her husband, Tom and two teenage daughters, Elizabeth and Rebekah.

“The college search process isn’t complete without considering financial fit. Families need to plan ahead for one of the largest investments they will have. I can help families develop or refine their plans, overcome barriers and discuss realistic expectations. I’m proud to work with the David Academy and connect their passion with my own: “making students’ academic dreams come true.”

Ryan is a need analysis expert with more than fifteen years of Financial Aid experience and, currently, he works as the Director of Financial Aid at Harvard Medical School.

He began his career as an Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Boston College. While at BC, he received his Master’s Degree in Higher Education which brought him to MIT where he served as the Associate Director of Financial Aid.

Since dedicating most of his career to working in elite educational institutions, he understands financial aid’s importance in affording families with the opportunities of a private education. Aside from his time spent rooting for Boston sports’ teams, Ryan’s passion for helping students with financial aid began when he saw the effects it had on the students he advised for schools offering generous amount of need-based aid.

Jim holds a B.A. from Villanova University and obtained additional education through Merrimack College. He is also a Certified College Funding Specialist (CCFS). Mr. Femia currently resides in Marblehead, MA.

Jim is also a Senior Financial Advisor at Apella Capital. Prior to joining Apella, Mr. Femia was a Senior Investment Consultant at Sentinel Financial Group. He has had roles at Cabot Money Management, Metropolitan Financial Services and Liberty Securities. He is an Accredited Asset Management Specialist (AAMS) and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) through the College for Financial Planning.

Credentials

• Master of Education in School Counseling, and LPC Coursework
• Master of Education in Educational Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Secondary Teaching Certificate

Professional Organizations

• Higher Education Consultants Association
  • HECA Conference Co-Chair 2023
  • HECA Communications Committee 2020-2021
• Independent Educational Consultants Association
  • IECA Affordability Committee 2021-Present, Chair 2023-2024, Vice Chair 2022-2023,
• Texas Association for College Admissions Counseling

Melissa Mieyr began her professional journey with a 24-years stint in the public-school sector, as an educator specializing in business, career, and technology. Throughout her career, she dedicated herself to helping students navigate their next stage in life. She holds certifications as both a school administrator and school counselor and spent 15 years supporting a high school counseling office with a focus on all things college related. Melissa worked tirelessly to educate students and parents about the college planning process. With a strong background in business, Melissa’s passion for the financial side of the college process was evident and has been a significant focus throughout her career.

Melissa is a college planning advisor who partners with families to help them attain their academic goals while maintaining the families’ financial stability. After spending much of her career helping students explore their academic and career options as an educator and certified school counselor, Melissa knows that these decisions that are made can truly have life changing outcomes.

Melissa’s passion for education, organization, and personal financial freedom allows her to guide families through the college planning process while giving them peace of mind. She knows the importance of a good education while keeping your eyes on the goal of the future. By becoming an independent consultant in 2014, Melissa was able to further her passion by extending her ability to help not only the student in the college planning process but to assist parents in realizing the holistic approach needed to plan for college and not jeopardize their own future quality of life.

Melissa’s personal life is equally inspiring, having hosted 19 exchange students with her husband. Besides spending time with her family Melissa enjoys spending time outdoors tending to her flower garden, cooking, traveling, and watching football in the fall.

As the oldest of 4 kids, Dan knew that his parents didn’t have any money to pay for college so applying for every scholarship he could find and doing summer jobs became his funding solution. Fast forward to 1989, after graduating from college, Dan spent 25 years as a Financial Planner. But in 2005, he had a client approach him with a big problem. How were he and his wife going to pay for their 3 kids to go to college since they only had $5,000 in savings? That is when the light bulb went off because Dan knew exactly what they needed to do and how to integrate strategies and techniques every family could use – and his company College and Beyond was born.

Since 2006, Dan has helped hundreds of students and parents across the United States and Internationally as well navigate their way through every aspect of the college process. In his spare time, Dan co-authored a book: College Entrance Game Plan: Your Comprehensive Guide To Collecting, Organizing, and Funding College.

In 2022, Dan joined the College Aid Pro team to help promote what he believes is the best college funding software on the market. College Aid Pro combines award-mining technology with real time guidance from industry experts to show every student and family how to maximize financial aid, pick the right affordable colleges, and help students graduate with as little debt as possible.

Dan is happily married with 2 grown kids, loves model railroading, is active in his church, and is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), and the Kentucky Association for College Admission Counseling (KYACAC).

Jennifer is a college advisor who specializes in the financial aspects of college admissions and helps families through the challenges financial planning. She takes a holistic approach to find solutions and develops individualized plans for each family as they navigate the college planning process, and oftentimes putting college students on financial plan with budgets and sustainable and targeted short- and long-term goals. She is very passionate about financial literacy and helping families navigate the various financial options and strategies to pay for college.

Prior to her work as a College Advisor, Jennifer invested heavily in her community, starting a City Newsletter, elected to city council and on to three terms as mayor of one of America’s fastest growing cities. While City Councilwomen and Mayor, she also served on the chamber board, a multi-community board that supported surrounding communities’ commerce and educational growth, educational foundation, and wrote a grant securing funding to initiate city wide programs. As well, she spent several years lobbying at the local, state, and federal levels advocating greater protection and assisting in drafting legislation to protect her community from negative business practices that preyed on residents.

In addition to her community service, Jennifer founded and ran her marketing firm, developed a community newsletter, and homeschooled her children for a period of time due to medical needs. Jennifer also founded a 501C3 and grew a local festival into city event. Her passion for school and education grew from her desire to find better paths for each of her children and their individual needs, including navigating a medical diagnosis for one child and successfully advocating for their rights under the law.

Jennifer’s unique perspective and experience allows her to oversee strategies for academic success and coordinate the families’ financial needs and desires with the student services piece to help find the best fit college for the student and the family’s financial path. She is also interested in issues of disability, diversity, and mental health and recognizes the academic accomplishments of students with learning differences.

For Jennifer, the most rewarding part of her role is participating in parents’ extreme sense of accomplishment as a result of a mutually prepared roadmap to greater financial stability, allowing their kids to participate in an appropriate college experience, one of life’s biggest expenses. Jennifer has a Daughter heading into her Master’s Degree Program & twin high school aged boys and outside of the office, loves spending time with her husband and kids, visiting National Parks and Museums and both random and long adventurous road trips.

John began his career in finance as a currency trader after graduating from BucknellUniversity. After over 25 years at various Wall Street firms he co-founded wHealth Advisors, an independent financial planning firm in RedBank, NJ.

While putting three daughters through college, John learned the nuances of the financial aid process. Realizing how dizzying this experience was even for someone with a finance background, John wondered how other parents were navigating this process. After taking on numerous pro-bono college funding projects for family and friends, John started seeing a common theme: small missteps were costing families thousands of dollars. Today, and in collaboration with the team of experts at College Aid Pro, John helps families optimize the school selection and funding process.

He has four beautiful daughters who keep him and his wife very busy. In John’s spare time, he enjoys following his New York sports teams, getting together with his Bucknell fraternity brothers, and attempting to master the art of grilling.

Rynda is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™professional and Financial Coach helping families of high school students plan for college. Since earning an MBA from UT Chattanooga in 1999, she has worked in finance as an analyst, a planner and a coach. Having worked with so many families struggling under the weight of student debt, she decided to specialize in the area of college planning to help similar families avoid that fate. She is also the mother of two teenage boys going through her own college planning experiences who enjoys traveling with her husband, reading and Sunday morning bike rides.

Chuck Bates is a financial advisor and certified college financial consultant (CCFC) dedicated to helping families make sound financial decisions. Chuck has over 25 years of experience in the finance industry, including 16 years working at Bridgeway Capital Management, a multi-billion-dollar asset management company.

As a financial advisor, Chuck is passionate about helping families balance the high cost of college education with their long-term financial goals, such as saving for retirement. He understands that college can be one of the most significant expenses a family faces after taxes and their home, and his goal is to help families navigate this complex financial landscape. His expertise as a certified college financial consultant (CCFC) allows him to provide invaluable guidance on paying for college while also ensuring families are planning for their future financial security.

Matt has been working with college bound families for over a decade and has guided thousands of families through the college funding process successfully. Matt got his start back in 2012 with College Funding Services, a consulting firm with offices in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Since then, he has worked with all types of families throughout the country and is known as one of the most knowledgeable subject matter experts when it comes to college funding. Matt has worked with College Aid Pro for the past 3 years. In addition to working with college bound families directly, he also speaks at hundreds of high schools each year providing free financial aid webinars. A graduate of Rutgers University, Matt is One of four children and watched as his parents, both public school teachers, struggled to send four kids to college. Matt realized that his parents would have benefited greatly from the expertise of a professional. Helping families decrease their financial burdens while greatly reducing the stress and anxiety of the college process became Matt’s passion. Matt currently lives in Jersey City, NJ and is an avid NY Mets fan.

Josh took his first job in higher education shortly after finishing his undergraduate degree from Boston College. Now a 20-year veteran in the industry, he has worked in a number of different roles helping students and parents understand their options when it comes to financing a college education. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Josh earned both his B.A. and M.B.A. from Boston College, as well as a second Master’s degree from UMass-Boston.

A certified Project Manager, he is currently working as the Director of Student Funding at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where his focus is on graduate students, after many years of working directly with undergraduate students and their families. Josh currently resides in Natick, MA with his wife, three sons, and two dogs. He enjoys watching and coaching basketball, and spending time with his family.

Mike Hunsberger, CFP®, CCFC, is a financial advisor and Certified College Funding
Consultant. Mike became a financial advisor after retiring from the Air Force after serving for
25 years. He is passionate about helping families balance finding the right college and
being able to pay for it without catastrophic impacts to the parents’ or student’s financial
future.

Mike decided to focus on college funding to help develop a strategy for sending his
daughter to college in 2024. He embarked on becoming a certified college funding
consultant to ensure he understands all the details that go into a successful college funding
plan. Mike is also well versed in helping military and veterans make the best use of the GI
Bill benefits assessing Yellow Ribbon and Basic Allowance for Housing considerations.
Mike retired to the St Louis area, but is still a die-hard Philly sports fan.