About us

Meet The Team.

Rod Meeker

Rod Meeker is an Independent Education Consultant who will show you how to navigate through the rough waters of college planning so that you don’t graduate and spend the rest of your career paying off a large student debt. Rod is passionate about helping families maximize college funding and decrease their debt load. He is a member of the National College Advisory Group (NCAG) which is one of the top 3 national, professional groups for education consultants. Rod was asked to be on the Board of Directors of NCAG over a year ago and now serves as a mentor to other IECs within NCAG. He is also a member of two local scholarship committees.

Rod has previously worked as a Financial Consultant and has 20+ years of student-athlete experience. This ranges from helping student recruitment to understanding the rules, academic guidelines, processes and scholarship opportunities.

He is very active outdoors often competing in triathlons, road races, and coaching. Rod started a non-profit organization that helps raise money for various charities through those people who compete in running events and triathlons. He is also a big part of and contributor to Soles4Souls and the Lupus Foundation of America.

Dr. Christen Clemson

Dr. Clemson is our lead essay specialist. She was a 4-sport athlete in high school who won the state of Ohio discus championship two years in a row and set the state discus record twice. Dr. Clemson then went on to the Pennsylvania State University and competed for them during her undergraduate years. In that time, she earned two Big Ten runner-up medals in the discus, won the East Coast Regional Championship in the discus, and earned a bid to the NCAA Championships. At Penn State she completed her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in English and Communications; a master’s degree in Educational Administration and Leadership and then her doctorate. During her doctoral studies, Christen was the editor of the Journal of Research in Rural Education (JRRE) and wrote a book entitled, The Prison Path: School Practices that Hurt Our Youth based on her dissertation research. Dr. Clemson has presented in numerous countries, including Canada, the United States, and Australia. She currently teaches Advanced Placement Language and Composition, College Credit Plus Writing I, Honors English II, Honors English III, and English IV. Dr. Clemson is still very involved with sports coaching varsity volleyball and track and field. Christen is a township trustee as well and has used her writing skills to write articles for her local paper and win various grants as both a teacher and a trustee. Dr. Clemson says “I love working with students to create the best essays possible that show off the student and their growth.”

Madison Meeker

Madison is a Certified College Advisor (CCA) and a member of the National College Advisory Group (NCAG) which is one of the top 3 national, professional groups for education consultants. A Summa Cum Laude graduate of Youngstown State University with a 4.0 GPA, Madison is a talented and award-winning writer who is working on her first novel. Madison is one of our essay team experts and also works with our students as one of our career coaches. Madison was a standout athlete, 4-year letter winner in basketball, cross country and track & field. She was recruited to compete in college but chose to focus on her studies. Madison enjoys singing, song writing, running, staying fit and traveling.

Jillian Maynard

Jillian is an essay specialist with a bachelor’s degree in Professional & Technical Writing from Youngstown State University. She has currently moved to Boston and pursuing her Master’s degree at Brandeis University. She will continue to work with our students as an essay specialist, and Jillian believes, “It’s about making the school or organization invest in you and your story. My goal is to help students get their story onto the page.” Jillian previously served two terms with AmeriCorps VISTA. She was recognized nationally for her work on the Life Stories Project, which told the stories of Jewish older adults living in America’s Rust Belt. While growing up, Jillian played soccer for 12 years and was co-captain of her high school soccer team. She is an avid runner and hiker and continues to assist nonprofit organizations with grant writing, marketing, and fundraising.