SUCCESS STARTS WITH YOU!
Life happens in relationships. While we love knowing that our service has made a difference your life, we are also grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the diversity and forward thinking in our member schools.
“Working with Strategenius was wonderful. They were always available and quick to respond to our needs and questions. They brought us a very strong candidate pool and they supported us from start to finish in a professional and efficient process.“
— Christina Kyong, Head of School, The Madeira School (2024)
“I can't say enough about the support that Ara at Strategenius provided me during my job search. Ara is incredibly knowledgeable about the independent school landscape. He shared excellent tips and advice and was not only responsive when I had a question for him, but would frequently reach out to check in with me. I felt that, in Ara, I not only had someone supporting me, I had someone who really cared and was strongly advocating for me.”
— James Joseph, Head of Upper School, La Jolla Country Day School (2024)
“Working with Ara and Strategenius was unlike any other search I've been a part of before. It felt like I had a teammate rooting for me throughout the process and looking out for both my professional and personal interests to help me find the right match as a next step. Ara had incredible insight that I would never have been able to discover on my own. I'm so grateful to him and the team at Strategenius for helping me find the right opportunity.”
— Stephanie Gonzalez, Director of Admission, Deerfield Academy (2024)
“Working with the Strategenius Team on key administrative searches was a dream! Ara, Orpheus, and the rest of the team supported us with three searches over the course of two years and their partnership was essential to us. Their anti-bias training was informative, well-facilitated, and directly applicable to our search processes. In addition to sourcing excellent candidates that were mission-aligned to our school, Strategenius provided us with tools and frameworks that have ensured our hiring practices are equitable, inclusive, and excellent. I'm forever grateful for the collegial partnership, the in-depth work they did to find candidates that shared the values of Parker, and their availability to us during and beyond each search.”
— Priyanka Rupani, Assistant Principal, Francis W. Parker School (2024)
“Having been through several searches at independent schools, I was blown away by the Strategenius process and my consultant's support. I've never collaborated with a search firm that took such a candidate-centered approach to the work, and I consistently felt seen and understood as a prospective employee. My only hope is that, were I to enter a future search, that I get to partner with the Strategenius team again!”
— Leadership Candidate (2024)
“My experience with Strategenius has been wonderful. As a Latino language teacher who just finished his graduate program, I needed help to navigate the process of applying for a teaching position in the US. From the beginning, my Strategenius advisor made me feel welcome. He took the time to get to know me better. He shared information about the schools that seemed a great fit based on my teaching experience, interests, and professional development goals. He provided guidance and support throughout the application, interview, and job acceptance process, even when this meant taking time from weekends to answer my questions and address my doubts. I will forever be grateful to Strategenius and my advisor for all their support.”
— Ulises Alaniz, Spanish Teacher, Brooks School (2024)
“Working with Strategenius on my career advancement journey has been an absolute pleasure. Ara, in particular, has been incredibly supportive, providing valuable guidance through sessions like resume and cover letter writing workshops, as well as interview strategizing workshops. With Strategenius, I feel well-supported in navigating what can often feel like a challenging process.”
— Leadership Candidate (2024)
“Strategenius has played a pivotal role in helping me take the next step in my career as an educator. In my experience, the job search process can feel daunting, at best, and disheartening, at worst. When I first met with Ara to discuss my professional goals, I felt as if I'd found an advocate who deeply cared about my passions and dreams as a teacher. No detail I shared with him was too small; no preference too insignificant. Ara was incredibly attentive, offering me feedback on cover letters, checking in with me after interviews, and expanding my perception of what was possible for me, as a mid-career educator. I felt so seen and believed in, which was especially important as I transitioned into independent schools.”
— Lauren McAuliffe, Middle School Language Arts Teacher, The Lab School (2024)
"StratéGenius delivered impeccably in the context of our inaugural Diversity Director search. Their understanding of our school culture and the insights they offered to us were highly valuable in crafting a position description. The process was seamless, and we are delighted with the result!"
— Evelyne Estey, Head of School, Lycée Français de New York (2023)
“This past year I ran into Orpheus at the Administrators of Color Conference at Francis Parker and asked if I could gain some perspective about the market and find some time for him and I to connect. A week or two later we had an opportunity to connect and he encouraged me to think about some specific opportunities based on what was core to my values. As I entered the search process, Oprheus and Ara made time to connect, we had conversations where they made sure that I lifted up my background and the experiences that were both articulated and highlighted on my resume, as well as the other experiences that were not as well pronounced on my resume. They approached this reflection session from a position of uplifting my strengths and pushing me to think critically about areas of growth. Throughout my process, they held my experience as a candidate front and center, even though I knew they also had an obligation to the institution that hired them to run their search. From my viewpoint they were attentive and took time to get to know who I am professionally and personally. I appreciated their transparency and candor throughout the process, and I feel that they were true advocates for what my family and I needed. As I think about my role at my new school, I am looking forward to partnering with StratéGenius and their team in the future.”
— Ryan Allen, Assistant Head of School-elect, Latin School of Chicago (2023)
"StratéGenius helped us design and execute a rigorous, equity-based search process tailored to the needs of our Giddens community. Orpheus and the team provided invaluable guidance and insight every step of the way to ensure a successful outcome. From anti-bias training and norm-setting early on for our search committee, to assistance navigating difficult decisions and conversations throughout our evaluation of a high quality slate of candidates sourced by the firm, we felt supported, heard, and empowered to make the right choice for our school."
— Angelo Gray & Dana Martindale, Search Committee Co-Chairs, Giddens School (2023)
“When we sought to hire our new administrators, we knew that we wanted to meet with candidates who were excited, interested, competitive, and visionary. We needed to ensure that our potential candidates had the best information about our mission and values to consider applying, and StratéGenius laid the foundation for our story to be told in a way that spoke to our candidates. Working with StratéGenius on a retained search allowed for a fluid dialogue about our openings and where the skills we were asking for could be demonstrated. They helped expand our perspective and challenge our assumptions of what an ideal candidate was supposed to look like. I loved getting a call and hearing the phrase, “You’ll want to meet this person,” indicating that the firm was actively looking for talented people to connect with us. From a multi-year hiring cycle, as we sought to hire associate heads, principals, and a CFO, StratéGenius was our first stop.
— Chris Dennis, Associate Head of Community Engagement, Campbell Hall (2024)
“I am writing to thank you for conducting such a interesting workshop last week. My colleagues and I are still talking about how impressive the visual of the United States population composition was...I told my Head of School, and many others, how striking it was to see the population composition now verses later, and the adult population verses the children...etc. My Head of School is interested in seeing this. The conference motivated me to make an appointment with my Head to offer to be even more involved in our diversity efforts here. Your presentation was inspiring to my colleagues and to me.”
“From the first time I heard a ‘professional’ educator tell me that they did not expect much of me, I realized that I wanted to be an educator, too. Those that expected less of me, exemplified what I did not want to be like. Education, in all lights, has endless expectations and possibilities that individuals cannot measure. Being an educator is truly a gift to humanity, so what one teaches will always indirectly and/or directly affect them, and our world community.”
“Dear Orpheus: My husband, Winfield Bryan, and I can’t thank you ENOUGH for getting Rachel Parrish to give Bentley a chance. THANK YOU!”
“Orpheus, I wish a million times I had contacted you in July or August when Ian gave me your name as a contact person. You have been extremely helpful. The day I e-mailed you with my personal statement and resume, I received within an hour time, a phone call from you and that same evening Eagle Rock contacted me. I have spoken to Robert several times from Eagle Rock. He certainly seem to be an ok guy. A few days later, I was hearing from the French International School in San Francisco, Lakeside, Bush and Calhoun. These are all wonderful schools. I have been really impressed by you familiarity with such famous and good institutions. Last week, Bentley also contacted me. They all seem keen on hiring or interviewing me for math positions for next year. I can’t say how much I appreciate what you did for me. I have not met you but I feel as if I already know you. You seem to be extremely patience and a person who listens to his clients. I can tell you take a special interest in your clients. That was certainly the case with me. You certainly seem to have some very good connections and contacts. I would certainly use you again. I will definitely recommend you to other candidates. Please feel free to use me as a reference. I look forward to meeting you.”
“I would like to thank you and your program for making my dreams come true. i have already spread the word to some of my friend in collage about your program. What you did to me can not be measured, and all i can say is thank you...! thank you...! thank you..! If for some reason you want to talk to me or you need my help at any time, fell free to contact me or you can email me. Again, thank you Strategenius!”
“Ephraim is doing great! The kids love him and he seems happy. He pops by every now and then to see me but just from seeing him around campus, I think he is adjusting well. I know that the drama class he is helping in is throwing him and their drama teacher a party today following a very successful 5th grade mime show! Thanks for sending Ephraim to us!”