Addressing Impossible Questions

Welcome to a special episode of the Enrollment Spectrum Podcast, where we broadcast live from EMA's 2023 Annual Conference in Las Vegas. In this unique episode, we have gathered all your favorite EMA podcast hosts under one roof. This includes Rebecca Malotke-Mmeslin and Lynne Macziewski from 'Confidently You,' John Gentile and Rohan Arjun from 'Different Perspectives,' and Ari Betof and Christian Donovan from 'Impossible Questions.' Join us as we share memorable moments from our last podcast season, dive into the latest trends shaping independent schools, and provide a sneak peek into exciting episodes awaiting you in the upcoming season. 

Join us for a conversation with Andrew Weller and Brad Brown. Andrew is the Dean of Enrollment and Strategic Marketing at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Virginia. Andrew has served in several leadership roles and was a member of EMA's inaugural Admission Leadership Council (ALC). Brad is the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at Trinity School in Atlanta, Georgia. Brad also served as the Chair of the Atlanta Area Association of Independent School (AAAIS) Admission Directors Group. Not only are Brad and Andrew strategic enrollment leaders, but they are also two faculty members and advisors for EMA’s Admission Directors Institute (ADI). ADI is an intensive two-day program offered in person as part of EMA’s Annual Conference every September as part of the pre-conference programming. In this episode, Andrew and Brad offer advice and resources for all new admission and enrollment directors to consider as they enter their new leadership roles.       

Please join us for a conversation with Quentin McDowell, Head of School at Mercersburg Academy (PA), Barbara Eghan, Founding Executive Director of Civic Lab at the Georgetown Day School (DC), Jill Thompson, Director of Admission at Phillips Academy (MA), and Christian Donovan, Head of School at Friends School of Baltimore (MD). Quentin, Barbara, Jill, and Christian are the founders of the Enrollment Management Association’s Future Leaders Institute, which focuses on the individual goals of enrollment professionals who wish to build their career, enhance their leadership skills, and grow their professional network.   

Join us for a special crossover episode of the Enrollment Spectrum Podcast and EMA's Impossible Questions Podcast. Guest co-host Ari Betof joins me today. Ari is the Co-Founder and Partner of Mission & Data and the host of EMA’s Impossible Questions Podcast. In this episode, we welcome Christian Donovan, Head of School at Friends School of Baltimore, as the new co-host of EMA's Impossible Questions Podcast. We will share some highlights and lessons learned from the Impossible Questions first season. Stick around to the end of the podcast to hear the exciting things Ari and Christian have lined up for season two. 

Please join us in welcoming Ari Betof and Sarah Enterline to the show! Ari is the co-founder and partner at Mission & Data where Sarah is an ​​Institutional Research Consultant and Director of Institutional Research at St. Mark's School in Southborough, MA. Mission & Data is a firm dedicated to the effectiveness, health, and vitality of educational institutions and other organizations that make the world a better place, through strategy consulting, custom data products, audits, and leadership coaching. Ari is also the co-host of EMA’s Impossible Questions Podcast. Ari and Sarah were instrumental to the data collection, analysis, and writing of EMA’s flagship special report The 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report (SOTI) which is out now.

Please join us for a conversation with attorney Brian Garrett. Brian is counsel in the Litigation Department and Chair of the Education Law Practice Group at McLane Middleton one of New England’s premier full-service law firms with over 100 attorneys and 25 paralegals throughout offices in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Most recently Brian spoke at our Anti-Bias workshop in January. Stick around to the end of the podcast for some actionable takeaways on some steps you should take at your school based on this upcoming decision. 

Please join us for a conversation with Mary Birnie. Mary is the President of Birnie & Associates, Inc. For more than 20 years, Mary and her team have been coordinating meetings and events that meet strategic goals and make guests feel welcome. Mary is also EMA's partner for the annual conference and she works with many other associations in the independent school space to make all of our conferences go off without a hitch. We're also joined by a special co-host for this episode, Jennifer Davis EMA’s Associate Director of Professional Development.

Join us for a conversation with Gretchen Forsyth and Katie Chhu. Gretchen is the Head of School and Katie is the Director of Admission at Glen Urquhart School (GUS), a progressive day school for students in grades Pre-K through eight located in Beverly, Massachusetts. In this conversation, we explore the reimagined tuition program at GUS.

Join us for part two of our conversation with Chuck English where we continue to explore complicated independent school marketing ideas, try to demystify them, and turn them into actionable tactics you can use right away!

While you’re waiting for more episodes of The Enrollment Spectrum Podcast I want to share another show with you that I really like. We recently launched the Confidently You: Women in Leadership Podcast hosted by Rebecca Malotke-Meslin and Lynne Macziewski. On this new show, they explore what it means to be a woman in leadership in independent schools. On their show, Rebecca and Lynne cover a wide range of topics such as leading the school where your kids are students, celebrating your successes, and becoming a better risk-taker. We hope you enjoy this episode of Confidently You! Check out this show and all the shows we've recently launched at enrollment.org/podcasts.