Approximately 26% of high school students use an independent counselor to assist with the college admissions process, up from 1% in 1990.

About Us

Helping students build confidence and reach their goals.

While we work closely with the entire family, our approach places students in a leadership role in directing their educations. We provide structure and advice and encourage students to tap into the resources around them — from parents and guidance counselors to teachers and community mentors.

Experience in business and education offers students a range of proven strategies.

Joan Casey, President

Educational Advocates was founded and is led by Joan Casey. Her professional, educational and personal experience give her a unique approach to helping students identify and communicate their strengths throughout the college planning process.

Joan is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC). She has completed the IECA Practices and Principles Institute, an intensive training program for educational consultants. She personally visits college campuses and meets with admissions officers, student activities directors and academic deans and spends time informally talking with students for an insider’s view of campus life. Joan also draws upon the expertise of a network of colleagues across the country. She adheres to the IECA Principles of Good Practice.

Joan works extensively on behalf of students and adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and learning disabilities and has completed an advocacy-training program sponsored by the Federation for Children with Special Needs. She is trained in AD/HD coaching through the American Coaching Association.

Joan earned a master of education degree in Mind, Brain and Education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She also holds a BA in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Joan had a career as a marketing and public relations consultant, working for a national public relations firm and managing her own consulting practice. She has received several marketing and writing awards.

During her marketing career, Joan was trained in creative-thinking techniques through her client Synectics, Inc., a creativity consulting firm that counsels international clients such as Disney, Citibank and 3M. She applies these creative-thinking approaches in advising students on their essays and interviewing skills.

Joan resides in Brookline, Massachusetts, with her family, including two sons who have attended both private and public school.

Terri Suico, Associate

Terri Suico joined Educational Advocates in 2006, shortly after moving to Boston. She received a BA in English literature and a MAT from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to moving to Boston, Terri taught English literature at Saint Cecilia Academy, an all-girls private school in Nashville. While at Saint Cecilia, Terri served as the school’s assistant forensics coach and the director of the interim program, which allows students to explore non-traditional learning opportunities through internships, travel, and a variety of classes. She was also the district representative on the state board for the Tennessee High School Speech and Drama League and was named “Educator of the Year” for her district in 2006.

At Educational Advocates, Terri is able to use her experience as an English teacher to help clients with essays and to work on the quarterly newsletter.

Terri currently attends Boston University’s School of Education, where she is working on a doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching, specializing in English.