Who We Are � Mosaic Admissions

Who We Are

Sarah Tierney founded Mosaic Admissions in 1999 to help high

school students and their parents navigate the complex college admissions process. She has over twenty years of experience in college admissions and higher education marketing. She was a member of the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Chicago Schools Committee for ten years, and has been a member of the Rocky Mountain Harvard Club’s Schools Committee since 2004.

As a Schools Committee member, Sarah interviews and assesses Harvard applicants, working closely with the Harvard Office of Admissions. She also evaluated student applications and made admissions recommendations for Northwestern University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Since 2001, Sarah has consulted to the admissions offices of colleges and universities such as the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia, helping them to develop their recruitment strategies and admissions materials.

Before she decided to focus exclusively on college admissions, Sarah served as an Account Executive with the global advertising agency Leo Burnett, and as an Operations Manager with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Later, she was a Senior Account Manager at Creative Communication of America and an Independent Marketing Consultant at Lipman Hearne, consulting firms that specialize in college marketing and recruitment.

Sarah graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College, where she majored in English and American Literature and Language, while concurrently enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music, studying bassoon performance. In 1995, she earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, concentrating in marketing, management strategy, and organizational behavior. She began her career as a professional bassoonist, and was one of six musicians in the United States to be named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts in 1984.

Mosaic Advisory Board

Mosaic Admissions’ Advisory Board is comprised of uniquely talented, dedicated professionals with extensive experience in college admissions, high school and graduate school counseling, higher education marketing, high school and college teaching, writing, the arts, and business development.

Judy Jones is a professional writer and researcher with extensive experience working in higher education communication. She is the co-author of An Incomplete Education, the bestselling “fill-in-your-educational-gaps” cultural literacy reference book, and is about to begin her new book about global cultures for Random House. Judy was the Associate Director of Development Communications for Princeton University, editing Princeton’s alumni newsletter, With One Accord. While working for Princeton, she also wrote the copy for the University of Pennsylvania’s award-winning recruitment materials. Judy began her career as a researcher at Esquire magazine, and was later promoted to Chief of Research, then Associate Editor. She also spent an interim year as an editor at GQ magazine. After leaving Esquire, Judy worked as a freelance writer for such prominent publications as Time, Inc., New York Magazine, Self, Redbook, Mademoiselle, and Woman’s World. She currently writes articles for MORE magazine. Judy graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Language and Literature, and studied abroad during her junior year at the Sorbonne, L’Institut de Sciences Politiques, and Reid Hall. She lives in Denver with her daughter.

Anna Kuwabara brings over twenty years of experience in higher education and non-profit general management to Mosaic Admissions. Currently an Assistant Director of MBA Career & Professional Development at Harvard Business School, Anna’s expertise lies in providing career education and guidance to current business school students. Previously, Anna was the Executive Vice President of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While at Longy, she oversaw the growth in the organization’s net asset position from $7.4 to $15.6 million, and directed the school’s strategic planning, human resources, and facilities development. Prior to her tenure at Longy, Anna was the Director of Operations for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, facilitating stage operations for the Symphony Center season, supervising the stage and house management workforce, and coordinating logistics for the orchestra’s domestic and international touring. She began her career in arts management when she was named an Orchestra Management Fellow with the League of American Orchestras. Anna graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, and received her Master of Business Administration degree from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an alumna of the Boston Center for Community and Justice LeadBoston Class of 2006, and is an elected trustee of the Watertown, Massachusetts Public Library. She lives in Watertown with her husband, Craig.

Vanessa Moss has been a senior executive with the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the past twenty-five years. Currently the Vice President for Orchestra and Building Operations, she is an expert in negotiations, facility management, concert and tour production, long range planning and fundraising. Vanessa began her career in arts management when she was named an Orchestra Management Fellow with the League of American Orchestras. She is an active educator in the Chicago community, having taught classes on orchestra and media management and negotiations at Roosevelt University and Columbia College in Chicago. In January 2010, she began teaching a course in live performance presentation at Columbia College. Vanessa graduated cum laude from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in music and with a minor in economics. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree in the Executive Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where she graduated as Valedictorian. Vanessa lives in Chicago with her young daughter and flat-coated retriever, Ollie.

Anthony Priest brings a unique perspective to Mosaic Admissions which stems from his diverse career in public education, education advocacy, real estate development, and technology. Currently a high school math teacher in the Washington, D.C. public school system, Anthony knows how high school students think, and how to motivate them to succeed. Before transitioning to a career in the classroom, Anthony spent nine years as a commercial real estate developer. Prior to that, he was the Director of High Performance Management at the National Center on Education and the Economy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing U.S. schools and their teachers with the tools and training they need to lead the world in education. He began his career at NCR, where he worked as a manufacturing engineer. Anthony graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. Anthony lives in Washington, D.C., where he is extremely active in the community. He has served on the Board of Trustees for Georgia Tech, as President of the Georgia Tech DC Club, and is a past-President of the River Place Board of Directors. In addition, Anthony is a Director for Viral Media Productions, an online marketing and multimedia communications firm. He has competed in several marathons and triathlons, and is currently Chairman of the Harvard Business School Club of Washington, D.C.

Andrea Ross is a published author with over twenty years of experience in arts administration and zoo management. She began her career when she was named an Orchestra Management Fellow with the League of American Orchestras. After completing this prestigious internship, Andrea joined the staff of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and was quickly promoted to Operations Manager. As such, she was responsible for producing concerts, domestic and international tours for one of the world’s most esteemed symphony orchestras. Andrea transitioned from a career in the arts to the field of zoological conservation when she assumed the position of Assistant to the Director of the Chicago Zoological Society. In 1997, she wrote and published Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of the Brookfield Zoo, and has authored numerous other magazine articles and essays for the Encyclopedia of World Zoos. Currently, she is Assistant to the President Emeritus of the Chicago Zoological Society. Andrea earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in German Language and Literature from Northwestern University. She lives in Elmhurst, Illinois with her husband, Jim, and their son and daughter.

Ann Stern has over a decade of experience in arts management, college admissions and career counseling. Most recently, she worked as a College Counselor at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, where she helped high school students navigate the college application process. Ann began her career with the Ravinia Festival in Illinois, where she served as the Assistant to the Operations and Production Manager. She later worked in the Artistic Administration Department of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where she was the Personal Assistant to Music Director Daniel Barenboim. Ann also served as the Secretary to the General Manager and Assistant Director of Labor Relations with the Metropolitan Opera Association. After her tenure at the Met, she transitioned into the counseling field, working as a Career Counselor at Barnard College. Ann graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, and earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She also studied at the New School of Social Research in New York. Ann lives in Nashville with her husband Willy, and their son and daughter.

Patrick Tierney has over twenty years of widely diverse professional experience, ranging from putting bombs on target to growing small businesses. During the course of his career, he served as president or general manager of small units of larger companies such as Eaton, Danaher, CNH (formerly Case Corporation), and Berkshire Hathaway. Later, as operating partner for a small private equity fund in Denver, he worked with various middle market companies to drive strategic improvements in their businesses and build a legacy for their founders. Throughout his career he has worked in many business functions including business development, sales, marketing, product development, manufacturing, quality assurance and safety. Before entering the business world, Pat was a flight officer in the US Navy, flying the EA-6B Prowler from the USS Independence and USS Midway during Desert Storm. In addition to his travels with the Navy, his professional experiences have spanned the globe, and include assignments in France, Belgium, Germany, Japan, England and Monaco. Pat speaks fluent French and has studied French, Russian, German, Flemish and Japanese. He received his Bachelor of Science degree with merit from the United States Naval Academy, pursued graduate studies at the University of Paris on a Cox Fund Scholarship, and received his Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School. Pat lives in Castle Rock, Colorado with his wife, Sarah, and their two young sons.

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