Pioneer Academics 3rd Annual Co-Curricular Summit

Frank Bruni is a renowned journalist, author, and professor who has worked for The New York Times for 25 years. In June 2021, he joined the faculty of Duke University, where he teaches journalism and public policy. He is also the author of several other books, including Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, about the college admissions frenzy.

Dr. Goluboff's work focuses on emotion in a variety of geographical and historical contexts. Mourning and grief in Azerbaijan, hooking up on college campuses, and attachment to home place in Antebellum Virginia — She views emotion as stories — narratives told about self and society, as well as a discourse about interpersonal connections.

Bruce G. Hammond, Vice Principal, came to China in 2008 and was among the first Americans to work as a college counselors in a Chinese public school. He served as Foreign Vice Principal and Director of College Counseling at Tsinghua University High School in Beijing, where he helped to found Tsinghua International School. Prior to coming to China, Bruce was a teacher and administrator in U.S. independent private schools. He was Managing Editor of the Fiske Guide to Colleges and is co-author of four books in the Fiske series.

Assistant Vice President, Director of Admissions

Significant experience in undergraduate recruitment, program management and higher education administration. Additional experience with international admissions, budget oversight, hiring, human resources, financial aid policy, strategic planning and change management.

Chris began his current role as the Director of College Counseling at Moorestown Friends School this past summer after 8 years as the Associate Director of College Counseling at Malvern Preparatory School. Prior to Malvern, he served as a college counselor at Salesianum School in Wilmington, DE and as a Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Lafayette College. In addition to his counseling roles, Chris has taught courses on public speaking and social entrepreneurship and coached freshman baseball as well as Lafayette’s NCAA softball team. He is also an adjunct faculty member of Villanova University’s College Counseling Certificate Program.

Greg Manne, Senior Manager of Selection and Global Outreach for Rise, oversees the design and execution of the recruitment process for Global Winners and engages with global partners to uphold selection standards. With a background in admissions at Dartmouth and Tufts, he has deep expertise in international admissions and outreach, having also served on related committees and worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Spain. Greg is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

Dr. Susan Corwith is the director of the Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University and an assistant professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. Dr. Corwith’s expertise is in the fields of gifted education and talent development, with an emphasis on the design, development, and evaluation of academic enrichment and acceleration programs. She has written extensively about high-quality, inclusive programs and services that foster talent development and authored numerous articles and chapters on gifted programming standards, academic acceleration, and assessment and identification. 

Brian Cooper, Director of Research & Development at Pioneer Academics, has extensive experience in gifted education. He spent 25 years at Duke University's Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), creating programs for talented students worldwide. He's also an award-winning AP English teacher with a focus on engaging students in meaningful learning experiences. Cooper holds degrees in English and Secondary English Education and enjoys reading, theology, and disc golf in his spare time.

Michael Parkin, Erwin N. Griswold Professor of Politics, researches the interplay between political candidates, media, and U.S. voters, with a focus on how candidates utilize new media like the internet and entertainment TV, impacting voter behavior. His work has been published in top political science journals, and he teaches courses covering American politics, political psychology, media's role in politics, campaigns, and quantitative research methods. Additionally, he collaborates with high-achieving international high school students on advanced research projects in American media and politics through Oberlin's partnership with Pioneer Academics.

Kelly holds a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in East Asian studies from the University of Chicago. In college, she excelled in British Parliamentary debate and achieved regional and national recognition. Kelly's strong non-profit background includes work with Shakti, aiding domestic violence survivors in India, and internships at the African Peacebuilding Network, where she managed outreach and social media for program development and growth.