Episode 11 - Traci Catlett

The Admissions Entrepreneur - A Day In The Life (Hosted by Tom Schenck)

Tracy left the corporate world to pursue her passion for education starting as a public-school math teacher. She rose up the ranks in independent schools and ultimately became the very successful head of Greensboro Day school. One of her philosophies that has continued to bring her success is that she is a relentless communicator and feels that listening is the best way to get to know all those with whom she works, as well as with current and perspective families.

Show Tracks:

3:23 From math teacher to head of school

7:30 The challenges of Covid

10:28 Increasing enrollment by 215 students in only one year

14:30 Managing the admissions office

19:35 Training for the admission staff

21:55 Personal and professional balance

26:25 Solving the big challenges of society

30:19 Equity an inclusion

33:55 The new skills necessary for the admissions professional

38:45 The Billboard of life

Traci Catlett - Head of School, Greensboro Day School

Tracie Catlett joined the Greensboro Day School community as the first female Head of School in 2019. Her education career spans over 25 years including 11 years in the public school system and 14 years with independent schools. Tracie arrived in Greensboro after serving Louisville Collegiate School in Louisville, Kentucky, most recently as the Associate Head of School. A long time high school math teacher, Tracie’s other roles included Assistant Head of School for Academics, Director of Admission, and Mathematics Department Chair.

Tracie received a BS in Finance from Florida State University and began her first career as a financial analyst with Nations Bank in Miami, and later earned a MAT in Mathematics from the University of Louisville. Tracie is currently a doctoral student at Johns Hopkins University researching the rise in stress and anxiety among adolescents at high achieving schools.

Tracie has hit the ground running since arriving at Greensboro Day School. Under her headship to date, the School has completed the Strategic Plan, raised 2.14M in cash donations for an endowment campaign, joined the Global Online Academy, secured a teacher exchange partnership in Arusha, Tanzania, and tackled student well being. Tracie has safely and successfully led GDS through the pandemic- making major safety and infrastructure changes to campus so they could open on time and on campus at full capacity last summer. The school enrolled a record number of new students (215) during the 2020-21 school year.

Pre-COVID Tracie volunteered as a reading buddy at Peck Elementary and recently she joined the board of the National Advisory Board for Authentic Connections and will join MISBO as a new board member this summer.

Tracie and her husband, Mark, reside in Greensboro and have four sons and two dogs. Tracie enjoys traveling with her family, hiking, drinking coffee on the porch, snow skiing, NetFlix binge-watching, and long walks with their dogs.

5401 Lawndale Drive
Greensboro, NC 27455
[phone]

Enjoy!

Tom

This episode is sponsored by The Independent Educational Consultants Association.

It is the largest and most respected organization representing independent educational consultants. An IECA member educational consultant is a skilled professional who provides counseling to help students and families choose a school that is a good personal match: one that will foster the student’s academic and social growth.

IECA members adhere to the strictest ethical standards in the profession, visit hundreds of campuses each year, and are among the most experienced educational consultants in the profession. They focus on finding the best match between student and school.

Many schools have gained students from new communities because of their outreach to IECA members. As a Director of admission for 20 years the IECA consultants were crucial in helping us find the best mission appropriate students…they are fantastic people to work with!

National and regional media, as well as government agencies, rely on IECA as the authority of the profession. IECA is consistently cited by the media as the association with ethical, student-centered advising.

For more information on how to connect with IECA members, go to

their website/URL: www.IECAonline.com

This episode is sponsored by The School Connection.

The idea is simple; affordable and meaningful venues for traditional boarding schools, therapeutic schools, and domestic and international Educational Consultants to come together, for informational and networking purposes. This process, ultimately leads to the successful placing of students into the most compatible environment.

The School Connections workshops involve multiple, individual meetings between Educational Consultants and admissions representatives from schools and programs. Their workshops range from 2-3 days and, allow attendees to maximize their time with individual appointments in one workshop, in one location.

Please reach out to them, now!

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This episode is brought to you by The Independent School Chairpersons Association

Does your board chair know about ISCA, The Independent School Chairpersons Association? The mission of ISCA is to support independent school board chairs in becoming effective governance leaders for their Boards. ISCA accomplishes this by offering peer support and networking, resources and educational opportunities. Get your Board Chair connected to ISCA today by visiting www.iscachairs.org

This episode is brought to you by Wynner Marketing.

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Also, I want to give a shout out to Hype Music Productions! They Produce all my episodes and I trust, no one else, to bring the quality performance I demand every time. If you need help with your first Podcast… they will take you by the hand and guide you through the whole process. Visit them at www.HypeMusicNetwork.com.

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