In Conversation about NAIS Thrive 2026: President Mike Connor with Strategic Partner Emily Griffiths
NAIS Thrive in Seattle is happening on February 25–27 and will be a powerful gathering of independent school leaders. I recently sat down with my strategic partner, Emily Griffiths, who will be attending the conference on behalf of Connor Associates. We discussed her thoughts going into Thrive.
Connor Associates President Mike Connor and Strategic Partner Emily Griffiths
A Lens When Working With Independent Schools
Mike: Emily, NAIS’ Thrive 2026 in Seattle, February 25-27, is around the corner. I’m excited that you’ll be there representing us and the market research we provide independent schools. Over the last ten years, we’ve worked side by side with a variety of independent schools on some complex challenges. For heads and trustees, how would you describe the lens you’ve brought to your work with me at Connor Associates?
Emily: My background in corporate research, strategy, and risk management gives me a wide, multidimensional aperture with several solutions-based approaches to offer schools. For example, over the years we’ve both heard Heads or trustees say things like, “We’re struggling to find the truth among data, polarized constituents, and market dynamics.”
We’ve helped schools reconcile tensions like this so their decisions are grounded, focused, and set for alignment among their internal and external constituents. So it's at this intersection and inside this complexity where I listen, connect, and examine the particular problem statements at hand.
Mike: That’s right. We’ve seen how this approach has helped schools clarify who they are, who they are not, and how they can best serve their families so they don’t just enroll for the next school year, but become “customers” for a lifetime. There is no better endorsement for a school’s value than that!
Getting back to Thrive 2026 in Seattle, having you attend this Conference is something I’m excited about, because you model the thoughtful, mission-driven and market-minded approach Connor Associates is known for.
Emily: That means a lot, Mike. As a strategic partner who has overseen the research and client relations, I want schools to feel that continuity of expertise, values, and care when they engage with Connor Associates.
What To Bring Back From Seattle
Mike: NAIS Annual Conferences are known for helping to reshape how independent schools think about their path forward. I’ve seen this happen first-hand over the years by attending and leading NAIS and Regional Association events. What are you hoping to dive into while you’re at Thrive?
Emily: I’m eager to immerse myself in sessions where big-picture ideas are tied to concrete practices schools can adopt now. Clarity, not certainty, is often what leaders are seeking.
Rarely do the inquiries to Connor Associates concerning enrollment, positioning, and business operations arrive neatly packaged. Sometimes they do, but at schools we know these inquiries show up as hallway conversations, Board concerns, hearsay, or a quiet sense that something is shifting. And that's OK because we're there alongside the schools to support and offer solutions to that perpetual, “So now what do we do?”
An Invitation To Connect With Emily
Mike: How can someone connect with you at the Conference to get to know you better?
Emily: They can start even before the NAIS conference. I’m at emily@connor-associates.com. At Thrive, I’m excited to connect and serve as a thought partner to those who sense their school is on the edge of its next chapter or facing complex decisions that need clarity and simplification to confidently take the next step.
“Connor Associates unearthed blind spots, market and programming opportunities, untapped connections and alignment, and stronger strategic direction. There’s no better feeling than helping school leaders and Boards reach their next level of success. ”
Mike: Sounds good, Emily. I look forward to hearing your thoughts during and after the Conference. As a long-standing stakeholder, consultant, and parent inside independent schools, I’m sure you’ll come back with incisive thoughts for school leaders in 2026 and beyond.
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.