Meet the College Counseling Team

Kate Boyle Ramsdell’s college counseling career spans more than two decades. In addition to directing the office, she advises students, supports strategic planning efforts around student well-being, serves on the upper school admission committee, and teaches personal development. She joined the Nobles community as a teaching fellow in the admission and English departments in 1998. Her roles have included interim dean of students, dorm parent, English teacher, coach, and Class I dean. During her sabbatical in 2010, Ms. Boyle Ramsdell worked in the college office at the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has also served on the board of trustees for a Boston-area independent school and as the President of the Williams College Society of Alumni. Kate earned her bachelor’s degree from Williams College and her master’s degree from Tufts University; she also studied as a fellow at Columbia’s Klingenstein Summer Institute. An avid road-tripper who aims to tour all 50 flagship state universities, she has visited almost two dozen so far.

A veteran college counselor and educator, Meghan Hamilton has been at Nobles since 2005. In addition to working in the college office for nearly 20 years and serving as an advisor, Ms. Hamilton’s roles have also included associate dean of students, Class I dean, history teacher, admission officer, dorm parent, and coach of the girls varsity soccer and lacrosse teams. She spearheads the office’s gap year programming, including coordinating the annual USA Gap Year Fair, which draws dozens of programs and hundreds of interested students to campus each January. Ms. Hamilton earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a Master’s in Education from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education. She also studied as a summer fellow at Columbia University’s Klingenstein Institute. A two sport athlete in college, Meghan traded in her cleats for long hikes with her puppy, container gardening, and coaching youth soccer. She also spends lots of time in ice hockey rinks around New England cheering on her two sons despite the fact that she herself cannot skate. 

Kimya Charles began at Nobles in 2010 as the assistant director of diversity initiatives and joined the college office in 2012. She is responsible for the smooth operation of the office and serves as the primary communications liaison to families. Ms. Charles also coordinates on-campus standardized testing. Outside the office, she coaches girls varsity volleyball, teaches personal development, and serves on the upper school admission committee. Ms. Charles has also led numerous Nobles EXCEL trips to South Africa. Before Nobles, she worked in college admission at Amherst College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, and at The Steppingstone Foundation in Boston. Ms. Charles holds Master of Education degrees in human development and psychology from Harvard University, and in school counseling from Boston University. In her down time, Ms. Charles makes it her mission to complete the New York Times crossword puzzle every day; her longest streak stands at over 720 consecutive days.

For nearly 20 years, Nora Dowley-Liebowitz has dedicated her career to supporting students and their families through the college process. Ms. D-L first served as dean of college advising and alumni support at Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester, Mass. In 2010 she earned the “Counselor Who Changes Lives Award” by the national nonprofit, Colleges That Change Lives, in recognition of her passion for creating access. Ms. D-L joined the Nobles community in 2013 as executive director of the Achieve program, an organization that supports motivated Boston Public School students from middle school through college. In 2020, she transitioned full-time to the Nobles College Counseling Office. At Nobles, Ms. D-L has also taught history and personal development. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Outside of her time at Nobles, Nora is most often listening to Broadway music (she hosted a radio show dedicated to Broadway music in college) and watching college basketball (no team matters more to her than the Providence Friars).

A graduate of Nobles, Chris Pratt returned in 2015 as a mathematics teacher, admission officer, assistant boys varsity soccer and ski coach, and EXCEL program trip leader. After four years at Nobles, he headed to Wesleyan University, where he earned a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in social sciences while serving as the men’s varsity soccer assistant coach. During his tenure at Wesleyan, Mr. Pratt coordinated the team’s recruiting strategies and created a more streamlined process for prospective student-athletes. Since returning to Nobles in 2021, he has supported a broad range of students through the college process, including guiding Nobles through the evolving NCAA Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) landscape. Mr. Pratt is also the assistant coach of boys varsity soccer and head coach of girls varsity tennis. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematical sciences from Colby College. A captain of the 2013 Colby soccer team, Chris played for the same college coach as his father, Elliott Pratt, ’76.

Madeleine “Maddie” Ryan, Ed.D., has worked in college admission for several higher education institutions over the last 10 seasons. Dr. Ryan’s roles have included recruiting and counseling students from 32 states as well as U.S. citizens and permanent residents living overseas. She began her career in education working for the office of undergraduate admission at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Most recently, Dr. Ryan worked for Emerson College in Boston, where she led a team focused on multicultural student recruitment and on improving college access and equity within the admissions process. Previously, Dr. Ryan worked for West Virginia University.  A native of Massachusetts, Madeleine grew up in Arlington and earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and french from Smith College. She later completed her master’s in social work at the University of Michigan and earned her doctorate in education from Northeastern University. Outside of work, Dr. Ryan can be found playing with her two-year-old daughter, enjoying the arts, playing basketball, and finding new brunch spots around the city.

Peter Boskey comes to Nobles with a decade of experience as a teacher and coach at an independent school. Beginning in the classroom as an art teacher, Mr. Boskey expanded their teaching practice to include foundational computer science and advanced level art and design history. They served as department chair as well as interim director of diversity, equity and inclusion. Mr. Boskey began their role as an assistant director of college counseling during the pandemic, learning quickly to adjust to an ever-changing college admission landscape. Always seeking opportunities to grow, Mr. Boskey has attended the NAIS People of Color Conference where they co-presented in 2020, the AISNE Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Conference, and completed an equity and inclusion masterclass. A volleyball player and avid fan of D1 volleyball, Mr. Boskey will also serve as the head coach of the girls varsity volleyball team. Mr. Boskey is an independent school graduate. They earned a bachelor’s degree with the highest honors from Syracuse University and a master’s degree from Lesley University. They live in the South End with their husband and two dogs.