Over the past decade, Reed College has intentionally sought out the advice of counselors to support common sense decision-making in our practices and enrollment operations. We take great pride in our ability to adopt feedback from our professional colleagues. The council is the most recent actualization of this relationship.
President Audrey Bilger has charged the council with supporting strategic enrollment priorities and enhancing the admission and financial aid experience for families considering Reed as a future home.
The council is co-chaired by Sara Kyle, Director of College Counseling at The Blake School, and Milyon Trulove, Reed’s Vice President and Dean of Admission & Financial Aid. The council meets virtually three times a year and once a year in person, with an optional meeting during NACAC. Council members serve as trusted partners who bring back perspectives from students, families, and peers. Members are nominated by the co-chairs, and their terms last 2 to 4 years.
Heather Ecklund
Post-High School Counselor at New Trier High School
Northfield, Illinois
Heather Ecklund is a post-high school counselor at New Trier High School, where she guides students and families through the college and career planning process with a focus on fit, access, and individualized support. In addition to her counseling role, Heather serves on several leadership and advisory committees, including the Faculty Senate, the Higher Education Admissions Advisory Board, and New Trier’s Scholarship Committee. She is an active member of IACAC, NACAC, and LCCA, and regularly presents on college admissions and counseling best practices. Heather is deeply committed to equity, innovation, and student well-being in all aspects of her work.
Aaron Fulk
Director of College Counseling at the University School of Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Aaron joined the University School of Nashville as director of college counseling in 2021 after five years at Marin Academy (San Rafael, CA) as director of college counseling & institutional research. At USN, Aaron co-chairs the strategic plan and serves on the board of trustees educational innovation subcommittee and the department chairs committee. At Marin Academy, he advanced a values-based, data-informed approach to college counseling and programming. Beyond counseling, he co-supervised the Mastery Transcript Consortium site, served on the senior leadership team, and contributed to strategic alignment and curriculum review committees.
Earlier in his career, Aaron was associate director of college counseling at Collegiate School (Richmond, VA) and St. Margaret's Episcopal School (CA), where he also coached football and baseball and led diversity and equity initiatives. He began in admissions at his alma maters, Washington & Lee University and Stanford University, and continues to read applications for QuestBridge and volunteer with ScholarMatch.
A frequent presenter at state, regional, and national conferences, Aaron is active in NACAC, SACAC, The College Board, and previously served as strategic planning chair of the board for ACCIS. He currently serves on the SCOIR Advisory Council and the Reed College Advisory Council.
Tiffani Hooper
Director of College Counseling at The Dalton School
New York, New York
Tiffani Hooper is the director of college counseling at The Dalton School. Before arriving at Dalton this year, Tiffani worked at the United Nations International School (UNIS) for seven years. She also worked in admission at Amherst College, focusing on international admission and diversity recruitment initiatives. In addition, Tiffani has served as a college counselor at Brooklyn Friends School and The Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut.
Tiffani has been a member of the International ACAC Ad-Hoc Committee on Issues of Diversity, the Dickinson College Counselor Advisory Board, the Cialfo Counselor Advisory Board, and the American University of Paris Counselor Advisory Board. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in education leadership at Harvard University and lives in Harlem with her husband and daughters.
Sara Kyle
Director of College Counseling at The Blake School
Hopkins, Minnesota
Named director of College Counseling in 2017, Sara Kyle has been serving Blake students in the role of associate director of College Counseling since 2001.
She joined Blake after working in the office of admission at her alma mater, St. Olaf College, where she served in a variety of roles, including director of admission. Sara is past president of the Minnesota Association of College Admissions Professionals (MACAC), and has led efforts in leadership development, membership, and publicity for the regional organization. In 2008, Sara received the MACAC Distinguished Service Award recognizing her contributions to the organization. She is also active in regional and national advocacy work through the National Association of College Admissions Professionals (NACAC), and has been actively involved on several NACAC national committees including the Editorial Board and Admissions Practices Committee.
Earl Macam
Upper School College Counselor at Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School
St. Louis, Missouri
Dr. Earl Macam brings more than 30 years of experience in college admission, guidance, and financial aid. A veteran admission officer and former director of admission, he has guided students to top-tier liberal arts colleges and leading research universities.
Most recently, Dr. Macam has served as a college counselor at an all-boys boarding school in Virginia and an independent day school in St. Louis, supporting high-achieving students through every stage of the college search. His expertise includes financial aid advising, NCAA athletic recruitment, and counseling for performing and visual arts applicants. A frequent presenter at national seminars, he is a strong advocate for beginning the college search early.
Dr. Macam holds a B.A. in Music from DePauw University, an M.S. in Education with a concentration in School Counseling from Indiana University, and an Ed.D. in Educational Practice from the University of Missouri. He is a licensed school counselor in Indiana and Missouri, a longtime member of NACAC and MSCA, and served as president of the Missouri Association for College Admission Counseling in 2018–19.
Oscar Martinez
Senior National Director of College Partnerships at IDEA Public Schools
Weslaco, Texas
For nearly 15 years, Oscar has worked to make college not just possible, but powerfully accessible for students from underserved communities—especially in Texas, where Oscar was born and raised. As senior national director of college partnerships at IDEA Public Schools, Oscar leads national collaborations with colleges to ensure students don’t just get in, but persist, thrive, and graduate.
Oscar’s work sits at the intersection of access, equity, and outcomes: designing accountability frameworks, expanding a national partner network, launching counselor tours, and evaluating student success. Oscar is also the founder of Adelante Texas College Prep, which provides personalized guidance to families navigating college and financial aid.
What drives Oscar most is community—family and the thousands of students whose futures deserve bold, sustained effort. Passionate about equity, Oscar is committed to building a future where every student belongs and every college partnership delivers.
Yasmin Navarro
CCC Counselor at Berkeley High School
Berkeley, California
Yasmin Navarro earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Spanish from Amherst College in Massachusetts. Before becoming a counselor, she taught Spanish at the high school level in the Bay Area for six years and Middle School English for two years.
A proud first-generation high school and college graduate, Yasmin is the only member of her family to hold Master’s degrees in Education and School Psychology. She is deeply passionate about equity and is a strong advocate for neurodiverse students and colleagues.
Now in her sixth year at Berkeley High School—and her fifth as a College Counselor—she continues to empower students by providing guidance, support, and access to opportunities that help them thrive academically and personally.
Brian K. Smith
Dean of College Counseling at Marlborough School
Los Angeles, California
Brian K. “BK” Smith is the dean of college counseling and an English instructor at Marlborough School in Los Angeles. A native of Indianapolis, he earned his BA in English and music (vocal performance) from Indiana University, later completing an MA in English at Kent State University while working as an admission officer and freshman writing instructor.
BK spent a decade in admission at Lake Forest College before moving into college counseling, first at The Baylor School in Chattanooga and then as director of college counseling and English instructor at Memphis University School, where he served for eight years. He joined Marlborough in 2021.
He holds additional degrees and certifications from Harvard University (college counseling certification) and the University of Memphis (MEd and MS). Widely respected in the profession, BK blends deep knowledge of admissions with humor to make the college process clear and approachable.
Milyon Trulove
Vice President and Dean of Admission & Financial Aid at Reed College
Portland, Oregon
Milyon grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He moved north during grade school to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School. He attended St. Olaf College, completing a BA with majors in psychology, communications, and theatre. He was involved in student government, a range of cultural groups, and directed and performed in theatrical productions. After college, he worked with adults with Prader Willi Syndrome at Laura Baker School in Northfield, Minnesota. He has held roles in higher education, including as director and dean, at various institutions. His enrollment experience includes his alma mater, St. Olaf, the University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Hamline University, also in St. Paul. Milyon received an MA in leadership of student affairs from the University of St. Thomas. In his free time he enjoys grilling, reading great fiction, NPR, collecting comic books, and exploring Portland’s diverse food scene.