Joe Freeman

Joe has counseled in both International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP) settings, and he possesses a deep and thorough knowledge of a wide variety of high school curricula. He has visited over two hundred college campuses in 42 states and 5 foreign countries, and he has served on counselor advisory boards at North Carolina State University, DePauw University (IN) and The University of Alabama. Joe has been a leader in professional college counseling organizations, serving on the executive boards of the Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling and the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling. Additionally, Joe served the National Association for College Admission Counseling on its Government Relations Committee. Joe's work to promote and advance access and equity in college admissions was recognized by IACAC with its Inclusion Access and Success Award (2021). IACAC also celebrated Joe's work with the Molly Arnold Award for Presidential Service (2020) and the James Alexander Newcomer Award. Joe served on the Illinois P-20 Council's Ad Hoc Student Support Committee during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he holds a strong interest in making postsecondary study accessible to all as a critical element of workforce development.

Joe has written extensively about college admissions, and his work has been featured in The Journal of College Admission and The New York Times "The Choice" Blog.

Raised in Ocean Pines, Joe attended Worcester County Public Schools and St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware. He holds a BA in English and History from Hamilton College (NY) and an MA in English from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College (VT). He currently lives in West Ocean City.

About Me

Joe (he/him) brings over twenty four years of experience in college counseling to his practice. He comes to this work after a long and successful career in independent schools across the country, most recently as the founding Director of College Counseling at Beacon Academy in Evanston, Illinois. He previously worked as an Upper School Dean at Randolph School in Huntsville, Alabama.