Alyson Tom

Alyson Tom (she/her) has worked in education for over two decades and currently serves as the Director of College Counseling & Academic Advising at Pinewood School in Los Altos Hills, California. In this role, she guides students and families through every stage of the college admission and financial aid processes. Before joining Pinewood, Alyson was the Associate Director of College Counseling at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, a College Counselor at Episcopal High School in Houston, and a Senior Assistant Director of Admission at Rice University.

Alyson presents on topics such as mitigating bias in recommendation letters, supporting trans students, and understanding the experiences of Asian American students. Before and immediately after the SCOTUS ruling on affirmative action, she was a guest speaker on several panels supporting race-conscious admission.

In recognition of her contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond the institutional level, Alyson was honored as the 2025 individual recipient of the NACAC Guiding the Way to Impact Award. In 2023, she received the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Champion Award from the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools. She is a member of the Fiske Guide to Colleges Editorial Advisory Group and co-leads the National Association for College Admission Counseling’s (NACAC) AANHPI Special Interest Group.