Our Team

Andrea Cowsert

Ms. Andrea Cowsert is one of the most prolific and experienced consultants at the firm, having logged more than 10 years and 100 searches in her time at Academic Search. By spending her 20s as a magazine writer in New York City and a bustling intern in the nation’s capital, Ms. Cowsert learned the value of keeping one’s nose to the grindstone and excelling through hard work.

As a consultant, Ms. Cowsert has performed searches at every level of administration at public and private colleges, religious-affiliated schools, statewide systems, community colleges, and more. Her responsibilities are boundless and often happen behind the scenes, and she has gained a reputation for being multifaceted and resourceful throughout a search. She frequently handles the networking, sourcing, researching, scheduling, and administrative tasks, and she is largely responsible for helping the search stay organized and running seamlessly.

Ms. Cowsert earned a dual Bachelor of Arts degree in magazine journalism and policy studies from Syracuse University. After graduation, she began working for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in New York City and was quickly promoted to research editor. Ms. Cowsert was responsible for fact-checking various Martha Stewart publications, including Everyday Food and Martha Stewart Weddings, for two years before the company, along with many other print journalism outlets across the country, were affected by massive layoffs. Though disappointed, she was not discouraged. She remembered how much she enjoyed her internship at the White House while she was a student at Syracuse, and Ms. Cowsert set her sights on moving to the DMV to earn a graduate degree.

After leaving New York City, Ms. Cowsert enrolled at American University to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs with a focus on foreign policy. While she was a student, she accepted several intern positions in Washington D.C. Ms. Cowsert was a press intern with the U.S. Agency for International Development and an intern in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs at the State Department. In the final stretch of her graduate program, Ms. Cowsert was a graduate research intern at the American Council on Education, which was where she met Academic Search senior consultant and then-president of AALI, Dr. Ann Die Hasselmo. Dr. Hasselmo, impressed by Ms. Cowsert’s attention to detail and drive, connected Ms. Cowsert with Academic Search. As a result, Ms. Cowsert was named associate consultant after she completed her graduate program.

Ms. Cowsert spent four years as an associate consultant handling administrative tasks and learning the ropes of higher education consulting and recruiting. In 2016, she was promoted to consultant and has been an invaluable asset ever since.