Our Team
Kpakpundu Ezeze, Founder & President
Dr. Kpakpundu Ezeze is founder and President of Future Quest, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in educational planning and college placement services for college-bound teens. Over the past three decades, Dr. Ezeze has developed a number of partnerships nationwide that have helped thousands of young people plan for, apply to, and get through college. In the Washington, D.C. area alone, some of those partnerships include Urban Alliance; College Bound; The Ionia R. Whipper Home for Girls; The Good Sports Program; The College Information Center at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library; Jack and Jill of America; and Upward Bound Programs at Howard, Georgetown, and Catholic Universities.
Before coming to the Washington, D.C. metro area, Dr. Ezeze served as an Educational Consultant to students in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Miami and Princeton, New Jersey. Some of his clients included the Boys Choir of Harlem; New Jersey Nets Basketball Academic Camp; Salomon Brothers, Inc. Prudential Securities Adopt-a-School Program; AT&T; I Have a Dream Foundation; the Ninety Second Street Y, and the Kaplan Educational Centers. More recently, Dr. Ezeze’s company has been involved with the development and design of College Advising Programs for new schools, namely Charter Schools in New York and in Washington, D.C. Dr. Ezeze received his Bachelor’s degree in 1972 from Howard University, his Master’s Degree from Tufts University in 1975 and his Doctorate from Harvard university in 1983.
Michael Ferby, Associate
Michael Ferby has over twenty years of experience as a Financial Aid Professional and Student Employment Coordinator for educational institutions. He has presented on the topic of financial aid to families, secondary school programs, company employees, church and community groups, and civic and professional associations.
Mr. Ferby is a member of the National Association of Financial Aid Administration, the DC, DE, MD Student Financial Aid Administration, National Student Employment Association, and Northeastern Association of Student Employment Administrators. He is a graduate of Virginia State University and the Leadership Development Institute and Management Development Programs of Montgomery College.
Stephanie Harzewski, Associate
After working in the Manhattan publishing sector, Stephanie Harzewski earned her PhD in English from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a Lecturer in the English department at the University of New Hampshire and the author of numerous publications on literature, popular culture, and female sexuality. As an Associate of Future Quest, she specializes in college admissions, essay consultations and more general writing and editing projects.
Sanjay Mitchell, Associate
Mr. Sanjay Mitchell has been working in the college admission and counseling profession for over 15 years. He started at the University at Albany (SUNY) where he served as the Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions. Mr. Mitchell currently serves as a member of the board for the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), and secretary of the board for the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL). Mr. Mitchell also serves on the college advisory board for Muhlenberg College and is a member of the Community Advisory Board for The CommonApp. Mr. Mitchell was awarded the 2018 Counselor of the Year for the PCACAC region. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University at Albany and currently resides in the Washington, DC area.
Deniz Memisoglu, Associate
Deniz was born in Ankara, Turkey and graduated from Ted Ankara College Foundation High School in 1974. Deniz received a BA in Linguistics from the University of Hacettepe, Ankara, Turkey and served as faculty there for 24 years. In 2004, she retired and went on to serve as the assistant to Janna Fortmann, consultant for Memorial Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. She then went back to Ted Ankara College Foundation where she worked as a Counselor for 10 years. Today, Deniz works as an independent counselor. She is mother to a son and daughter.
LaVeta Hughes, Associate
For over 25 years, LaVeta Hughes has mentored youths from high school through college and worked with at-risk populations in California, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, DC. LaVeta received her BA from Purdue University and her MPA and MSW degrees from Columbia University. As an advocate for equitable educational attainment and college preparation opportunities, LaVeta is committed to transforming lives through education, leadership, and service. She is a proud mom of two girls and a bonus mom for several young scholars.
