Ellen Berg joined Marks Education in 2024 after working as an admissions reader for Boston University and the University of California, Santa Cruz. She also has previous experience as an independent consultant for college admissions and essays. She earned her Ph.D. in History, with a focus on American education and immigration, from the University of California, Berkeley, where she also taught undergraduate courses. She has been a fellow at the Library of Congress, National Museum of American History, and the University of Oxford.

Ellen’s passion is to help connect students to the right colleges for them, based on her understanding of student and family goals and how they map onto the complex, ever-changing admissions landscape. Drawing on her research skills, she maintains an updated knowledge of diverse college and university environments. She loves supporting students in their process of exploration, assisting them in putting together an individualized college application plan and then helping them to present themselves intentionally in their applications and essays.

Ellen grew up in the heart of “Gator Nation” in Gainesville, Florida, where even elementary school students get a day off from school for the University of Florida homecoming. Convinced she wanted to experience something different, she attended Carleton College in Minnesota, where she took full advantage of the snowy winters. After a year as a Fulbright Fellow in Norway, she completed her doctorate and moved to the D.C. area. Ellen enjoys reading, researching family history, yoga, gardening, and joining her miniature schnauzer on walks in Rock Creek Park. She and her husband always enjoy when their two children come home from college for visits.

Ellen is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC). She does pro bono work for the Access2College program within Montgomery County Public Schools, which supports first-generation high schoolers in navigating the complex pathway to college admissions. Based in Maryland, she is available to work with students virtually and in-person at the Bethesda, MD, Washington, DC, and McLean, VA offices of Marks Education.

Education/Training:

• Carleton College, BA summa cum laude in History
• University of California, Berkeley, MA and Ph.D. in History