Anna Pless Peel

Director of College Counseling

Anna developed a love for college counseling when she began the process herself in high school. A native of Atlanta, she was a member of the first graduating class at Atlanta Girls’ School. Anna graduated from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in Counseling and Studio Art. Following graduation, she taught English and History at Schloss Neubeuern, a boarding school near Munich, Germany. When she returned to the United States, Anna worked in admissions for her alma mater before moving to New York, where she built a college counseling program from the ground up at a math and science high school in Brooklyn, serving more than 400 students each year.

Anna returned to her hometown and joined The New School in 2019. She holds a Certificate in College Advising from Teachers College, Columbia University, and an M.S. in School Counseling and Clinical Mental Health from Mercer University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC), where she is Government Relations Co-Chair. She is also an inaugural member of Georgians for College Affordability, advocating for increased access to need-based financial aid in Georgia.

Anna loves meeting with students one-on-one, helping them discover their strengths and interests, and finding colleges that are the best fit for them. Her bread and butter is identifying funding opportunities specific to each student’s college list. She also loves visiting college campuses and discovering what makes each one unique.

In her free time, Anna and her husband enjoy traveling, hiking, and spending time outdoors with their three children.