Our faculty consultants have obtained terminal degrees and international and national certificates and credentials in their fields. They all boast years of experience in higher education, college and graduate applications, industry, as well as teaching, counseling, and coaching. Many of our senior consultants only work with clients privately on a 1 on 1 basis, and some of them teach small-group or private classes. Our team is a highly competitive group, and seat is usually extremely limited in both our classes and consulting sessions.
We do not hire any students or those who have not even entered into the workforce to do such professional work or teach any of our classes because we believe only professionals who have years of experience in each field can better guide and support our students’ learning and success. In other words, we only hire the best of the best in education and consulting, and we strive to reach highest quality of teaching and consulting services. When you choose us, you choose genuine expertise and success.
College & Graduate School Applications
Adam J. Smith: Ivy League College & Graduate School Application Consultant.
Dr. Adam James Smith is a researcher, educator, and filmmaker based at the Visual Anthropology Lab, University of Cambridge.
He studied film at Stanford and anthropology at Cambridge, and has since shared his films and scholarship on China at leading academic institutions across North America, including Harvard, Columbia, Duke, UCLA, USC, and The University of Toronto. His work has also been featured in major outlets such as The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, The Atlantic, and The Diplomat.
Having worked hard to gain admission to top universities as both an undergraduate and graduate student, Adam is now passionate about helping outstanding students achieve their own academic goals. At Pan Pacific Education and Consulting, he emphasizes the importance of discovering and articulating a student’s unique perspective and strengths – the key to standing out in a competitive admissions process. Adam currently splits his time between New York, USA and Cambridge, UK. When he is not working he loves gardening, kayaking, and exploring art galleries in New York City.
Valerie Robin: Senior Career Coach and ELA Instructor.
Dr. Robin holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition, and has 15 years of experience teaching Rhetoric, Literature, Speaking, and ESL at the university level. She also holds a Masters of Secondary Education, with experience teaching Middle and High School Classrooms. In addition, she has been working in IT consulting since 2016, with a focus in Communications, Corporate Training, and Strategy. Dr. Robin is based in Atlanta but travels frequently around the country and globally as her work requires.
At Pan Pacific Education and Consulting, she strives to work with every level of learner, both in supplementing education, and in a professional capacity. As a native English speaker with a specialization in grammar and linguistics, she is well-equipped to assist with a variety of engagements, while supporting unique needs, learning goals, and life/career plans.
Belle Hostutler: Founder and Lead Reading, Writing, and Grammar Instructor, Senior Consultant in College and Graduate School Applications, Job Applications and Interviews, Lead Career Coach and Education Counselor.
Dr. Hostutler holds a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Rhetoric and Composition, an MA in British and American Literature, and a BA in Translation and Interpretation. She is a tenured English professor and was previously the writing center director at Emory University’s Oxford College. She had also worked at the Goizueta Business School as a teaching assistant and career coach for Big Four consulting.
Dr. Hostutler has extensive experience coaching high-end writing competitions such as the John Locke Global Essay Prize, the Cambridge , and Scholastic Writing competitions. She also boasts over 10 years of college and graduate school application advising and secondary education counseling. She has been a grader and judge for various standard tests and competitions. She can offer you insider insights on college and graduate school admissions.
She has been teaching undergrad and grad courses in rhetoric, technical and professional communication, literature, and composition. She was a former Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions in Professional Communication. Dr. Hostutler is also a book and journal article reviewer for multiple international and US-based academic journals and academic presses and has published many articles and book chapters in her field. She currently leads the Asian/Asian American Caucus for the Conference on College Composition and Communication as co-chair and was the organization’s immediate past standing panel chair. She enjoys helping clients with their job portfolios and interviews.
Yue Xie: Ivy and General College and Graduate School Application & Career Coach.
Dr. Xie holds a Master of Engineering in Supply Chain Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a Master of Health Administration from Tulane University, a PhD in Health Management and Policy from the University of Texas School of Public Health, and a BBA in Finance from the University of Miami. He is based in the Houston Medical Center.
He currently works as an Associate Professor of Practice and former tenured Associate Professor and graduate Program Director in Public Health. Prior to academia, Dr. Xie was a senior hospital executive with extensive experience opening and operating US healthcare facilities. Additionally, he was a seasoned IT and management consultant working for Oracle and Big 4 Consulting.
Gene Halleck: Lead ESL, TOEFL, and Linguistics Instructor and Senior Consultant. Ph.D. in TESL and Psycholinguistics from Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Halleck is a retired full professor of ESL and Linguistics and former Director of TESL, Linguistics, and International Composition programs. She has extensive teaching experience in ESL, Linguistics, and writing in general. Her book English Composition Simulations offers 15 simulations written for ESL/EFL classes. The simulations consist of a variety of thematically related exercises concerning university life, issues in the workplace and issues in the community. The exercises include readings listening assignments, and role cards for radio call-in-shows, and simulated town meetings. Suggestions for writing assignments are included in each chapter.
Dr. Halleck has extensive and life-long global teaching experience. She worked at the Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, and Nankai University. At Pan Pacific, she teaches private and small group classes in ELA, especially all levels of ESL classes. from basics to standardized test and academic writing.
Di Gao: Lead Math Instructor.
Dr. Gao is an associate professor in Statistics and Data Science. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in statistics and data science, and is passionate about engaging with students and clients to explain the foundations of statistical theory, machine learning, and AI in an accessible way.
A former university table tennis athlete, Dr. Gao represented the University of Missouri for three years. His background in athletics allows him to connect with diverse audiences and bring energy and approachability to his teaching and consulting.
His current research interests include Bayesian analysis, machine learning, explainable AI, and biostatistics. Dr. Gao’s scholarly work has been widely published and can be found on Google Scholar.
Ke Wang: Lead Math Instructor and Senior Consultant.
George Wang holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction and a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education. Dr. Wang has more than 20 years math tutoring experience. He is a tenured associate professor of mathematics education, focusing on mathematics teacher education, fraction learning, integrating the history of mathematics into teaching, elementary teachers’ professional development, and so on. He has published more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers. Dr. Wang has also been awarded 6 grants focusing on math teachers’ professional development and curriculum development in mathematics. He has been a Math-counts coach and his students won top 5 prizes on the state level.
Brian Hostutler: College and Graduate School Application Coach, Secondary Education Counseling, and Career Advisor.
Attorney Brian Hostutler holds a J.D. from University of Houston Law Center and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with double minors in Chemistry and Mathematics from Virginia Tech.
At Pan Pacific, he is our secondary education counselor, college and graduate school application consultant, and career advisor. He has extensive knowledge on college, law school, and job applications. He enjoys helping others and is a board game enthusiast.
Imani Bey: Lead ELA & ESL Instructor and Senior Consultant.
Professor Imani is the Associate Director and Career Peer co-manager for the Center for Writing and Speaking at Agnes Scott College. She holds an M.A. in Applied Linguistics-ESL, a TESOL Certification, and B.A. in Philosophy and Asian Studies.
She currently manages daily operations, organize events, design and implement staff training, oversees the activities of 43 undergraduate tutors, and field client concerns. She has extensive experience in: Leadership and Management, Workshop Facilitation, Career Coaching, Writing & Scholarship, Marketing and Promotion, Public Speaking/Presentation Compilation & Delivery, ELA Teaching & Tutoring, ESL instruction, and Curriculum Development.
Jessica Temple: Lead Creative Writing Instructor & Senior Consultant.
Dr. Jessica Temple holds a Ph.D. in Poetry, an MA in English with dual emphases in creative writing and TESOL, and a BA in English, with a Journalism minor. She is a tenure-track assistant English professor.
Besides creative writing, her scholarly interests include 20th Century American literature and Southern literature specifically. Her work has recently appeared in Aesthetica; Blast Furnace; Canyon Voices; Stone, River, Sky: An Anthology of Georgia Poems from Negative Capability Press; Loose Change Magazine; and Over 35, Under Pressure anthology. Her chapbook, Seamless and Other Legends, is available from Finishing Line Press. She serves as managing editor of Blackwater Review and faculty advisor for the Raider Writers. She is a QEP Scholar, Faculty Fellow, Learning Commons Scholar, and graduate of the President’s Leadership Academy. She also coordinates Red Cross blood drives on campus, leads weekly beach cleanups, fosters animals, and volunteers with several environmental organizations.
Jill Yang: Lead Writing Instructor and Senior Consultant.
Jill Yang holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric/Composition & Linguistics from Arizona State University. She currently teaches at UC Berkeley and San Jose State University. She has extensive teaching experience teaching rhetoric and composition, linguistics, and writing in general. She also teaches ESL courses such as TOEFL prep and academic writing.
Xiaoxian Etsuko Chen: Japanese and Chinese instructor; College and Graduate School Application Consultant for Japanese and Chinese Universities.
Xiaoxian Etsuko Chen holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Kyushu University. Dr. Chen formerly taught in the Japanese Department, School of Foreign Languages, Soochow University. She has 8 years of academic training and research experience in Japan, and previously served as a researcher at Kyushu University.
She had also taught two years in high school the Chinese AP courses and have been tutoring Chinese for a long time. Passionate about cross-cultural communication and linguistic education, she is committed to creating unique language learning experiences for community members of all ages who share an interest in Japan’s and China’s languages and cultures.
Dr. Tsui, Harvard Medical School Mentor: Dr. Tsui has many years of experience supporting Asian/Asian American students to realize their dreams in medical studies. He offers summer programs at his lab and teaches USABO and AP Biology courses. Summer lab programs and AP classes are available in 2026.