About Us

The strategic filter for school leadership.

Leading an independent school is complex.

Finding the right help shouldn’t be.

Your mission is too important to leave to change, and your time is your most precious resource. We exist to connect independent school leaders with the vetted experts who turn vision into reality—without the noise, risk, or wasted time.

WE CAN HELP

Our Core Values

Relational

We don’t do transactional placements. We believe in building a network of genuine, long-haul relationships that serve the school community, not just the current project.

Resourceful

We connect the dots others miss. Whether you need a niche specialist for a crisis or a broad strategist for a capital campaign, we leverage our peer-sourced network to find the exact right fit.

Responsive

Time is your most limited resource. We execute with speed and intention, moving as fast as your school needs us to without sacrificing the quality of our vetting.

Who are “external school partners”?

At LeadTeam Partners, our community specializes in the needs of K12 private and independent schools. We vet each member to ensure your projects are met with care and quality.

External school partners are any outside experts that independent schools hire to support a strategic initiative. External school partners include:

  • Consultants

  • Coaches

  • Facilitators

  • Speakers

Meet Our Team

Chris Pryor, LeadTeam Founder

Chris Pryor, Founder

A seasoned independent school leader and natural connector, Chris founded LeadTeam Partners to solve the problem he faced as a school administrator: finding the right help, fast. He leads the vetting process and personally oversees school leader connections.

Penny Abrahams, Director of Marketing

Penny Abrahams, Director of Marketing

A longtime independent school administrator and consultant, Penny guides strategic growth and marketing for LeadTeam. She focuses on delivering high-value content and resources to help school leaders and consultants thrive.

Nicole McDermott, Community Manager

Nicole McDermott, Community Manager

An 18-year former independent school head and an experienced consultant, facilitator, and certified leadership coach, Nicole anchors the LeadTeam Partners community, ensuring our consultants are supported and are offered enrichment and collaboration opportunities to help them serve schools effectively.

Lucy Brookover - Operations Coordintator

Lucy Brookover, Operations Coordinator

 A genius with all things LeadTeam logistics, Lucy supports business development and member onboarding, ensuring that every connection and communication is handled with care.

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Built for Confidence

LeadTeam Partners is the only firm built to give school leaders a shortlist of expert partners they can trust immediately.

  • Our network is built on trust and personal relationships, sourced directly from the recommendations of school heads, association leaders, and fellow vetted consultants.

  • Every member of our community is verified through personal reference calls with former clients, association leaders, and other independent school consultants to verify their impact. We ensure they understand the specific complexities and governance unique to the independent school community.

  • We don’t just find a consultant; we help you navigate the process of institutional buy-in. We provide the objective data and "multiple options" justification you need to move your project forward with the full confidence of your Board and other community members.

Testimonials

  • “LeadTeam Partners truly made our proposal process not only possible, but remarkably successful! Of the seven proposals we received through our RFP, six came directly from their platform. Without LeadTeam Partners, we would have never discovered such an exceptional team—one that is not only highly skilled but deeply passionate about our project. We are incredibly grateful for the connections this platform made possible.”

    Cheryl Cook | Executive Director, Association of LD Schools

  • “LeadTeam Partners has been a great investment for me. I have enjoyed the professional community, networking opportunities, and professional development that have come through this group. Chris has done a great job vetting the right people and learning opportunities to make this an excellent resource for professional consultants serving schools!”

    Adam Hotchkiss | LeadershipOne Technologies

  • “Using LeadTeam Partners was a homerun for us. It helped save us an inordinate amount of time so we could focus on the project rather than the support we needed to get the project done. Knowing we could focus on pre-selected experts in our field of interest was a huge win with great results.”

    Emily Hyland | Head of Lower School, Rippowam Cisqua School (NY)

  • “Joining Lead Team Partners has been one of my best business decisions. As an external partner, I appreciate their efficient process, which seamlessly links me with school leaders who need support in my area of expertise. They take the time to understand the services offered by each external partner, which allows for an easy match with school leaders and facilitates effective collaboration.”

    Diana Artis, Ed.D. | Olive Branch Educators, LLC

  • “We received proposals that we otherwise would not have received because of working through this process! The ones we received through your work were of high quality and were seriously considered.”

    Colleen Schilly | Associate Head of School, Hillbrook School (CA)