Meet the Team

Chris Teare joined W+H after decades as an independent school college counselor and more recent experience in college admissions.  For 40 years, he has worked with families in excellent schools in Philadelphia, Brussels, Brooklyn, Massachusetts, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands.  In college admissions, he recruited students for Drew University.  Also trained in journalism, Chris has worked in broadcasting and written for a variety of publications, most recently contributing to Forbes.com.

Chris was on the founding executive committee for the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS), is a member of that organization, as well as of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC). He is the only college counselor on both the Fiske College Guide Editorial Advisory Group and the Princeton Review National College Counselor Advisory Board.

Alayne Birnhak joined the W+H community in July 2022 as Associate Director of College Counseling. Ms. Birnhak earned her Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University, a Juris Doctor degree from Rutgers University School of Law, a Master’s degree in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College of Columbia University, and a Master’s degree in Jewish Studies from Gratz College in Pennsylvania. She has also earned certificates in college admission advising from Teachers College of Columbia University and from Harvard Summer Institute. Ms. Birnhak served as Director of Recruitment and Admissions for The Jewish Theological Seminary and Associate Director of Graduate Admissions for Bank Street College of Education. She then provided career counseling through OneTRUEzone Foundation and college counseling through her position at the highly-regarded Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls in Teaneck, NJ.

Rande Brown joined the W+H Community part-time in 2013 as a substitute teacher, an early care supervisor and the Summer Programs Assistant and later became the full-time Front Desk Receptionist in 2016, before becoming the College Counseling Administrative Assistant & Registrar in 2021.  

Having recently gone through the college admission process with her own children, Zachary ‘20 and Olivia ’21,  Mrs. Brown looks forward to interacting with Upper School Students and assisting them in their exciting college process.