Planet Tuition - About Us
Shawn M. Heaphy, Founder/President
Shawn is a Certified College Planner with College Funding Solutions, a national college funding organization based in Oregon.
Shawn graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in Business Management.
He is a former NCAA student athlete and letter winner at Michigan State. Shawn went on to sign a contact with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Calgary Flames. After a 15 year professional hockey career, Shawn settled in Massachusetts.
Stephen S. Elias, Vice President
Stephen has over twenty-one years of financial aid and student lending experience. His extensive experience in the financial aid industry includes positions at Boston College, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Bristol Community College.
His student lending career included working at KeyBank, Collegiate Funding Services (now part of JPMorgan Chase) and ALL Student Loan.
He has been an active member of the following professional organizations:
- Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA)
- Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA)
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
- New York Student Financial Aid Administrators Association (NYSFAAA)
- Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA)
- Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA)
Stephen has conducted professional seminars at various national, regional and state conferences including: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), American Student Dental Education Association (ASDEA), American Dental Education Association (ADEA), EASFAA, MASFAA, NASFAA and NYSFAAA.
Stephen received his B.S. in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and has graduate level course work at Boston College in Higher Education Management.
Dana Mignogna
Dana’s reputation within the financial aid and student lending industry is as a seasoned veteran with over sixteen years of extensive knowledge of the industry. Her financial aid and admission experience includes a position at Assumption College. Her student lending career included working at KeyBank, Collegiate Funding Services (now part of JPMorgan Chase) and Access Group.
Dana has been an active member of the following professional organizations:
- Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA)
- Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA)
- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA)
- Western Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (WASFAA)
- California Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (CASFAA)
She has a very broad contact base, with relationships that are both deep and long lasting in financial aid and admissions. Dana is an active member of the Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce, where she is a Board Member of the Education Committee.
Dana Mignogna
68175 Tachevah Drive
Cathedral City, CA 92234
Office: 760-904-5907
Cell: 508-410-8069
dmignogna@planettuition.com
Dr. Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder, D.Ed, CCPS
Dr. Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder is an Honors graduate of Harvard University with a Master’s degree in Counseling and a Doctorate degree in Higher Education from the Pennsylvania State University, a Certified College Planning Specialist and a member of the National Institute of Certified College Planners. She has also attended Harvard’s Summer Institute on College Admissions, where she studied alongside representatives from Princeton University, the University of Michigan, and Harvard.
Dr. Snyder is primarily an educator who has worked as a high school guidance counselor, college professor, college career counselor, and college admissions officer. She has taught Career Counseling courses to counseling students at the graduate level, served as an online EssayEdge application essay editor, was trained in test preparation by the Princeton Review, and has served as an Ivy League Alumni interviewer. She speaks to public and private schools about the college planning process and was recently a featured presenter with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth.
Board of Directors
Dr. James A. Caradonio, Consultant
Former Superintendent of Worcester, MA Public Schools
Timothy M. Donahue, M.Ed
College Admissions Advisor
Timothy was the former Director of Admissions at Anna Maria College, Assistant Director of Admission’s and Men’s Soccer Coach at Becker College. He was also Director of Residence at Huntingdon College.
Timothy has earned a degree in pre-law from Salve Regina University. He received a Masters Degree in Education from the College of Saint Joseph.