Susanne Carpenter, Carpenter Leadership Consulting

Susanne Carpenter is a strategy and leadership consultant and the principal and founder of Carpenter Leadership Consulting. As an educational leader for more than 20 years, Susanne partners with independent school leaders to develop and advance high-functioning and strategy-focused leadership teams. Before founding her firm, Susanne served as the Assistant Head of School at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA. As Assistant Head, she was responsible for the high school program, including academics, arts, student life, community programs, and college counseling. During her tenure, Susanne led the school's efforts in creating a joint partnership with Boston Ballet School to create Boston Ballet School's Professional Division at Walnut Hill. She also developed and implemented a comprehensive enrollment management process, oversaw diversity, equity, & inclusion, and helped create the auxiliary programs division. She began her career in school leadership in admission and enrollment management. 

Susanne graduated from Westover School and received her B.A. from Wheaton College. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees at Westover School. She lives in the Boston area with her husband and daughter.

Dr. Heather Denniston

As a seasoned chiropractor with a specialized certification in Wellness Chiropractic (CCWP), Certified Personal Trainer, speaker and author, Dr. Denniston brings decades of experience to the stage. She has presented at conferences and global companies such as Microsoft. She has been published in Medium, Paleo magazine, and Thrive Global and authored The Three Day Reset. Her signature program, The Wellness Amplifier Performance Program, helps catalyze optimal wellness and catapult employee's productivity, effectiveness, and success. 

Brandon Jacobs of Carney, Sandoe and Associates

Brandon has worked with dozens of independent schools, colleges and universities, and education organizations, running retained searches 

for DEIB practitioners and leading consulting engagements around implicit bias, equitable hiring, BIPOC faculty and staff retention, and other topics. Brandon attended The Hill School (PA), a predominantly white boarding school and served as the first Black All-School President and, seven years following his high school graduation, would return to his alma mater to assume the dual roles of Director of Inclusion and Diversity and Student Activities Coordinator among other leadership roles. Brandon also served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at The Shipley School (PA) where he led the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and programs that sustained an inclusive school community and curriculum and fulfilled the School’s diversity and inclusion goals. 

Brandon has presented at the NAIS People of Color Conference, as well as for associations and organizations across the country. He is a well-known thought leader and is consistently invited to serve on panels, lead workshops, and speak on topics of equitable hiring and retention, diversity and equity strategic planning, curriculum design, climate assessments, and board governance.

Brandon matriculated from the College of Wooster (OH) where he studied sociology and communications. He went onto to graduate from Saint Joseph’s University with a Master’s of Educational Leadership and Administration. His interests include photography, slam poetry, watching Marvel movies with his wife, chasing after his tri-pawd dog, and painfully cheering on all Philadelphia sports teams.

Chaya Keefe of Carney, Sandoe and Associates

Through her many roles at independent school, Chaya developed a deep and broad understanding of what makes 

them tick. As the Director of Accreditation for the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), she partnered with dozens of educational leaders and trained and advised all participants in the accreditation process. She was a strong advocate for strengthening and clarifying DEIB expectations in accreditation standards. Chaya’s experience as a bilingual, bi-cultural child of Indian immigrants has made her especially committed to a future where independent schools are places where students and adults embrace a broader and more inclusive vision of leadership. She sees her work with CS&A as a Consultant as a way to do her part in this work.

In schools, Chaya served as Head of School at Bright Water Waldorf School in Seattle, taught French at Epiphany School (WA), and served multiple terms as a trustee at Seattle Waldorf School. Chaya received a B.A. in French from Washington University in St. Louis and an M.A. in Education from Antioch University. Her interests include feeding her friends and family, watching her kids play Ultimate frisbee, refining her Brazilian Portuguese, and getting inky in her letterpress print shop.

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