613. IEC PROFILE: Alison Merzel

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant? MEET OUR GUEST Meet Alison Merzel. Alison Merzel is the founder of AHM Advising LLC, an independent educational consulting practice focused on helping high school students and families find their best-fit post-secondary educational options. Prior to launching her business in 2019, Alison was at The Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business for 15 years, most recently as the Senior Director of Graduate Recruiting and Admissions.  Alison holds a BS from Northwestern University in Communications and Spanish and a Master of Labor and Human Resources from The Ohio State University. She has a certificate in Independent Educational Consulting from the UC Irvine Division of Continuing Education. She is a Wow Writing Workshop Certified College Essay Coach and completed the Gap Year Association's 2022 Counselor Institute. Alison is awaiting the results of her CEP assessment (Certified Educational Planner) and upon approval, will become just the 6th education professional in the state of Ohio to hold this designation.  Alison is a professional member of IECA, the Independent Educational Consultants Association, where she serves as co-chair of the Jewish IEC Affinity Group and as a member of the College Tour subcommittee.  She is also a member of NACAC, OACAC, and OASFAA and serves as an Advisory Board Member for College Planner Pro, software that is designed exclusively for IECs.  Locally, Alison is a member of the Bexley Chamber of Commerce and sits on the Board of Trustees of Congregation Tifereth Israel where she serves as the Co-Chair of the synagogue's Personnel Committee.  Alison and her husband, Jeff, have lived in Bexley for 17 years and have three children (17, 15, and 10) The Merzel family is not complete without mention of Marvin, an Australian Labradoodle, and Toby, a Cavapoo.   Find Alison at www.ahmadvising.com. ABOUT THIS PODCAST Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our past episodes on the show page and keep up with our future ones by subscribing to our email newsletter. ABOUT YOUR HOSTS Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros and LEAP. If you're interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.