About TheBestSchools.org

Laine is the general manager for TheBestSchools. She leads strategic content and marketing initiatives to grow TheBestSchools into a student-centric publisher. She has spent more than 15 years leading editorial, content marketing, and public relations teams for emerging brands in education and technology. She earned a BS in integrated marketing communication from Winthrop University.

Brendan is the managing editor of TheBestSchools. He's worked in the education space for six years and is dedicated to providing prospective students with the best possible information as they evaluate their education options. In his spare time, he writes about baseball for FanGraphs.com.

Jennifer Cuellar is the Senior Editor of The Quad, the blog of TheBestSchools. She manages the pitching, scheduling, and finalization process to ensure the most engaging and useful content for student readers. Prior to joining TheBestSchools, Jennifer worked with clients like Expedia, Quicken, and Hotwire. Her work has contributed to three American Advertising Awards (ADDY), two Stevie Awards, and one Bernays Award. When she's not talking about the Oxford comma at parties, you can find her practicing at the archery range or looking for the best margherita pizza in the city.

Sarah Eilefson received her Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago and teaches composition online at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Her scholarly articles have appeared in Text & Presentation and Scholarly Editing, and she works on the next great American novel in her spare time. At TheBestSchools, Sarah helps students, parents, and counselors explore their options and feel confident in their choice of postsecondary pathways.

Morgan is the senior copyeditor on TheBestSchools, where she helps polish content and ensure that articles and resources meet the high quality and clarity standards that students deserve. She has a BA in English and creative writing from the University of Washington, as well as a certificate in screenwriting. When she's not writing or editing, Morgan dabbles in photography, fiber crafts, martial arts, video production, and all things travel.

Alex is the web publisher on TheBestSchools. She collaborates with the team to enhance articles by highlighting important information and adding charts and visuals to help readers understand complex topics and data. Her love of web publishing began with a childhood Geocities site, which inspired her to major in digital technology and culture at Washington State University. You can find her listening to podcasts, sewing clothes, or dreaming of her next travel experience.

Evan is a writer for The Quad, our online blog, where he covers higher education from a student-first perspective. In this role, he reports on news, trends, data, and other happenings at colleges across the country. Evan graduated from Central Washington University with a BA in communication and a specialization in digital journalism. Prior to joining the team at TheBestSchools, he spent five years as a newspaper reporter and has bylines in the Seattle Times, Tacoma News Tribune, and Everett Herald. When he's not drumming up news stories, he's usually gaming or writing electronic music.

Meg Embry is a Colorado-based writer for TheBestSchools.org covering higher education. She is an award-winning journalist who has lived and worked in Canada, the Netherlands, and the United States.

Tori works as an editor for TheBestSchools, where she builds content that empowers readers to make informed decisions about their education and careers. Previously, she worked as a data-driven content creator, visual storyteller, and feature writer for various national and local publications. She graduated from the University of Florida with a BA in education and MA in mass communication. In her free time, Tori enjoys bullet journaling, meditation and yoga, exercising, cooking elaborate dinners, and learning guitar.

Raneem is a copy editor for TheBestSchools, where she pores over content to ensure it meets high standards of clarity and accuracy. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Spanish and Near Eastern studies and worked as an educator before transitioning to editing and writing. Outside of work, Raneem enjoys practicing guitar, singing, hiking, and getting lost in foreign countries.

Helen Wilbers is an editor on TheBestSchools, dividing her time between copy editing, writing and developing useful new content for prospective students. She arrived at the site after spending several years as a journalist and newspaper editor in small-town Missouri. When not obsessively hunting down grammatical errors, Helen enjoys foraging for mushrooms, reading, and dabbling in amateur entomology.

Bryan is a marketing analyst for TheBestSchools. A North Carolina native, he studied at Johnson & Wales University. After starting his career in the food service industry, he pivoted to digital marketing several years ago. Helping career changers became a passion after he and his wife both took in-person and online courses to bolster their career prospects. Outside of the office, Bryan can be found enjoying Lake Norman with his family, hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, or relaxing on the coast.

Genevieve Carlton holds a Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University. After earning her doctorate in early modern European history, Carlton worked as an assistant professor of history at the University of Louisville, where she developed new courses on the history of science, Renaissance Italy, and the witch trials. Carlton has published five peer-reviewed articles in top presses and a monograph with the University of Chicago Press. She also earned tenure with a unanimous vote before relocating to Seattle. Learn more about Carlton's work at genevievecarlton.com.

Blake Huggins is a Boston-based writer and researcher with roots in north Texas and southern Oklahoma. He holds degrees in religion and philosophy and writes widely on higher education, healthcare, and the humanities broadly conceived. He earned a PhD from Boston University and has taught college courses in philosophy, writing, and composition.

Melissa Sartore holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her BA and MA in history are from Western Illinois University. A medievalist by training, she has published on outlawry in medieval England with additional publications on outlaws in popular culture and across geographic and historical boundaries.

Matthew Sweeney received his Bachelor of Arts in English with a specialization in English literature from Portland State. His writings on music and culture have appeared in the publications Eleven PDX Magazine and Secret Decoder. In his free time he enjoys reading, cinema, hiking, and cooking.

Megan Whitenton has contributed content to TheBestSchools.org for nearly a decade. She holds a BFA from California Institute of the Arts. Her background as an artist and art educator informs her writing and creative pursuits across fields like education, healthcare, technology, and fine arts. She writes for TheBestSchools.org and The Quad, helping college students make informed decisions about higher learning and vocational programs.

Doug Wintemute is a Toronto-based freelance writer with professional writing interests in higher learning and entertainment. He completed his BA and MA in English at York University, graduating summa cum laude and earning academic merit, research, and writing awards at both levels. Since 2014, he has contributed content and editorial work for award-winning digital trade publications, global SEO copywriting projects, and hugely popular online brands. He can be contacted through LinkedIn.