Marty O'Connell, Executive Director, Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL)
Martha "Marty" O'Connell's college admissions career spans almost three decades including posts at large and small colleges, starting with Rutgers University and ending with McDaniel College in Westminster, MD. She served McDaniel, one of the 40 colleges in the book, Colleges That Changes Lives, for sixteen years, with a final post as Vice President for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions. In July 2006 inspired by author Loren Pope, she began her role as Executive Director of the nonprofit, charitable organization Colleges That Change Lives, Inc.
As a dynamic national speaker, Marty's efforts to calm the frenzy surrounding college admissions and to educate students and their parents about finding the right school for them-beyond the high stakes game of rankings and ratings-have earned her the respect and admiration of colleagues. As a first generation college student, she believes that college admission is not a competitive sport where only those admitted to big-name institutions are winners. Marty knows personally the advantages students enjoy when enrolled in colleges where individual attention is the norm not the exception.
To calm the anxieties of the parents she counsels, Marty uses both empathy and humor, drawn from her experience as a parent of three children who successfully navigated the college search process.
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