Staff at the Counseling and Advising Center

Sara grew up in western New York but now considers Boston home. She has a B.A. in music from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, where she studied music therapy and played the oboe as her primary instrument. After completing her coursework, Sara came to Boston for a music therapy internship and worked as a registered music therapist for several years.

Sara earned an M.S. in counseling psychology at Northeastern University while working for the college as a resident director. She is a licensed mental health counselor and has worked in hospitals, schools, outpatient clinics, and colleges. In addition, she has advanced training in organizational development, leadership theory, and change management. Sara has been at Berklee since 1998 and directed the CAC since April 2001.

Administrative Staff

Barbara grew up in the Metro-Boston area, where she attended Massachusetts College of Art and Design, majoring in Illustration. She has more than 20 years of experience as a receptionist; she has also worked as a freelance artist, tour guide, day care teacher, window dresser, and retail clerk. She enjoys travel and photography, and was in a joint show with her husband in 2005, for which they exhibited photography from Southeast Asia, Oceania, Central America, Europe, and the United States. She loves working in the unique, creative environment of Berklee.

Angela made the move to Boston from a small town in western Pennsylvania to attend Berklee, where she graduated with a B.M. in music business/management. Before attending Berklee, Angela studied theater business and music performance at Seton Hill University in Pittsburgh.

Angela started in her position at the CAC in 2007. She supervises student employees, the staff receptionist, oversees the administrative functions of the center, and helps facilitate communications between students, staff members, and other offices.

Academic Advising Staff

Justine hails from a suburb of New York City and is a graduate of Villanova University. As a student, Justine studied in London for six months and then backpacked throughout Europe for several months. Upon graduating from college, Justine lived in the Big Apple where she pursued careers in advertising and health care. Bitten by the travel bug and always seeking out an adventure, Justine picked up and relocated to Japan, where for two years she lived and worked teaching English to students of all ages and traveling throughout Asia.

Now settled in Boston, what Justine enjoys most about working at Berklee as an academic advisor is the ability to meet and help the talented and diverse students that make Berklee such a unique place.

Originally from the Connecticut shoreline, Kathryn also lived in the South and traveled prior to settling in the Boston area. Her interest in academic advising stems from internships during her alma mater, Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, where she received a B.A. in music. Kathryn completed part of her degree while studying at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

On a musical note, one of Kathryn's hobbies is composition and performance, particularly for voice, guitar, and piano. She has performed with the Opera Theatre of Connecticut, and exercised various musical styles in a variety of other performances. She enjoys volunteering, the beach, travel, and just about any outdoor activity. Kathryn loves experiencing the rich musical and cultural environment at Berklee, and looks forward to working closely with students, faculty, and staff at the college.

Sandra graduated from the University of Nevada–Las Vegas with a bachelor's of science in education. She began her career at Berklee in 1989 in the Housing Office. In 1993 she moved to the Music Synthesis Department, serving as assistant to the chair. She came to the CAC in 1995 and has been there ever since in myriad positions.

Disability Services Advising Staff

Bob has been at the CAC since 1989. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and raised in the neighboring town of Acton. He completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Massachusetts–Amherst before attending graduate school at the University of Vermont and eventually returning to UMass to receive a master's in education.

Bob has almost 30 years of experience in education as a high school English teacher, special education teacher/counselor in secondary alternative schools, and college instructor in the graduate school at Lesley College, Bunker Hill Community College, and the Professional Music Department at Berklee. He continues to actively study guitar and piano.

Gabe is a homegrown Bostonian who earned his B.S. in archaeology and anthropology at UMass Boston in 2000. During his undergraduate studies he attended an archeological field school and spent a semester studying in Oaxaca, Mexico. He began working at Berklee in 2000 as a temporary employee in the Auxiliary Services Office and eventually landed at the front counter of the Counseling and Advising Center in 2003.

Gabe left the center in April of 2005 to complete his M.Ed. in mental health and school adjustment counseling at Cambridge College. During this time he interned in a small alternative public high school in North Quincy, a day home for developmentally delayed adults, and a partial hospital for children and adolescents in Allston. Gabe is delighted to be working with Berklee's students as a special services advisor.

First-Year Student Advising

Beth is originally from Sterling, Massachusetts. She attended Suffolk University, where she received a bachelor's degree in English literature and did part of her undergraduate study at University College Cork, Ireland. Beth also holds a master's of fine arts degree in writing and literature from Bennington College.

Beth has been working at Berklee since 1999. In her job she works to enhance the entering student experience and supervises the peer advisors in their role as college leaders. She is committed to student development and education.

International Advising Staff

Cara serves as the international student advisor for international students with last names A-K; she is also responsible for developing and presenting programs, workshops, and informational seminars for the international student population at Berklee. Cara worked in the Office of Admissions at Berklee for one and a half years before accepting her current position in the Counseling and Advising Center.

Cara graduated from Berklee in 2006 with a B.M. in violin performance. Originally from Pennsylvania, she started out studying geology in college. However, a growing interest in Irish traditional music led her to leave her geology studies behind and move to Ireland, where she lived for two years prior to beginning her studies at Berklee. Before settling into a career in international education, she held a variety of jobs including filleting fish, working as a pharmacy technician, teaching music, and touring as a fiddle player with various productions. Cara maintains an active performance schedule and continues to enjoy taking classes at Berklee.

Andrea received her B.S. in consumer economics with a focus in marketing from the University of Maryland–College Park, and completed a master of science degree in college student development and counseling at Northeastern University. Andrea's education and work experience has focused on the needs of international students in various settings on campus, including residence life, cultural adjustment, immigration advising, and international admissions. Andrea serves as the primary international student advisor for international students whose last names start with the letters L–Z and coordinates all SEVIS reporting for Berklee. She is very happy to be working with the talented international students attending Berklee College of Music.

Personal Counseling Staff

Karen is a licensed mental health counselor with a master's degree in counseling psychology from Lesley University. She completed her first year of college at Emerson College, majoring in theater education. In 1992, she graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington with a B.S. in rehabilitation services. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she worked in a variety of settings, including hospital and community mental health centers. Karen is a vocalist who has performed in bands and also acted and sung in community and college theater.

Liz is a licensed mental health counselor with a master's degree in counseling psychology from Lesley University and a bachelor's of science in transpersonal psychology. Liz is also certified in yoga and other mind/body therapies and has been a yoga teacher for several years. Before coming to Berklee, she had a private practice and was a senior staff therapist in community mental health. She has provided workshops in self-care and stress management to staff at a number of agencies, including the Massachusetts Department of Social Services. In addition to personal counseling at Berklee, she develops and offers wellness programs and leads the weekly meditation group. Liz is also a musician and performs locally.

Suzanne is a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in counseling psychology from Boston College. She completed her undergraduate work at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and obtained her master's degree in counseling from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Suzanne has several years' experience working in college counseling as well as in hospital, community, and school settings. She lived in Melbourne, Australia for five years working as a psychologist doing art therapy, family therapy, and individual counseling. Suzanne has a great appreciation for cultural diversity, music, nature, and the arts. She has traveled throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

Toshie is a licensed clinical social worker with a master's degree in social work from Smith College. Toshie has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults of various cultural and linguistic backgrounds at community mental health clinics and hospitals in the United States. During her undergraduate years at Lake Forest College in Illinois, Toshie majored in French and psychology and studied abroad in Quebec City, Canada and Paris, France. She enjoys traveling and has visited many countries in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Toshie was born in Japan and raised by Korean and Japanese parents, and has been living in the United States since her adolescent years. She is fluent in English and Japanese.