Strategy should guide real decisions
A strong strategy does more than describe ambition. It establishes direction, focuses resources, clarifies choices, and defines what progress should look like.
I help boards and school leaders in international and independent schools develop strategy that is grounded in the school’s context and designed for implementation. My approach connects mission and aspiration with leadership, capacity, resources, accountability, and measurable progress.
Clarity of Direction | Focused Priorities | Measurable Progress
How I Support Schools
I provide different levels of support depending on the school’s starting point, capacity, and planning needs.
Comprehensive Strategic Planning Partnership
A full strategic-planning process, typically delivered over six to nine months, that I help design and facilitate from beginning to end.
The process brings together inquiry, stakeholder perspectives, strategic choices, and the development of priorities and targets through facilitated dialogue.
The result is a focused strategic plan shaped by the school’s context and designed to guide decisions, resources, accountability, and action.
Focused Strategic Direction & Target Development
A focused engagement for schools that do not require a full community-wide planning process but need help clarifying direction and translating priorities into meaningful strategic targets.
I work primarily with the Board and leadership team to strengthen shared understanding, focus the school’s priorities, and establish realistic targets and measures that provide a practical basis for implementation and oversight.
This may be especially useful when the school has already completed significant consultation or inquiry but needs help turning that work into a clear and coherent strategic direction.
Strategic Plan Review & Strengthening
For schools that already have a strategic plan but need to determine whether it still provides clear direction and supports implementation.
The review considers whether the plan:
Reflects the school’s current context and priorities
Guides decisions, resources, and annual planning
Includes meaningful targets and measures
The result is a practical set of recommendations for strengthening, refreshing, or refocusing the plan without automatically beginning a new planning cycle.
Mission Strength & Practice
A strong mission should do more than describe the school. It should help guide priorities, decisions, expectations, and accountability.
I help schools ensure that their mission is clear, relevant, understood, and reflected in the school’s direction and practice.
Support may include:
Mission Strength Review
A focused assessment of whether the school’s existing mission remains clear, credible, relevant, and useful in guiding strategic decisions.
Mission Development or Refresh
A collaborative process for developing or revisiting mission, vision, and values so they reflect the school’s identity, context, and future direction.
Mission as a Promise, a Commitment, a Compass
Focused support for schools seeking to connect mission more consistently to priorities, decisions, leadership expectations, accountability, and the experience of the wider community.
“Kristi demonstrates a keen understanding of the complexities involved in managing various agendas, ideas and perspectives. Her guidance has been critical in fostering a collaborative and focused environment, enabling us to make more informed decisions and take strategic actions that contribute to our school's success. One aspect that sets Kristi apart, is her willingness to go above and beyond. She has always been approachable and ready to provide assistance whenever and wherever needed.”
- Dr. Cassandra Hazel, Head of School, American International School Monrovia
Clarify direction and move priorities forward
Whether you are developing a new strategy or strengthening an existing one, the goal is the same: clearer direction and a plan that can guide action.