Meet the Minds Behind College Success: Your College Counseling Dream Team
- Mar 6, 2025
- 5 min read
From seasoned advisors to fresh faces, the DCDS college counseling team brings a wealth of experience, insight and enthusiasm to every step of the college journey. Today, I am thrilled to shine a spotlight on our incredible team and to celebrate the addition of our newest member, whose perspective and energy will help us continue to inspire and support our students and families.
Josh Greenwald, Director
Mr. Greenwald is in his 17th year in the College Counseling Office, and has been Director since 2020. Prior to his time at DCDS, Mr. Greenwald was a Recruitment Coordinator at the University of Michigan, as well as Assistant Director of Admissions at Ohio University. He is a member of the Association of College Counselor in Independent Schools, the National Association for College Admissions Counseling, and has served on the Executive Board for the Michigan Association for College Admissions Counseling. Mr. Greenwald has been asked to join Counselor Advisory Boards at multiple institutions, and is a regular attendee at the Fitzwilliam Conference on Admission and The Prairie Conference. Josh lives in Birmingham with his wife, daughter, and mini schnauzer (Kenzie), and spends most of his fall and summer traveling the Midwest to watch softball.
Stacy Penkala, Associate Director
Mrs. Penkala is currently in her 29th year as the Associate Director of College Counseling and AP Coordinator at DCDS. Prior to that, she worked in Admissions at two colleges in Michigan. She is the former MACAC Treasurer and has served on and directed various MACAC and MACRAO committees. Mrs. Penkala was Chair of the Michigan ACT Council for three years. Helping students and families navigate the college selection process has been an absolute joy for her. Mrs. Penkala has been married to her husband Robert for 36 years, is proud mom to Lauren (DCDS 2009) and Lindsay (DCDS 2011), and is gloriously in love with her baby granddaughter, Tatum. Mrs. Penkala is looking forward to graduating with the Detroit Country Day School Class of 2025 and enjoying retirement with her growing family.
Judith Stahl, Associate Director
Judith Stahl joined the DCDS college counseling team in 2020. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a master’s degree, Judi is an active member of the Michigan Association for College Admission Counseling where she has held leadership roles including President and chaired numerous committees. She is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and serves on the Admission Practices Committee as well as contributing as a session proposal reviewer. Judi has been a seasonal application reader for Northeastern University for the past 4 years, has served on multiple college advisory boards, has instructed a course in higher education and is a current Slate Ambassador. Beyond DCDS, Judi and her husband have 3 grown children, 2 granddaughters and 2 golden retrievers.
Amanda Miller, Associate Director
Mrs. Miller is the newest member of the DCD College Counseling team, joining as an Associate Director. With 20 years of experience, she has explored this field from just about every angle. She has worked for institutions such as the Univ. of Michigan, NYU, and Cranbrook. Most recently, she developed and led the first ever college counseling curriculum at Brother Rice High School. She is a former Executive Board Member for MACAC and an active NACAC member. Outside of work, she's a proud “sports mom" enjoying the fast pace of her boys’ athletic schedules. Whether exploring new places, cheering from the sidelines, or even swimming in a shark cage (yes, that really happened!), she’s always ready for an adventure.
Andrew Callery, Assistant Director
Andrew Callery is an Assistant Director who has been with DCDS since 2022. Andrew completed his undergraduate studies at Villanova University and earned his Master's at the University of San Francisco. He got his start in College Counseling in the Bay Area, where he worked with hundreds of students at a private high school and also started seasonal work with the UC Berkeley Admissions Office as an application reader. He is a member of the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) and frequently attends conferences and college fly-in opportunities. Andrew loves to travel and has visited all 50 states (airports don't count) as well as 6 continents.
Annie Gordon Thomas, Assistant Director, Early Upper School Success
Annie is a 2006 graduate of DCDS. After attending the University of Michigan, she moved to Chicago to join Teach For America as a corps member and then staff member. Inspired by her love of the college experience, she earned a Master's Degree in Higher Education at Harvard University, and interned in the Office of Admission and Financial Aid at Harvard College. In 2018, Annie returned to Michigan and became the Director of Alumni Relations at DCDS. She joined the College Counseling Office in 2023 and focuses on supporting 9th and 10th-grade students and their families. Outside of DCDS, Annie has served as Vice President of the Founders Junior Council Board at the Detroit Institute of Arts and as a Board Member of NextGen Detroit. She lives in Birmingham with her husband, Sean, their son, Asher, and their Golden Retriever, Frankie.
Stephanie Fradeneck, Assistant Director of Application Management, Testing & Technology
Stephanie has been at DCDS for 10 years and is the Assistant Director of Application Management, Testing, and Technology. In other words, she coordinates the PSAT, PreACT and AP Exams, and manages all of College Counseling's online platforms. Stephanie received a BA from Wayne State University and a Masters degree in Learning Experience Design & Technology from Northeastern University. In addition to her role in College Counseling, Stephanie is a faculty advisor for the Upper School Community Service Club. During college, she served as an AmeriCorps member with City Year Detroit, which inspired her love for civic engagement and community service. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys all things musical theatre, and is a member of Stagecrafters Community Theatre in Royal Oak.
Julie Jackson, Administrative Assistant
Julie Jackson serves as an Administrative Assistant (currently 7 years) in the College Counseling Office, and is a Country Day parent of 3 children. Julie is the face of our office welcoming students and families so they feel supported throughout their educational journey. Julie holds a bachelor’s degree in Human Resources and transitioned to the world of education in 2018 to accommodate her children’s school schedule. To nurture professional growth at DCDS, she attended two conferences: the ISACS Annual Conference: Blazing a Trail to Learning 2 in Detroit during 2018 and the Fort Worth OAP through ACCIS in 2019. While maintaining 50 existing plants in the office, she became a Botany Club Advisor at DCDS, where she fosters a passion for plant science and environmental stewardship among students.
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