Meet the Team

Thom Gleason is the owner of Varsity College Planning. Thom has 10 years of experience and has helped hundreds of families plan for their student’s college, saving them an average of $70,000 per student.

Cori has the unique ability to break down complex college planning and financial matters and translate both to parents and students in an easy to understand manner. When Cori started My College Authority, Inc. almost 15 years ago, her children had yet to start elementary school. Now with two in high school, college is on the horizon, and she knows exactly how overwhelming and stressful it can be for parents. Her knowledge and expertise provide the calm within the storm.

Cori has worked in financial services since 2000, and is associated with a nationwide network of college planners who for years have used proven strategies to help students find and select colleges that fit, maximize financial aid and scholarships, and financially plan with parents to make college affordable.

As a Regional Vice President for the College Funding Service Center, Cori and her team oversee college planning operations and success for 15 college planners and over 600+ families annually.

Cori is a contributing presenter for www.prepareforcollege.info, a subscription based platform for families to self-navigate the college process.

Cori holds the Certified College Adviser designation and is a member of the National College Advocacy Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students, families, and other advisers on the issues surrounding college admissions and financial aid.

Paula is a veteran marketing professional and college coach. Paula’s experience includes growing up in agriculture and along with later opportunities to work in many different industries with professionals, governments and educational systems. She brings it all together in her smart counsel of our college-bound high school students.

Paula is a Southern Oregon native who has personally navigated the complexities of college planning with her two amazing daughters, Katelyn and Madigan. Both, graduating from George Fox University with engineering degrees and heading to grad school.

Abraham has amassed an extensive background in sales and customer service laying out the perfect foundation for his self-proclaimed purpose; to serve. Abraham brings his professional and positive nature in service to our parents and students working as a resource for daily questions, answers and assistance. Abraham’s goal is to become an expert aiding and counseling the younger generation through the complexities of college planning and life after college.

Alan has lectured extensively on the importance of developing effective social media strategies for college admissions and employment opportunities and published numerous pioneering articles on the topic. Alan’s work has been highlighted in The New York Times, Forbes, Business Insider, TeenVogue, The Huffington Post and other national publications. His company, Social Assurity LLC, delivers innovative social media strategies to high school and college students for help with college and graduate school admissions, scholarships, and employment opportunities. Prior to founding Social Assurity, Alan held several senior executive positions overseeing international, commercial, and technology law, compliance, human resources, and investigative corporate functions, Alan holds a BA in Communications from University at Albany and a JD from Albany Law School

Danielle LaCoste has been training and coaching young people for over 20 years, with the last 8 years focusing on college students. She holds a Master's Degree in Human Behavior and recently completed her Coaching Certification, which has allowed her to work more closely with families as they transition their student to college. Danielle has worked with the College Funding Academy for almost 8 years and is a valuable asset to my team. Her main focuses include anxiety and time management, depression and transitioning those students with 504 plans. She currently resides in California where she lives with her 5 year old twin girls.