Meet Our Team

KATHIE CARNAHAN, Founding Partner, Certified Educational Planner (C.E.P.)

For over three decades, Kathie Carnahan has been a respected leader in the field of educational consulting, guiding students from all walks of life through college, boarding school, transfer, and graduate admissions. As the founder of Louisiana’s longest continuously running educational consultancy—established in New Orleans in the early 1990s when she was the only fish in the proverbial pond—Kathie has shaped the field not just regionally, but globally.

Kathie is a Certified Educational Planner (C.E.P.), one of the profession’s most rigorous and respected credentials, and was the very first admissions expert to receive the C.E.P. designation in the New Orleans metropolitan area. She has personally visited hundreds of institutions worldwide and advised on thousands of applications. Her practice, once local, now supports families around the globe, thanks to a growing team of seven specialized consultants and a reputation that precedes her.

A recipient of the 2024 Mentorship Excellence Award by the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), Kathie has long been a trusted voice among peers and institutions alike. She has served as a Commissioner for the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP), Board Member for IECA, Counselor Advisory Board Member for multiple institutions, and seasonal application reader. In addition to speaking regularly at national and regional conferences, Kathie is a published author on admissions-related topics, and has been hired by major organizations to provide expert guidance to their employees as part of corporate educational benefits programs.

What truly distinguishes Kathie is her warm, collaborative spirit. She brings calm and clarity to one of the most stressful chapters in a family’s life, and remains as approachable as she is experienced. Whether supporting first-time college applicants or seasoned graduate students, Kathie’s counsel is rooted in wisdom, humility, and genuine care.

Kathie earned her College Counseling Certificate with distinction from University of California – Los Angeles in the early 2000s. She is a professional member of: American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP), Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC), and Small Boarding School Association (SBSA).

Kathie enjoys all international travel, walking 5-6 miles each day, listening to Mozart, and she is an avid history buff. Kathie is currently preparing to hike a route of the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain.