Our Value

At LeadTeam Partners, helping you accomplish your goals is our priority.

Our core values are the foundation.

At LeadTeam Partners, we are:

Relational: We believe in real, human connection for the long haul.

Resourceful: We seamlessly connect the dots to get things done.

Responsive: We hear your needs and execute quickly, effectively, with intention.

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 the Team

  • Founder

    Chris Pryor brings over 20+ years of experience in the independent school sector to LeadTeam Partners. Chris understands what school leaders face, because he’s been one. He is the former Assistant Head of School for Advancement and External Affairs for Congressional School and the former Director of Admission and Financial Aid for Flint Hill School. 

    Chris also speaks the language of professional service firms, because he’s been there, too, most recently as the Director for Business Development at Independent School Management.

    In founding LeadTeam Partners, Chris blends both of these worlds together. He
    connects school leaders with the industry’s leading experts, all so that leaders have support getting their big projects done.

  • Community Manager

    Nicole McDermott is an educator, leader, ICF-certified coach, facilitator, and consultant with 20+ years of experience. Nicole’s approach is grounded in mutual trust, warmth, integrity, and vulnerability – whether she’s co-creating brave spaces with clients for professional and personal growth through her Quality Matters leadership development work or supporting schools with search and transition as a member of the Educational Directions team. Nicole is a former longtime independent school head and in 2019 was trained by Brené Brown as a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator. Nicole is based in Northern Virginia, has daily meditation and gratitude practices, and is a life member of the Kiwanis service organization.

    Nicole was an inaugural member of LeadTeam Partners and now, as community manager, she supports prospective and current members’ questions, coordinates events, facilitates member learning cohorts, and enriches collaboration and engagement across the community.

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)