CS&A Sponsors ISACS 2023-24 Trustee Series


Bob Vitalo kicked off this yearlong series in August.
Read MoreIn thinking about taking the leap to becoming a head of school, what are the essential questions to ask yourself? Senior Consultant Charlie Britton shares his insight.
Read MoreSharing results from our annual survey, Senior Consultant Ann Teaff confirms what new heads of school need and want as keys to their success.
Read MoreVice President of the Search & Consulting Group and longtime former head of school Bob Vitalo discusses weighing buy-in and consensus against progress and a school's mission.
Read MoreHow can schools support a leader hired to implement significant change? Longtime former Head and Senior Consultant Bob Fricker shares his approach to lessening community resistance to change.
Read MoreWith nearly 50 years of experience in education, former Head of School and Senior Consultant Barbara Chase shares her advice to women seeking school leadership roles.
Read MoreBob Vitalo, Vice President of the Search & Consulting Group
A search for a new leader is likely to be one of the major legacies of a school board. While a good search can take you from point A to B in an expedient fashion, a great search travels from status quo—through reflection, assessment, and discovery—to affirmation, renewal, and even transformation. The Head of School Practice of the Search & Consulting Group has a long record of partnering successfully with institutions of learning all over the world to find the right leader.
Here are few ways in which we provide compelling value:
Just the Right Size – Our size provides our clients with the intimacy and immediacy of a small bespoke experience, while offering the resources, technology, market insight, and network of a globally-connected firm.
Stakeholders in Independent and Like-kind Education – We are stakeholders in independent schools, and as such, our searches do not compete for resources among hundreds of much larger organizations. Likewise, our firm possesses resources that independent school-focused firms cannot match.
Flexible Approach – During our years serving independent and like-kind schools we have learned that a flexible approach to a search–that takes into account the unique qualities of the school, the specifics of the departing leader’s tenure, and the sentiments of the wider community–is the best way to work.
Consultants as Well as Recruiters – We embrace that we are consultants as well as recruiters. We bring to bear our experience and understanding as life-long educators to all matters pertaining to a search. We understand the various constituencies at play, and we appreciate how challenging it can be to run an independent school.
The End of the Search is Just the Start of a Successful Appointment – CS&A understands that the appointment is just the beginning of the hard work for a successful transition. That’s why our consultants remain a resource for schools well beyond the hire. We commit not only to consulting actively during the transition, but also to coming back to campus 100 days into the headship to meet with stakeholders and keep the transition on track.
Committed Allies – CS&A hosts the annual FORUM/Diversity in Philadelphia. The two-day conference, attended by over 1,200 educators, provides professional development to aspiring leaders of color and facilitates increased diversity hiring among PK-12 schools. We also hold an annual Women’s* Institute, bringing together women educators from all over the country, and world, to provide discussion, panels, coaching, and lasting mentorship.
Building Inclusive Communities – To support schools and organizations in creating hiring processes that support a more diverse talent pool, all head of school searches include the option of engaging in implicit bias training for search committees at no extra cost.
I have worked with many recruiters in other sectors over the years, and I’ve never encountered anyone who puts so much care into his client’s future and well-being as Bob. He visited our campus on multiple occasions, spent dozens of hours in conversation with every facet of our community, and became deeply invested in our success. He advised us not only on our search process, but on our vision and strategy. He became part of our team. It is no exaggeration to expect that, in 10 years, FAIS may look back and see Bob’s role in our head's hire as pivotal in our school’s evolution.Matt Donegan French American International School See More Success Stories
Bob Vitalo kicked off this yearlong series in August.
Read MoreThrough our consulting work, we know that a high-functioning board of trustees/head of school relationship is critical to effective governance. CS&A is proud to champion the trustees/head partnership through support of programs like the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) 2023-24 Trustees Series.
Bob Vitalo, Vice President, Search & Consulting Services, kicked off the series in August with his thoughts on the trustees/head relationship and things to consider as the school year begins.
Best of luck to all the trustees and heads of school participating! Learn more about the series here.
Heather Flewelling presented on the head of school search process to a group of assistant and associate heads.
Read MoreIn July, Heather Flewelling, CS&A’s Chief Talent Officer, Search & Consulting Services, was a guest at the TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools) Roundtable for Assistant and Associates Heads.
She presented “Paths for Growth: Inside the Head of School Search Process” to a group of aspiring boarding school heads and shared her experience from leading dozens of head of school searches.
Bob Vitalo visited with students in the Independent School Leadership Graduate Program.
Read MoreBob Vitalo, Vice President, Search & Consulting Services at Carney Sandoe is pictured with Carrie Grimes, Director of Peabody Independent School Leadership Master's Program at Vanderbilt University.
Bob spoke to the graduating students in the program about current leadership opportunities in independent schools and worked with the cohort on resume and interview preparation.
The Admission Leadership Council Seminar was held in Los Angeles at Viewpoint School.
Read MoreConsultant and Executive Coach Cathy Shelburne attended the Enrollment Management Association's (EMA) Admission Leadership Council Seminar in Los Angeles on April 27.
Held at Viewpoint School, the event was designed for attendees to celebrate wins, collaborate on future endeavors, and be inspired by regional and industry-wide trends.
Cathy enjoyed connecting with admission leaders from the Los Angeles area.
Barbara also hosted a session with aspiring Catholic school leaders.
Read MoreBarbara Daush, Practice Leader of our Catholic Schools Practice, attended the Institute for Leadership & Entrepreneurship in Education (ILEE) Seminar at the end of April in Colorado.
ILEE is a professional community for private school leaders. In addition to meeting with sitting Catholic school presidents, Barbara held a session with aspiring Catholic school leaders. CS&A was also a sponsor of the event.
Heather Flewelling and Hakeem Adeyemi attended this National Partnership for Educational Access event.
Read MoreIf you work hard for equity and justice in education, you don’t have to work alone. Carney Sandoe was proud to sponsor the National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) 2023 Annual Conference April 12-14 in Boston.
Heather Flewelling, Chief Talent Officer, Search & Consulting Services, introduced the event's closing keynote speaker. Additionally, Hakeem Adeyemi from our Placement Group represented CS&A at our sponsor table. Both Heather and Hakeem enjoyed connecting with education leaders, experts, and practitioners from across the country.
Sara presented at the NYSAIS Institutional Advancement Conference on hybrid advancement offices.
Read MoreSara Shulman, Consultant in our Development & Finance Practice, presented today at the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Institutional Advancement Conference on the pros and cons of a hybrid advancement team.
With co-presenter Laurie Hindley, Director of Advancement at Hewitt School, the session discussed how flexible work arrangements create a more equitable and sustainable work environment and allow advancement teams to reach more constituents than ever.
The team exhibited at and sponsored the 2023 Global Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C.
Read MoreKaren Neitzel, Art Charles, Deb Welch, and Ji Han from our International Schools Practice attended the AAIE 2023 Global Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. on February 6-8.
They enjoyed their time connecting with international school leaders and administrators and discussing best practices in retained search work. Learn more about their team and the schools they serve here.
Skip enjoyed connecting with leaders from the Jewish schools he serves nationwide.
Read MoreSenior Consultant Skip Kotkins attended and exhibited at the Prizmah Conference in Denver on January 8-10.
Prizmah partners with day schools, yeshivas, philanthropists, and communities from all denominations, helping them grow their reach and impact and tackle the challenges on their path to success. Skip enjoyed meeting school leaders and discussing best practices in retained leadership searches, governance, and board relations.