Thomas C. Golden, Ph.D.
Founder and CEO (he/him/his)
Known simply as Dr. Thom to his clients and friends, he spent more than 25 years in selective admissions at some of the top universities in the world, leading recruitment and admissions selection at Purdue and Vanderbilt Universities.
To say that Dr. Thom has studied the college search is a massive understatement; his dissertation for his Doctorate in Educational Psychology explored how to help young people deal with the stress of applying to college.
Passionate about student development and leading with a growth mindset, he founded Golden Educational Consulting in 2015 with a focus on the student, not the college. Since then, he has helped hundreds of students find the college that is a perfect fit for THEM.
Dr. Thom holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University, and a doctorate in educational psychology from Purdue University. He and his wife Bridget are the proud parents of three sons.
Bridget Williams Golden, M.A.
Marketing Coordinator (she/her/hers)
Bridget brings over 20 years of experience in higher education student and alumni services, leadership development, academic advising, and association management to our team. Bridget also brings a lot of encouragement and enthusiasm to students and families.
Bridget is our marketing coordinator and in-house editor. She brings an attention to detail with a vision and enthusiasm for helping students find their voice and path.
Bridget is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Purdue University with a baccalaureate degree in English education with a minor and speech communication. She also holds a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University. As a mom, finder of lost things, and optimist, Bridget reminds the boys each day to “Make it a great day!” and “Go be awesome!” In addition, she serves as the Treasurer of Boy Scout Troop 75 and past president of the Purdue College of Liberal Arts Alumni Board.
Kate Bittner
Educational Consultant (she/her/hers)
Kate brings over a decade of fine arts administrative experience, including time at the Aspen Music Festival, The Phoenix Symphony, and Interlochen Arts Academy. Eight of these years were spent in fine arts recruitment as the Director of Conservatory Admissions at Lawrence University. Kate provides guidance to GEC students navigating the music performance, theater, and fine arts college search, from selecting the right university and conservatory programs, to completing applications, all the way through the extensive auditioning process.
Kate’s passion is to serve as a guiding hand for students who love music and the arts as much as she does, and to educate the world about the extraordinary value in obtaining an arts degree in college. She also consults for university admissions offices, fine-tuning their recruitment strategies for the fine and performing arts.
Kate holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music. Originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, Kate is always a Midwesterner at heart. You’ll find her enjoying the outdoors, rockhounding, cheering on the Green Bay Packers, singing with a women’s barbershop chorus, and enjoying a good sci-fi show. She currently lives in Mesa, Arizona with her husband and two kitties.
Jen England, M.A.
Educational Consultant (she/her/hers)
Jen has more than 25 years of experience in college admissions, most recently at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She served on the Colleges That Change Lives Board of Directors for five years and is committed to a student-centered college admission process, where students feel seen, heard and valued.Jen wants the students and families she works with to have fun!
Every student has something important to offer the college of their choice. Jen prides herself on listening well, responding with thoughtful questions, and using that information to help you build a list of colleges you’d be proud to attend, colleges that will be fortunate to count you among their students.
Jen holds a baccalaureate degree in psychology from St. Michael’s College, where she played collegiate field hockey. Jen earned her master’s degree in college student counseling and personnel services from Ball State University.
David “Butch” Hamilton, M.A.
Educational Consultant (he/him/his)
Butch brings over 35 years of experience in college admissions and counseling to our team. He began as an undergraduate tour guide at Allegheny College and realized he loved admissions. After graduating with his Bachelor of Arts in history from Allegheny, he earned a Master of Arts in student affairs in higher education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He worked on the college side of admissions for 11 years at the University of Delaware and has spent the past 25 years working in college counseling at high schools.
Butch celebrates when a high school senior stops by his office to tell him what school they will attend in the fall. “Even before they say the name of the school, they excitedly tell me all the little things they love about their destination.” He is honored to play a role in finding a school that is not only a great fit, but will also signify “an even better fit once they enroll, persist, and graduate.”
While he lives in southern Maryland, Butch will always call Pittsburgh home. In his spare time, he enjoys searching for fossilized shark teeth on riverbanks and reading extensively. Butch loves taking on obstacle course races and eagerly looks forward to the next CrossFit workout or competition.
Teege Mettille, M.S.
Educational Consultant (he/him/his)
Teege has more than 15 years of experience in college admissions, most recently at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has served as a Vice President of Enrollment at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Dean of Admissions at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin.
Each student arrives at the college search process with a different set of goals, ambitions, and trajectory. Teege is excited to get to fully know students and their families - and help connect them with the colleges where they are best positioned to thrive.
Teege holds a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies as well as a Master of Science in Organizational Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He lives in Greendale, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee, with his husband Derek, and their 14-year old son, Logan.
Chris Ream
Educational Consultant (he/him/his)
Following a 10-year career in selective college admissions at Duke and Vanderbilt Universities, Chris spent three years as an independent admissions consultant prior to joining Golden Educational Consulting. His experience as both an admissions officer and consultant have shown him how (unnecessarily) stressful the college application process can be.
Chris is committed to helping students successfully navigate the complex admissions process while keeping student and family wellness as his top priority. He loves helping his clients discover their true interests and find colleges that are well-matched to those interests. A native Texan, Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Christian University. Chris and his wife Jillian are the proud parents of twin daughters and he loves the title of “girl dad.” Chris and his family live in the Durham, N.C. area.
Jill Teeters, M.A.
Educational Consultant (she/her/hers)
Jill brings a joyful and personalized approach to college admission - for both students and families. With more than 25 years of experience as an admission officer, application reader, and college counselor in New England, she is dedicated to supporting the whole student on their post-secondary journey.
Understanding the importance of a college search that is authentic, balanced, and comprehensive, Jill encourages students to reflect on both who they are, and why they want to go to college. This information is critical to finding several great college matches and, ultimately, making the best enrollment choice after graduation.
Jill holds a baccalaureate degree in speech communication from Ithaca College and a master’s degree in speech communication studies. Jill and her husband David Lamothe are active in the March of Dimes and were recognized as the National Ambassador Family in 2014.
Rosie Cannizzo
Essay Specialist (she/her/hers)
Rosie brings more than a decade of experience in university admissions, teaching, and music operations and marketing to GEC. Rosie is a perfect fit for helping our students find their most authentic voice in their college application essays through her easy-going teaching and mentoring style, as well as her amazing sense of humor.
Rosie holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a Bachelor of Arts in English, both from Lawrence University. She lives in Greenville, Wisconsin with her husband and a very mischievous springer spaniel named Trapper.