Meet the Team
Annie Vinik
Annie Vinik has helped hundreds of students navigate the high school planning and college admissions process since joining her father’s college counseling practice, Vinik Educational Placement Services, in 2014. Annie co-founded The Vinik Hosid Group in 2024 and continues to guide students through the college admissions journey. Annie also helps current college students considering transferring to another institution.
Annie holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where she volunteered in the admissions office and later served as an alumni admissions interviewer, and a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She loved spending her junior year studying abroad in Paris! Prior to becoming an educational consultant, she spent 13 years working on college campuses, including as an associate director of academic advising at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, where she helped students map out their academic plans, from orientation through graduation and beyond. Annie previously taught English in France, worked at the Duke University Law School, and oversaw the study abroad program at the Olin College of Engineering.
Annie is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) and of the Potomac & Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling (PCACAC). A graduate of Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC, she was a member of the school's Alumni Board for almost ten years, including two as president. Annie also served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Duke. She lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two children, who attend a DC Public School and a local independent school.
You can reach Annie at annie@vinikhosid.com.
Laura Hosid, JD
Laura Hosid has guided hundreds of high school students through the college admissions process since starting at Vinik EPS in 2012, after seven years of work in higher education and a brief career as a practicing lawyer. In 2024, she co-founded The Vinik Hosid Group, where she continues to help high school students and their families navigate the college admissions process. Laura also advises college students and recent graduates who are applying to law school.
Laura is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the New York University School of Law. Before joining Vinik EPS, Laura worked at the Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as an associate director of the Office of Career Services. She also spent three semesters advising undergraduate students as the interim pre-law adviser at Georgetown University's Cawley Career Education Center.
As a member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, Laura has presented at national conferences about college admissions and career-related topics and has been featured on MSNBC and CNBC as well as in the Washington Post and the Washington Jewish Week. She conducted alumni admissions interviews for the University of Pennsylvania for many years and served as co-chair of Penn’s Secondary School Committee in Montgomery County, MD. In 2021, she started a newsletter, Campus Chai-Lights, which focuses on Jewish life on college campuses.
Originally from Baltimore, Laura now lives in Rockville, MD with her husband and her three daughters, who attend the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. In addition to The Vinik Hosid Group’s Bethesda office, Laura also sees clients in her home office in Rockville/North Potomac, and by Zoom.
You can contact her at laura@vinikhosid.com or (301) 660-6130.
Bruce Vinik
Bruce Vinik has worked with thousands of students during his 50-year career in education. Before joining the Vinik Hosid Group, he founded Vinik Educational Placement Services in 2001 and led the organization for 24 years.
Prior to establishing Vinik EPS, he worked as a teacher and administrator at independent schools in the Washington, DC and Philadelphia areas. At Georgetown Day School, Bruce was director of college counseling and director of admissions. He also served as both a middle school and high school principal in local independent schools. Over the years, he has spoken about college admissions, education, and adolescence at a number of organizations and schools in the Washington area.
Bruce holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duke University. He is a professional member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, the National Association for College Admission Counseling and the Potomac and Chesapeake Association for College Admission Counseling. Bruce is a long-time volunteer for Meals on Wheels and lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife and near his two children and four grandchildren.
You can reach Bruce at bruce@vinikhosid.com.