The Team

Our team has extensive experience in all aspects of college search, admissions, and student financial aid.

This experience has involved not just “hands on” work with students and parents, but also the development of proprietary tools and systems that have enabled our clients to attain the best college education with a minimum of financial stress.

Here are brief outlines of the experience and qualifications of our team members.

Todd E. Fothergill,
Founder of Strategies For College, Inc. and Managing Director…1990-2007
President, Managing Director 2007-present

Todd has over two decades of experience in admissions and financial aid, and is the co-developer of the College Decision Management System, and is the author of a nationally distributed college planning newsletter.

He is a faculty member of the Boston Tax Institute, a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, and featured speaker at the Northeast Conference for the National Association for Personal Financial Advisors

Todd has enjoyed an extensive career in higher education, including directorship of Postsecondary Programs at three Vermont High Schools, and college professorships at Towson University (MD) and Franklin & Marshall College (PA)….1978-1982.

Todd received his Masters Degree at Towson University and his Bachelors at the University of Vermont, and is a Prudential Fellow, CAS Rutgers University

Thomas J. McGrath,
President and Managing Director, Strategies for College 1998-2007 (Retired)
Special Consultant 2007-present)

Tom is the author of the Student Personal Assessment currently used by our clients. He also developed our company’s in-house college data base and search software as well as our financial assessment software. Tom is a co-developer of our College Decision Management System

Prior to joining forces with Strategies for College, Tom managed his own private educational consulting firm (1990-98), and advised families in more than a dozen states.

Until retirement, Tom was a faculty member of the Boston Tax Institute (1998-2005), and was also a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (1996 – 2007).

Tom is a Registered Professional Engineer, and received his Masters Degree (plus a two–year Fellows Program) from the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelors degree at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Howard Verman, Director,
Strategies for College, Shelburne, Vermont

Howard has been an educator for the past 35 years. He spent the first 11 years of his career teaching in the classroom as a multi-age teacher K-8, then as a 1-2 teacher and finally as a reading teacher.

Howard was a consultant for twelve years to the U.S. Department of Education, working with Vermont schools and the Vermont Department of Education to bring nationally acclaimed, innovative programs to the state. He became a certified trainer for several programs, training educators and promoting educational change throughout the country.

He was the Director of the Vermont Center for School and Professional Development, and then an elementary school principal for 7 years.

Working with Strategies For College, Howard has traveled extensively throughout the country, visiting over 40 colleges and gathering data to support his clients in the college search and admissions process. Howard is based in Shelburne, Vermont, and has worked with students and their families in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Montreal. His practical experience in the college admissions field extends to his own family, guiding his two sons Stephen, (Connecticut College ’04), and William, (Kenyon College ’09) through the process.

Howard is a member of the Higher Education Counseling Association, and a graduate of the Snelling Educational Leadership Program. He is an active community member, and is on the Board of Directors of KidSafe, a United Way agency, dedicated to improving our community’s response to child abuse and neglect. He is also a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Board of the Vermont Department of Children and Families, and the Charlotte, Vermont Conservation Commission.

Howard is a graduate of Middlebury College and received his Masters Degree in Education from the University of Vermont.

Todd C. Weaver, Director
Strategies For College, Inc., Canton, Massachusetts

Todd has been involved in counseling students and families on financial aid since 1995.

Prior to joining Strategies For College, he spent over ten years in the corporate world, specializing in building client relationships, dispute resolution, sales training, and financial analysis.

In order to build his direct experience, Todd traveled through some 38 states visiting dozens of colleges and universities. The result is that he possesses a great store of first hand knowledge regarding the tremendous variety of academic, social, financial, and geographically diverse schools, available to students throughout the United States.

These travels added to the already extensive knowledge and practical experience gained while working in the financial aid office of Northeastern University, dealing with undergraduate financial aid and scholarships as well as athletic scholarships.

Todd is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association. In his community, he is a member of the Canton Lions Club, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Blue Hills Civic Association (Scholarship Committee).

He is a graduate of Vanderbilt University, and earned his Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University.