Leadership

Board of Directors

Gregg Cohen is a graduate of Union College and received his MBA from Babson College. In 2003, Gregg founded and has led Campus Bound, a company supporting students through the college admissions journey. The company has partnered with non-profit organizations to make support available to low-income families. As part of his role, he has personally assisted thousands of families through the complicated financial aid process. His passion for assisting families with navigating the various ways to reduce the cost of college has allowed for students to save tens of thousands of dollars, decrease debt and increase choice. Gregg has appeared in multiple media outlets and is a frequent presenter on the topic.

Deborah has twenty-five years of experience leading and advising private foundations, family offices, and non-profit organizations.  She has served as Executive director of the Fireman Foundation, and Deputy Director of One Family Inc, where she helped found and scale an innovative scholarship and leadership program for formerly-homeless women in Boston, MA. She has helped to launch two private philanthropies, and specializes in building effective and humane systems and policies from the ground up. Prior to moving to Boston, Deborah worked in the private sector focusing on employment, work force, and human resource issues, including seven years in Chicago at Crate and Barrel’s corporate headquarters.  Deborah holds a J.D. from the University of Kansas Law School and a B.A in Letters from the University of Oklahoma.

Wendy Kohler is a graduate of Vassar College and earned her EdD from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst.  For 32 years she worked in increasing positions of responsibility for the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District serving as an English and social studies teacher, Social Studies Department Chair for grades 7-12, Junior High School Principal, and finally as the Executive Director for Curriculum and Program Development for the regional school district.  For several years, Wendy taught education and psychology courses at The University of Massachusetts/Amherst as well as at Smith College and Westfield State University. Wendy’s commitment to promote equity and opportunity for all students spans both her professional and volunteer work, from the start of her career to the present time. These efforts include her role as Program Administrator for the Pipeline Scholars Program (a partnership between Amherst College and the local public schools providing tutoring and mentorship to close the “opportunity gap” and her work as President of Board of Directors of Amherst A Better Chance, where she also chaired th Student Affairs Committee.

Scott is a Principal within PwC’s Operations Transformation Consulting practice with over 24 years of healthcare industry experience in the biopharmaceutical and medical device/diagnostics sectors. Within PwC, Scott serves as the Operations Transformation Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Leader and supports the Product Development and Manufacturing (PD&M) Team recruiting efforts for industry hires, sMBA and undergraduate talent.

Prior to joining PwC, Scott worked for Genzyme Corporation, a Cambridge Massachusetts biotechnology company, focusing on manufacturing and operations optimization. Scott graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He also received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan, where he concentrated in operations and corporate strategy.

Matt Malatesta is Vice President for Admissions, Financial Aid and Enrollment at Union College in Schenectady, NY. He has been in that position for fourteen years. Prior to this, he worked at Hamilton College, both in admissions and as Director of Financial Aid. As a first-generation college student himself, Matt understands the importance of financial aid. Both colleges he has worked at are committed to meeting the full financial need of admitted students and work to help students from a range of socio-economic backgrounds attend. He is passionate about helping students realize the transformational aspect of a college education, while understanding the details and importance of investment in their futures. Prior to working in higher education, as the father of three, with two currently in college, he has seen the process close-up in recent years. Matt graduated Union in 1991 as a Managerial Economics and received his Masters in Teaching degree from there in 1992.

Lex Mongo is a Roxbury, MA native. Currently a teacher and Director of Basketball Operations at the Dexter Southfield school. He also self published the top selling children’s book, “Little Big Dreamers.” He cares passionately about the community so in 2019, in memory of his cousin, he established the For TJ Foundation which is a non-profit community based organization. In 2015, he founded iHoop Academy, a basketball skills and drills company to help student-athletes propel on and off the court.

Victoria Nessen is the Director of Marketing and Growth at CFAR Consulting and Coaching, a change management firm born out of the Wharton School. She is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College where she earned her BA in Sociology. Victoria brings over 25 years of specialized experience in driving organizational growth and developing strategic marketing solutions that deliver measurable results.

Prior to joining CFAR, Victoria founded NK&A, a marketing consulting firm where she served as president for 23 years. NK&A focused on accelerating growth for both professional services and B2C businesses, helping clients achieve breakthrough success through integrated sales and marketing strategies. Known for her ability to identify growth pathways and eliminate organizational friction, Victoria enabled her clients to scale effectively while maximizing their impact.

Victoria’s commitment to supporting organizational growth extends across multiple sectors. She has held board positions with two e-commerce start-ups and served as an advisor to minority-owned and run Massachusetts-based companies through Eastern Bank’s Foundation for Business Equity. Her strategic guidance has been sought by organizations seeking to scale their operations and expand their reach.

 Victoria had the opportunity to attend and graduate from Franklin & Marshall College.

Polly Ross Ribatt is a graduate of Haverford College where she majored in History with a concentration in Growth & Structure of Cities at Bryn Mawr College. She is also a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business where she majored in Finance and Marketing. After a decade working in for profit companies in consulting and life sciences, Polly has dedicated herself to not for profit clients like The Rashi School in Dedham along with academic work at both Harvard Business School and Tufts University. She has been a passionate, hands-on volunteer college planner for Beacon Academy along with other low income and first generation students seeking higher education.

Board of Advisors

Laura Biechler was appointed Vice President of Enrollment Management & Student Financial Assistance in July 2025 at Quincy College. Prior to this, Ms. Biechler was Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Assistance and Enrollment Management at Bridgewater State University. Laura is a graduate of Harvard University and has a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies, concentrated in US Government Public Policy. In February 2020 Laura was honored to join the NASFAA Executive Roundtable: Leadership in the 21st Century in Washington D.C. to work with legislators on implementing the College Affordability Act and the alignment with the Dept of Labor. Laura also moderates and presents at EASFAA, MASFAA, and is a member of the MA Department of Education Financial Aid Advisory Committee.

For 20 years Laura’s career in higher education has been tailored towards enrollment management, student services, financial operations, grant management, budgeting, and audit compliance. Her continued interest in the “business” of higher education and sincere concern surrounding youth that face a challenging global economic environment in the 21st century is the driving force behind her dedication to assisting youth in the city of Brockton and beyond to achieve their dreams as the next great generation.

Francie Karlen graduated with an A.B. in Government from Harvard College and an Ed.M. in School Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She began her career with Deloitte Consulting, before moving into nonprofit leadership. With a passion for youth development and educational equity, she has served in multiple nonprofit roles, including as Executive Director of Rehearsal for Life, a creative youth development organization in Boston Public Schools. A parent of three college-age students, she has witnessed first hand the inequities of the college admissions process based on family income; she is committed to college access and success and reducing/eliminating the debt burden for low income students seeking higher education.

Jen graduated from the Isenberg School of Business at UMASS Amherst with a BA in Accounting and a Minor in English. Jen’s passion for youth development encouraged her and two friends to co-found Active Kids + Minds (formerly Reebok’s BOKS program), a before-school physical activity program for elementary school students. She orchestrated the initial program evaluation to ensure proof of concept and was instrumental in the program’s nationwide expansion. Jen recently completed UCLA’s College Counseling Certificate Program, graduating with distinction, and joined All About Admissions, a collaborative college counseling group.

Jen volunteers with many community-based organizations focusing on equity in education, including Matchlighters Scholars, where she counsels low-income students and guides them through the college application process. 

Jillian is a graduate from Boston College, where she doubled majored in Human Development and Communications. She earned her Master of Arts in School Counseling from Boston College and is a licensed school counselor and principal in Massachusetts. Over the last ten years, Jillian has served as a school counselor, Dean of Students, Assistant Principal, and Principal working with students in grades PreK-12 at various private schools throughout the state. As a high school principal, Jillian had the wonderful opportunity to work directly with College Affordable and it ignited her passion to continue to help students access resources to make affording college a possibility. 

Lori Packer holds a business degree from the University of Phoenix. As an advocate of culture and people, Lori has dedicated the last two-plus decades to Harvard Bioscience, advocating for continual improvement in her broad responsibilities in human resources and administration. Lori enjoys spending time with her family and has served many rewarding roles in non profit organizations.

Marc Rysman is a Professor of Economics at Boston University. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1999. Rysman’s research focuses on industrial organization and competition, and the related issues of antitrust and regulation. In particular, he specializes in issues of network effects, platform markets, standardization and compatibility. He has worked on a variety of industries, such as financial markets, telecommunication, payment cards, consumer electronics and Yellow Pages directories.

Zoe Umeh graduated Beacon Academy in 2018 completing an extra year of high school preparation to expand her educational opportunities. After Beacon, she enrolled in the Nobles and Greenough school in Dedham Massachusetts. She graduated in 2022 and is currently a first-year student at Barnard College in New York City. Zoe noticed the disparity in navigating the college process between students requiring financial aid and those who did not. Zoe has joined College Affordable to help the path toward higher education be more accessible and equitable for all.

Executive Director

Brian Gardiner is a graduate of Wesleyan University where he majored in Economics. He is also a graduate of Babson College with a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. He worked for Haemonetics Corporation for twenty five years with various roles and experience in Finance, Services and Marketing and most recently was COO of GetTrained Inc. He has been actively involved in variety of not for profit organizations for over 30 years.

Director of Financial Aid

Lynette O’Leary is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University and holds a Master of Public Administration from Suffolk University. As a first-generation college student, she understands the unique dynamics involved with navigating the financial aid process and has dedicated her 15+ year career to higher education, having worked at colleges and universities throughout the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. When she’s not helping families approach the college admission process as educated consumers, you can find her in the community at one of her children’s many sporting events.

Associate Director of Financial Aid

Alison has worked in financial counseling and literacy for over 15 years, turning her focus on higher education in 2016. Having navigated the financial aid process as a bilingual, first-generation student, Alison understands the importance of educating families about resources to help close the gap and expand options. When she is away from the office, Alison can be found gardening, hiking, or attending local shows and supporting the arts.