Meet the College Counseling Team

Named director of College Counseling in 2017, Sara Kyle has been serving Blake students in the role of associate director of College Counseling since 2001. She joined Blake after working in the office of admission at her alma mater, St. Olaf College, where she served in a variety of roles, including director of admission. Sara is past president of the Minnesota Association of College Admissions Professionals (MACAC), and has led efforts in leadership development, membership and publicity for the regional organization. In 2008, Sara received the MACAC Distinguished Service Award recognizing her contributions to the organization. She is also active in regional and national advocacy work through the National Association of College Admissions Professionals (NACAC), and has been actively involved on several NACAC national committees including the Editorial Board and Admissions Practices Committee. Sara is currently serving on the Bryn Mawr President’s Advisory Council and the University of Minnesota Counselor Advisory and is a past member of the Pepperdine University Counselor Advisory Board. Sara is married with two daughters, both Blake graduates.

Jim Mahoney joined Blake in 2006 as a grade dean, and served in that role for ten years, acting as the lead advocate and administrator for 130 students during their four years of high school. He made the transition to college counseling in 2015, and leads the office's efforts in supporting recruited student-athletes, among other duties. He has presented at the ACCIS National Conference, and is a member of MACAC and NACAC. As a member of the English department, he has designed and taught courses including AP English, Creative Writing, and Comedy, and currently teaches junior literature electives. Before joining Blake, Jim served as senior associate director of admissions, humanities teacher, and head squash and tennis coach at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. He was previously an independent school faculty recruitment consultant at Carney, Sandoe and Associates. He is married with three children, two of whom graduated from Blake. A New Hampshire native and graduate of Dartmouth College, Mr. Mahoney maintains strong loyalty to New England sports teams, culture, and cuisine.

Nora Main has been serving students in the role of associate director of college counseling since 2017. She joined Blake after fifteen years working in the office of admission at Macalester College, her alma mater, where she served in a variety of roles including associate director of admissions. In May of 2022, Nora was elected as President-Elect to serve in the three-year presidential cycle of our Minnesota affiliate (MACAC) of the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC). She is the former co-chair of the MACAC Admissions Practices Committee, which proactively supports and promotes the ethical guidelines that undergird and safeguard our work with all students at the secondary and post-secondary levels.