2026 Independent School Brand Summit | Speakers

Moira Vetter is the founder & CEO of Modo Modo Agency, a six-time Inc. 5000 company, a 2025 Women President’s Organization Top 50 Fastest Growing businesses, and a 2025 Chief Marketer Agency of the Year. Over three decades, Moira has fostered brand leadership and growth in hundreds of corporations from Fortune 10 Global Brands to hypergrowth mid-market companies. An author, former Forbes contributor, mentor, and speaker, she received the 2023 American Marketing Association Atlanta Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2022 NAWBO Woman Business Owner of the Year.

She is committed beyond business, serving on the executive boards of KSU, AMA Atlanta, GSU Marketing Roundtable, the Campbell-Stone Retirement, and was named a 2023 and 2025 Leader in Corporate Citizenship. She is particularly committed to youth and education, working closely with Kennesaw State University, Georgia State University, Georgia Tech, Miami Ad School and has supported several independent schools with mentoring and marketing.

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Barbara Barron is one of the most respected and highly sought-after independent advancement professionals in the country, having worked with dozens of schools across the United States and internationally.

Barbara is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and presenter. She is considered a thought leader in the world of advancement, with her writing widely shared by professionals in school advancement offices worldwide.

Barbara’s love for advancement work began two decades ago. She honed her skills at schools in Connecticut, New York, and California. In 2017, as word of Barbara’s leadership in the independent school world spread, she began her own consulting business.

Her passion for philanthropy and its powerful impact on quality advancement programs is unlimited. She believes in independent schools and their inspiring missions. Her consulting practice focuses on building leadership giving programs and growing the capacity of professional and volunteer teams by increasing competence, confidence, and joy.

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Stories shape the way people see, feel, and act and every school has the opportunity to tell a transformational story. With 15 years of experience in branding and marketing for PreK-12 schools and churches, Trey Boden leads with conviction, creativity, and a desire for all people to become who they were created to be.

From 2011 to 2021, Trey served as chief brand officer and founding faculty of the Innovation Diploma program at The Mount Vernon School in Atlanta. He holds a Master’s in Transformational Leadership from Bethel Seminary.

In 2021, Trey launched Roar, a brand and marketing agency that provides brand leadership to organizations without in-house teams. Roar exists to help leaders clarify their message, inspire action, and build long-term trust through design, strategy, and story.

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Throughout his 25-year development career, Raymond Carnley has personally secured or directed more than $250 million in charitable giving. He has spent 15 years in academic fundraising, 12 as chief development officer or vice president. An accomplished fundraiser and philanthropic leader, Raymond specializes in the planning and implementation of capital campaigns.

Raymond has worked with academic institutions of all sizes, with an emphasis on capital campaigns and building capacity. For the Winkler Group, he has led or overseen campaigns for Greensboro Day School, Currey Ingram Academy, Battle Ground Academy, The Covenant School (Charlottesville), The Covenant School (Nashville), The Burlington School, George Walton Academy, Brook Hill School, Woodlawn School, Trinity Episcopal Day School, Westchester Country Day School, St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, and Tuscaloosa Academy.

Raymond received his Ed.D. from the University of Georgia’s Institute for Higher Education, an M.A. from Columbia College, and a B.A from Georgia Southwestern State University.

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Ann Cousins is the communications director at Wesleyan School in metro-Atlanta, where she leads strategic communications and marketing efforts. In this role, she drives cross-departmental collaboration to support a 97% retention rate, strong admissions pipeline, and thriving development program. Ann oversees a multi-channel strategy that spans print, email, web, social media, video, and podcast—thriving in her role as the “air traffic controller” who ensures every initiative lands on time and with impact.

Before joining Wesleyan, Ann supported communications and admissions efforts at Whitefield Academy in Smyrna, GA. A Raleigh native, she graduated from Ravenscroft School in 2012 and earned her degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2016.

She has also contributed her expertise as a member of an SAIS accreditation team.

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As founder of AdvancementEDU, Chris Dudley leverages over two decades of experience in higher education leadership, major gift fundraising, marketing, sponsorship sales, business development, and operations to provide high-level advice and strategy for heads of school, college presidents, and chief development officers.

AdvancementEDU partners with independent schools, colleges, and universities to generate philanthropic revenue for transformational impact. Our clients are guaranteed a relationship built on integrity, excellence, and accountability.

Chris served in senior leadership at High Point University in High Point, NC, during a time of unprecedented growth and transformation. For ten years, as senior vice president for administration and chief of staff, he led operational areas including security, transportation, food services, maintenance, janitorial, landscaping, construction, events, and community relations, among others. For eight years, he served as senior vice president for development, leading a team that raised $450 million.

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Haley Hurst is a communications professional with a passion for storytelling, branding, and building meaningful connections. As Wesleyan’s digital communications manager, she oversees the school’s website, social media, and digital marketing efforts, ensuring the message is clear, engaging, and authentic. A self-professed type A, “people person” who thrives on content calendars, to-do lists, and detailed plans, Hayley’s greatest joy comes from connecting with others and encouraging those she meets. Known as both a go-getter and an implementor, Haley loves bringing strategy to life and turning ideas into action.

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Morgan Lewis has served as Maclay School’s director of advancement since 2019, following two years of consulting with the school on strategic initiatives. In her current role, she leads the philanthropic efforts of the school including recent capital campaigns—those supporting the iTHINK Initiative—and other campus projects expanding classroom and co-curricular facilities and programs. Morgan deeply values the energy, collaboration, and shared enthusiasm that define the Maclay community.

Prior to her work at Maclay, Morgan worked in the arts and cultural sector as an arts consultant, managing cultural projects and initiatives, supporting individual artists, and administering a variety of grant and partnership programs that enriched Florida’s statewide cultural landscape.

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Graylyn Loomis is a founding partner of 38 House, a marketing and creative agency for independent schools. Prior to founding the business, he was director of communications and marketing at Christ School – an all-boys boarding school in western North Carolina. He served on the board of trustees at Christ School before joining the administration and has a deep history working in the marketing and communications worlds.

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Gabriel Lucas is a search, staffing, and strategic consultant for schools, associations, and nonprofits across the country and beyond. Gabe leads 12M & Ed Tech Recruiting, which runs retained searches for exceptional executive and director-level talent in all areas of school leadership, both academics and operations.

Gabe worked for many years as an educator and later administrator in both K-12 and higher ed. He is the co-founder of ATLIS and served on the board for six years, including as its inaugural board president. Gabe regularly presents, writes, and serves clients on topics including cabinet restructuring, talent development, executive hiring, and management consulting.

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Mattingly Messina is the founder of Throughline, a consultancy that puts relationships at the center of philanthropy.

His career spans development, strategic communications, and high-stakes negotiations. As a legal negotiator for Google, he built trust with counterparts across civil and regulatory jurisdictions, reinforcing his belief that relationships are the most durable currency in leadership and fundraising.

After moving into independent schools, Mattingly served as director of advancement at Bentley School before founding Throughline, where he helps organizations treat relationships as their greatest asset and design financial models that leverage them. Through his firm and alongside other client work, he currently serves as interim advancement leader at San Domenico School, California’s oldest independent school.

He is a trustee of his alma mater, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, where he co-chairs the Advancement Committee. He lives in San Francisco and serves on the Programs Committee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter.

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Cristina Pawlica is a solutions engineer for digital marketing at Finalsite, dedicated to supporting K-12 independent schools in enhancing their online communication and outreach efforts. With expertise in digital strategy, she helps schools leverage Google tools, SEO, and emerging AI technologies to increase visibility and engage prospective families. Passionate about empowering school communities, Cristina provides actionable insights that translate digital marketing efforts into meaningful enrollment outcomes.

Seana brings more than 20 years of strategic marketing and communications experience to Woodlawn School, having crafted brand experiences for industry leaders across SAAS, DEI, health and wellness, and nonprofit organizations. Known for her ability to bring new life and vision to brands in a matter of days through her custom brand sprints, Seana’s expertise spans brand strategy, content development, and integrated marketing campaigns that drive meaningful engagement.

A natural storyteller with a passion for authentic communication, Seana understands how compelling narratives can transform brands and connect with audiences.

Seana is passionate about bringing her marketing expertise to the independent school space, recognizing the unique storytelling challenges these institutions face. She believes in helping schools communicate their distinctive value and mission, enabling families to discover the transformative opportunities that independent education provides.

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Nicki Ragan is the director of marketing and communications at Carrollwood Day School, a co‑educational International Baccalaureate institution in Tampa Bay. With a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Florida, Nicole brings creative strategy and storytelling expertise to her role, along with 25+ years of marketing and communications experience in various industries.

In her position, she leads external and internal communications, aligning marketing efforts with the school’s mission to cultivate principled, entrepreneurial thinkers inspired to better the world.

Under her leadership, CDS has elevated its local and regional presence, built stronger community partnerships, and embraced innovative approaches in admissions, advancement, and digital engagement.

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Hannah Stathas began her professional creative journey in 2018, dedicating herself to a diverse range of solo and collaborative projects. She is known for her commitment to excellence and for her passion in capturing and celebrating life’s most vibrant moments. With a strong belief in the power of visual storytelling, she has honed her skills in a variety of creative fields. Currently, she serves as the marketing coordinator at Carrollwood Day School, a co-educational International Baccalaureate institution in Tampa Bay, where she applies her expertise to help share the school’s unique story.

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During a 17-plus year career working in independent schools, Eric Thorp served as an assistant director of admission, director of alumni relations, athletic director, and associate director of external affairs. In addition to administrative roles, Eric worked in residential life as a houseparent, an assistant coach on four state championship basketball teams, served as head basketball coach for a season, and was also a head golf coach for six years. In short, Eric worked in and understands most every aspect of independent boarding and day schools. He is a founding partner at 38 House, where he utilizes his school knowledge and experience every day.

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J.P. Watson has been serving in and working with independent schools for 28 years. With a family legacy in day camps, his experience in day schools and leading SAIS accreditation teams has provided a wealth of knowledge from which to draw on in his strategic work with schools. Institutional Alignment has been a focus for J.P. since his work with the legendary Bob Chambers at Athens Academy.

Now a senior managing director with The Gowan Group, J.P. leads schools and boards through creative processes that result in transformative and inclusive plans for their future. By leading with thoughtful questions and incisive research, The Gowan Group sets the stage for a school to become the greatest expression of its mission.

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Bob Weston brings to CCS 30 years of independent school experience as an educator, administrator, and fundraiser. Over the span of his career, Bob has held several senior positions and worked extensively on hiring and recruiting faculty, collaborating on institutional strategic planning, and directing annual, major gifts, and capital campaign fundraising programs.
In his most recent role as associate head for external affairs at St. George’s School, Bob directed the communications, alumni relations, and development offices, while also serving as the chief fundraiser. He spearheaded the school’s capital campaign, raising over $32 million for programs, facilities, and endowment. He also directed the fundraising efforts to raise $3.5 million for the construction of two turf fields and helped to grow the annual fund during the school’s capital campaign.

Bob received his MA in English literature from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and his BA in English from Amherst College.

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Kaitlin Windle, a proud Hathaway Brown alum and founder of Apte, is passionate about turning independent school data into strategic advantage. She left Wall Street investment banking to lead teams as a development director and later as a CFO, where she saw schools overwhelmed by data but lacking actionable insight. Apte was born to bridge that gap and help schools and boards make data-backed strategic decisions.

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Dr. Colin Wyenberg has over 20 years of experience working in admissions and enrollment in both higher education and PK-12 independent schools. His doctoral research focused on fostering pathways of enrollment for underserved communities. Like most educators, he has also worn many additional hats, served on a wide range of committees, and loves the magic of a school community.

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