Hamilton Gregg

Senior Educational Consultant

Since 1986, Hamilton has worked in a variety of schools in varying capacities. Having attended St. Mark’s School, a boarding School in Massachusetts, he is very familiar with boarding school life. After receiving his master degree in education from Harvard University, he has worked in three boarding schools – The Thacher School in California, The Oregon Episcopal School, Portland and the Leysin American School in Switzerland. He has also worked at international schools in Japan and South Korea, as well as the International School of Beijing as well as Harrow International School in China. Hamilton’s primary focus has been on college and university admission to institutions in the US, UK, Canada and other countries. With his experience in boarding schools in the US and overseas, Hamilton also works with families interested in exploring options for boarding school whether Junior and/or High School.

Deeply involved in college counseling, Hamilton is a long-standing member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the International Association for College Admission Counseling (IACAC). He has served on the Current Trends and Future Issues Committee at of NACAC and as President of IACAC for two consecutive terms.

Hamilton is a Professional Member of the Independent Education Consultants Association (IECA) and he currently sits on the Board of IECA. Hamilton is bound by a strict code of ethical procedures and practices. This year, Hamilton became an associate member of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS).

Ray Diffley

Director of Character Development
Senior Educational Consultant

Ray began his tenure at Choate Rosemary Hall after graduating from Bowdoin College in 1991 and gaining experience in the business world. At Choate he had a distinguished 23-year career, all in admission and enrollment management. His travels across the world as an admission representative have given him a depth of perspective on education that he cherishes. He also served in multiple roles on Choate’s campus including coaching, dorm advising and several committees from curriculum to residential life. He spent the last 12 years at Choate as Director of Admission and Financial Aid. In Spring 2016 he was honored to win Choate’s Johannes Van Straalen award for distinguished teaching, given by the Choate student council.



In 2004, Ray completed his Master’s degree at Wesleyan University, where he furthered his knowledge in human (or applicant) assessment through his study of psychology and assessment tools, including Dr. Robert Sternberg’s “Successful Intelligence.” Along the way, he gained national recognition for his work in assessment and innovative practices, giving presentations around the country as well as internationally. In 2014 he was honored with The Enrollment Management Association’s Bretnall Award for significant contributions to the admission field.

Ray has served as Chair of The Enrollment Management Association’s (EMA) Think Tank on the Future of Assessment and Co-Chair of the development of the Character Skills Assessment while implementing unique assessments in the Choate admission process that sought to go beyond GPA and test scores. Ray’s admission passions led him to a seat on the Board of Trustees of the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP) where he pursued raising the bar on all aspects of the role of an admission professional. In July 2016, Ray formalized his role with AISAP and served as Director of AISAP’s Center for Admission and Enrollment Management Leadership, while also working with families advising and consulting on their preparation and journey to school. In 2016, Ray also helped launch and support the Character Collaborative where he now serves on the Board. In Spring 2019, Ray launched The RD3 Education and Advising Center to serve families, schools and educational partners. With his strong belief that "partnership if the new leadership"  RD3 remains connected to partners who are highly committed to student growth while serving families and schools.

Patricia O’Keefe

Senior Admission Consultant
Chair of Global Committee at IECA

Patricia O’Keefe is a native Californian who advises select Chinese and Japanese families on the American collegiate admissions process.  Patricia has worked in education for over 13 years and is a member of IECA, NAFSA & TABS.  After graduating from the University of Southern California (USC) with an MBA, Patricia was selected by the Dean of Admissions and Vice Provost of International Affairs to run the USC Global Office Japan.

In Japan and Korea, Patricia was in charge of USC recruiting efforts, as well as alumni, corporate and government relations.  Patricia also worked with the USC Global Executive MBA program in Hong Kong and China.  For nearly 20 years Patricia worked in Asia and has traveled to over 52 countries throughout the world.

Prior to USC and working in education, Patricia worked for the Walt Disney Co. in both Japan and the United States translating documents from Japanese to English.

Patricia has a passion for foreign languages.  She studied Japanese language and culture at Keio University, Japan in 1994 and passed the highest Japanese Language proficiency exam, (JLPT Level 1) administered by the Japanese Ministry of Education in 2009.

She studied Mandarin Chinese for two years at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and passed HSK level 5 in 2012.  She also studied French at La Sorbonne University in Paris in 2001 just for fun.

Patricia received her MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business in 2002. She received her undergraduate degree in political science from UCLA in 1989.

Patricia understands that international students are a vital intellectual and creative addition to American universities.   She understands the vast challenges that foreign students face while studying in America and she vigilantly prepares students accordingly.

Anneke A. Skidmore

Senior Educational Consultant

Anneke has devoted her career to boarding school admissions and extended program development. She began her career working with international students at Wilbraham and Monson Academy. Since then, she has worked extensively with both domestic and international markets for the purposes of student recruitment for ten years.

Anneke has worked in schools in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the South, providing her with a breadth of knowledge about the variety of boarding school options for students. Included on that list are the following: Oldfields School - an all girls’ school, just north of Baltimore in Maryland; The Perkiomen School - a co-educational school with a robust ESL program; St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School - a small boarding school in Tennessee, also her alma mater; and at Phillips Academy, in Andover, Massachusetts, where she was the Dean of Admission and Assistant Director for Summer Session. Most recently, Anneke has been supporting the education team that is building the education ecosystem in the developing city-state of NEOM.

In addition to her recruitment work, Anneke has contributed to her boarding school environments as a house counselor, advisor, coach, and mentor to her students. Throughout her career, Anneke has worked closely with education partners to ensure that students are placed in the best possible school for their success. Her work with partners, families, and students has been some of her most rewarding and a major reason for her interest in working with students and Shang Nancyfriends.