Board of Trustees
Phil Cocchiola
Board Chair
Phil is Head of School at The Oxford Academy in Westbrook Connecticut; he has worked for 25 years at the Academy, serving in a variety of roles including teaching, coaching, residential life, admissions, development, and administration. He previously served as a trustee for the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), former conference planning committee member for The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), frequent speaker and presenter at various educational conferences.
Phil is currently serving as a trustee for the Westbrook Economic Development Board, the Westbrook Park and Rec Board, the Westbrook Assets Advisory Board, and Co-Chair of the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce, Westbrook Division. He holds a BA in History from the University of Connecticut and an MS in Education from the University of New Haven.
Ann Rossbach
Treasurer
Ann has worked in education for most of her professional career, teaching at the community college level while opening her educational consulting practice over 17 years ago, joining IECA in 2008; she is also a Certified Educational Planner. In addition to her MA in Teaching from Monmouth University and BA in Political Science and Economics from Fordham University, Ann has completed coursework relevant to her consulting at the UCLA and UC Irvine Extensions and is currently an instructor through UC Irvine. She has served in several board positions within IECA, including as President and continues to present at conferences and volunteer within the Association.
Ann has always volunteered extensively in her community, including being elected for five consecutive terms to two boards of education, serving as president for 12 years. She has also devoted her time as a trustee at Shore House (an organization for those living with mental illness), the Oceanic Free Public Library, the Boys and Girls Club of Red Bank and the Possibility Project in NYC. Ann lives in NJ with her husband, Doug, and has three adult children. She enjoys travel, gardening, tennis, and is trying hard to play the cello. Most importantly, Ann believes strongly in access for all children and young adults to education and opportunities that lead to successful and rewarding lives.
Jason Warnick
Secretary
Jason is the Head of School at Wayland Academy in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Initially a teacher, coach, dorm parent, and dean, he is the beneficiary of over 20 wonderful years working at independent schools. Jason earned a B.A. from Wheaton College in Massachusetts and an M.A. in Communications with a concentration on New Media and Marketing from the University of Southern New Hampshire. Prior to Wayland, Jason served schools in Maine, Connecticut and New York.
He enjoys reading, cycling and fly fishing. Most of all, Jason enjoys time with his wife Colleen and their sons, Rowen, Max, Emmet and Mitchell.
Jason Warnick
Sean Atkins
Sean Atkins is the director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Suffield Academy in Connecticut. Sean joined the admissions office at Suffield Academy in 2010. He was appointed Senior Associate Director of Admissions in 2013, Director of Admissions in 2016, and Director of Admissions & Financial Aid in 2017. Prior to arriving at Suffield, Sean spent seven years at The Boys’ Club of New York [BCNY] as Associate Director of Educational Advancement.
During his time at BCNY, Sean helped place over 300 young men in various independent schools. He also served as Head of School for BCNY’s Gardiner School summer program. He is a graduate of Darlington School and Bates College. Sean lives on campus with his wife, Yasmin, sons, Sean Jr. and Gavin, and daughter, Juliet.
Antoinette Battiste
Antoinette Battiste is the founder and President of Educational Pathways with Antoinette Battiste, a consulting practice that provides college planning and counseling services to high school students and their parents. With an unwavering passion for equity and access in education, especially for low-income, first-generation and students of color, she also provides workshops and pro bono services in the community.
Operating as a solo entrepreneur, Antoinette has provided individualized college counseling services to nearly 150 students and families. Additionally, she has reached nearly 1,000 students via educational workshops in support of community-based organizations. Prior to launching her practice, Ms. Battiste held senior level program management positions with various technology companies in Silicon Valley for 20+ years.
She received an AB in Psychology and African-American Studies from Stanford University and an MBA in Information Systems from Golden Gate University. She also received a Specialized Certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego Extension.
Antoinette is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Rho Delta Omega Chapter, where she has served in several leadership roles, most notably co-chair of the chapter’s Black College Awareness Fair for 7 years. As the grant writer for the chapter’s Ivy and Pearls Foundation, she has secured in excess of $80,000 to support community-focused programming. Ms. Battiste is a Founding Member of the YWCA of the Mid-Peninsula Donor Advised Fund Board, established in 2004. The Fund has leveraged the interest derived from its investments to distribute $3 million via a competitive grant process to 55 organizations whose programs align with the Fund’s mission of eliminating racism and empowering women and girls. She was elected to serve as the Fund’s Chairperson beginning January 2023.
Additionally, Antoinette serves as Board Secretary for the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators (SCCABE).
Randy Bertin
For the past two decades, Dr. Randy Bertin has been a leader in independent boarding schools. Before joining Cushing Academy as the 13th Head of School on July 1, 2018, he spent twelve years at Besant Hill School of Happy Valley in Ojai, California, serving seven of those years as Head of School, where he was also awarded the honor of Head of School Emeritus.
During his tenure as Besant Hill Head of School, Randy was recognized for his leadership and is one of only two independent school heads to receive the CASE District VII CEO Leadership Award. Before becoming Head of School, Randy served in multiple leadership positions, including Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Director of Advancement, and Assistant Head for Advancement. He also served as the school’s Varsity Boys Basketball Coach, earning California Southern Section Division V Coach of the Year in 2010. Randy previously spent seven years at Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Randy is an expert in school leadership, international fundraising, and boarding school admissions, and he has presented several times on these topics. Other topics that he has presented and written about have included the Head of School’s Role in the Admissions Process, Financial Health Indicators for Heads of Schools, Integration and Immersion of International Students at Boarding Schools in the United States, and Perceptions of Independent School Leaders in California: Global Issues, and Leading an Independent School through Covid-19. Randy was elected to the Cushing Academy Board of Trustees in 2019 and also serves on the Boards of the IECA Foundation and the International Center for Global Leadership.
Nichol Ernst
Nichol is the Clinical Director, CEO and co-owner of Summit Achievement, a hybrid wilderness therapy and residential treatment program in Maine. He has worked in the field of wilderness therapy and residential treatment since 2003. He received his Bachelor’s degree in U.S. History from Brown University and his Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of New England.
Elizabeth Hall
Elizabeth is Principal Consultant and founder of Hall Educational Resources, LLC. For more than thirty years, Elizabeth has been active in the independent school world, beginning as a proud alum and former class gift chair for Northfield Mount Hermon School. Most recently she served on Northfield Mount Hermon’s Board of Trustees, with service on their Enrollment, Advancement and Head of School Search Committees.
Elizabeth is a Professional Member of IECA and past Chair of IECA’s Schools Committee. She holds membership in the International Dyslexia Association, Small Boarding School Association, Council for Learning Disabilities, Enrollment Management Association, National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs and the Therapeutic Consulting Association. Elizabeth earned an Ed.M. from Boston University, a B.A. from Gettysburg College and is a graduate of Northfield Mount Hermon School. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Wellesley Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) and as an advancement and admissions volunteer at Carroll School.
Elizabeth is passionate about leveling the playing field for all students, providing them with the support they need to succeed. It is this motivation that inspires her to give back to underserved student populations, dyslexic awareness efforts and global mental health causes.
Lucy Pritzker
Lucy is an Educational Consultant and founder of Elm Street Placements, Inc. Her experience advising parents on academic and therapeutic placements for their children brings unparalleled expertise to her book "Crisis Interrupted: A Parents' Guide to Residential Placement for Children, Teens and Young Adults." Lucy travels extensively to visit and evaluate schools and treatment programs in the USA and beyond. She has a Master's degree in addiction counseling and over 25 years of experience working in educational and therapeutic settings. Lucy is a member of the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA). She is also on the Board of Trustees at Hampshire Country School.
In her free time, Lucy can be found creating art in her stained-glass studio, working in her garden, enjoying her donkeys and horses on her miniature horse farm and spending time with her husband and three children on their sailboat.
Lauren Seltzer
Lauren is the owner of Educational Resources Unlimited, specializing in integrative educational and therapeutic consultation for children, teens, and young adults. With 14 years of clinical expertise in educational, private practice, and residential therapeutic settings, Lauren has an established reputation for helping families and young people reach their potential.
She brings to her practice a passion for integrative health and wellness, incorporating self-care, mindfulness-based skills, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as well as a robust background in the family systems approach. A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Lauren holds a master’s degree in counseling from San Francisco State University and a bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Vermont. She worked at a therapeutic boarding school as an Admissions Director, Assistant Clinical Director and therapist for 13 years.
Currently, Lauren has a private practice working with individuals and families. She holds a certificate in Holistic Health Counseling. Lauren also has experience teaching in both traditional and special education schools. She serves as the consulting psychotherapist at the Quinnipiac Law School. Lauren chaired the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) Northeast conference for several years and served on various committees for the Association. A consultant member of IECA, Lauren has presented at the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Small Boarding Schools Association (SBSA), and NATSAP. Outside of work Lauren is a mother of a young child and appreciates the effort that goes into parenting and living a balanced life.
Rosemary Tippett
Rosemary Tippett, M.A., has devoted her talents to adolescent treatment for over 30 years, in both the private and public sectors. Rosemary began her career while still in undergraduate school, working with a local department of juvenile justice, where she found her passion for assisting adolescents struggling with behavioral issues and academic weaknesses.
Rosemary’s passion for working with troubled youth has continued in a variety of professional positions, working directly with adolescent and parents groups, providing individual and family counseling, and conducting staff training and development.
Rosemary served as Program Director at an adolescent treatment facility for 10 years before moving to Atlanta in 1991. Rosemary spent the next 15 years working for a private adolescent treatment company specializing in addressing the needs of adolescents with behavioral, academic and related issues. It was at that time that Rosemary became a founding board member of The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP). She remained on the board member as a volunteer for 8 years before joining the NATSAP staff as Director of Member Services. Following her years at NATSAP, Rosemary served the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) as its Outreach Coordinator. She then spent several years as Ex-Officio board member for NATSAP. Rosemary was later appointed to the Board of Directors for IECA and holds a current seat.
Rosemary has been consulting in private practice as an Educational Consultant working directly with families to help make specific recommendations for placement that will provide the opportunities necessary for adolescents and young adults to succeed.
Rosemary feels her time working directly with adolescent programs and schools, combined with her experience at both NATSAP and IECA, gives her a unique ability to assist families in making decisions regarding the needs of adolescents and young adults.
Rosemary is a professional member of IECA and continues to attend workshops and professional conferences in order to maintain current knowledge of schools and programs. Rosemary visits schools and programs throughout the United States and abroad on a regular basis.
Kelly Webster
Kelly has worked in education for over 20 years in a variety of traditional and therapeutic settings. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary and Special Education from Juniata College and went on to pursue master’s coursework in Special Education at Southern Connecticut State University. She was a dorm counselor and teacher before entering into administrative work as the Associate Executive Director of a therapeutic boarding school. She is presently the Director of Admissions at True North Evolution in Waitsfield, Vermont.
Kelly is a natural connector and uses her warmth and compassion to guide students and families on a path of hope. She connects with other professionals by serving as an elected board member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP) and presenting on topics including nutrition, milieu treatment and parenting strategies at national conferences and at boarding and day schools. She and her husband have two school-age daughters and Kelly does her best to keep up with them as a swimming official, Girl Scout leader, PTO member and soccer coach.
Ex Officio
Mark Sklarow
Chief Executive Officer, Independent Educational Consultants Association
Virginia
Ibrahim Firat
President, Independent Educational Consultants Association
Texas
Emeritus Members
Robin Abedon
Educational Consultant
Florida
Steven Antonoff
Educational Consultant
Colorado
Judith Berg
Educational Consultant
New Jersey
Brooke Dudley
Educational Consultant
Texas
Paula Feldman
Educational Consultant
California
Lynn Hamilton
Educational Consultant
California
Krissy Naspo
Educational Consultant
Connecticut
Luisa Rabe
Educational Consultant
Pennsylvania
Michael Spence
Educational Consultant
Florida
Foundation Staff
Sarah Swan
Executive Director
New Jersey