Meet the Consultants

Valerie Broughton, Founder and Co-Owner of College Connectors, has been an independent educational consultant since 2000.

Prior to establishing College Connectors, Valerie worked for over 25 years in higher education including over 8 years as an Associate Vice Chancellor at University of Minnesota, Duluth. She has been a pioneer in college planning consulting in Minnesota and is currently training new educational consultants through her courses for the University of California, Irvine.

Valerie started College Connectors to help all students and families enjoy the process of selecting a college that will foster a successful transition to a career and adulthood.

Ph.D. in Research and Evaluation from Iowa State University
First educational consultant in Minnesota to earn the designation of Certified Educational Planner
Instructor of Continuing Education, University of California, Irvine
Institute for Educational Management, Harvard University
Professional Memberships:
Frequent guest expert on KARE 11, NBC’s Minneapolis affiliate
Frequent presenter at workshops in high schools and businesses across the Twin Cities

Donna Kelly, Co-Owner and Partner in College Connectors, has been an independent educational consultant since 2005.

Prior to 2005, Donna worked for 20 years in higher education and in career development/human resource management. Donna uses her background in counseling and career development to make the college search process into one of self-discovery. With her guidance, the outcome is a strong match between the student and the educational environment.

Masters degree in Counseling from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College; first generation college student
13 + years of higher education work experience at Macalester College, Metropolitan State University, and Yale University
Interim College Counselor at Minneapolis area private high school
Professional Memberships:
- Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA)
- National Career Development Association (NCDA)
Frequent presenter at workshops in high schools and businesses across the Twin Cities
Mom to two college graduates, each finishing in 4 years!

Kate Malczewski is an Independent Educational Consultant at College Connectors.

Kate has worked in student services in higher education for over 10 years. She worked as an Assistant Director of Admission at Cornell College and advanced her professional development by becoming an active member in the Iowa Association for College Admissions Counseling. Working as an Academic Advisor at Capella University, Kate has empowered students to achieve their goals by creating individual success plans.

Kate’s passion for working with students started while she was a student employee in the admissions office, and has persisted throughout her entire career. She believes that post- secondary education is a critical and achievable pursuit for tomorrow’s leaders. Kate has the ability and knowledge to excite and inspire students to become active participants in their college search process.

MBA from Capella University
Bachelor's degree in International Business and French from Simpson College in Indianola, IA
Former President of Iowa Association for College Admissions Counseling
Frequent presenter at workshops in high schools and businesses across the Twin Cities
First-generation college graduate
Small business owner
Associate member of Independent Educational Consultants Association
Member of Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling