Allison Gaines Pell is a Senior Consultant with our Search & Consulting Group. 

Allison brings an impressive career in education as a founder and leader in innovative and strategic programming, earning recognition for her transformative work across both public and independent schools. 

Allison served as Head of School at The Wheeler School in Providence, Rhode Island, from 2017-2025.  At Wheeler, she led the development of the school’s first strategic plan and oversaw several groundbreaking initiatives, including the development of an Inquiry and Design department, The Nest nature-based early childhood program, and the Cityside program, which immerses middle schoolers in Providence-based learning. Under her leadership, Wheeler expanded the reach of the Hamilton School for students with language-based learning differences both within Wheeler, and established the Hamilton Institute, providing free community resources, professional development, and a podcast for parents. She also led the transformation of the Wheeler’s Farm campus into a second academic campus, working to ensure that students at all grade levels could have meaningful, project-based experiences in a rural environment. 

Prior to Wheeler, Allison served as Head of School at Blue School in Manhattan, where she expanded its elementary program through eighth grade and oversaw an expansion into an adjacent building. She strengthened Blue School’s mission by deepening community engagement, refining pedagogical practices, and launching a nationally recognized annual conference series that brought innovative educators together to share best practices. Her leadership established Blue School as a model for progressive education. 

Earlier in her career, Allison served as a leader in the New York City Department of Education.  She founded Arts & Letters (now called United BK), a small public school that has since grown to serve over 700 students and is regarded as one of Brooklyn’s top public schools.  She also was a founding member of New Leaders for New Schools, nurturing aspiring leadership talent for K-12 education. 

Allison is an active voice in the broader educational landscape, serving for six years as a trustee for the Association of Independent Schools of New England (AISNE) and contributing as a faculty member for the National Association of Independent Schools’ Institute for New Heads. Her work has been featured in publications like The New York Times and NAIS’ Independent School Magazine. She is a sought-after mentor and speaker on leadership and strategy in education, and has brought wisdom and expertise to work on search and strategy to Brimmer and May (Chestnut Hill, MA), Plymouth Church School (Brooklyn, NY), Charlotte Country Day (Charlotte, NC) and Winchendon School (Winchendon, MA).  She is also a passionate advocate for nurturing aspiring leaders and has been a mentor to many throughout her career.  

Allison has a BA in English from Brown University and a M.Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Allison currently lives in Westport, MA and Brooklyn, NY with her husband, Ben Pell, an architect. She is the proud mom to Miles, a senior at Boston University, and Hannah, a sophomore at Tufts University, and two perfect chocolate labs, Louie and Willie.