Testimonials
Ross is a tremendous resource to schools and educational organizations looking to identify their value and align resources around it. An experienced and expert change manager, he provides sage guidance to any team poised and ready for transformation. And with Ross it goes well beyond the theoretical – building on mission and in response to a shifting landscape, he has effectively developed strategy and remodeled programs and structures for each and every school and organization he had led. I cannot think of a better possible partner in this work.
Ross is not afraid to call out the strategic conversations that need to be had to move an organization to the next level. He is adept at helping schools recognize what those topics are, and what the risks are of working through them. Ross has a unique approach to helping institutions understand what parts of strategy should be driving progress, and how those pieces should fit together. He helps schools prioritize the importance of the strategies and tactics in play, and he helps them create their own game plan for making progress.
Ross was the Dean of Faculty at Asheville School when I was hired for my first independent school teaching job, and I was beyond lucky to have his guidance. He was approachable and knew how to listen. He gave feedback without judgment and in a way that made me understand that his constructive criticism was designed to help me succeed. He mentored me in conversations about improving my teaching, understanding how to navigate complex dynamics with colleagues, running meetings, and learning how to hire faculty. In all of our conversations, Ross connected the moment in question to the larger mission and vision of the school and to the greater educational landscape. When I took my first job as an independent school administrator, I realized that all along Ross was teaching me a way of seeing schools and how the moments and artifacts within them matter and reflect the work and culture of the school. He excels at understanding what the smaller, observable parts of a school demonstrate about that school, its culture, its execution of its mission, and its place along the spectra of educational philosophy, equity and inclusion, and student engagement. More importantly, Ross knows how to effect desired change; as I have sought his advice over the years on a variety of topics, he quickly and accurately assesses the significant factors of the situation I describe and always has a handful of productive suggestions for strategic improvement, be it directing a meeting or moving a school towards a strategic goal.
I have known Ross for over twelve years and worked closely with him at Westminster for four years (2011-2015) when he was director of the upper school and I was assistant headmaster. In the major projects that we undertook as a school—and that he and I worked closely on together—he always impressed me as possessing the two key strengths of a school leader: clear vision for strategic direction and disciplined change management skills. For a school to make optimal progress, leaders need both. Westminster is a large, complicated school; the upper school alone has over 800 students and 100 faculty and staff members. Ross came onboard to help that division achieve a number of desired but unaccomplished goals: a successful rollout of a 1:1 laptop program and an overhaul of the class schedule and upper school calendar, and the significant curricular and pedagogical innovation that depended on those successful changes in technology and schedule. Working closely with his team, who solicited and acted up stakeholder input, Ross managed all three initiatives without the levels of cultural angst and resistance that too often accompanies such change. He is a superb school leader, possessed of wisdom, decisiveness, and tact.
When I reflect I on a significant strategic process at Asheville School, led by Ross Peters, at the beginning of my career, I now appreciate the enormity and delicacy of the task he headed. Even years later I marvel at how effectively and kindly Ross led that comprehensive charge with visionary curricular leadership and appropriate professional development. Ross kept a view of both the long game and the short; he maintained a perspective that captured the needs of a department, of an institution, and—most importantly—of its students. Ross continued this approach at every school where he worked, and he has served as an incredibly valuable and reliable mentor to many of his colleagues.
Ross’s insights, vision, and leadership have been central to the progress of The Tennessee Association of Independent Schools during the past several years; indeed, his voice is universally respected in our state and region. Ross brings experience, wisdom, and perspective to any professional endeavor, and he makes a wonderful strategic partner as organizations face an uncertain future.
Ross comes to any project or inquiry with an agile and creative mind. His guidance around a process for redesigning time in the elementary grades helped us launch work that had perplexed us for years. Ross led us to clarify core values and priorities which anchored the work soundly throughout the entire process. This clarity was a beacon as we navigated competing goals and the complexities inherent in a school community. Emerging from the work as a stronger community was a critical aim of Ross’s design. Ross’s generous and gracious approach made it a pleasure to work with him.
Ross was instrumental to GOA in serving as a strategic thought partner as our nascent organization was gaining momentum. Early on he helped identify the roles and individuals who would allow our organization to grow and thrive. Ross has the unique ability to deeply understand the forces that impact a school’s work, and he is familiar and creative with applying different frameworks and models that schools can employ to address them. More than once I have quoted Ross in presentations as he has a sage-like ability to succinctly identify the core truth of a topic.
Ross Peters knows independent schools! He brings a well-stocked tool kit for navigating everything from curricular design to the complex strategic thinking of how to navigate and shift long standing operational systems—think schedules and multi-campus schools—in service of student learning. Ross brings a warm, kind, and student-centered heart to everything that he does and has the smarts to make any school better.
“What would Ross say?” We had the unique pleasure of working with Ross as a consultant on implementing a major schedule change across our entire K-8 institution. The change would touch every person in the building, every program in the building, and it would redefine how we used every minute of the school day. His leadership and coaching were crucial to our success, and every time we felt lost, we found ourselves asking “What would Ross say?” Ross’s strengths as a consultant reached far and wide. He is an experienced, grounded, personable, and laser focused human and educator. Ross understands how schools work on a fundamental level – the day to day operations, as well as the emotional underpinnings of educational institutions. Because of Ross’s experience and expertise in leading such institutions, he is able to identify challenges before they arise and help a team identify a way forward, avoiding pitfalls and mistakes along the way. Even before Ross began his work with us, he offered strategies for assembling a high functioning team that would lead the change. His understanding of the impact of specific skills, mindsets, and collaborative inclinations allowed us to hit the ground running when he arrived and is an example of how Ross thinks of every important detail, helping to make for a smooth process. He is a talented coach who knows how to create the conditions that allow a team to thrive. School communities are made up of hundreds, sometimes thousands of people. When setting out to successfully implement change in such settings, we inevitably face the challenge of discerning who ought to be included. Additional big questions include: Who holds the decision-making power? How can an institution include all the people affected by change without allowing all of those people to stake a claim in the process? Ross explained that “you want to give everyone touched by the change a voice, but not a veto.” Words of wisdom followed by a framework to guide the work — that single and simple example is emblematic of Ross’s applicable wisdom. In short, Ross provided a framework that allowed us to include the voices of parents, faculty, students, and administration – hundreds of concerned people – in the process without ever handing over all the decision-making power. Change, of course, isn’t an event; it’s a process, and over time it can be very easy to lose sight of the most important factors informing it, allowing less important items to overshadow the most important components. Ross expertly guided us and provided tools and strategies that we could use to keep our team focused on what mattered. A team tried to make changes to the school schedule five years before our work began. One struggle they shared with us was being told to “think big” and then having the administration team tell them various constraints once the process was already rolling. Ross helped us to design a process where constraints as well as “must haves” were laid out ahead of time so that everyone involved knew the expectations and limitations and no one could make a major change mid-way through the process. This garnered trust, transparency and buy in. Lastly, that framework gave us a clear way to measure our progress and success. Because we clearly defined our guiding principles and held them at the center, we could also use them to measure our success. Now a year into schedule, we can measure exactly how we are doing against those criteria – “are we doing what we set out to do?” – again, never moving away from what was identified as most important. There were times that we felt lost, confused, and/or nervous about an impending decision or a roll out related to the change. Each and every time, Ross gave us tangible action items, clear feedback, and coaching around our concerns. He was there for us every time, and every time he helped us to refocus and move forward. Ross’s super power, among super powers, is empowering a team – he is the ultimate coach for any single person or team looking to implement big change in an educational institution. He knew exactly when to step in and help, when to stand aside, and when to offer encouragement or redirect. Easy to understand and implement, his guidance saved us countless hours of struggle and mistake making. On top of all of Ross’s guidance, he was so personable. Trust is key in a process that is long, unsteady at times, and results in big change. Ross embodies identity before purpose, cultivating a team’s sense of who we’re going to be when we’re in trouble and when we’re riding the waves of success, an identity that helps a team to gel, get right down to the real work ahead, and navigate a complex journey. Before we began the process of designing a use of time at San Francisco Friends School, we were wondering if we should simply hire an outside company to do it for us – paying a large fee for a company to deliver four workable schedules. I spoke with Ross about this and his response was “you’ve got to do the work yourselves. There is no perfect schedule out there, it’s the process of creating one that will give your team the strength and courage to implement the changes you seek.” Ross offered spot on guidance long before we started and continues to be available to us even after the schedule has been implemented. Although he might disagree, reminding us that we did the work, he was the single most important factor in our success. We simply could not have done it without him.
Ross is an extraordinary strategic partner. He is deeply invested in the success of the people he works with, and takes time to understand the unique purpose and value an organization offers. Building on that unique purpose, he listens carefully, thinks nimbly, and asks questions that help you hone in what lies around the corner and the opportunities it presents.
Ever since Ross entered the Episcopal school world, I have been impressed and learned much from his capacity to anticipate and assess the ramifications of any given decision or initiative. He is blessed with a unique ability to look ahead and think about what this or that approach will likely bring about. This talent alone superbly equips him for the role of being a strategic consultant. What’s more, given the depth of his experience and association with NAIS, Ross is positioned to provide a wide, encompassing understanding of the role of schools in our modern culture, and how various cultural shifts and trends will have an impact on their strategic planning processes. He is a deep thinker who can hold together a wide range of perspectives and lead people to helpful solutions.
In leading moments of profound change, Ross inspires those who work with him to pursue the paths that will create the richest learning opportunities for students. With sharp intellect, insight, deep experience and understanding of schools, Ross has a capacity to zoom out from the details of a problem and bring clarity by situating it within strategic priorities. In conversation with him, I always know that I will find a thoughtful and critical listener who is invested in my growth and helping me figure out what I need next.
Ross understands the importance of rooting initiatives in a school’s mission. He blends core values with fresh-thinking and innovation. He listens carefully, thinks strategically, and can be counted on to bring creative and thoughtful solutions to the problem at hand.
Were I to be leading a school or any other organization engaged in serious strategic planning and implementation, Ross Peters is the one person I would have by my side. He is the consummate team player, innovative and instinctive to the core, sees the whole picture and how operational parts all relate to one another, and thinks long term while at the same time knowing how to get things done in the immediate moment. His equally great strength is in building relationships—colleagues like working with him. Ross is an accomplished leader.
In his work with us on an Edward E. Ford Foundation grant-funded project to reimagine our Upper School schedule, Ross was an exceptional thought partner. He guided us through each key decision point, centering his and our work on the specific mission, needs, and priorities of our community. We benefited greatly from his experience and wisdom.