Laura Fuller
Consultant, executive coach
Laura joined The Education Group in the summer of 2020 after serving as an educator, administrator, and head of school in independent schools for more than 30 years. Over the past six years as a search and leadership coaching consultant, she has led or co-led numerous head-of-school searches and coached more than a dozen heads of school and senior administrators. During her tenure as a head of school, Laura mentored and coached several heads of school new to the ISACS region. She has also facilitated governance workshops and supported numerous board chairs, both in partnership with heads of school and independently when needed.
After earning a bachelor's degree in microbiology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Laura realized that while her passion for science had shaped her academic path, her love of schools and learning was an equally powerful calling. She later completed a master’s degree in educational leadership and embarked on a 15-year career as a science educator, serving primarily as a teacher and department chair at The Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut.
Laura's involvement in strategic planning, program development, faculty mentoring, and professional learning initiatives led her into educational leadership as Upper School Division Head at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida. Her administrative career ultimately culminated in two headship appointments: first at St. Catherine's School, an Episcopal all-girls school in Richmond, Virginia, and later at University School of Milwaukee, a large coeducational independent day school.
As a head of school, Laura provided leadership across every aspect of school operations. Her responsibilities included faculty recruitment and retention, administrative structure and leadership, parent relations, financial management, mission and vision development, culture building, academic oversight, admissions and institutional advancement, strategic and campus master planning, fundraising, capital projects and construction oversight, campus safety and security, board governance and development, and cultivating local and national partnerships. Throughout her leadership career, she helped increase enrollment at each of the three schools where she served as an administrator and played a significant role in fundraising efforts totaling nearly $100 million dollars.
The breadth and diversity of Laura's experiences across these institutions have shaped her into a thoughtful and accomplished educational leader. Each school presented unique opportunities and challenges that strengthened her leadership philosophy and broadened her perspective. Today, she draws on those experiences to support independent schools as a consultant, sharing the practical insights, strategic perspective, and leadership wisdom gained throughout a distinguished career.