The core team

  • Mark Neustadt
    Mark Neustadt
    Principal

    Mark directs research, strategy, and creative implementation on all NCM projects. more

    Prior to forming NCM in 1997, Mark served as vice president of North Charles Street Design Organization. Previously, he worked at Johns Hopkins University and Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Mark lectures internationally on a wide range of marketing topics and holds the position of adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University, where he teaches educational marketing in the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership. Mark holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He writes a blog called Marketing Education.

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  • Meredith Chaiken
    Meredith Chaiken
    Director of Research

    Meredith spearheads market research efforts to support brand-based marketing initiatives. more

    Drawing insights from quantitative and qualitative research on prospective students, their parents, faculty, and alumni, Meredith's work at NCM grounds positioning and strategy.

    Meredith comes from the fast-paced world of political polling, having most recently served as a Vice President of the Mellman Group. In 2008, she was named a "Rising Star" by Politics Magazine for her innovative approach to strategic research. She served as Colorado Political Director for the Kerry for President campaign in the 2004 election cycle. Meredith holds a B.S. from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University and an M.P.P. from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

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  • Allison Blum Le
    Allison Blum Le
    Designer

    Allison transforms creative concepts into designs that work in print and on the Web. more

    Allison has created original logos and identity systems for DePauw University, Brooklyn College, Lafayette College, and the ISEE. Most recently, she  designed Tufts Admissions Magazine, Jumbo, collaborating with Fastspot's interactive designers to carry her ideas through on the Web. As lead designer on NCM’s work for St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, Allison art directed photoshoots before designing an admissions packet and capital campaign piece. Allison redesigned the Dickinson viewbook and Search and revolutionized the Wesleyan viewbook through a deft remixing of content that saved the client approximately 65% on printing. Allison has also worked within existing brand platforms to create new pieces for Tufts, St. Timothy's School, and the Waldorf School of Baltimore. Allison has a B.A. from George Washington University.

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  • BethAnne Garcia
    BethAnne Garcia
    Account Manager

    BethAnne is the primary client contact at NCM, steering projects from contract signing to product delivery. more

    A master planner, BethAnne keeps projects on schedule as she coordinates meetings, interviews and photoshoots. The results of her efforts can be seen in Tufts' print/Web magazine, Jumbo, and the Tufts Admissions website and virtual tour; DePauw's suite of admissions materials; the ad campaign, viewbook, Search, and virtual tour for Brooklyn College; Puget Sound's integrated print and Web campaign; Dickinson's viewbook, Search and website; and the Wesleyan viewbook. She also rallied students to populate UMBC's social networking website, "College.Be.," with original content. BethAnne has a B.F.A. from the Visual Communications Department at the University of Delaware.

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  • Edit Penchina Barry
    Edit Penchina Barry
    Writer and Content Strategist

    Edit leaps from strategy to creative concept when producing text for NCM print and Web projects. more

    Edit was the lead writer on Tufts Admissions website and magazine, Jumbo; the DePauw suite of admissions materials; the Brooklyn College "Because" campaign; and the University of Puget Sound's integrated print and Web campaign, "Puget Sound - A Unique Confluence of the Elements." She has written pieces from viewbooks to campaign case statements for St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School, Dickinson College, UMBC, the ISEE, Wesleyan, and the Waldorf School of Baltimore. She has also written websites for Perdana University Graduate School of Medicine, Krieger Schechter Day School, and Chizuk Amuno Congregation. Edit has a B.A. magna cum laude from Amherst College and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

     

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