Meet our Team

CHRIS PRYOR

President & Founder

As a life-long educator, strategist and thought leader, Chris Pryor is in his third decade of independent school leadership. A graduate of Kent School in Kent, CT and Roanoke College, Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Roanoke College and a dual master’s degree in Educational Administration and Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. He has held leadership positions at independent schools such as Harbor Country Day, The Independence School, Hackley, Rye Country Day and Tuxedo Park School and was actively involved with NYSAIS. A skilled communicator and visionary practitioner, Chris has led his schools through strategic and long-range plans, marketing and image projects, programmatic paradigm shifts, enrollment challenges and community divides. He brings a wealth of practical, theoretical and consultant experience to the table; is a stickler for data and detail and will make an otherwise arduous task seem like a ton of fun.

Over the years Chris has consulted with trustees, faculty, parents, students, alumni, admissions and development offices. He is a well-known speaker on topics such as social media, marketing, admissions training, crisis management, professional development and board training. He is a talented storyteller, as he learned early on that sharing the school’s story with all its constituents is one way to be as inclusive as possible. The same is true in marketing but specifics are critical.

With Gowan Group, Chris realizes his vision for an educational consulting organization that serves the needs of independent schools on every front–from Admission and Enrollment Management to Advancement and Fundraising, and from Strategic Planning to Leadership Development. To accomplish this, Chris has assembled a stellar group of nationally renowned consultants that have the passion, experience, expertise, and resources to help independent schools turn every challenge into a growth opportunity.

MIKE VACHOW

Senior Managing Director

Mike has served independent day schools for 30 years.  During 11 years of headship and, later, as a consultant, Mike’s abilities as an expert communicator and as a leader of school culture have helped him drive lasting change in schools.  The roots of those abilities lie in Mike’s origins as a classroom teacher, advisor and coach.  Mike began his independent school career at the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans as a middle and high school English teacher and high school baseball coach.  He took on his first administrative roles there, as the Summer Session Director and Middle School Dean of Students but continued teaching English.  In 2001 Mike became the Upper School Division Director at Lake Forest Country Day School in the far northern suburbs of Chicago, and carried a section of middle school English.  Mike’s 19 years of teaching assure his colleagues and clients that he is committed to making the classroom the epicenter of all school efforts, a seeming foregone conclusion until one encounters the many schools that stray from this vision.

Mike was appointed Head of Forsyth School, in St. Louis, in 2007.  During his decade of headship there, Mike tripled the size of the school’s endowment, acquired contiguous properties that resulted in a 30% expansion of the school’s footprint, and fostered and endowed three academic programs that will enhance the learning experiences of Forsyth students for generations to come.  During this time, Mike continued growing as a leader by serving on and later chairing the board of the Independent Schools of St. Louis, leading accreditation teams and serving on the ISACS Accreditation Review Committee, and mentoring new heads through the ISACS New Heads Network.  Mike began a consulting practice in 2017 but took a year’s sojourn to serve as Interim Head at Peoria Academy before continuing to support school clients in leadership searches, mentoring, enrollment strategy and governance.  A talented writer and speaker, Mike regularly publishes thought pieces and presents at conferences. He has a BA from the University of Michigan and an MA from Middlebury College. He serves on the board at Kairos Academies, St. Louis’s newest charter school and indulges his Rolling Stone fantasy by writing live music reviews for KDHX, St. Louis’s powerhouse community radio station.

J.P. Watson

Senior Managing Director

Having grown up in a family of teachers and doctors and spending summers at his family’s day camp, J.P. Watson has been involved directly and indirectly with teaching; coaching; program leadership; wellness; leadership development; school, small business and non-profit management since his early teen years.

As a former Biology teacher, coach and program leader, Department Head, Division Head, Accreditation Team Leader, Associate and Assistant Head, as well as Head of School, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to each engagement with schools, businesses and non-profits. Drawing on the wisdom of those who have shaped his career, J.P. approaches challenges as opportunities for organizational growth and development.

Passionate about mission and vision alignment, he has helped school after school strengthen its path toward alignment and becoming the best manifestation of its mission. Working with iconic leaders within the independent school world for the last 20 years, J.P. has built a network of experiences and people with whom he has consulted to develop unique and individualized approaches to common challenges faced by schools, businesses and non-profits. 

J.P. earned his AB in Biology with a concentration in World Literature from Middlebury College and a MS of Biomedical Science from University of South Carolina School of Medicine. J.P. was also a Peabody Fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody Professional Institute for Independent School Leadership. 

Laura Desai

Managing Director

Laura Desai is thrilled to join The Gowan Group team! In addition to being a product of private school education herself, Laura brings more than 20 years of educational experience to the team having worked as a teacher, coach, administrator, Associate Head of School and Head of School. Laura's experience has included working in public, parochial, charter, Montessori, IB and private schools. Laura has held senior administrative positions at several outstanding private schools throughout NJ including YingHua International School, Waterfront Montessori, The Lewis School of Princeton, and The Pennington School. Laura also brings experience from working in the Private Client Division of Merrill Lynch in Human Resources which greatly supports schools with an effective approach to retention and attrition. Laura has served as a school board member both publically elected and private. 

 Since 2021, Laura has been working with schools as a consultant in a variety of capacities helping to plan strategic vision, assist with enrollment management, retention and attrition, curriculum redesign, marketing and communication rebrands and resource management. Laura's extraordinary career in the education space makes her well positioned to join an outstanding team of talent at The Gowan Group and help schools and heads navigate the challenges they face in the current educational landscape. 

NADIA ROBINSON

Managing Financial Director  

Nadia is a strategic financial leader with extensive experience in non-profit and private   school finance. She is passionate about aligning financial strategies with mission-driven   goals to ensure long-term sustainability and impact. In over 19 years as a Director of   Finance, she has successfully guided 3 different schools through major financial planning initiatives, implemented cost-saving strategies, and developed revenue generating programs. NBOA recently awarded Nadia the Will Hancock Unsung Hero Award for exceptional school financial operations and leadership. Nadia currently serves as the Director of Finance at Mill Springs Academy, a K - 12 independent school for LD/ADHD learners outside of Atlanta. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College with an MBA from West Chester University. 

john pryor

Senior Research Scientist

John Pryor is a higher education professional with over 25 years of experience in using research findings to help improve the college experience. John presents frequently on current trends and innovation in higher education. He has published many articles, monographs, white papers, and opinion pieces in higher education publications, including the Journal of College Student Development and The Chronicle of Higher Education. His TEDxUCLA talk (“How To Make College Better, And Why We Need To”) looks at the need to increase the connection between what is learned inside the classroom and how that is applied outside the classroom.

Most recently, John held a Senior Research Scientist position with Gallup, where he led their higher education research. For eight years prior to that John was the director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), the largest study of higher education in the country and the managing director of the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, where CIRP is housed. Before directing CIRP, John was the director of Student Affairs Planning, Evaluation, and Research at Dartmouth College. John currently serves on the steering committee of the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and he is a member of the Data Analysis Research Network, a research and advisory group of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. A graduate of St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH and Dartmouth College, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Psychology from The University of Virginia.

RObert Rytter

Creative Director

Robert Rytter, our creative director, has more than 30 years of experience developing and executing strategic marketing campaigns for colleges and universities. An advocate of integrated one-to-one marketing, Robert promotes targeted marketing efforts in all mediums: collateral materials, website and interactive design, public relations and advertising. Robert graduated from MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) with a degree in painting; he has served on the faculty there as an instructor of advanced graphic design.

Robert also attended the MLA program at the Johns Hopkins University and the business program at Loyola College. He has been a guest lecturer for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the University of Maryland. His work has been recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, CASE, Communication Arts, the New York Art Directors Club, the Type Directors Club of New York, the University & College Designers Association, the Washington Art Directors Club, Graphis and Print, among others.

brad brown

aDMISSIONS LEADER

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Brad Brown has lived and studied around the globe, from British Columbia to Madrid. A strong communicator with a passion for people, Brad has strategically led admissions and enrollment initiatives throughout his 24-year career in education. In 2001, he began his time in admissions at his alma mater, The Walker School in Marietta, as Assistant Director of Admissions before being selected as the second Director of Admissions in the school’s history in 2012. In 2016, Brad joined the leadership team at Trinity School in Atlanta as the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management. Brad has also developed an array of other professional skills, having served the independent school community in various roles that include Spanish teacher, soccer coach, and Director of Multicultural Affairs.

 From 2019–2021, Brad chaired the Atlanta Area Association of Independent Schools Admission Directors Group. Since 2020, he has served a member of the Board of Directors for the Murphy-Harpst Children’s Centers, an organization providing a safe and nurturing environment where severely abused and neglected children and teenagers can thrive.

 Brad holds a Master of Arts in Second Language Instruction from Bennington College in Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Culture and Civilization from Furman University. In 2022, he earned a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard University. Brad is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Christian Leadership from the Dallas Theological Seminary.

jamie herold

eMPOWERED LEADERS’ JOURNEY LEADER

As a long-time educator, school leader, and design innovator, Jamie Herold is fueled by curiosity, courage, and a desire to be a source of good in the world. Purpose-driven and passionate, Jamie strives to create and nurture educational programs and experiences that foster compassion and community.

Throughout her career, Jamie has worked in public, charter, and independent schools across the country in a wide variety of roles, including as a grade level teacher, dual language educator, instructional coach, department head, Head of School, Chief Academic Officer, and strategic leadership consultant. Jamie has a passion for learning, both personally and professionally, which manifests itself in carefully planned and deeply engaging programs of learning that honor the potential in each community stakeholder.

As a born leader and lifelong learner, Jamie espouses a people-first approach to her work and demonstrates a keen understanding that relationships with self and others are fundamental to impact and growth, both individually and organizationally. As such, Jamie is deeply interested in and committed to social emotional learning (SEL) as the foundation for effective, responsive, and innovative school communities. In alignment with this core focus on SEL, Jamie has become a certified social emotional learning facilitator and she has received advanced training in SEL-centered practice through Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Jamie’s entrepreneurial spirit and zest for creativity have shaped her career, inspiring her to lead teams in starting numerous new schools and educational programs. She enjoys the challenge of working with school stakeholders to define core beliefs and community identity and then designing bespoke curriculum and programming in service of the mission and vision of the organization. Under Jamie’s leadership, her schools have experienced hypergrowth while also nourishing the kind of positive school culture and discourse that ensures organizational continuity.

As a mother of three and devoted educator, Jamie understands the power and impact of excellence in education. Although her career has taken her in a variety of directions and across industries, with work in strategic leadership in education and healthcare, Jamie remains a teacher at heart. In all engagements with individuals and organizations, Jamie notices the opportunities for growth and teaches into the innate human desire for connection.