Celebrating Impact and Success with Head Molly Buttitta at Havern School and Havern Center (CO)
By: Emily Griffiths, Strategic Partner for Research & Operations at Connor Associates
For those who attended NAIS THRIVE in Seattle this year, it was yet another reminder that the independent school market is uniquely rich with intentional, vocational, dedicated professionals. Today, Connor Associates is celebrating one of these exceptional people and our impacting work with her at The Havern School, an ACIS independent school that has nurtured neurodivergent K-8 learners in Colorado since 1966.
Years ago, Molly Buttitta, the departing Head of School at The Havern School and future Head at Havern Center reached out to Mike Connor inquiring about enrollment and perceptual work at her school. For those who know Molly, they know she is gifted in leadership, strategy and vision, and tireless perseverance and collaboration. One of the many ways to see her talent is in Havern School's learning evaluation center (LEC), which offers evaluations for 4–21 year olds in the greater Denver community. The LEC expanded to a second location in Boulder, Colorado in January 2026.
Connor Associates worked with Molly to provide Havern a customized Image Audit designed to help the school strategically prioritize its services and offerings and take action on its 6Ws. This is Mike Connor's well-known refrain on what a school must clearly message and uphold so that everyone inside and outside of the school knows:
Who we are
Who we are NOT
What we stand for
What we WILL NOT stand for
Why we matter
Where we're headed
We want to not only celebrate Molly and her new role at Havern Center, but thank her for acknowledging that the Connor Associates work from years past is a part of Havern’s successes today.
“You catapulted us into a variety of areas with your work. We chose to work with Connor Associates because of their impressive reputation, depth of knowledge of the independent school market, and data-driven approach. So much of the opportunity I see for Havern Center, and for the shape of my new role, was initiated by the work you did with us. Your partnership helped surface possibilities we might not otherwise have seen, and I’m very grateful. I’m excited about what’s ahead and your impact is very much part of this next chapter.”
Thank you Molly for the magic that you generously share with your many communities and congratulations from Connor Associates on your next chapter.
To learn more about The Havern School, the Journey of an Independent 501(c)(3) School, or Havern’s offerings to the neurodivergent community, visit havernschool.org.
Connor Associates stakes its value on its 40 years of experience in providing comprehensive services, including ensuring proof of ROI through Image Audits (reputational asset and risk management), Enrollment Feasibility Studies that identify mission-fit, full-pay prospects at rooftop level, Five-Year Enrollment Forecasts, Location Studies, Competitive Analyses for market and admission positioning, Strategic Marketing Plans based on research, and onsite training and coaching to get everyone in your school and your trustees supporting enrollment, retention, and philanthropy.