The Team Behind
We’re a group of admissions consultants, educators, and mentors with years of experience helping students navigate college and graduate school admissions. Our team brings a wide range of backgrounds, but we share one goal: to offer honest, high-quality support to every student we work with.
Gabriel Gumbiner
Co-founder & CEO
Gabriel Gumbiner founded Counsly during his junior year at UCLA with a vision to make high-quality college admissions support accessible to more students. At just 21 years old, he launched what has become one of the fastest-growing college admissions consultancies in the country.
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Raised in the San Fernando Valley, Gabriel saw firsthand how students with talent and ambition were often left behind—not because they lacked potential, but because the resources to navigate college admissions were exclusive, overpriced, and out of reach.
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Instead of following the traditional path into the industry, he built something different: a mission-driven company focused on transparency, ethics, and results. By surrounding himself with experienced professionals and prioritizing affordability and impact, Gabriel has grown Counsly into a trusted resource for families, schools, and nonprofits across the country.
Lisa Shen
Co-founder & Managing Director
Under Lisa’s leadership as Founder and Managing Director, Counsly has rapidly grown its national partnerships and expanded its no-cost programming for vulnerable youth and families.
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As a first-generation QuestBridge Scholar and graduate of Swarthmore College, Lisa is committed to democratizing college admissions support because underserved youth deserve more than survival—they deserve opportunity.
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Lisa’s experience in higher education and clinical research management equips her with the insight and discipline that strengthen Counsly’s fast-growing national mission.
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She believes the future of youth well-being depends on expanding educational equity and college access, promoting social mobility, and honoring the lived experiences of historically overlooked communities through restorative justice and trauma-informed practices.
Matilde C.
Executive
Assistant
Jose I.
Consultant