MEET THE TEAM
Rachel A. Winston, Ph.D.
CEO, Director of College Counseling
Dr. Rachel Winston is a trusted expert in global college admissions counseling with more than three decades of experience in higher education. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership/Administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
She has been in the following roles:
- College math and engineering professor at Chapman, Embry Riddle, Cal State Fullerton, and a half dozen community colleges
- College professor for the UCLA College Counseling Certificate program
- Elected state leader
- Elected Academic Senate President
- University Director of Mathematics
She has attended over a dozen universities including Harvard, USC, UCLA, UCI, Pepperdine, University of Chicago, The George Washington University, NYU, Syracuse, Chapman, Brandman, and more.
She won the 2012 McFarland Literary Achievement Award, has worked in the White House, has spoken at hundreds of conferences, and is a lifelong learner – currently obtaining her 8th Master’s degree in History at Arizona State.
E. Elizabeth Kim, B.S.E., M.S., j.D.
College Counselor
- Cornell University, College of Engineering – B.S.E. in Civil & Environmental Engineering
- Johns Hopkins University, Whiting School of Engineering – M.S. in Environmental Management & Economics
- The University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law – J.D.
- Southwestern University School of Law – J.D.
- UCLA – Certified College Counselor
At Lizard Education, Liz works with students from middle school to high school to achieve their educational goals. With middle school students, she understands that the immediate needs of high school and summer planning need to complement students’ long-term educational goals. She works with students to:
- Expose students to career opportunities tailored to their interests
- Career Assessments
- Interest Assessments
- Directed Search
- Majors and Career Explorations
- Identify interests, skills, and explore potential career paths
- Plan summers strategically – summer programs, research, internship opportunities
- Locate creative options, awards, contests, and community service
- Create a master plan, including course selection, UC a-g requirements, and dual enrollment options
- Create a college list that matches the student’s profile and interests
- Ascertain best-fit colleges and collegiate programs for individual students
Jasmine Jhunjhnuwala, M.A., PPS
Student Liaison & Publishing Coordinator
- UC San Diego – B.S. degree in Clinical Psychology
- NYU – M.A. degree in Counseling & Guidance for K-12 students
- UCLA – Certified college counselor
- Certified school counselor in California (PPS Credential)
- Certified school counselor in New York state
At Lizard Education, Jasmine works with student resumes, portfolios, websites, scholarship info, program research, and more. She also serves as the publishing coordinator and contributing writer to the college counseling books at Lizard Publishing.
Robert A. Helmer
Road Trip Manager, Book/Material Distribution
Robert has been with Lizard for 23 years. After 6 years in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, work at the Rand Corporation, and 20 years of working in the computer information processing industry, he joined Lizard where he is a valued member of the team.
Working with people is his forté, particularly on our student road trips to visit colleges. He ensures that travel flows smoothly and that the students have what they need. He also manages the production and distribution of Lizard’s materials.
Michelle C. Tahan, M.S.
Student Liaison
Michelle Tahan has been with Lizard for 7 years in varying capacities. She obtained her B.A. in Communications at UC Santa Barbara. She also holds an M.S. degree in Publishing from The George Washington University.
She assists with essay development and editing, scholarship research, college planning resources, graphic design, and more. She also works with Lizard Publishing as our lead book designer.