Courtney Baker

Director of Strategic Operations and Communications
Turning Point School

Courtney Baker has over fifteen years of experience in independent school communications and operations. She has served as the Marketing and Communications Director at Lawrence School (K-12) in northeast Ohio and is currently the Director of Strategic Operations and Communications for Turning Point School (P-8) in Culver City, California. Courtney has overseen two school re-branding processes including the creation of a new logo, website, visuals, mission statement, tagline, and language to describe programs and outcomes.

Jennifer Bamann

Associate Director of Admissions, Marketing, Communications and Branding
The Gow School

Mrs. Jennifer Bamann has been working at boarding schools for the past 15 years. Currently she is the Associate Director of Admissions, Marketing, Branding and Communications at The Gow School. She was born and raised in the great state of Maine, and has worked at Bridgton Academy, The Storm King School and has firmly landed at The Gow School. At Gow, she has kicked off a major re-branding and recently a complete redesign of their website. She loves working at a school with such a clear and direct mission and feels she is lucky to wake up each morning and walk into an office that she loves so much.

Deborah Baum

Director of Communications and Strategic Institutional Marketing
The Bryn Mawr School

Deborah Baum is the Director of Communications and Strategic Institutional Marketing at The Bryn Mawr School, an all-girls K-12 school in Baltimore, Maryland. She previously worked in communications and media relations roles at Gilman School, The Rhode Island Foundation, and Brown University. Deb also has a background in journalism, having spent three years as a news writer for WBZ-TV in Boston as well as serving on the staff of 60 Minutes II and The Early Show in New York City. Deb holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Colgate University.

Noelle Becker

Director of Communications
Harbor Day School

Noelle Becker joined Harbor Day School as the Director of Communications in 2011, establishing the school’s first communications department. Noelle oversees all marketing, social media, and communications for the school including managing the website and producing the Beacon magazine, Harbor Lights literary magazine, and the admissions viewbook. Noelle received a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in education from the University of California, Los Angeles. Noelle has served as a judge for the 2017 InspirEd Brilliance Awards and the 2018 CASE Circle of Excellence Awards.

Steve Birdsall

Director of Enrollment Management
McDonogh School

Steve Birdsall is beginning his 20th year in independent schools and currently serves as Director of Enrollment Management at McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland. McDonogh enrolls 1,400 students PK -12 and has a five day boarding program with 100 students. Prior roles at McDonogh have included Director of Financial Aid, Associate Director of Admissions, World History teacher, dorm parent and lacrosse coach. Steve began his work in school marketing and enrollment management in 2000 at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC and holds degrees from Washington & Lee University (B.A.) and Catholic University (M.A.)

Michael Branscom

Photographer
Michael Branscom Photo + Film

Michael Branscom began shooting stills for schools and higher ed in 2002 and short films in 2013. He has worked with over 50 schools and colleges and is adept at making students and teachers feel comfortable in front of the camera. With a degree in photojournalism from the University of Minnesota, Michael strives to work unobtrusively resulting in beautiful, compelling moments captured in photos and film that tell your school’s story. He has a unique ability to convey the joy and connection that teachers and students share in the classroom, on the field, in the studio, and on the stage.

Coral Butler Brooks

Director of Advancement
Kent Place School

Coral Butler Brooks is a fundraising executive with proven ability to bring about exponential revenue growth while building dynamic programs. With a strong history of developing new initiatives and turning around programs through effective change management, innovation, team-building and the forging of strategic alliances, she has grown Annual Fund programs by as much as 350%, increased leadership giving by 200%, exceeded goals for alumni participation, and has cultivated and closed significant major gifts for endowment and capital initiatives and campaigns. Passionate about creating meaningful relationships within school communities as well as crafting transformative strategy for advancement programs, Coral specializes in Independent Schools.

Carol Burns

Marketing and Communications Consultant

Let's start with my Twitter bio: "Daily mission to be #BetterThanBefore. Lifelong student, old dog learning some new tricks." Other details: raised in the Midwest (PA resident for 16 years); B.S. degree from Western Illinois University; worked in non-profits, journalism and education before landing in the world of independent schools: 15 years as the Director of Communications at The Swain School in Allentown, PA. Recently struck out on my own as a freelance marketer. Fan of Bill Bryson, Gretchen Rubin, and Daniel Pink. Time well spent: sitting in the audience of a musical or walking in the woods.

Alison Cady

Director of Strategic Planning and Communications
Choate Rosemary Hall

Alison Cady serves as Director of Strategic Planning and Communications at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT. Prior to her arrival at Choate, Alison worked at Morristown-Beard School in Morristown, NJ in several capacities as Director of Admission, and then as Director of Development. Alison earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont and holds a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration from Boston College.

Andrea Carisse

Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing
Ridley College

Andrea Carisse is currently the Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing at Ridley College. After completing her Masters of Arts in Communications from the University of Ottawa, Andrea worked as an Account Director and Digital Strategist at Banfield Agency where she managed national and international brands. Her past experience also spans journalism and sports marketing.

Bart Caylor

President
Caylor Solutions

Bart Caylor, President and Owner of Caylor Solutions, an Indianapolis-based marketing agency working with colleges, universities, K-12, and education organizations to improve communication, enrollment and development efforts. With a background in design and development with corporate, education, and non-profit clients, Bart now focuses his expertise on marketing for education. Bart is a member of CASE and is often asked to speak at universities and conferences on topics related to web design, emerging media, and interactive marketing.

Carol Cheney

President and Creative Director
Cheney & Company

Carol Cheney established Cheney & Company in 1983 after four years as director of communications at Choate Rosemary Hall. Cheney & Company has won dozens of awards for its work on school marketing materials and institutional magazines. Carol has served on CASE publications juries and several CASE and NAIS Summer Institutes and was active in CT Assn of Independent Schools “for years." She has written on marketing, branding and communications, and has presented at more than 100 regional and national conferences. She hosts the annual Aim High conference for school communicators. Carol has served twice on the CASE Industry Advisory Council and was the recipient of a CASE crystal apple teaching award and the 2010 Ashmore Award for service to CASE and the advancement profession. Carol was president of the Alumnae/i Association of Sarah Lawrence College, and served as a trustee for 12 years. She graduated from Laurel School (OH).

Maura Ciccarelli

Writing & Marketing Communication Consultant

Maura Ciccarelli is a longtime writer, editor, and marketing communications consultant with extensive experience in education, insurance/healthcare, nonprofits, business, and more. Background includes reporting for The Philadelphia Inquirer, managing employee communications at Cigna Corporation, and leading the communications department at The Haverford School for a decade. In between these gigs, she has been a freelance consultant and since 2010 has been serving a wide range of new and old clients across the country. www.mauraciccarelli.com

Tura Cottingham

Director of Marketing & Communications
North Shore Country Day School

I love living and working amongst the collision of words, images and design. My career has spanned time in the corporate communications world, establishing my own communication and marketing business and independent schools. The later is my favorite. For the past 14 years, I have been the Director of Marketing and Communications at North Shore Country Day School in Winnetka and it is the best job I have ever had. Working with great people, inspired by teachers and students, having the freedom to be bold and pushing the independent school marketing rules makes coming to work fun and rewarding.

Emily Cretella

School Storyteller
Cursive Content

Emily Cretella is a strategic storyteller, content marketer and school marketer’s best business friend. The owner of Cursive Content, Emily helps school marketers tell powerful stories that attract dream families, increase inquiries and enrollment, strengthen communities, and grow school influence. Prior to founding Cursive in 2012, Emily was the director of strategy at a Connecticut marketing agency, where she managed the execution of large-scale traditional and online marketing campaigns for clients ranging from schools and nonprofits to Fortune 500s. She now works solely with independent and private schools, colleges and universities. Tell her YOUR school story at cursivecontent.com.

Nicole de Vries

Manager Communications
Independent Schools Queensland

Nicole has held executive advancement roles at several independent schools in Queensland, Australia, having effectively harnessed the power of digital and traditional platforms to strengthen school brands. Nicole believes education is ultimately defined by people. This passion led to recognition for best-practice within the education industry as speaker at four Australasian conferences. In 2015, Nicole led an award-winning identity project and innovative advertising campaign to ensure the school’s brand was not just a promise, but a promise delivered. In her current role, Nicole strikes a balance between creative content and articulating the philosophy and relationships of the organisation.

Adrienne DiGiovine

Principal
DiGiovine Design

Adrienne DiGiovine is an independent designer who specializes in design strategy, branding, publication design, and web design. She is, and enjoys being, a design partner, educator, and problem-solver. Adrienne's clients are independent schools, other nonprofit organizations, and small businesses. By working with a network of professional partners—writers, photographers, developers, and marketing strategists—she is able to offer broad expertise on projects large and small. She has produced award-winning publications for independent schools, including viewbooks and magazines. Adrienne lives in Bucks County, PA, with husband Jim, sons Cal and Ethan, and dog Scout. She is an accomplished yoga practitioner and cyclist.

Laurie Ehrlich

Director, Marketing & Communications
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

Laurie Ehrlich joined CESJDS in 2014 as its first-ever Director of Marketing & Communications. Her expertise lies in digital strategy, content curation and marketing, and social media. Prior to CESJDS, Laurie spent 12 years in non- and for-profit marketing and communications, including 4 years at the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA) where she built the organization’s social media presence and engagement strategy, and created a system in which to analyze web, email, and social media metrics. Laurie holds a M.B.A. from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business in New York City and a B.S. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Carolyn Eisenman

Creative Director and Principal
CEH Design

Carolyn Eiseman, founder, owner and creative director of CEH Design Inc. She has more than 30 years of experience working with independent schools and has a demonstrated talent for transforming ideas into visual elements, creating award-winning online and print publications. A natural at collaboration and project coordination, she understands the challenges faced by independent schools. Carolyn is focused on achieving results that not only answer those challenges but also dynamically engage the audience. She has been invited to be a guest faculty member at the CASE Summer Institute, School Connections Admissions Summit and has presented workshops at TABS and NAIS.

Chuck English

Principal/School Marketing Strategist
English Marketing Works

Chuck English helps independent schools achieve strategic goals by providing branding, marketing, communications, and creative services. He has worked with dozens of schools in the United States and Canada and has presented his ideas at numerous conferences, workshops, and webinars. He is the author of It’s All in Your Head: Why Heads of School are Critical to Marketing Success, Tailoring the Parent Experience and the co-author of The Philanthropic Mind, a book based on interviews with Canada’s top philanthropists. Chuck also blogs frequently on topics related to independent school marketing.

Flo Farrell

Director of Stewardship/Communication Associate for Social Media
The Park School

As the Director of Stewardship and Coordinator of Social Media at The Park School in Brookline, MA, I'm able to use my 20+ years of experience in communications and fundraising to build and nurture relationships on behalf of the School. I'm a Boston sports fanatic (Go Pats!), an aspiring photographer, fan of historical fiction, cat mom and proud Auntie, who is addicted to creative reality shows like Project Runway and The Great British Baking Show. I'm excited to be part of the InspirED Brilliance Awards panel and look forward to seeing all of the entries!

Hailey Feldman

CMO, Head of Brand Marketing
Mixed Digital Brand Marketing Agency

Hailey Feldman is the CMO and Head of Brand for Mixed Digital, a Brand Marketing Agency. Focusing on defining brand propositions and delivering innovative positioning strategies, Hailey works with a diverse group of clients to develop and establish a foundation upon which all marketing initiatives build off: a brand. Leading Mixed Digital's Branding Department, Hailey is the key figure in driving agency growth. Hailey holds an M.S. from New York University in Education and Research. She is a graduate of St. George's School and East Woods School. She is often asked to share her knowledge via speaking engagements, conferences, and marketing publications.

Rudi Gesch

Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management
Eastern Christian School

There is no "I" in team, and there is no "Y" in Rudi! Rudi Gesch is the Director of Marketing and Enrollment Management at Eastern Christian School in the New Jersey/Metro NYC area. Rudi previously worked as the Marketing Director of Timothy Christian Schools in the suburbs of Chicago. For the last 15 years, Rudi has been blessed to be able to do what he loves- use his creative gifts and analytical eye to help grow the profile and the enrollment of two great Private Christian Schools. Rudi lives in NJ with his wife Stephanie and 3 children.

Jill Goodman

Owner/Founder
Jill Goodman Consulting

Jill Goodman is an executive mentor and strategist with a diverse range of skills across the non-profit and educational sectors. With over 20 years of experience in developing high-level strategy, executing and growing core programs to forward the mission of numerous independent schools and organizations, Jill’s intense listening skills have helped her develop a reputation for providing exceptional, solution-oriented results. Jill has a 360-degree understanding of the non-profit world – she has served as an administrator, staff member, grant maker, trustee, and volunteer.

Rachel Hadley-Leonard

Schools' Marketing and Fundraising Consultant
RHLConsulting

Rachel is an experienced marketing and development professional with twenty years’ experience in industry and education. She offers a wealth of marketing and development expertise gained through a variety of roles and experience at Board Director level. Rachel has written articles for educational media and is a regular conference speaker. She is a judge for the prestigious Times Educational Independent School Awards and following two years as Co-chair, Rachel currently holds an advisory role on the Board of Directors for the Association for Admissions, Marketing and Communications in Independent Schools (AMCIS) and is Foundation Development Director at Princethorpe College, Warwickshire, UK.

Kirsty Hassan

Director of External Communications and Chair of AMCIS
Colston’s School

Kirsty is an accomplished corporate communications practitioner with a wealth of experience in the independent schools sector in day and boarding settings. At Colston’s School in England, she oversees the admissions, marketing and development teams and is Chair of AMCIS. Kirsty is an innovative marketer who utilises data and research to create and implement effective marketing strategies which deliver a return on investment. A skilled brand manager, Kirsty’s career highlights include the rebranding of Colston’s and implementation of a whole school approach to marketing that delivers enhanced recruitment and positioning successes.

Mike Hatfield

Director of AdmissionsThe Powhatan School

Mike Hatfield is the Director of Admissions at Powhatan School, a small PK-8 school tucked away in the beautiful Northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Responsibilities include admissions, marketing, financial aid and is the varsity soccer coach. Before joining the leadership team at Powhatan he spent 7 years in college admission and 5 years in alumni affairs and development.

Simon Hepburn

Director
Marketing Advice for Schools

After graduating from Merton College, Oxford University, Simon Hepburn spent 10 years working in marketing in industry, commerce and consultancy, taking a part-time MBA at Henley Management College with electives in Innovation and Relationship Marketing. He retrained as a teacher at the Institute of Education, London and has spent the last 10 years working as a teacher and Head of Department in state and private schools as well as training schools in marketing and developing Marketing Advice for Schools, the UK’s largest community of school marketers.

Keryn House

Founder and CEO
Houseway Consulting

Keryn House is the founder and CEO of Houseway Consulting and the author of 'Effective School Marketing' published by the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA). Her company helps heads and their marketing teams to grow and retain more students through strategic marketing, including market research and marketing strategy development. Having originally studied as a teacher, Keryn pursued a corporate career and completed her MBA. Her business roles included investment marketing and strategy consulting. She then chose to return to education and spent 5 years teaching and school marketing, before setting up her own consulting company.

Kristen Kerwin

Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Avon Old Farms School

Kristen Kerwin has been in the private school marketing and communications realm for the last nine years. Currently, she has the honor of crafting creative messaging at Avon Old Farms School—an all-boys high school in Connecticut. She is a frequent speaker for school marketing conferences, implemented a platinum-award-winning school website, and led the team that created and launched the school's noteworthy, award-winning blog.

Maria LaTour Kadison

President and CEO
EdwardsCo

Maria LaTour Kadison is president and CEO of EdwardsCo, a trusted partner to senior leadership and trustees in independent day and boarding schools and higher education institutions across the country. Under her leadership, EdwardsCo has doubled in size, adding recruiting and retention services to its robust brand and creative strategy offering. EdwardsCo has won more than 35 CASE and industry awards for brand development, the overhaul of marketing materials, multi-media marketing, market research, and capital campaign communications. Maria is a graduate of the Wheeler School in Providence, RI, Emory University, and earned both an MBA and MA at Yale University.

Leslie King

Director of Communications
Durham Academy

Leslie King joined Durham Academy as Director of Communications in spring of 2014. Prior to joining DA, King worked as a communications consultant for Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, UNC-Chapel Hill's Campus Y and various freelance clients in the Durham/Chapel Hill area. She served as the first Director of Public Information for the Savannah College of Art & Design's Atlanta campus. Prior to her career in marketing/communications, King had a career in broadcast journalism as a producer, executive producer and freelance anchor at CNN Headline News, as a producer and freelance anchor at CNN Airport Network, and worked as a general assignment reporter in the Little Rock, AR and Savannah, GA markets.

Laura Korotkin

Director of Communications
Detroit Country Day School

Laura believes in the value of an independent school education and has been affiliated with Detroit Country Day School since 1992. Before taking time off to raise four children, she started her career in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation first as an exercise physiologist and then a director of a rehabilitation center. Her move into the advancement realm of education started over 10 years ago in fundraising and has since evolved into marketing, communications, and social media. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, sailing, and taking online courses. She and her husband are empty nesters and live in Bingham Farms, Michigan.

Miles Latham

Managing Partner
Affixxius Films

As Affixxius' Managing Partner, Miles has been driven by a desire to produce engaging, results-driven film that pushes the boundaries of what is considered ‘the norm’ in the Education Sector with a passion for creative flair and approaching with a strategic mindset. With over 400 independent school clients, and numerous industry awards citing ‘creativity’ and ‘bravery’, Miles and the team at Affixxius are well-placed to analyse school brands, evaluate context and create new or evolve existing marketing centrepieces and campaigns for independent schools. Film should be highly emotive, and that aim is at the core of every film Affixxius creates.

Andrea Lehman

Strategist, Writer

Andrea Lehman is a freelance marketing strategist, writer, and editor for independent schools and colleges as well as for travel guides. Author of Fodor’s Around Philadelphia with Kids, she previously was Editorial Director of the School Division (college and independent secondary school guides) for Peterson's Guides. She and her daughters are the proud products of terrific independent school educations.

Rod Lemaire

Partner and Creative Director
Mission Minded

Rod Lemaire is a Mission Minded Partner and Creative Director, overseeing our award-winning design studio. Rod’s success as a creative professional is based on his ability to innovate and adapt to craft astute, tailored, and marketable solutions that meet specific strategic goals. Rod’s passion for nonprofit work extends beyond his Mission Minded work. He has served in numerous leadership positions, including his role as the New Orleans Chapter President for AIGA, the professional association for graphic design. Rod came to Mission Minded with extensive experience in higher education, helping colleges and universities around the country create great communications.

Lila Locksley

Director of Communications
Riverdale Country School

Before working in school communications, I worked as a news reporter, columnist, assignment editor, and assistant managing editor for newspapers in New Hampshire, New Jersey, and New York. I have an MBA in marketing and management.

Kara Lysne-Paris

Director of Marketing & Communications
Robbins Hebrew Academy

Kara has worked since 2011 in the independent school market and has over 15 years of experience in not-for-profits, focusing on education and international academic exchange. She is the President/Chair of the High Park Nature Centre and has served on a variety of boards enriching life in Toronto since 2005. Kara holds a Certificate in Digital Media Studies from OCAD, as well as an MA in Japanese Studies from SOAS (UK) and a BAH in Communications from Queen's University (Canada). She has lived and studied in Canada, the US, England and Japan.

Nija Majmudar Meyer

Vice President for Admissions and Communications
Woodward Academy

Nija Majmudar Meyer joined Woodward in August 2014 to lead the Academy’s marketing and communications efforts. In October 2017, her responsibilities expanded to include Admissions when she was named the Academy’s Vice President for Admissions and Communications. Ms. Meyer previously served in strategic marketing and consulting roles for The Coca-Cola Company, Andersen Consulting's Strategic Services, and GE Capital. She graduated summa cum laude in 1987 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Emory University. In 1992, she received a master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.

David Milner

International Marketing Manager
Sedbergh School

David Milner joined the prestigious Sedbergh School in November 2018 as International Marketing Manager where his main role involves marketing the Prep, Senior and Summer School. David’s career started in the North East of England, marketing a local college, this followed by a short spell working at Newcastle University before moving into the independent sector as Marketing Manager of a day school. David has a wealth of experience working in co-educational, single sex and faith schools and is highly skilled in Marketing Management, Strategy, Branding, Advertising, Design and Business Development. David’s current position takes him across the world.

Connie Mitchell

Director of Marketing and Communications
Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart

Accomplished leader in Strategic Communications with 20 years of experience spanning several industries in the Washington DC area: legal, nonprofit, and education. Possesses a strong skill set to execute on complex strategic communications-- analytical/critical thinking; interpersonal communication, writing and editing-- with a special tact for teamwork, building consensus, and exceeding expectations.

Dana Nelson-Isaacs

Founder and President
DNI Consulting

Dana has twenty years of experience working within and between all levels of administration and faculty, parents, students, board members, and other community stakeholders regarding a range of topics including enrollment management, communication, marketing, and parent and student satisfaction. Dana is an expert in market research, enrollment feasibility studies and strategic enrollment management projects. Additionally, she has led projects as a consultant in areas including admission office efficiencies, staff coaching, curriculum planning, and exit interviewing. She also serves as the coordinator of the Bay Area Directors of Admission, a consortium consisting of over 100 schools.

Laura Pedrick

Photojournalist
Laura Pedrick Photography

A photojournalist for over two decades, Laura Pedrick has photographed schools for the New York Times, Scholastic Magazine and for numerous education institutions as well. Laura listens closely to the expressed needs of her clients and collaboratively develops a shot list that meets their marketing objectives. Her images, never “staged”, are forward and engaging, while her working style is quiet and unobtrusive. Interesting angles and new ways of seeing things present her work as distinctive and memorable. She delivers to her client an abundance of versatile, compelling images that highlight the best of what their school has to offer.

Shelly Peters

Principal
Crane | Atlanta

Shelly believes your brand is one of your organization’s most powerful assets, and you must steward it accordingly. Years of experience in nonprofit education consulting and corporate management have led her to understand that success—with a marketing program or in an organization—requires that every community member believe in the same overarching purpose and feel inspired to contribute their unique talents toward the larger vision. Shelly holds a dual BA in psychology and educational studies from Emory University and studied learning and organizational change at Northwestern University.

Lizzie Porter-Roth

Director of Marketing and Communications
Marin Horizon School

Lizzie Porter-Roth is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Marin Horizon School, a small independent day school in Mill Valley, CA. Prior to her current position at Marin Horizon, she worked in admissions and development, and long before that she attended the school from Kindergarten through 8th grade. She received her B.A. in Environmental Humanities from Whitman College.

Dr. Arnaud Prevot

School Marketing Specialist
The School Marketing Group

Originally from France, Dr. Arnaud Prevot is a teacher, technology coordinator, and marketing committee member, working for two schools in the Portland, OR area. He followed his doctoral work on school marketing with over 60 articles and two books on the topic. He is a peer reviewed academic author and is always looking to integrate business concepts into educational management and administration. He has presented at the NCCE conference in the Pacific Northwest.

Chris Pryor

Assistant Head for Advancement
Congressional School

As Assistant Head for Advancement, Chris Pryor oversees development, admission, marketing/communications and works on a variety of strategic projects for Congressional School (VA). Prior to Congressional, Chris served Flint Hill School (VA) and Highland School (VA) as their Director of Admission and Financial Aid. A member of the Association of Independent Schools of Great Washington’s (AISGW) development committee and the former chair of AISGW’s admission committee, Chris enjoys serving the independent school community. Chris graduated from The Lawrenceville School and has degrees from Gettysburg College and the University of Virginia.

Katie Rigney-Zimmermann

Director of Admissions
Saigon South International School

Katie has been with Saigon South International School for 10 years. In that time she has grown the school from 700 students to over 1150 students. She created the school's Brand Identity Guidelines and redesigned the website. Katie presents regularly at region conferences and manages both an Admissions and Marketing & Communications Google Group for international schools in South East Asia. She has an MBA in International Business and a Masters in Secondary Education.

Sara Ring

Director of Communications
Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences

Sara is the director of communications at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences in Santa Monica, California, where she designs and implements strategic communications and marketing for the K-12 independent school, which serves over 1,100 students. Sara and her team recently won the 2017 Gold Brilliance Award for printed annual fund piece and presented at the 2018 CASE-NAIS Independent School Conference in Anaheim. Prior to joining Crossroads, Sara served as communications editor at Antioch University Los Angeles and was a contributing writer for Edutopia.org, the website of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Steve Salvo

Assistant Head of School, Enrollment Management and the Student Experience
Trinity Episcopal School

Steve serves as Assistant Head of School at Trinity Episcopal School, a coed, independent, PK–8 day school in New Orleans, LA. He oversees various aspects of the student experience, including acting as Director of Admission and leading all recruitment, re-recruitment, and marketing functions. Steve has presented on various advancement-related topics at national education conferences, including SSATB (EMA), NAIS, ERB, NAES, and AISGW, and he consults and leads workshops for Independent School Management (ISM, Inc.) Steve is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP).

Brendan Schneider

Director of Advancement
Sewickley Academy

Brendan Schneider is the Director of Advancement at Sewickley Academy. He is one of the leaders in the field for teaching on and knowledge about inbound marketing for schools. Brendan presents and consults on inbound marketing, social media, and marketing technology at the regional and national levels. With his workshops, the SchneiderB Media blog, his schneiderb.fm podcast, his SchneiderB Virtual Conferences, he continues to advance the abilities of the independent school admission, communication, and marketing professional. He is also a Board of Director for AISAP (Association of Independent School Admission Professionals).

Kerry Shea

Director of Marketing and Communications
Greenhill School

Kerry Shea is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Greenhill School, a coed PK-12 independent school with 1300 students located in Addison, TX. She establishes the marketing and communications strategy to support the mission and identity of Greenhill School, ensures consistency of message across internal and external constituents, and fosters relationships with press. Kerry’s prior experience includes marketing, product and channel management, and strategy consulting with companies including DuPont and IBM. Kerry holds a BA from College of the Holy Cross and an MBA in Marketing from the Yale School of Management.

Cassie Sherman-Marks

Principal
Turbine Communications

Cassie is passionate about helping schools communicate well. She is the sole proprietor of Turbine Communications, which develops sites, strategies, brands, and designs for schools and nonprofits and was founded in 2018. Finalsite is her favorite school communication tool, and helping people implement it - both through Turbine and through Educational Collaborators - always makes her brain buzz (latest big project: abetterchance.org). In her former life working for schools and colleges directly, she counts among her victories two long enrollment slump turnarounds and single-year increases of 75% in open house attendance and 55% in applications.

Jacqueline P. Sullivan

Vice President
Graham-Pelton

Jackie Sullivan built her career in all areas of fundraising and external relations including, but not limited to, closing major gifts and pledges in support of annual giving, endowment, scholarships, and capital projects within and outside a campaign. Prior to joining Graham-Pelton, Jackie served Syracuse University for 10 years in the development, admissions, and financial aid divisions. Additionally, she spent 17 years in the Advancement Offices at Delbarton School and the Pingry School. Jackie is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and completed credits toward a Masters of Arts in Higher Education Administration.

Jean B. Tickell

Vice President
Schultz & Williams

Jean brings to all of her nonprofit clients at Schultz & Williams a broad range of expertise in major gifts, annual giving, marketing and innovative strategies. She previously served as Director of Development and Director of Communications at Germantown Friends School. While at GFS, she was active in the PR Peer Network through Friends Council on Education, sharing and admiring best marketing practices at other independent schools. Her career includes senior development positions at the University of Pennsylvania and Carson Valley School. While she enjoys all of her S&W clients equally, she has a certain fondness for independent schools.

Susan Tomases

Director of Marketing and Communication
Landmark School

Susan Tomases is currently the Director of Marketing and Communication at Landmark School where she has held the position since 2010. In that time, she has overseen a full-scale magazine redesign, new website launch, a complete capital campaign, and a school rebranding exercise, among other major initiatives. Susan’s background includes work at the Boston Children’s Museum, MIT’s Alumni Association, MIT’s Technology Review Magazine, and a short stint doing public relations for Dockers in Amsterdam in The Netherlands. Susan’s background in the non-profit sector includes extensive event planning, volunteer management, writing, editing, and branding.

Tiffany Truong

Director of Marketing and Communications
La Jolla Country Day School

Tiffany Truong is the director of marketing and communications at La Jolla Country Day School in San Diego, CA. Since 2015, she has led the school’s website redesign, magazine relaunch, rebranding efforts, among others major initiatives. The LJCDS magazine earned the 2018 and 2019 CASE Award of Excellence, and the viewbook was award the UCDA 2017 Excellence Award. Before joining LJCDS, Tiffany was the assistant director of communications at Noble and Greenough School in Massachusetts. She has served on judging panels of the CASE Circle of Excellence Awards and InspirED Brilliance Awards.

Randy Vaughn

Christian School Marketing Consultant
Your School Marketing

Randy Vaughn loves consulting with PK-12 schools on marketing strategy, social media and the "3 Rs of school marketing": recruitment, retention, & referrals. His specialty is helping schools create a customized marketing system through 1-on-1 coaching. Randy hosts the School Marketing Podcast and School Marketing Academy and loves to give away free school marketing ideas on his blog & Twitter account. He also leads the Advancement team at his kids' Christian School. Randy and wife, Kelly, have been married over 20 years, lived in 3 countries, speak 3 languages and raise 4 great kids. They also are proud parents of a 7yo, 5-lb Yorkie named Hunter and a new Golden Doodle puppy named Texas.

Trevor Waddington

Principal
Truth Tree Consulting

Trevor Waddington is an educational entrepreneur and former teacher with 17 years of experience working in independent schools as director of admission, marketing, communication, and financial aid - to name a few. He is the founder of DCschoolHUB and NYmetroSchools, digital platforms that help educate parents and students about the different educational opportunities and where they can find them. Trevor founded Truth Tree Consulting, a full-service firm focusing on enrollment management, brand development, and marketing strategies for schools seeking edge-defining excellence.

Ryan Waterfield

Director of Communications and Marketing
Sun Valley Community School

After 15 years teaching Upper School English and coaching girls' varsity basketball at Sun Valley Community School, Ryan chose to pursue writing and publishing when she founded a nationally-distributed magazine dedicated to celebrating mountain living, BigLife Magazine, in 2014. With a B.A. from Transylvania University in Kentucky and an M.A. from Middlebury University, she was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2003 and spent the year teaching in the Czech Republic, traveling former Soviet bloc countries, and writing about the role of shifting borders on identity. Ryan, the mother of two, happily rejoined Sun Valley Community School in 2018 as Director of Marketing and Communications.

Andrew T. Weller

Dean of Enrollment and Strategic Marketing
St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School

Andrew Weller previously was Director of Admissions for Avenues: The World School, Executive Director of Advancement at Ridley College (Canada) and Director of Admissions at Chestnut Hill Academy. Weller was a board member of the East Bay School for Boys, served on the inaugural Admissions Leadership Council, served four years on the planning committee of the TABS/NAIS Global Symposium, and now serves as an advisor to the Admission Directors Institute of the Enrollment Management Association (formerly SSATB). He has B.S. from Alfred University (NY), M.S. from Marymount University (VA), and an Ed.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

David Willows

Director of Advancement
International School of Brussels

Dr. David Willows is Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. He is also a regular blogger, presenter & trainer at international events and author of several books and articles in the field of international school branding, innovation, admissions, marketing and communications. Today, he is considered a leading practitioner in the field of Advancement and continues to be involved in several global network organisations, helping to shape and define the future of the learning business.