Meet Mike Connor
Mike Connor is Founder and President of Connor Associates, a communication, marketing, enrollment management, and fundraising advocate for public and private schools and nonprofit organizations. With 16 Strategic Partners and Research Associates across the United States, Connor has worked with hundreds of clients spanning 4 continents and 26 states since 1998.
Mike is co-author of the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) book, Marketing Independent Schools in the 21st Century. His white paper, It’s What’s Inside That Counts: Maximizing Internal Marketing, has been digitally published by NAIS and many state, regional, provincial, and international independent school associations.
His work with schools has been published in the Washington (DC) Times, Los Angeles Times, and Education Week. Because he is connected with the latest educational trends, Mike is in demand as an educational speaker at education conferences around the world.
Connor earned an M.A. in Political Behaviour from the University of Essex, England and has since spent nearly 40 years in public, charter, and independent K-12 schools and colleges. Prior to founding Connor Associates, he was an experienced teacher, coach, counselor, academic dean, admission director, development director, director of communications, and director of advancement.
This comprehensive experience puts Mike in a unique position to offer valuable services and strategic vision to schools, and to convey that the success of a school or organization is dependent on everyone supporting admission, marketing, and fundraising - not just those who hold those respective titles. This message is at the heart of Connor Associates’ approach to creating a compelling identity and vision that helps client schools and organizations thrive in today’s highly competitive environment.
Mike has always believed that research and recommendations should be served “straight with no chaser,” but are delivered with respect for your culture and in the sole interest of serving your goals. This grounds the mission and focus of Connor Associates. After all, Mike has been in your seat and has been faced with the decisions school leaders must act on.
Mike is based in the Sacramento/Lake Tahoe area where his lives with his wife on a 10-acre hilltop farm in the Sierra Nevada foothills. His favorite pastime when not on the road is wrangling a riding mower his daughter affectionately refers to as his “Harley.” All three of his adult children live in Northern California.
“Our process with Connor Associates has been intensive and has truly had an impact on our organization as a whole — well beyond marketing. It has strengthened leadership overall, has insured integral connections for faculty around marketing efforts, and has bolstered Board engagement. Mike and his team have absolutely lived up to his reputation. I can’t say enough about him. Our admission director and I have both worked with a number of consultants through our professional lives — Mike always exceeds expectations by far.”