Meet Mike Connor
Mike Connor 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. Connor Associates Strategic Services, LLC has worked with hundreds of independent, faith-based, and charter schools in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia since 1998. Schools served have ranged in size from 200 to over 5,500 students, with most in the range of 300-1,200 students.
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. He has a 360° perspective from a variety of positions. Prior to founding Connor Associates, he was an experienced teacher, counselor, academic dean, admission director, development director, director of communications, and director of advancement.
With 16 employees, partners, and independent contractors across the United States, and work spanning four continents and 26 states, Connor Associates Strategic Services is widely known and respected.
Traditional services that go back to the company’s founding nearly 26 years ago include internal image audits, marketing / enrollment management assessments, confidential external perceptual Image Audits and Alumni/ae surveys, communication audits, enhancing communication of value v. cost, brand and website development, outcomes-based messaging, forensic financial research and modeling, strategic planning, and engaging faculty/trustee workshops that result in getting the entire school community involved in raising enrollment, retention, and philanthropy.
Connor has presented sessions and workshops nearly every year over the past two decades at national and international conferences. His most recent presentation in October 2020 covered The Essential Framework for Increasing Yield: A Step-By-Step Process For Your Best Admission Season at Finalsite’s School Marketing Day, and attracted 3,500 participants from around the world. Mike and his co-presenter received unanimous 5-star reviews.
In addition to NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools), ERB, and AISAP, his sessions and workshops have been featured at more than 75 conferences to date, including the European Council of International Schools (ECIS), The East Asia Council of Schools, The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Enrollment Management Association (formerly SSATB), Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE), and at conferences and meetings of various international, state and regional Associations of Independent and International Schools, including those in South Africa, Europe, Thailand, the Pacific Northwest, Central States, California, New England, Pennsylvania, Delaware Valley, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, Colorado, Southwest, Maryland, and St. Louis.
His 2021 podcast with Strategic Partner Thom Greenlaw, Finance and Marketing: Overlooked Alliance for Success was the most downloaded podcast of 2021 on InspirED. The “Sparkcast” hosted by Rob Norman, co-founder of InspirEDsm.com, is the voice of the organization that serves thousands of advancement, enrollment, and marketing / communication professionals in independent and international schools worldwide. The podcast was inspired by Connor’s recent blog, Finance and Marketing: Joined at the Hip.
Connor’s articles on strategic planning, integrated marketing, and international programs have appeared in CASE Currents, Independent School magazine, The Washington Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Education Week.
Mike is a judge for the Inspiredsm.com-sponsored “Brilliance Awards” which annually highlights the “best-of-the-best” marketing and communication projects from private schools around the world.
A strong and interdependent internal team is a must for independent school success. Download Mike’s eBook, Pulling In the Same Direction, at the top of the Connor Associates website home page.
“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.”