Nina W. Marks Barbara Hancock Brooke R. Fernandez Nitin Sawhney Daniel L. Bloss Jill E. Salisbury

Nina W. Marks 

Having been an independent school teacher and administrator for 30 years, Nina W. Marks left the National Cathedral School in June 2004 to found Marks Counseling Associates, LLC. In October 2005, she founded Collegiate Directions Inc., a non-profit organization. After spending many years as an English teacher, Mrs. Marks became NCS's Director of College Guidance in 1992. She wrote the National Cathedral School College Handbook, which was copyrighted and sold. During her tenure, she created and directed a nationally recognized college guidance program. In 2002, she assumed additional responsibilities as Assistant Head.

Mrs. Marks was educated in India, the United Kingdom, and at Harvard, where she graduated magna cum laude in English.

According to a December 2000 Washingtonian article on area college guidance programs, "Beating the Odds":

• When it comes to the most selective colleges, admission is something of a crapshoot.
• Nina Marks, director of college guidance at National Cathedral School [says], "Nobody understands why very bright kids don't have the choices that were much more clearly available a generation ago."
• Marks helps her relatively small class of seniors refine college lists, critiques their application essays, and generally advises them.

Mrs. Marks was quoted in another Washingtonian article in "Getting the Inside Edge" in November 2003:

• "About 80% of NCS graduates are accepted to their first- or second-choice school. At least a quarter enroll at Ivy League schools. Parents and students say that Marks, a Harvard alum who has directed NCS’s college-counseling office for more than a decade, deserves a lot of credit for this success. She is so plugged in to admissions offices that college reps even call her at home to talk about applicants." The parent of a senior says that "the girls 'are taught to do not an A job but an A-plus job on college applications. Marks is emphatic about perfection.'"
• "At NCS, parents are convinced that Marks is a counselor colleges listen to. She calls every school that each of her students has applied to, although she says she won’t oversell her kids."
• "According to a parent of another senior, Mrs. Marks 'is in a class by herself. I don't think there's anyone in the DC area -or probably the country -who does as good a job as she does.'"

Mrs. Marks is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and for several years served as co-director of NACAC’s program on Counseling for Selective College Admission (formerly known as the Advanced School Counseling Institute), an annual workshop to facilitate communication between experienced high school counselors and college deans and directors of admission. She currently directs NACAC's "Ask the Deans and Directors" workshop. She is also a member of the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling.

Mrs. Marks has spoken on issues relating to U.S. and international college admissions at national conferences, including NACAC, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and the National Association of Independent Schools. Mrs. Marks also has participated in regional and local events sponsored by such organizations as the Association of Independent Maryland Schools, the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington, and the Parents Council of Washington.

In addition, she has participated in Brown University’s Alumni College Advising Program. Before becoming NCS’s Director of College Guidance, Mrs. Marks served for 10 years as a member of Harvard University’s Schools and Scholarships Committee.

Barbara Hancock

Barbara Hancock taught tenth and twelfth grade English and served as an academic advisor at The Madeira School from September 2006 to May 2008. She joined Marks Counseling Associates, LLC (MCA) in June 2008. In addition to working with MCA clients, Mrs. Hancock assists in providing similar counseling services to the Scholars in the Collegiate Directions, Inc. program.

At Madeira, Mrs. Hancock carried out many duties in addition to her classroom teaching. She developed curricula for two elective courses and for English Supplemental, a skill-building course for non-native speakers of English. In addition, she worked closely with students and advisees in one-on-one conferences. In these conferences, Mrs. Hancock provided advice and support on topics such as reading comprehension and retention, grammar, essay writing and revision (including revision of college essays), study skills, curriculum planning, and internship applications. Mrs. Hancock also co-taught a World Religions course in the Co-Curriculum program, served on the Curriculum and Learning Committee and the 403(b) Committee, assisted with admissions revisit days, and coached the JV Tennis Team.

Prior to working at Madeira, Mrs. Hancock was a graduate student at Georgetown University, where she received her M.A. in English and American Literature and earned the highest possible distinction on her oral exam. Her thesis was entitled "Mothers out of Bounds: Representations of Maternal Deviance in the Fiction of Ellen Price Wood." While at Georgetown, Mrs. Hancock served as a graduate student mentor in the English Department, an Adjunct Instructor of English-001, a Writing Center Graduate Tutor, and the Coordinator of the University Writing Center. In the Writing Center, Mrs. Hancock conducted sessions with graduate students in various academic disciplines; many of her clients were English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students.

Before attending Georgetown, Mrs. Hancock worked as a Business Affairs Associate for The Hotline, a publication of Atlantic Media Company, and as a Legal Assistant at Hogan & Hartson LLP.

She is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling, and a graduate of The Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions.

Mrs. Hancock attended a Fairfax County Public School (Chesterbrook Elementary) before entering National Cathedral School (NCS) in the seventh grade. After graduating cum laude from NCS in 1997, Mrs. Hancock attended the University of Virginia, spending a semester of her junior year abroad, studying at Oxford University (St. Catherine's College). In 2001, she received her B.A. with distinction in English and earned a minor in Economics. While in college, she wrote for The Cavalier Daily, co-founded UVa's chapter of Alpha Phi Fraternity, and tutored local elementary school students through Madison House student volunteer center.

Brooke R. Fernandez

Brooke Fernandez worked as Assistant Director of Admissions and Coordinator of the Alumni Admissions Support Program at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She joined Marks Counseling Associates, LLC (MCA) in March 2006. In addition to working with MCA clients, Mrs. Fernandez assists in providing similar counseling services to the Scholars in the Collegiate Directions, Inc. program.

As Assistant Director of Admissions at Trinity College, Mrs. Fernandez was responsible for a variety of tasks. She interviewed and reviewed applicants to the college, presented group information sessions to both prospective students and their parents, recruited students from high schools around the country, and participated in writing personalized letters to every admitted student. She also trained student workers to conduct interviews and group information sessions. In association with other admissions officers, Mrs. Fernandez moderated and participated in numerous panel discussions on admissions-related topics.

As Coordinator of Trinity College’s Alumni Admissions Support Program, Mrs. Fernandez assigned college fairs and interviews to alumni volunteers around the world. She also assisted in planning numerous on-campus events, including VIP Days and the programs for Preview and Alumni Weekends. She ran Mock Admissions Programs for over 200 alumni parents and their children. These mock sessions were designed to illustrate the complexity of the college admissions process.

Mrs. Fernandez is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling, and a graduate of The Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions.

Mrs. Fernandez attended a Montgomery County Public School (Westbrook Elementary) before entering National Cathedral School (NCS) in the seventh grade. After graduation from NCS in 1997, Mrs. Fernandez attended Trinity College, spending a semester of her junior year abroad, studying in Rome, Italy. She received her degree in Political Science in 2001.

Nitin Sawhney

Nitin Sawhney has almost ten years of experience as a standardized test instructor, most recently as a senior tutor and materials developer for the SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT at PrepMatters, Inc. Previously, he worked at Kaplan, Inc., and the USDA Graduate School. Mr. Sawhney joined Marks Counseling Associates, LLC in 2006. He offers pro bono test preparation to Scholars in the Collegiate Directions, Inc. program.

Mr. Sawhney has taught Composition and Creative Writing at the University of Maryland, and Math at the Sandy Springs Friends School. His college teaching experience includes Introductory College Composition, and Beginning and Advanced Creative Writing. At the middle and high school level, he has taught Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, and Advanced Topics. In addition, he has tutored Math through AP Calculus, AP Economics and AP English Language and Literature.

As a former high school and college teacher, Mr. Sawhney not only understands different learning needs and styles, but he also appreciates the anxiety which standardized testing can create, even for gifted students. His test preparation approach is based upon a three-part system: Customized Test Planning, Targeted Skill Building, and Test Strategy.

Mr. Sawhney graduated from Wesleyan University (CT) with a double major in English and Economics. He also holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Maryland.

Daniel L. Bloss

Daniel Bloss has considerable tutoring experience at both the high-school and college level, most recently as a private tutor specializing in high school academic tutoring. Mr. Bloss joined Marks Counseling Associates, LLC in December 2006 as a member of the tutoring and test-preparation services team. He also offers pro bono test preparation and tutoring to scholars in the Collegiate Directions, Inc. program.

Mr. Bloss attended Montgomery County Public Schools where he was recognized as a National Merit Semi-Finalist. He then attended James Madison University on a Presidential Scholarship. While earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry, he performed undergraduate research in Analytical Chemistry. In addition to standardized test preparation (PSAT, SAT and ACT with Writing), Mr. Bloss tutors the following high school subjects through the AP levels: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Math, and US History. He also prepares students for Subject Tests in all these subjects, including Math 1 and Math 2.

As a seasoned test-taker and tutor, Mr. Bloss is very familiar with the challenges and learning approaches associated with standardized tests. He follows the same three-part test preparation method as Mr. Sawhney, based on: Customized Test Planning, Targeted Skill Building , and Test Strategy.

Jill E. Salisbury

Jill Salisbury well understands the pressures which current high school students experience.  After being named Valedictorian at her very competitive, private high school, Miss Salisbury attended the University of California at Los Angeles, graduating cum laude and as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. 

Miss Salisbury, who joined Marks Counseling Associates, LLC in March 2008, has considerable experience with students from the pre-kindergarten through the high-school level, most recently as a Tutor and the Director of Sales at Score! Educational Centers (a division of Kaplan).  She also offers pro bono test preparation and tutoring to Scholars in the Collegiate Directions, Inc. program.

Miss Salisbury attended Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California where, in addition to graduating first in her class, she was named a National Merit Finalist. At the University of California, Los Angeles, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in Psychology and a minor in English. Her academic distinctions include a Robert C. Byrd Scholarship and membership in the Alpha Lambda Delta and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies.

As a knowledgeable tutor and test-taker, Miss Salisbury appreciates the academic and emotional challenges and the learning approaches associated with test taking. She therefore follows the same three-part test preparation method as both Mr. Sawhney and Mr. Bloss, based on: Customized Test Planning, Targeted Skill Building, and Test Strategy. In addition to standardized test preparation (PSAT, SAT, and ACT with Writing), Miss Salisbury tutors the following high school subjects through the AP levels: Literature, Psychology, Statistics, US History, World History, and French. She also prepares students for Subject Tests in all these subjects.