Colleges
Connect with the International Network of Ethical Professional Independent Educational Consultants
Helping over 40,000 students and their families find and afford their right-fit college.
Membership Matters

As members of a volunteer-driven professional association, HECA IECs are committed to ethical practices and access to higher education for all types of students. As a group, they seek to continually develop their knowledge through professional development and college visits. They welcome open communication with college admissions offices and high school counselors.
All independent educational consultants are not equally committed to ethics, education, access, volunteering, and collaborative relationships with colleges and high school counselors. HECA members model all of the behaviors above. We are HECA proud and committed to the betterment of the college counseling industry.
Key Facts about HECA and HECA Members
The Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA) is the only professional association devoted exclusively to the independent college admissions consulting profession.

To be eligible for HECA membership, prospective members must hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher, demonstrate recent experience assisting students with college planning, and make a commitment to upholding HECA’s high professional standards.
HECA's Membership Consists of 1,000+ Educational Consultants
Assisting Families
Assisting more than 40,000 high school seniors with college planning each year.
Actively Seek Reliable Information on Colleges
Seventy-five percent of our members report that they’ve visited 10 or more college campuses in the past year; 32 percent have visited 20 or more campuses in the past year.
Advising Families
Advising families in every region of the United States as well as many other countries.
Highly Educated
Eighty-two percent of our members hold a Master’s degree or higher, and 52 percent have completed or are in the process of completing a post-bachelor’s certificate in college admissions counseling.
Experienced Professionals
Eighty-two percent of HECA members have been independent educational consultants for three years or longer; 55 percent have more than seven years of educational consulting experience.
Committed to Professional Standards and Ethical Behavior
As a requirement of membership, all HECA members must agree to abide by HECA’s Standards and Ethics for Educational Consultants.
HECA Membership Mailing List for Colleges
Contact List Availability
The Membership Contact List is available only to not-for-profit, regionally accredited colleges and universities. If you are not representing a college or university, please look into our Business Partners Program.
Mailing List Updates
The Membership Contact List is updated monthly and includes each current member name, company, city, state, zip code, country, website, and email address. The Membership Contact List is provided to colleges in spreadsheet format.
Community Coordinator Directory
Questions? Concerns? Looking to connect with HECA members in a specific area?
Use our directory to reach out to your local HECA Community Coordinator today.
| Location | Community Coordinator(s) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Chris Holzwarth |
| Alaska - Anchorage | Brian Swan |
| Arizona | Suzanne Spradling |
| Arkansas | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Asia | Colleen Reed |
| California (Central) - Sacramento | Kat Clowes |
| California (Northern) - 680 HECA (East Bay, CA along Interstate 680) | Susanna Ordway Melissa Masland |
| California (Northern) - Silicon Valley | Marge Cortes Margaret Rothe Jeffrey Yoon |
| California (Southern) - Long Beach/Orange County | Lisa Harrison |
| California (Southern) - San Diego | Susan Valenicia |
| California (Southern) - Ventura | Joan Stern |
| California (Southern) - Los Angeles | Lena Brooks |
| Canada (Ontario) - Toronto/Ottawa | Ron Reed |
| Canada (West Coast) - Alberta, Vancouver | Kate Van Pernis |
| Colorado | Laura Barr |
| Connecticut - Tri-State (CT, NJ, NY) | Reema Attyeh |
| Delaware | Kecia Muller |
| District of Columbia - DMV | Kecia Muller |
| Europe | Nevena Martinovic Demetra Tzevelekos |
| Florida - Mid-Florida | Kelly Riccardo Gerene Keesler |
| Florida - South Florida | Janice Caine |
| Georgia - GA/TN | Susan Byus Rose Opengart |
| Hawaii - O'ahu | Kristin Bartholomees |
| Idaho | Marge Cortes |
| Illinois - Illinois HECA Community (Chicago) | Patrick Zylka |
| Indiana - Great Lakes | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| International (Other) | Colleen Reed |
| Iowa | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Kansas | Suzanne Spradling |
| Kentucky | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Latin American | Marcia Farias |
| Louisana | Chris Holzwarth |
| Maine - Greater Boston | Sue Wachter |
| Maryland - DMV | Kecia Muller |
| Massachusetts - Greater Boston | Sue Wachter |
| Michigan - Great Lakes | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Minnesota - Great Lakes | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Mississippi | Chris Holzwarth |
| Missouri | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Montana | Marge Cortes |
| Nebraska | Marge Cortes |
| Nevada - Las Vegas | Hailee Demott |
| New Hampshire - Greater Boston | Sue Wachter |
| New Jersey - Tri-State (CT, NJ, NY) | Reema Attyeh |
| New Mexico | Suzanne Spradling |
| New York - Tri-State (CT, NJ, NY) | Reema Attyeh |
| New York - Long island | Kecia Muller |
| New York - Westchester | Neal Schwartz |
| North Carolina - Triangle/Eastern NC/Eastern SC | Kim Barber Malinda Schantz |
| North Carolina - Queen City (Charlotte/Western NC/Western SC) | Laura Owanesian Kathy Griswold-Fine |
| North Dakota | Marge Cortes |
| Ohio - Great Lakes | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Oklahoma | Suzanne Spradling |
| Oregon - Portland | Devon Simpson |
| Pennsylvania | Kecia Muller |
| Rhode Island | Linda Wegrzyn |
| South Carolina - Triangle/Eastern NC/Eastern SC | Kim Barber Malinda Schantz |
| South Carolina - Charlotte/Western NC/Western SC | Laura Owanesian Kathy Griswold-Fine |
| South Dakota | Marge Cortes |
| Tennessee - GA/TN | Susan Byus Rose Opengart |
| Texas - Austin/San Antonio | Lisa Ball |
| Texas - Dallas/Fort Worth | Reid Meyer Rachel Ripley |
| Texas - Houston | Kurt Goedeck |
| Utah | Suzanne Spradling |
| Vermont | Kecia Muller |
| Virgina - DMV | Kecia Muller |
| Virginia - Richmond | Lisa Fuller |
| Washington - PNW | Cathy McMeekan |
| West Virgina | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Wisconsin | Rod Bugarin Betsy Ellsworth |
| Wyoming | Marge Cortes |
Member-Only College Campus Tours
HECA members are committed to visiting a wide variety of college campuses each year.
In fact, 75 percent of our members report that they toured 10 or more campuses last year; 32 percent visited 20 or more college campuses in the last year.
Reach this important target market of educational consultants.
Sponsor a tour of your campus for HECA members or let us know about campus visit opportunities for independent consultants.
HECA’s annual Conference includes tours of nearby campuses.
Every year the conference is held in a different area of the country, and this is a great opportunity to get maximum exposure for your school.
Learn More about HECA Member Tours.
Let HECA members get a firsthand look at your college by sponsoring a HECA member campus tour.
To sponsor a HECA member tour of your campus, please contact us.
