Connecting School Leaders & External School Partners

MAY 2025

LeadTeam Partners serves two key audiences: school leaders and external school partners, and our mission is to facilitate easier connections between the two. 

For School Leaders, Scott Butterworth, founder of Fine Point Communications and a member of School Partner Connect, recently analyzed the InspirED School Marketers’ Private School MarCom Survey Report. In his April Refill newsletter, Scott shared: “a section of the survey asked about common responsibilities in a marcom office, including those staff feel unprepared to perform.

The areas where communicators are most likely to feel ‘not qualified.’

• Website analytics

• Search-engine optimization

• Search-engine marketing

• Videography

• Graphic design

Sadly, this list has not changed since 2017, even though the value of these skills has only grown. The solution has long been obvious: investing in skill training, or in the educational vernacular, professional development.”

We believe in the power of professional development, but sometimes, you need help quickly, and the only option is turning to outside expertise. This made me think about our School Partner Connect community and the ability to easily outsource to skilled external school partners. This need doesn’t just apply to communicators, either, but to all areas of school life. 

For External School Partners, I’m excited to announce that the first School Partner Connect Summit will be held August 18–19 in Falls Church City, Virginia. It’s an opportunity to gather, connect, learn, and build a plan for supporting school leaders this fall. I hope you’ll consider joining us. All external school partners serving K-12 private schools are welcome. 

As you head into the summer months, please reach out if we can be of assistance. 

In partnership, 

Chris

LeadTeam Blog

Huddle Recap: Leading Through the Shift: What New Heads Need to Know (But Don’t Always Hear)

Leadership transitions can be emotionally overwhelming for a school community. Whether you’re stepping into your first headship or transitioning into a new school after years of experience, the early days are filled with expectation, pressure, and that tricky dance of learning while leading. 

Last May, we brought together two seasoned leaders to discuss this moment of change candidly. Barry Davis, incoming Head of McLean School and outgoing Head of St. Ann’s Episcopal School, joined Yanni Hill Gill, President of ADVIS and former head of Atlanta Girls School, for a rich conversation about what really matters when preparing for (and successfully leading) a leadership transition.

School Partner Connect Summit

August 18-19, 2025

Falls Church City, Virginia

External School Partners: 

Join us this summer for the School Partner Connect Summit, a two-day gathering designed to connect experienced K12 independent school consultants and coaches, spark meaningful dialogue, and inspire action through shared ideas. The SPC Summit is your opportunity to foster meaningful relationships, sharpen your strategy, and expand your impact.

Senior Administrators in the DC Region: 

Don’t miss out on Monday’s keynote with Ben Harris, Vice President & Director of Economic Studies, Brookings Institution. (Only 30 spaces available)

Drawing from decades of experience—including advising Vice President Joe Biden and leading teams at the Treasury and Brookings—Harris will share:

• What school leaders and consultants need to understand about the economy today

• How changing fiscal priorities may impact federal spending overall and education funding in particular

• The broader forces shaping the future of talent, retirement, and institutional resilience

It’s a Wrap: The Huddle, Season 2

The Huddle, our webinar series for school leaders by school leaders, wrapped up last week. We are deeply grateful to Big Back Pack LLC for being our presenting partner. Over the course of Season 2, we tackled the following school leadership topics:

✅ August: Creating a Positive School Culture: Strategies for Success with Clark Wight, President, St. Paul’s Schools (MD).

✅ September: Strengthening Enrollment Through A Strong Partnership with the Athletic Department with Frankie Brown, Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management and Financial Aid & John Square, Athletic Director at Sidwell Friends School (DC).

✅ October: Elevating Your Major Gift Program with Shelby LaMar, Chief Advancement Officer, Lancaster Country Day School (PA).

✅ November: What’s Your Process for Selecting Mission-Aligned Consultants & Vendors with Rose Helm, Head of School, and Steven Prothro, Chief Financial Officer, The John Thomas Dye School (CA).

✅ December: Microschools with Siri Fiske, Founder and Head, Mysa Microschool (DC).

✅ January: Healthy Leadership Teams and Board Effectiveness with Tyler Casertano, Head of School, Haverford School (PA).

✅ February: Conducting an Internal Team Assessment with Sean Brown, Chief Advancement Officer, Saint Andrew’s School (FL).

✅ March: Maximizing Impact: Strengthening Collaboration Between Marketing and Auxiliary Programs with Nat Saltonstall, Executive Director, SPARC, Drew Upchurch, Director of Auxiliary Programs and Campus Services and Jan Olson, Director of Marketing, The Bolles School (FL).

✅ April: The Huddle: What’s Trending in Accreditation with Andy Gilla, Director of Accreditation, Independent School Association of the Central States (ISACS) and Treavor Lord, Head of School, The Hill School of Middleburg (VA).

✅ May: Passing the Baton: A Peek Inside NWAIS’ Leadership Transition with Chris Watson, Head of School, Soundview School (WA); Incoming Executive Director and Mark Crotty, Executive Director, Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS).

If you missed an episode, you can access the recording in LeadTeam’s Video Library. 

Since our last newsletter, we have featured 22 School Partner Connect members on LinkedIn. These experienced K12 consultants serve schools in fundraising, marketing, strategy, data, leadership search, culture and community, enrollment, law, videography, and coaching.  

Meet Alexis Stern of Alexis Stern consulting, Tiffany L. Bridgewater Ed.D. of Tiffany Bridgewater Consulting LLC, and Karl Boehm of Everest Private School Growth Group, and Spiral Marketing: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn 

Meet Cathy Voeks of The Compass Group, Kevin Plante of General Counsel Law LLC, and Kelly McMurray Founder & Creative Director at 2communiqué: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn

Meet Barbara Barron of Barbara Barron Consulting, Angie Ward founder of Enroll Media Group, Ross Wehner and Jessica Catoggio of K12 Change Lab: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn

Meet Scott Butterworth, the principal of Fine Point Communications, Kristen Duval of Duval Consulting, and Chris Pryor founder of The Gowan Group: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn

Meet Aubrey Bursch founder of Easy School Marketing, Lauren Gueli of Ovus & Ater, and James Riley founder of Forward Dataworks: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn

Meet Diana Artis, Ed.D., Founder of Olive Branch Educators, LLC, Dale Vecere Seabury of Seabury Consulting LLC, and Robyn Ellis Kranz is the Founding Partner of Brownieland Pictures: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn

Meet Meredith Herrera, Founder of Meredith Herrera Consulting, Joe Monzo is the founder of Monzo Media Productions, and Hacker Burr is President of Big Back Pack LLC: See their profiles on LeadTeam’s LinkedIn

Interested in learning more about the talent in our School Partner Connect community?

The Summit, A Joy-Raising Experience

June 23–25 

Chicago, IL

Philanthropy addresses the world’s most pressing challenges. The Summit is our annual signature Joy-Raising experience, bringing together visionary leaders and innovative thinkers to equip ourselves with the tools, insights, and inspiration needed to make a lasting impact.

REGISTER HERE

2025 Deans' Roundtable Annual Conference

June 23–26

New England Innovation Academy

Marlborough, MA

Since 2012, the Deans’ Roundtable Annual Conference has been at the forefront of professional development for student life professionals. 

REGISTER HERE

School Partner Connect Summit

August 18-19 

Falls Church City, Virginia

This is the only gathering for experienced K12 consultants and coaches from around the country who support independent schools. It will be an opportunity to learn and network. 

REGISTER HERE

LeadTeam Partners is the only firm built for school leaders to easily engage external school partners. Our platform, School Partner Connect, is the place where school leaders and external school partners connect to get their needed projects done.

• Submit a Project: School Project Submission Form

• Apply for Membership: School Partner Connect For School Partners

• Upcoming Huddle Calendar: The Huddle

• Association Event Submission Form: Association Submission Form