2027 Independent School Brand Summit: Full Schedule

3:00pm EST

Radically Relevant

Wednesday February 10, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Speakers

Blake Howard

Founder & Creative Director, Matchstic

Blake is the co-founder of Matchstic, a brand consultancy helping leaders build Radically Relevant brands. With a deep love for strategic creative and design systems, he has shaped tech, entertainment, industrial, food and beverage, and nonprofit brands alike.

Blake hosts the indu... Read More →

Wednesday February 10, 2027 3:00pm - 4:00pm EST

Keynote

4:00pm EST

Break - Exhibits Open

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:00pm - 4:30pm EST

Break

4:30pm EST

Omotenashi: Unreasonable Stewardship for Lifelong Giving

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

In Japan, omotenashi means genuine hospitality: anticipating someone's needs before they are spoken and caring for details they may never see but will always feel. Restaurateur Will Guidara built the world's top-ranked restaurant, wrote a best-selling book, and started a movement on a parallel idea. In a world full of competence, how you make people feel is the last great differentiator.What...
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Speakers

Mariana Keller

VP for Philanthropy and Community Engagement, The Bear Creek School

Mariana Keller is vice president of philanthropy and community engagement at The Bear Creek School in Redmond, WA. Since stepping into the role, she has reshaped the school's approach to advancement around a community-wide culture of philanthropy, producing six consecutive years of... Read More →

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Breakout Session

4:30pm EST

The Yield Signals Hiding in Plain Sight

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Every enrollment leader is already reading signals that predict yield: a family's tone on a tour, a placement director's tip, a "tell" picked up over years on the job. They just don't call it data. This session shares what surfaced from in-depth conversations with five enrollment leaders across day and boarding schools of every size: the signals that actually drive enrollment decisions but live...
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Speakers

Amand Lucas

Asst. Head of Upper School for Teaching & Learning, The Lovett School

Amanda Lucas is assistant head of upper school for teaching & learning at The Lovett School in Atlanta, GA, and a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. Her research focuses on enrollment prediction, decision science, and the ethical dimensions... Read More →

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Breakout Session

4:30pm EST

Why Should Families Choose You?

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Every private school believes it offers a transformative experience, but convincing prospective families of that before they ever step on campus is the real challenge. The landscape is shifting fast: fewer school-age children, heightened cost consciousness, and parents demanding evidence that your institution delivers measurable, distinctive value. Surviving isn't enough. The institutions that...
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Speakers

Alex Winnicker

Director of Enrollment Management, The Webb School

Alex Winnicker, director of enrollment management at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, TN, has dedicated his life to matching students with transformative educational experiences, starting with NCAA Division III athletics recruitment and evolving into record-setting enrollment leadership... Read More →

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Breakout Session

4:30pm EST

Your Employer Brand Is Your School Brand

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Independent schools invest heavily in attracting prospective families, but today's educators are evaluating schools in much the same way. Your website, careers page, social media, job postings, and candidate experience all shape your employer brand long before an interview is scheduled.In this session, you'll learn how leading schools are applying marketing principles to faculty recruitment,...
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Speakers

Tim McDonough

President, Searchality

Tim's work has focused on helping schools make clearer, more confident decisions during periods of growth and change. His background spans customer success, renewals, technical support, sales strategy, and executive advisory work, giving Tim a practical understanding of how schools... Read More →

Wednesday February 10, 2027 4:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Breakout Session

5:30pm EST

Reception - Exhibits Open

Wednesday February 10, 2027 5:30pm - 6:30pm EST

Meals & Networking

8:00am EST

Breakfast - Exhibits Open

Thursday February 11, 2027 8:00am - 9:00am EST

Meals & Networking

9:00am EST

Ignite: Brand Story Through Storytelling

Thursday February 11, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

Speakers

Andrew Weller

Dean of Admissions, The Birch Wathen Lenox School

Currently dean of admissions at the Birch Wathen Lenox School in New York city, Andrew Weller was dean of enrollment & strategic marketing for St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School, director of admissions for Avenues: The World School, executive director of advancement at Ridley College... Read More →

Nicki Ragan

Director of Marketing & Communication, Carrollwood Day School

Nicki brings 25+ years of experience in the marketing industry and leads a four-person MarCom team at Carrollwood Day School, a Toddler–12th-grade independent school in Tampa, FL. With direct oversight of brand strategy, social media, photography, and communications, she brings... Read More →

Thursday February 11, 2027 9:00am - 10:00am EST

Keynote

10:00am EST

Break - Exhibits Open

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:00am - 10:30am EST

Break

10:30am EST

Building a Million-Dollar Giving Day Together

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

What happens when marketing and advancement work as one team? In five years, Lipscomb Academy grew its Giving Day from approximately $85,000 to more than $1.1 million by combining compelling storytelling with intentional fundraising strategy. This session will explore how video, social media, coordinated messaging, donor outreach, and strategically structured matching and challenge gifts helped...
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Speakers

Eric Adams

Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Lipscomb Academy

Eric Adams serves as assistant head of school for external relations at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, TN, where he leads fundraising, community partnerships, and external engagement. His career in development and nonprofit leadership also includes roles with the Nashville Symphony... Read More →

Libby Alvarez

Director of Marketing, Lipscomb Academy

Libby Alvarez serves as director of marketing at Lipscomb Academy, where she leads the school’s branding, communications, and marketing efforts. During her 10 years at Lipscomb, she has helped shape how the academy shares its story, connects with families, and strengthens its presence... Read More →

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Breakout Session

10:30am EST

Capital Campaign Communications: From Vision to Grand Opening

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

A capital campaign is one of the most complex communications challenges an independent school can face and one of the most consequential brand moments it will ever have. Done well, it deepens relationships with every constituency simultaneously. When done poorly, it fragments your message and makes your biggest institutional moment feel smaller than it should be.This session delivers a replicable,...
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Speakers

Mary Craig Tennille

Director of Advancement and Admissions, Summit School

Mary Craig is a 1994 Summit alumna and current parent who has worked in the school's advancement office since 2015. She currently oversees advancement and leads admissions, having previously served as director of annual giving and stewardship for 11 years, during which she raised... Read More →

Margaret Turner

Director of Philanthropy, Summit School

Margaret is a 1993 Summit alumna and has dedicated her career to nonprofit advancement and fundraising. She currently serves as the school's director of philanthropy, having previously served as campaign director, during which she led Summit's largest capital campaign. With more than... Read More →

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Breakout Session

10:30am EST

How AI Is Transforming Enrollment, Advancement, Marketing, and Communications

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Artificial intelligence is changing how the smartest schools work, but AI is only as effective as the understanding and data behind it.Too often, enrollment, marketing, communications, and advancement operate from different assumptions about the families they serve, resulting in disconnected messaging, inconsistent experiences, and missed opportunities throughout the school relationship. The...
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Speakers

Andrew Esparza

Founder, Kingdom Analytics

Andrew Esparza, voted a Top 100 Marketing & Advertising Leader, brings a rare blend of entrepreneurial drive, global perspective, and technological fluency to the fundraising world. As founder of Kingdom Analytics, he has helped more than 600 organizations deepen connections with... Read More →

Andrew Weller

Dean of Admissions, The Birch Wathen Lenox School

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Breakout Session

10:30am EST

Work Smarter, Not Harder: A MarCom Strategy Framework That Fits Any School

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Independent school marketing & communications professionals are constantly reacting to the immediate needs of the day, leaving little room for proactive strategy or an honest assessment of what’s actually working. Whether you are a team of one or a department of 10, this fast-paced, practical session cuts through the noise to help you audit your current baseline and build a repeatable framework...
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Speakers

Penny Abrahams

Founder, Penny Abrahams Consulting

Penny brings more than 20 years of independent school experience as an administrator, consultant, trustee, and parent. After 15 years as a consultant and workshop leader with Independent School Management (ISM), she founded Penny Abrahams Consulting, where she partners with private... Read More →

Nicki Ragan

Director of Marketing & Communication, Carrollwood Day School

Thursday February 11, 2027 10:30am - 11:30am EST

Breakout Session

11:30am EST

Lunch

Thursday February 11, 2027 11:30am - 12:30pm EST

Meals & Networking

12:30pm EST

Change the ROI Conversation, Prove Enrollment Growth

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Speakers

Kevin McNeil

Metric Marketing

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Breakout Session

12:30pm EST

From Admission to Alumni: Building Parent Engagement That Lasts

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Parent engagement is not a series of disconnected events; it is a relationship journey that begins in admission, deepens through development and volunteer partnership, and continues through senior year and beyond. This interactive session will examine how schools can intentionally welcome new families, strengthen belonging, activate parent volunteers, and cultivate parents as advocates,...
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Speakers

Phil Higginson

Strategic Advisor, Independent School Management

Phil joined ISM as a full-time consultant in 2023. A nationally recognized leader in philanthropic efforts and a renowned speaker, his expertise is in fundraising and development.

Phil most recently served at Ravenscroft School in North Carolina. In over 20 years with this school, starting as the director of development and transitioning to the associate head of school for philanthropy, he helped establish 75 new endowments equating to nearly $14M raised in... Read More →

Dennis Ring

Advancement Coach, DR3

Dennis Ring brings more than 33 years of experience in education, leadership, athletics, fundraising, and relationship building. A two-time Hall of Fame coach, former athletic director, development leader, and director of athletic giving, Dennis has spent his career helping schools... Read More →

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Breakout Session

12:30pm EST

Give Them More Than a Mail Merge: Personalization at Scale That Drives Giving

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Today’s donors expect personalized experiences that reflect their relationship with your institution. But how can independent schools create meaningful, individualized engagement without adding hours to an already full workload?In this session, Nathan Watts, assistant head of school for institutional advancement at Houston Academy, and Jed Shireman-Jones, senior solutions engineer at Varsity...
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Speakers

Jed Shireman-Jones

Senior Solutions Engineer, Varsity Consulting

With over ten years of experience in fund development and a decade in the SaaS industry, Jed Shireman-Jones excels at helping educational institutions maximize their fundraising software to drive greater online giving. Having worked at Amazon and the development offices of MIT, Jed... Read More →

Nathan Watts

Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement, Houston Academy

Nathan Watts serves as the director of advancement at Houston Academy in Dothan, AL, where he leads the school's fundraising, alumni relations, community engagement, and strategic advancement initiatives. Throughout his career in independent schools, Nathan has held leadership roles... Read More →

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Breakout Session

12:30pm EST

Wired to Enroll: The Behavioral Science Behind How Families Choose Schools

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Speakers

Trevor Waddington

TruthTree

Thursday February 11, 2027 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST

Breakout Session

1:30pm EST

Break

Thursday February 11, 2027 1:30pm - 2:00pm EST

Break

2:00pm EST

Expert Intensive: Admissions Focus

Thursday February 11, 2027 2:00pm - 3:30pm EST

Expert Intensive

2:00pm EST

Expert Intensive: Brand Audit

Thursday February 11, 2027 2:00pm - 3:30pm EST

Expert Intensive

2:00pm EST

Expert Intensive: Marketing Focus

Thursday February 11, 2027 2:00pm - 3:30pm EST

Expert Intensive

2:00pm EST

Expert Intensive: Philanthropy Focus

Thursday February 11, 2027 2:00pm - 3:30pm EST

Expert Intensive

3:00pm EST

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