505. IEC PROFILE: Deb Davis Groves - a podcast by Amy Seeley & Mike Bergin

Ready to learn the history, philosophy, and practice of an experienced independent educational consultant?

MEET OUR GUEST

Meet Deborah Davis Groves. “Mrs. G” as her clients call her, is an Independent Educational Consultant (IEC), Certified Educational Planner located in Austin, Texas.  Mrs. G first became familiar with independent college counseling when she hired a consultant to work with her three children and Mrs. G ended up doing all the work.  After 28 years of working for non-profit organizations in and around the Austin area, Mrs. G completely reinvented herself by going back to school to become an IEC.  She is one of five Certified Educational Planners in Austin and one of 14 in the state of Texas.

She launched her business, Davis Groves Educational Services, in December 2011. Deb is a professional member of IECA, a member of NACAC, TACAC, and AICEP. She currently serves on the IECA Nominating Committee and has worked on a variety of committees planning college tours, encouraging and mentoring members as well as being involved in community service in her numerous organizations. She also recently served on the Common Application Outreach Committee for three years. Deb started the Austin IEC Network in 2012 and bridged it into the Austin IECA Regional Group in 2018.  This group of consultants grew from the original  9-member organization to over 35 members when she stepped down as the Founding Chair in December 2021. Deb was honored with the IECA’s Making A Difference Award in November 2022 which recognizes those IECA members “for their selfless volunteer efforts benefiting the association’s 2,300 plus members”. 

Her daughter, Aubrey Groves, also an IECA professional member, joined Davis Groves Educational Services in 2015.  Aubrey graduated from Davidson College in 2006 where she majored in English and minored in Chinese.  She has lived in China, Japan, and England.  She received her Master’s in Eastern Asian Studies at Duke University and went on to become a Mandarin Chinese language teacher to high school students at two different boarding schools on the east coast before joining her mom as an IEC.  Aubrey is the Vice Chair of the Austin IECA Regional group that now serves IEC’s from Waco to San Marcos, Texas. Aubrey also serves as the Co-Chair of the TACAC IEC SIG Committee and is a member of the IECA College Tours Committee.

Mrs. G and Aubrey’s clients/families refer to them as “the mother-daughter dynamic duo.”  Davis Groves Educational Services has grown into a well-known and respected professional IEC company in the Austin, Texas community and beyond.  Davis Groves Educational Services works so hard to empower their students!  Managing expectations is probably the hardest part of their job because everyone wants the very best.  Mrs. G and Aubrey firmly believe that there is a college for every student! Regardless of the selectivity of the college, success requires hard work wherever a student lands.  They want each of their clients to flourish at the colleges that they are called to attend!

Deb/Mrs. G and Aubrey have a heart for their clients and have realized that serving as their Independent Educational Consultants goes far beyond just finding the “right college fit.” In many cases it is about changing lives – both Mrs. G and Aubrey’s as well as the students!

Find Deb at deb@davisgrovesedu.com.

PLAYLIST

Listen to all of our profiles of exceptional independent educational consultants on our IEC profile playlist.

ABOUT THIS PODCAST

Tests and the Rest is THE college admissions industry podcast. Explore all of our episodes on the show page.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS

Mike Bergin is the president of Chariot Learning and founder of TestBright. Amy Seeley is the president of Seeley Test Pros. If you’re interested in working with Mike and/or Amy for test preparation, training, or consulting, feel free to get in touch through our contact page.

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