The idea for Independent College Counseling™ originated in 2001 as several admission counselors met to discuss the need for quality professional college admission services for "all" students. At that time the independent college counseling field was still in it's infancy and was primarily targeted toward high performing students that were competing for admissions to highly selective institutions. ICC was officially formed in Austin, Texas in 2006 and began to service the college admission needs of students in the greater Austin metropolitan area. ICC's unique services were comprehensively developed to service the college admission needs of all students regardless of their academic and socio-economic profile. The demand for ICC services escalated rapidly so in 2008 the decision was made to develop a network of ICC partners nation-wide. Once fully established, this network will be comprised of the most qualified group of college admission professionals in the entire country. The "ICC Angel" counseling service concept was conceived in 2009 with the hope of ICC counselors never having to deny service to qualifying families. Funding for this segment of ICC services is still in developmental stages.
Don Pitchford Ph.D., is one of the most experienced independent college counselors in the country. He has over 25 years of practical experience in college admissions and is extremely well recognized by college admission staff throughout the entire nation. He holds a Bachelors degree in Human Resources, a master’s degree in Student Counseling and a doctorate in Educational Psychology. There are few college counselors in the nation that can duplicate these academic credentials and that possesses the infectious character and amiable disposition of Dr. Pitchford.
Dr. Pitchford has successfully held nearly every position associated with the college admission and scholarship process and is highly sought after as a speaker at national college admissions and enrollment management conferences. His most recent position at a post-secondary institution was as the Director of Student Recruitment and Admissions. He also served as an adjunct professor and designed and taught a doctoral level class in Educational Leadership that focused on trends in college admissions and enrollment management.
His philosophical orientation to counseling is best described as a “holistic approach” which focuses on including the entire family unit in the process. Dr. Pitchford’s area of counseling expertise resides in successfully matching student’s academic skills, needs and desires with the specific post secondary institution that can completely fulfill all student and parental expectations. His level of service and experience extends far beyond the college application process in providing additional counseling services contingent upon individual and family needs. His experience and passion for his profession, compounded with his sincere desire to serve "all" families with college counseling related needs, is expected to result in ICC becoming the most qualified and trusted source of college admission services in the nation.
Melanie Pitchford BS ,recently added her talents to the ICC managment team after a nearly 20 year career in a corporate setting. Her most recent position was as an Executive Vice President of Human Resources. Her skill set in the Human Resource field transferred seamlessly into ICC as her area of interests and specialization focused on recruitment, talent aquisition, career counsling and performance enhancment. Her knowledge and expertise in these areas has provided ICC with a unique service that we offer to our students to asist with scholarship obtainment and choosing a major that coincides with the individuals interests, abilities and values. Melanie also has used her expertise to develope a unique ICC service that best prepares students essays and applications and for the "all important" college admission interview process.
Other talents she brings to ICC from the corporate world include developing, implementing, and evaluating sourcing, recruitment, hiring, orientation, succession planning, retention, and the knowledge of assessments that address student/employee development, performance appraisal, talent and performance management, and the unique needs of students to ensure that their knowledge, skills, abilities, and interests coincide with what their selected colleges offer.
Lance serves as the Chief Information Officer for Independent College Counseling. His experience in web design and electronic communications is well recognized nation-wide. Lance brings a wealth of IT related experience and an unparalleled network of business connectivity to ICC. He and his wife live in Alexandria, VA with their newborn daughter.