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Founder

Phyllis Steinbrecher 

Partners

Diederik van Renesse

Meghan Lahey

Consultants

Richard Avitabile

Nick Everdell

Stephanie Kushner

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Diederik van Renesse

Diederik’s twenty-four years as a teacher, admission director and private school college counselor have continued to serve him and his clients well as a Senior Partner at Steinbrecher & Partners. In addition to advising national and international families on relocation, day, boarding school and college placements, he has extensive experience working with youngsters who require special needs and alternative schools, or interventions and therapeutic settings. This intensive, time-sensitive work has earned him the respect of hundreds of therapists, school counselors, clients, programs and schools.

 

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Meghan Lahey

Meghan Lahey joined Steinbrecher & Partners after nine years at Mamaroneck High School where she worked successfully with students and their families as a school counselor. 

During her tenure at Mamaroneck, Meghan designed a multi-session program and handbook for college-bound students and their parents. She also gave numerous presentations on navigating high school successfully, college readiness and finding the right fit. In addition, Meghan ran two comprehensive school leadership programs – Caprice Advisors and Peer Leaders – helping scores of students develop their talents and abilities. 

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Richard Avitabile

Richard Avitabile brings 30 years of college admission experience and over a decade of college counseling to his work with college-bound students and their families. He directed college admissions offices in the New York metropolitan area and served as Assistant Vice President for Enrollment at New York University from 1991 to 2002, helping NYU strengthen both its national reputation and the academic quality of its students. Since 2002 he has guided hundreds of students through the college process at Steinbrecher & Partners, a leading educational consulting practice in Connecticut and New York...

 

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Nicholas Everdell

Nicholas Everdell comes to Steinbrecher & Partners from Yale Law School, where he served as Director of Recruitment in their admissions office. Prior to that, he was Associate Director of Admissions at Columbia Law School.

 

Deeply knowledgeable about the graduate school admissions process,

Nick works with Steinbrecher clients to select an appropriate list of schools and craft the best possible applications. He also advises on appropriate undergraduate courses of study, and helps students lay out a plan during their undergrad years which will be most attractive to potential graduate schools... 

 

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Stephanie Kushner

Stephanie joined Steinbrecher & Partners in June of 2019, merging her individual consulting practice, SPK College Advising, with ours. 

She brings an extensive knowledge of the college admissions process, and a commitment to helping students find a school where they will have a successful four-year journey. She can also decipher the code of teenagers and understands the demands on their time, finding ways to make this process easier for them, not harder.


Stephanie is a 21-year resident of New Canaan, CT. She has been actively involved as a volunteer in community organizations...

 

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Phyllis Steinbrecher

Phyllis Steinbrecher, the founder of Steinbrecher & Partners, was an educational consultant for individuals and public and private school systems for over thirty five years. In 1977 she founded our practice and guided our work until her retirement. She was committed to helping every client find the right education option.

 

Phillis was the author of Getting Into the College of Your Choice and co-authored, with Edward B. Fiske, Get Organized! She also co-authored You CAN Say No to Your Teenager - and Other Strategies for Effective Parenting. Before retirement, Phyllis spoke frequently to parent groups and professionals about the college admissions process and trained college counselors both in the United States and overseas.

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Diederik van Renesse

Diederik’s twenty-four years as a teacher, admission director and private school college counselor have continued to serve him and his clients well as a Senior Partner at Steinbrecher & Partners. In addition to advising national and international families on relocation, day, boarding school and college placements, he has extensive experience working with youngsters who require special needs and alternative schools, or interventions and therapeutic settings. This intensive, time-sensitive work has earned him the respect of hundreds of therapists, school counselors, clients, programs and schools.

 

READ MORE

Richard Avitabile

Richard Avitabile brings 30 years of college admission experience and over a decade of college counseling to his work with college-bound students and their families. He directed college admissions offices in the New York metropolitan area and served as Assistant Vice President for Enrollment at New York University from 1991 to 2002, helping NYU strengthen both its national reputation and the academic quality of its students. Since 2002 he has guided hundreds of students through the college process at Steinbrecher & Partners, a leading educational consulting practice in Connecticut and New York...

 

READ MORE 

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Meghan Lahey

Meghan Lahey joined Steinbrecher & Partners after nine years at Mamaroneck High School where she worked successfully with students and their families as a school counselor. 

During her tenure at Mamaroneck, Meghan designed a multi-session program and handbook for college-bound students and their parents. She also gave numerous presentations on navigating high school successfully, college readiness and finding the right fit. In addition, Meghan ran two comprehensive school leadership programs – Caprice Advisors and Peer Leaders – helping scores of students develop their talents and abilities. 

READ MORE

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Nicholas Everdell

Nicholas Everdell comes to Steinbrecher & Partners from Yale Law School, where he served as Director of Recruitment in their admissions office. Prior to that, he was Associate Director of Admissions at Columbia Law School.

 

Deeply knowledgeable about the graduate school admissions process,

Nick works with Steinbrecher clients to select an appropriate list of schools and craft the best possible applications. He also advises on appropriate undergraduate courses of study, and helps students lay out a plan during their undergrad years which will be most attractive to potential graduate schools... 

 

READ MORE

Stephanie Kushner

Stephanie joined Steinbrecher & Partners in June of 2019, merging her individual consulting practice, SPK College Advising, with ours. 

She brings an extensive knowledge of the college admissions process, and a commitment to helping students find a school where they will have a successful four-year journey. She can also decipher the code of teenagers and understands the demands on their time, finding ways to make this process easier for them, not harder.


Stephanie is a 21-year resident of New Canaan, CT. She has been actively involved as a volunteer in community organizations...

 

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Kate Marks

College Advisor

katemarks@steinbrecherconsulting.com

For over the last 20 years, Kate’s comprehensive approach to the student and the college selection process has helped her students find the right fit.   She connects with students and their families and works with them to reach their full potential.  Kate is a certified school counselor with an MS from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., holding a permanent Pupil Personnel Certificate and a Certificate in College Counseling from the University of California, Los Angeles.  Kate received her undergraduate degree from American University in Washington, D.C., where she was an NCAA Division One Women’s Lacrosse team member.

Best piece of advice:  "Have an open mind and apply broadly.  There is truly the right college for everyone, and the right one for you may be one that's not on your radar yet!"

Lauren Stannard

Independent/Boarding School Advisor

lstannard@steinbrecherconsulting.com

A graduate of the Morristown Beard School and Rollins College. Lauren spent several years working on Wall Street before transitioning to educational consulting. She regularly travels around the country visiting independent schools and forging relationships with admission counselors.  She is equally gifted at connecting with children; her friendly personality encourages  students to reach their potential. As an accredited SSAT and ISEE proctor, Lauren oversees all in-office secondary school testing.

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