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Strategic consulting for independent schools.
"David’s deep expertise equipped him extraordinarily well to facilitate a compelling institutional vision and organizational alignment—ensuring that the Academy’s rhetoric was clearly linked to practice and echoed faithfully in its communications."
“Peter’s deftness as a strategic thinker is shown through his organizational skills. … He managed to lay out a clear plan effectively which the majority of the stakeholders deemed reasonable and were glad to follow.”
"I am so impressed with Peter's depth and breadth of expertise in Education, I asked him to be part of my Center's advisory board. And of course, in spite of his own workload, and a fabulously well-curated newsletter, he manages to contribute cogently and gentlemanly. I look forward to many years of collaboration."
“Peter is a world-maker, a strategic optimist, and a creator of humane environments where people can thrive. He can both set the bar high for educational communities and continuously raise that bar as he helps others to grow thoughtfully and joyfully.”
"David Thiel is one of the best brand, marketing, and communications professionals in the business. He sees and links patterns in organizational culture way before others."
"I've worked closely with Peter over the last few years in his role as a speaker, advisory board member and LAUNCHed emcee for SXSWedu. He has proven to be a significant thought leader in the education space and has pushed the audience at SXSWedu to think more creatively about their work. Peter is diligent, hard working, thoughtful and dynamic, and has been a great partner since day one."
"David’s work facilitated key results on several levels. We clarified our mission and created an effective way to communicate it, we identified key sources of business, and we became better equipped to market our brand directly to prospective parents."
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What Type of Work Do We Do?
Aptonym helps schools connect promise with performance—navigating the aspirations of mission within the realities of the marketplace.
Great ideas are often lost on their way to implementation. We focus on connecting strategy to the words, actions, decisions, and structures that bring it to life. Our approach begins with insightful research and ideation, but connects those thoughts to powerful execution—with an emphasis on crisp, actionable tactics, clear documentation, and realistic operational planning, program design, and creative support.
We bring a systems approach to everything we do, with a focus on connection and alignment throughout your organization, eliminating silos and linking mission with action. Learn more about our approach to strategic planning.
David knows strategy and planning are indispensable for progress at any institution, but he recognizes that vision must be coupled with daily, incremental steps and experiments that lead to the fulfillment of stated goals… In other words, he’s equally adept at strategy and execution, and he knows the importance of communications efforts in connecting the two.
— Margarita Curtis, Head of School, Deerfield Academy (2006–2019)
Contact Us
We are located in Western Massachusetts, at the heart of the independent school and higher education landscape. We are adept at remote work and happy to travel.
Contact us at info@aptonym.com or 413-461-0585 if you’d like to discuss a project. Our mailing address is 562 South Pleasant St. Amherst, MA 01002.
