Lida Griest, M.S., M.Ed., has 31 years of educational experience and professional expertise in both public and private schools. Lida graduated from the University of Tennessee with a B.A. in English (1975) and received a M.S. in English Education with an emphasis in reading from the University of Tennessee in 1977. She earned a M.Ed in school Counseling from Georgia State University in 1992. She has 10 years of teaching experience, including six in Atlanta independent schools.

Lida taught English in both private and public schools in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Washington. After receiving her master’s in counseling, she was the high school counselor and AP English teacher in one of Atlanta’s Private Day Schools.

Lida began her educational consulting practice in Atlanta in 1997. She assists students and their families in the complex decision making processes for education and acts as the student’s advocate with private and public school placement in the Atlanta area. She also works with students and their families during the entire college application process, including recommending specific colleges that fit the student’s profile, assisting with applications, working on essays, developing interviewing strategies and making a final college decisions.

Wendy Williams, M.A., has been an influential part in assisting families throughout the metro-Atlanta area by helping students with their educational options since 1997. Wendy began her training by working for a well-established educational consultant. She also worked as a college counselor at the Ben Franklin Academy, a private school in Atlanta, Georgia where she guided hundreds of students and their parents in the college selection process. In addition, she has done admissions consulting for both the precollege and graduate sectors of Kaplan, Inc. She works with families across the country in advising them on the right educational path as well as time management skills, academic organization and study skills.

Navigating a student’s educational destiny can be very stressful for the entire family. Wendy’s counseling background helps to demystify the process by implementing structure, guidance and a calm environment that helps the student focus on his/her interests, abilities, and ultimately school choices. Wendy’s foundation for successful consulting is the belief in knowing the school’s distinctive personality as well as academic ventures within the school. Wendy spends approximately 25% of her time in the field visiting schools, colleges and programs for summer and study abroad. She has accumulated a strong background in schools that assist students with specialized needs as well as schools that pride themselves on academic competitiveness.

Wendy is a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Higher Educational Consultants Association (HECA), Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC), and the Learning Disabilities Association of Georgia (LDAG). She is actively involved in HECA as the Volunteer Coordinator and the Member Discount Program group. In addition, Wendy serves as a member of the Professional Advisory Board for Kids Enabled (www.kidsenabled.org) a nonprofit resource for families of children with learning differences. She contributes frequently to their online articles.

Wendy graduated from Kennesaw State University with a B.S. in Psychology and received a master’s degree in Professional Psychology, specializing in Counseling from Argosy University. She is also an alumni member of the Chi-Omega Fraternity. Wendy graduated from the Independent Educational Consultants Association Practices and Principles Training Institute held at Johns Hopkins University. Wendy’s educational background and hands-on experience allows her to focus on the student’s academic interests but also the student’s social needs. Her chosen career has allowed her to work with wonderful families who care about their student’s future.