High Potential: Developing High-Performing Leadership Teams
Zoom
Event Details
Join Moira Kelly and Ross Peters from EXPLO for an engaging webinar, “High Potential: Developing High-Performing Leadership Teams.” Designed for school leaders navigating the tension between daily demands and long-term strategy, this session explores how to build the collective capacity of your leadership team to think strategically while executing effectively. Participants will gain practical tools and approaches to align priorities, deepen collaboration, and create the conditions for sustained organizational growth.
Series: Leadership
Who Should Attend: Assistant Heads, Division Heads, First-Time Heads, Heads of School
Speakers:
Moira Kelly, president, Exploration School
Moira Kelly is the President of Exploration School, commonly known as EXPLO. She taught in the Maine public schools and began her independent school career at Northfield Mount Hermon School leading student recruitment and admission communications for a school with an enrollment of 1250. While there, she also served as a house head, dean, and served on two strategic planning committees, which focused on finances and faculty evaluation.
Moira was then recruited to become the founding head of a new boarding and day division for EXPLO for grades 4-7 at St. Mark’s School. Subsequently, she became EXPLO’s Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and then CEO. The organization has enrolled 90,000+ students in grades 4-12 from 101 countries on 9 campuses in the U.S. and abroad. Under her leadership, EXPLO earned its accreditation from the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges; developed a teacher training program that has served 1200 aspiring and experienced teachers; designed 100+ experiential courses with industry partners; incubated the SummerCollab serving thousands of low-income students; and built a robust leadership training program. EXPLO Elevate was launched in 2019 and has served more than 90 schools, colleges, and non-profit organizations.
Ross Peters, founding partner, Exploration School, and co-founder of the Independent School Purpose Project
Ross is the founding partner of EXPLO Elevate, leading our consulting team after making significant contributions at the independent schools he has served. Beginning his career with eight years as a middle and upper school English teacher at Providence Day School, he served in significant leadership roles at Asheville School, Hawken School, The Westminster Schools, and St. George’s Independent School.
He serves, or has served, on the boards of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools, and Bridges USA. He and his wife Katie also served as members of the Family Partners Council at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.
Growing up in Richmond, Virginia, Ross was a 13-year graduate of St. Christopher’s School. From there earned a BA in English at Sewanee: The University of the South, followed with an M.Ed from the University of Georgia. While he is deeply appreciative of the remarkable gift of education he received at every level, his best learning has resulted from being an educator working with students, whether as a classroom teacher or as a school leader.