Alex Halladay and Martha Ambros to Join Mission & Data as Affiliate Consultants

Mission & Data is kicking off 2024 with the exciting announcement that Alex Halladay and Martha Ambros will be joining the firm as Affiliate Consultants.

“Both Alex Halladay and Martha Ambros are wise, nationally recognized experts and mentors within the independent school world,” shared Mission & Data’s co-founder Ari Betof. “They bring practical leadership experience and a mission-driven, data-informed mindset to all they do.”

Alex Halladay is an enrollment management expert committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in independent schools. Recognized with the Rising Star Award from the National Enrollment Management Association, Alex’s expertise spans enrollment management, college counseling, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and anti-bias consulting. As the Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at The Northwest School in Seattle, Alex leads a team in crafting and implementing targeted enrollment strategies. Her career launched at the UChicago Undergraduate Admissions Office as a member of the Equity and Access team responsible for multicultural outreach and the equitable assessment of applications. Dedicated to national initiatives, Alex has served on the faculty for the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference for 10+ years and actively contributes to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice think tank assembled by the Enrollment Management Association. Beyond enrollment management, Alex holds key leadership positions, including Chair of the Board of Trustees at Lake Washington Girls Middle School, showcasing a commitment to fostering inclusive educational environments.

In addition to her work at The Northwest School, as an Affiliate Consultant for Mission & Data Alex will focus on both enrollment management leadership as well as anti-bias practices in enrollment and academic programs. She will assess, advise, and coach enrollment leaders and their team in mission-driven, data-informed practices. This work will include helping schools gain the most benefit from Mission & Data’s enrollment management, net tuition revenue, and market analysis dashboards. Alex will also train enrollment management teams and admission committees on anti-bias practices as well as partner with others in the firm in helping schools analyze and address areas of potential bias identified in retrospective analyses.

Martha Ambros is passionate about the strategic and day-to-day importance of finance and operations in delivering on each school’s mission. As Executive Director of the California Independent Schools Business Officers Association (Cal-ISBOA) for eleven years, Martha provided practical solutions and programs to support Administrators and Business Office staff including CFOs, Business Officers, HR Directors, and Facilities Directors at more than 280 schools throughout California. In her comprehensive and hands-on work with business office professionals Martha developed an understanding of the finance and operations issues and opportunities facing independent schools. She worked closely with schools to better understand and use finance and operations data to frame strategic decision making and assess progress. Martha oversaw the continued development and implementation of Cal-ISBOA’s highly-valued, extensive data survey ensuring it delivered timely, relevant data in a user-friendly format.

Martha continues to be a pragmatic resource and sounding board for business office professionals as they navigate the ever expanding and increasingly complex responsibilities of independent school finance and operations. As part of her work with Mission & Data, Martha will work with Heads of School, business office leaders, and other members of the leadership team to enhance the group’s financial acumen and mission-driven, data-informed decision making. Martha will coach business office leaders in building strong partnerships with finance committees and committee chairs as well as coach business office leaders new to their roles and new to the independent school context. She will contribute to Mission & Data’s efforts providing direction in addressing strategic plan goals and accreditation recommendations relating to finance and operations. A key aspect of these efforts will be effectively utilizing data already available to the school to inform strategic discussions, set actionable goals, and assess progress. Martha will also serve as a resource to Mission & Data’s work on larger organizational effectiveness and transformation projects.

“We are thrilled to welcome Alex and Martha to the growing Mission & Data team,” Kelsey Vrooman, Mission & Data’s co-founder, said. “Martha has been a close data-minded colleague in her role as Cal-ISBOA’s Executive Director and M&D supporter from the start, and I am thrilled to continue our partnership. Alex’s expertise in anti-bias work and her depth of knowledge in enrollment management matches perfectly with the firm’s commitment to cultivating mission-driven, data-informed enrollment leaders.

If you would like to learn more about Alex Halladay’s and Martha Ambros’ offerings as part of the team at Mission & Data, please contact them at ahalladay@missionandata.com and mambros@missionanddata.com.

Mission & Data is a firm dedicated to the effectiveness, health, and vitality of educational institutions and other organizations that make the world a better place. We are committed to enhancing mission-driven, data-informed leadership and governance by:

• Consulting to promote financial sustainability, improve organizational effectiveness, and facilitate organizational transformation.
• Developing custom data products, visualizations, and dashboards to highlight progress, identify trends, and leverage actionable insights.
• Auditing current practices and analyzing organizational data to recommend process efficiencies and strategic improvements.
• Coaching leaders and boards of trustees to enact institutional vision and build a culture of inquiry-based decision making practices.

If you would like to know more about how Mission & Data can help your organization, please contact us at contact@missionanddata.com.