Episodes
139. Marketing in Small Schools – Live Panel at the Small School Leaders Conference
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Lori Kriegel is the Chief Communications Officer at Wooster School. Andrea Jenkins is the Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing & Communications at St. Luke’s Episcopal School. Barb Doyle is the Director of Marketing and Communications at Renbrook School.
138. Mindfulness and Resilience for Today’s School Leaders with Jason Craige Harris
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Jason Craige Harris is a strategist and writer working at the intersection of culture, conflict, leadership, and impact. Through his essays, talks, and advisory work, he explores how power, perception, and dignity shape human connection and institutional life. A trusted facilitator and mediator, Jason uses storytelling and humor to help individuals and organizations navigate complexity and pursue accountable, values-driven success. He is the CEO of Perception Strategies and a Senior Advisor at Pollyanna.
137. Rethinking Fundraising: Smarter Strategies for School Advancement with Barbara Barron
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Barbara Barron is a consultant specializing in independent school advancement. She helps schools expand their capacity to raise money and build joyful philanthropic cultures.
136. AI, Authenticity, and Reels: Smarter Social Media for Schools with Andrea Gribble
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Andrea’s passion is helping schools recognize their daily awesomeness and sharing that story with the world. She’s built a team that celebrates hundreds of schools across the country! #SocialSchool4EDU provides full social media management and runs a vibrant online community that provides ongoing professional development for school social media champions. She also hosts a weekly podcast, Mastering Social Media for Schools, and is the author of the new book Social Media for Schools: Proven Storytelling Strategies & Ideas for Celebrating Your Students & Staff – While Keeping Your Sanity.
135. Doing Everything Isn’t the Job: Redefining School Leadership, Delegation, and Self-Worth with Rebecca Malotke-Meslin
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Rebecca Malotke-Meslin is the owner of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching & Consulting. As a leadership coach and speaker, she helps early- and mid-career women leaders in schools and nonprofits lead more confidently, authentically, and unapologetically.
134. Should This School Event Stay or Go? How Schools Can Evaluate Events and Programs with Miriam Stein
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Miriam Stein is a graduate of an independent day school and believes in the importance of day school education to our future. After working in education and in strategic enrollment for more than 20 years, she co-founded Thrive Hive with Laurie Ehrlich. This boutique consulting service offers marketing and enrollment strategy to schools and camps. She has lectured nationally on enrollment strategy, systems, and workplace dynamics, and works with each client to create a tailored and personalized program to meet their needs.
Miriam holds a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania and Masters Degrees in Education and in Jewish Studies from George Washington University. She is a licensed teacher, a certified executive coach, and a certified facilitator in The Six Types of Working Genius. Miriam lives in the suburbs of Washington, DC, with her co-pilot husband, children, and their dog, Ruby.
133. How Schools Are Using Chatbots to Support Admissions
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Angela Brown, MBA, Director of Marketing at Halda.AI.
Angela brings over 15 years of experience leading high-performing marketing and content teams across the education sector and B2B SaaS markets. Her expertise focuses on helping institutions cut through artificial intelligence buzzwords to build actionable, data-driven enrollment marketing strategies. She holds an MBA from Regis University and previously drove brand strategy for major educational platforms like Niche.
Stephanie Vasta, Director of Marketing and Communications.
Stephanie joined Moravian Academy in January 2018 as the Director of Marketing and Communications. Before joining MA, she worked at Rodale, Inc. for ten years, where she served in many different capacities, eventually becoming the Executive Director of Consumer Marketing. Her husband is a Moravian Academy alumnus, and she is a parent to students in the class of ‘31 and ‘32. Education – Northwestern University, BA in Communications.
Lori Kriegel, Chief Communications Officer, Wooster School.
Lori Kriegel is the Chief Communications Officer at Wooster School, a grade 5 – 12 coed day school in Danbury, CT. She enjoys all things related to marketing, data, branding, storytelling, strategizing, and communicating. Lori is also the Vice-Chair of the CAISCT Commission on School Advancement and serves on the Alumni Board of Elmira College. Prior to her arrival at Wooster School, she was the Director, eMarketing at The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Lori holds a M.S. in Education and a B.S. in Management from Elmira College.
132. What’s Actually Working in Enrollment Right Now? A Conversation with School Admissions & Enrollment Leaders
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Matthew Farley is the Director of Enrollment Management at James River Day School in Lynchburg, VA, overseeing admissions, inquiries, and the enrollment process. He is an experienced educator and team manager, having managed admissions processes, student shadowing, and tours to support incoming families
Marnie Schattgen is the Director of Admission and Indexed Tuition. She brings extensive expertise in independent school enrollment management to her role. She is deeply committed to guiding families through the admission process, ensuring a personalized experience for both new and returning students and parents. Throughout her tenure, she has strengthened the school community by implementing key support programs, including continuous enrollment and a robust indexed tuition model, resulting in significant growth. With a career spanning university and independent school advancement, Marnie is passionate about building stronger educational communities through networking and professional development. She is a proud mother of four Fredericksburg Academy alumni and, together with her college sweetheart, Steve, enjoys beach escapes and family time.
Matt Thornton has been working in various educational settings for over 27 years and currently serves as the Director of Admissions at the progressive school, Robert C. Parker School, near Albany, NY. His passion for progressive and inquiry based education has evolved over the years in roles as a Teaching Fellow with Citizen Schools in Boston, MA, a Teacher/Director at the Cofradia Bilingual School (B.E.C.A.) in Honduras, a Center & Volunteer Director at the Higher Achievement Program in Washington, D.C. and more recently as the inaugural Head of School of the nature-based Mountain Village Charter School in Plymouth, N.H. He holds a Non-Profit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University, a Master’s Degree in Education for Curriculum & Instruction from Lesley University, and a B.A. in Biology from Hamilton College.
131. Who Owns Retention? And Why That Question Is Hurting Schools Plus A Special Podcast Announcement
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Aubrey Bursch is founder + CEO of Easy School Marketing. She’s also a mom, lover of green smoothies and Peloton, and podcast host. She is passionate about supporting small + independent schools to increase enrollment, retention, and revenue.
130. Your School Website’s Most Important Pages in 2026 and How to Make the Most of Them
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Tara Claeys a seasoned website designer and developer with a marketing background going back over 30 years. Her passion for childhood enrichment helps guide a user-focused approach to websites for independent schools and education-focused nonprofits.
As a small agency, Design TLC works one-to-one with small schools and nonprofits who need a professional, performant, user-friendly and affordable website.