Meet Tara DURANTE

I help colleges and universities improve the way they communicate with students about admissions and financial aid. Caerus seeks out partner schools that want to make meaningful progress toward their college access goals. Our higher ed projects include website redesigns and other marketing communications work, with the goal of helping students learn about college admissions and financial aid. Our higher ed partners include QuestBridge schools and other highly selective institutions that are committed to expanding college access.

While I have deep experience in higher ed enrollment marketing communications, many of my projects fall into a niche area: financial aid messaging. I earned a certification from the Institute for Financial Aid at the College Board in Princeton, the same renowned boot camp course that is required for many college financial aid administrators. Enrollment teams trust my collaboration on their most challenging communications projects.

Caerus also partners with high schools as a curriculum provider. We develop seminar-style counseling courses for middle and high school students, curated for specific student audiences and personalized for individual schools. Our half-credit, year-long courses cover topics including college admissions and financial aid. Some schools pair Caerus courses with their International Baccalaureate programs. Tens of thousands of students have our courses on their school transcripts.

Prior to founding Caerus in 2019, I was Swarthmore College’s Director of Admissions Communications, where our team produced award-winning work, year after year.

Professional certifications and affiliations

I am an associate member of student financial aid administrators organizations in California, New Jersey, New York, Maine, and Massachusetts. It is my pleasure to serve as an awards judge for CASE and the American Marketing Association.