Martha Jones

Martha Jones is the founder of Jones College Counseling and a Certified Educational Planner (CEP) who has been guiding students and families through the college admissions process for more than a decade. Based in Sonoma County, California, Martha works with students throughout high school, helping them approach an increasingly complex college admissions landscape with greater clarity, confidence, and perspective.

Martha believes there is no single “perfect” college for any student. Instead, she helps students identify colleges that match their individual interests, goals, priorities, and personalities, knowing there can be many places where a student can be happy and successful. She especially enjoys introducing students to colleges and opportunities they may not have discovered on their own.

Her work with students can begin early in high school with academic planning, extracurricular exploration, and testing strategy and continue through college research and list development, applications, essays, financial aid and scholarships, and ultimately the final college decision.

A hallmark of Martha’s approach is helping students take ownership of the process while providing the structure, expertise, and accountability they need along the way. She breaks a complicated process into manageable steps, keeps students moving toward important deadlines, and helps families navigate admissions with considerably less stress.

Martha earned her Certificate in College Admissions and Career Planning through UC Berkeley Extension and holds a B.A. in International Business and Psychology from Sonoma State University. She also studied Mandarin and International Business at National Chengchi University in Taipei and conversational Japanese at Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin in Tokyo.

In 2019, Martha earned the designation of Certified Educational Planner (CEP), a credential recognizing experienced educational consultants who meet rigorous standards for professional knowledge, experience, ethics, and continuing education. She is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC), and the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP).

Martha remains deeply engaged in the profession through continuing education, professional conferences, relationships with college admission representatives, and visits to colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. She brings that continually evolving knowledge back to her students while never losing sight of what she enjoys most about the work: getting to know teenagers, hearing what they hope for their futures, and helping them discover possibilities they may not yet see for themselves.

Outside of college counseling, Martha loves traveling, reading, staying active, and spending time with her husband, two adult children, and granddaughter. Wherever she travels, there is also a very good chance a college visit will find its way onto the itinerary.

Check out this exciting press release regarding Martha’s latest certification, CEP.