Meet the Staff

  • Dr. Anthony J. Guerra
    Dr. Anthony J. Guerra President

    Dr. Guerra is the author of My College Advisor’s college admissions curriculum and the inventor of the My College Advisor college selection system. He developed MCA into a premier college admissions consulting business. Prior to starting MCA, Dr. Guerra served in American higher education for over 20 years. Dr. Guerra earned his doctorate from Harvard in 1986. Dr. Guerra is a Professional Member of the IECA.

  • Chaim Durst
    Chaim Durst Dean of Writing

    Chaim Durst graduated from Columbia College in 1992 magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Since 2001, as a college essay consultant, he has helped students craft thousands of successful essays. He is the author of “The Art of Essay,” a detailed guide how to craft a highly effective personal statement that stands out and moves the reader. He mentors students to create college essays that are works of art.

  • Dorry Guerra
    Dorry Guerra consultant

    Dorry graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a social psychology Fulbright Research Grant in Seoul, South Korea post-graduation. Dorry previously worked as an admissions officer at UCLA. Today, she helps students develop their essay-writing and interview skills. Dorry is an Associate Member of the IECA.

  • Dr. Thomas Selover
    Dr. Thomas Selover Senior Consultant

    Dr. Selover has worked extensively on the My College Advisor program, content, and online software. Prior to joining MCA he had more than 12 years university teaching and administration experience in the US, Canada, China, and Korea. Thomas earned his Doctorate from Harvard in 1994.

  • W. Farley Jones
    W. Farley Jones consultant

    Farley is a graduate of Princeton University, where he majored in English Literature, and also of Albany(NY) Law School. He recently retired after 28 years as a practicing attorney in upstate New York. He also has extensive experience as a writer and editor in non law-related fields. Currently living in Hawaii, his particular area of interest lies in helping students with their college admission essays.

  • Heidi Udell
    Heidi Udell SENIOR CONSULTANT

    Heidi graduated cum laude with honors in psychology from Yale University. She has more than two decades of successful college consulting experience, specializing in guiding high achieving students through the application process, with a focus on essay writing and interviewing skills development. Heidi was a member of the Yale College Alumni Schools Committee for more than a decade, interviewing and evaluating Yale undergraduate applicants.

  • Alla Fine
    Alla Fine Student Finances Consultant

    Alla has worked as a professional aid officer at several higher education institutions. She works on various My College Advisor special projects, including researching financial aid criteria at universities across the country and assessing financial aid data relevant to the MCA program.

  • Dr. Mark P. Barry
    Dr. Mark P. Barry Director of Research

    Dr. Barry teaches primarily adult students at New York metropolitan area institutions in undergraduate and graduate courses in international politics, international business, leadership and management, and intercultural communication. He has held senior positions in several Washington, D.C. think tanks and served as a state legislative analyst handling bills concerning community colleges and vocational training. Mark earned his doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1996

  • Yiru Sugihara
    Yiru Sugihara Chief Administrator

    Yiru has a background in finance and has taught students ranging from early childhood to high school in several Westchester schools while raising her family. She handles administrative matters at MCA.

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