The Experts

Sue Luse

Educational Consultant | Owner

Perhaps you’ve heard her warm, assured voice on WCCO radio or seen her appear on KARE TV? Or maybe, you’ve read her words of wisdom in Consumer Digest Report? Sue Luse founded College Expert to guide students, and their sometimes-frazzled parents, through the nuances of the college admissions process. A Certified Educational Consultant, Sue is a bit of a trailblazer. For years, she served the Twin Cities’ south metro community as a high school guidance counselor. Read more about Sue.

Ryan Luse

Educational Consultant | Co-Owner

(612) 695-6285

Ryan Luse is an Independent Educational Consultant and co-owner of College Expert in Minnesota. Ryan attained his undergraduate degree at Emerson College in Boston and received his certificate in college counseling through UCLA and trained through IECA’s Summer Institute at Swarthmore. He has a background in education, performing arts, writing and technology. His own college experience was a profound time in his life that has resonated with him to this day to find the right fit for his students. Read more about Ryan.

Katie Hanson

Educational Consultant | Essay Expert

(847) 863-3962

Katie has spent her professional career supporting students as they dream big about their futures. After earning her B.A. from St. Olaf College in English and Media Studies, she entered the college admissions field as an AmeriCorps fellow with College Possible, a local nonprofit. It was there that Katie learned the ins and outs of college advising as she guided local high school students through the college application and enrollment process. She is currently a Career and College Center Coordinator at South High School in Minneapolis.

In addition to college advising, Katie has taught ACT classes through the Princeton Review and has sat on local and national scholarship committees; however, her main passion is working with students one on one to concoct their dream plan. Every person’s college journey is unique, and so is their planning process. Katie loves getting to know young people, talking with them about what they want their life to look like, and helping them put together a plan to get there.

Michelle Anderson

Educational Consultant | Essay Expert

(319) 404-9099

Michelle has been on the College Expert team since 2016, first as an essay expert, and more recently, as an education consultant.

Michelle earned her B.A. from St. Olaf College in Sociology/Anthropology and M.A. in Education Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. During Michelle’s career, her work has centered on supporting students to achieve their goals. Previously, Michelle was an AmeriCorps fellow through a non-profit, College Possible, and has worked in financial aid and career services at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Currently, Michelle works for the College of Science and Engineering (CSE) at the University of Minnesota.

At College Expert, Michelle delights in helping students craft their life stories into applications and writing pieces that reflect students’ unique selves. She believes that the college search and application process can be enlightening for students to reflect on their values and goals as they prepare to take off on life’s next chapter.

Aleece Helland

Essay Expert

Aleece Helland comes to College Expert with 10+ years of experience in admissions and higher education. She is currently the Associate Director of Admissions at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. Prior to that role, she worked for two years in the admissions office at the University of St. Thomas, most recently as the Enrollment Services Communications Manager. Previously she served for five years as Assistant Dean of Admissions at St. Olaf College.

Aleece earned her M.A. in higher education from the University of Denver and her B.A. in English from St. Olaf College. Although she grew up in the Chicago suburbs, she is happy to call Minneapolis home.

Barb Buchholz

Essay Expert

Barb Buchholz has been an Essay Expert with College Expert since 2017. For more than 25 years she worked in corporate communications, most recently as a freelance writer, editor and consultant, and she loves watching students develop an appreciation for their unique strengths and life experiences while writing their essays.

Barb has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Communication degree from the University of St. Thomas. She also is a board member, communications consultant and volunteer for Saving Grace Village, a nonprofit weekend retreat for adolescent girls. She lives in Lakeville with her husband and, in addition to having worked with 100+ College Expert students, understands the challenges of this journey from a parent’s perspective. Her son, a business major, navigated college during Covid and now works in the fintech industry.

Heather Lyons

Essay Expert

Heather Lyons is first and foremost a mother of three beautiful children. She is also an English Language Arts and English as a Second Language teacher at Minneapolis South High School. She joined the College Expert team in 2009 and loves working with students in her role as an Essay Expert and co-leader of the summer essay writing workshops and Jam Sessions. When asked to write this bio, she responded, “Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit…I will be brief.” (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

Isaac Eng

Essay Expert

Isaac grew up in Minnesota (a Sue Luse kid himself!) and graduated from Hopkins High School in 2018. He then went on to earn two B.A.’s from Brown University, one in English and the other in History. Isaac loves working with young people and helping students develop their voice and tell their stories to admissions boards across the country! He currently works as an English teacher in Seattle, WA, and plans to attend law school starting in the fall of 2025.

Katie Hanson

Educational Consultant | Essay Expert

Kris Olson

Essay Expert

Kris Olson has been an Essay Expert with College Experts since 2013 and is an IECA Certified associate member of the organization. She looks forward to working with juniors and seniors each year because of their excitement and enthusiasm for the future. Although Kris focuses mostly on the essay portion of applications, she also helps with all other aspects of the college application process. “The best part, for me, is seeing students find their individual voices while crafting an essay only they could write from their own unique experiences.”

Beyond college choices in the US, Kris has a special interest in the many and varied international college options that are available to our students. “For the right student, attending an international university in the UK, Ireland, Austria, France or Netherlands (among others) can be not only life-changing, but also more focused and even more affordable than colleges in the US.”

Kris graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, with a B.A. in journalism, and has worked in a variety of writing and editing positions for more than 30 years. She has two children, both attended college in the US, and graduate schools in the UK and Australia respectively. She lives in Excelsior with her husband Greg, and travels as often as possible.

Maggie Kase

Essay Expert

Maggie joined the College Expert team in 2022 as an Essay Expert. She fully embraced the college search, visiting and applying to a large number of elite academic institutions before electing to attend DePauw University to pursue a degree in English Writing. The intense college application process and essay writing is still a vivid memory!

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Maggie now lives in Apple Valley with her husband and two children. She also works as the Marketing Director for a Wealth Management firm. Maggie enjoys watching football games, reading, and actively volunteering at her children’s schools. She is looking forward to guiding students through their essay process and acceptance into their college of choice.

Margaet Duden

Essay Expert

Margaret’s 20+ year career has centered around writing, editing, and education. She has worked for Stanford University, the University of Maryland College Park, Georgetown University, and Twin Cities Public Television, and she is the author of seven decodable story books for beginning readers. At TPT, Margaret helped produce DragonflyTV and SciGirls. Margaret currently keeps busy as an English and test prep tutor. Margaret graduated first in her class from South High School in Minneapolis and holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Stanford University. Her academic interests include sustainable agriculture, moral philosophy, social theory, and intellectual history. In her free time, she enjoys learning new things and practicing yoga. Margaret is an Associate Member of IECA.

Michelle Anderson

Educational Consultant | Essay Expert

(319) 404-9099

Michelle has been on the College Expert team since 2016, first as an essay expert, and more recently, as an education consultant.

Jean Bolig

Office Manager Extraordinaire

(651) 274-8508

Jean has been College Expert’s Office Manager since 2012 and she is the official College Expert Dogs sitter. While she thoroughly enjoyed helping her three daughters find ideal college fits, she wishes she had known about College Expert’s services at the time. Jean’s penchant for structure, organization and making sure processes run smoothly is a good fit for the dynamics of College Expert. She has vast experience in a variety of administrative and educational roles, including substitute teaching and working with youth at the St. Paul Police Department. Jean holds a Criminal Justice Management degree. Jean enjoys baking, cooking, boating, and reading, but more than anything she enjoys planning outings and spending time with friends & family – especially her grandchildren!