In this special live episode of Mindful School Marketing, we recorded a panel discussion straight from the Small School Leaders Conference. Tara and Aubrey are joined by experienced independent school marketers who are in the work every day, navigating small teams, limited budgets, and constantly changing expectations.

We are joined by Lori Kriegel (Chief Communications Officer at Worcester School), Andrea Jenkins (Director of Enrollment Management and Marketing & Communications at St. Luke’s Episcopal School), and Barb Doyle (Director of Marketing and Communications at Renbrook School)

This conversation pulls back the curtain on what school marketing really looks like right now. From outsourcing decisions and content systems to AI, paid advertising, and faculty collaboration, this panel shares what’s working, what’s challenging, and how small school marketing teams are adapting in real time.

• What school marketers would outsource first and why data keeps coming up
• Where additional budget would actually go if marketing teams had the choice
• How small schools stay consistent with content without recreating the wheel
• Practical ways marketing teams are using AI for content, research, and strategy
• What paid advertising is working and how schools measure success
• How marketing teams collaborate with faculty to source photos and stories
• Why community and peer networks matter so much in small school marketing roles

In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, we dig into one of the most complex and timely questions facing independent and private schools today: should your school participate in voucher or ESA programs. This conversation is especially relevant for school leaders navigating financial pressure, enrollment strategy, and mission alignment as school choice expands across the country.

We are joined by Steve Salvo, Head of School at St. Mary’s Episcopal Day School in Tampa, and Michael Christopher, consultant with Independent School Management (ISM). Together, they bring both a lived leadership perspective and a national consulting lens to help schools think clearly about what is at stake, what questions must be answered, and how to approach vouchers with intention rather than pressure.

In This Episode

• What voucher and school choice programs actually look like across different states
• The non-negotiable questions boards must answer before saying yes to vouchers
• Financial planning risks, including sustainability if voucher funding changes
• How vouchers can impact mission, admissions, faculty, and program integrity
• Best practices for communicating voucher decisions clearly to families and staff

In this episode of Mindful School Marketing, we’re joined again by leadership coach and consultant Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, founder of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching and Consulting. Rebecca works with early and mid-career women leaders in schools and nonprofits who are often praised for doing everything but rarely supported in sustainable ways.

Together, we name what so many school leaders are quietly carrying: More responsibility with fewer resources, expanding roles without expanded pay, and the unspoken expectation that caring deeply means endlessly giving. Rebecca breaks down why this dynamic is so common in schools, how it leads to burnout and even physical illness, and what women leaders can do to protect their health, boundaries, and sense of worth without losing relationships or credibility.

• Why “doing more with less” has become normalized in schools and nonprofits
• How overextension and praise can mask burnout and exploitation
• Why delegation is a core leadership skill, not a failure
• How to advocate for fair compensation when your role expands
• Practical ways to say no and set boundaries without damaging trust