Meet Our Team

We have assembled a team of college sherpas to guide you throughout the application process including college counseling, financial planning, test preparation and essay coaching.

Carlos Jiménez

Executive Director & College Counselor

Carlos is Peak Education’s Chief Executive Officer and also serves as Basecamp’s Executive Director. He began his career in college counseling as an Admission Counselor and Assistant Director of Admission at Colorado College in the summer of 2004. He worked for CC until the fall of 2010 when he was selected to oversee freshmen outreach and recruitment at Colorado State University – Fort Collins. With experience gained from a leadership position at CSU, Carlos was invited to become the Director of Admission at Colorado College in 2014 and continued to serve in that role until the summer of 2019.

He has held several leadership roles in admission counseling professional organizations including a term as president of the Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling (RMACAC), chairing the Member Relations Committee for the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), co-chairing the NACAC Hispanic/Latino Special Interest Group, and serving as a member of the faculty of the College Board Summer Admission Institute.

Since graduating from Colorado College with a B.A. in history and political science, Carlos has completed an M.A. in student affairs and higher education at University of Colorado, Colorado Springs and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Education in organizational leadership and change through the University of Southern California.

Pedro Ramírez

Development Director

Pedro is the Development Director for Basecamp. He collaborates with the Executive Director and Basecamp staff to advance best practices in college counseling, consulting, and client relations.

Prior to Basecamp, Pedro spent the past 12 years in higher education enrollment management, specializing in selective college admissions. He began his career in higher ed student affairs and academic success with stops at the University of California and UT-Austin. His most recently held the position as the Associate Director of Outreach and Access at Colorado College. He has served on the California Student Aid Commission as the AICCU Representative and has been an active member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) since 2011.

Pedro earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Irvine, and a Master’s in Education Administration at University of Texas at Austin. He believes all students have a right to seek options in higher education and maximizing their potential as learners.

Nancy Whitley

College Counselor

Nancy recently moved to Colorado Springs from Dallas, Texas, where she was Director of College Guidance at a private, college preparatory high school. Prior to that she served at Vail Christian High School as English Department Chair and Director of Academic and College Guidance. As a career educator, Nancy graduated from Baylor University (BS in ED, 1984; MS in ED, 1985) and now holds several professional memberships, including with National Association for College and Admission Counseling (NACAC), The Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling (RMACAC), and the Colorado Council on High School/College Relations.

Most recently, Nancy achieved certification as a Highlands Certified Consultant, undergoing intensive training on how to understand and interpret the results of the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) so as to help students take stock of their natural talents and abilities in pursuing a college, field of study, and subsequent career that aligns with their strengths and passions.

Jessica DeSantis-Berg

College Counselor & Consultant

Jessica DeSantis-Berg is a counselor and consultant with Basecamp after an 18-year career in higher education admissions. As an undergraduate student, she studied business and economics (marketing) and Spanish at Lehigh University (PA). After admissions roles at Caldwell College (NJ) and Capital Institute of Technology (MD), she returned to Lehigh where she remained for the next 16 years. For 11 of those years, she built relationships in Colorado as part of her work to increase representation from Western states.

Throughout her college admissions career, Jessica contributed to a variety of areas—including file review, information systems, merit selection, and marketing. Additionally, she has been an active member of the admission counseling network, presenting at the Rocky Mountain Association for College Admission Counseling (RMACAC), Hawai’i Association of College Admission Counseling (HACAC), and the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) conferences, among others.

Jessica earned a Master’s of Art in Environmental Policy Design in 2013. In 2021, she left her role as a member of the Lehigh admissions senior leadership team. Working within an organization that is dedicated to increasing opportunities for students from all backgrounds is the perfect fit for Jessica. She is passionate about access and equity, and enjoys sharing insight into the intricacies of the college admissions process.