About Us:

Educators with more than 30 years of combined school admission experience, Metropolitan Education Consulting Group is uniquely qualified to assist our family of clients in selecting the "right fit" for pre-kindergarten through high school students.

MEC Group consultants possess knowledge as school admission directors, diversity coordinators, classroom teachers, parent advocates, non-profit development, and administrators. Utilizing knowledge garnered from these experiences, we assist our clients with the admission process which includes the application materials, school visits, interviews, and other activities related to the admission process.

The MEC Group team draws upon their combined experiences as parents and educators in private, public, and parochial schools to assure that school success is predicated on the "right fit."  The "right fit' is a place where each parent and student feels comfortable about the educational environment from both academic and social perspectives.  We believe that when placed in the proper environment, a student will grow and mature at his or her own pace building self-confidence in moving forward to the next academic level - ultimately becoming a good citizen and positive contributor to our society. 

Theodra Washington, former Associate Director of Lower and Middle School Admission at Sidwell Friends School, earned a BS from Florida A&M University, has over fifteen years experience working with the independent school admission process.  With over twenty years of educational experience working with public and private school students in grades pre-kindergarten through high school, Theodra's roles have ranged from  school-wide diversity coordinator, physical education teacher and athletic department head, varsity volleyball coach, health instructor, NAACP parent representative and parent advocate.  Theodra has also worked in schools with special needs students, nonprofit organizations offering and promoting student involvement in summer and after-school academic and social enrichment programs for underprivileged children.

Julie Lewis, former director of admission at Sheridan School earned a M.Ed. from Georgia State University and B.A. from Spelman College. She is a passionate educator with over 25 years of experience spanning assignments in teaching, independent school admissions, process improvement, training services initiatives and assisting in forging new relationships through the development of partner channels to grow enrollment. She has worked in multiple independent school environments including urban, suburban, large, small, coed, single-sex and boarding schools. Julie is also a contributing member to various organizations whose missions are to improve the lives of low to middle income students and their families.

Andrea H. Rifkind, recently joined MEC Group, LLC as Associate. Previously, Ms. Rifkind worked for J Hursey Consulting, developing individualized education and behavior plans for home and school. In addition, she handled client intake and provided case management. She also served as Associate Director of a non-profit educational institute, where she was responsible for educational programming and participant selection. A resident of the Washington area for twenty years, she has held leadership positions at local schools and organizations. Ms. Rifkind graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Emory University and completed fellowships in leadership development and public policy. She and her husband have two children, ages 10 and 12.