The Consulting Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Education Consultants and Leaders of 2023. Education consulting plays a vital role in addressing and adapting to the ongoing disruptions within the education sector. Consequently, it has emerged as a burgeoning sub-sector in the consulting industry with potential for significant growth. These consulting leaders found in this year's awards cater to various areas such as education policy, higher education, and K-12 education. Their expertise aims to enhance operational efficiency in educational institutions and related companies, leading to improved student outcomes, optimized governance, and increased fundraising success. Furthermore, the exceptional men and women on this year’s list are frequently sought after by educational institutions to strategize and prepare for long-term transformations and changes within the industry.
One of the top-notch education consultants featured on this year's roster is Roy Mathew, a Principal at Deloitte, where he leads the Higher Education Consulting practice for his 175 year-old firm. With more than 20 years of consulting and industry experience across both private and public sector clients, Mathew has led many of Deloitte’s largest Higher Education transformation programs that span strategy, implementation, and operations. Similarly, this year we have Dayna Aravich, the VP of U.S. Education Industry at Gartner. Notably, Aravich also serves as the Chair & Board Operations for Women in Sales at Gartner, where she empowers over 2,000 women in sales. Meanwhile, Jean Demchak, the Global Leader of Marsh's Education Industry Practice, has dedicated the last 29 years to specializing in the education industry.
Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Education Consultants and Leaders of 2023.
1. André Dua
Company: McKinsey & Company
Title: Founder, Higher Education Practice, and Managing Partner, McKinsey’s Miami Office
Andre Dua is a Senior Partner at consulting giant McKinsey & Co. His expertise lies in company transformation, higher education, economic development, innovation, the future of work, and state and local government. In higher education, he has served more than 35 public and private universities and systems in the US and across the world. His higher education work includes: board governance; academic medical enterprise governance and performance improvement; system, university, and school strategy; center and institute design; research strategy; access and completion; and administrative operations improvement.
Additionally, he was a member of the McKinsey Global Institute Council, McKinsey’s globally renowned think-tank, and he also founded McKinsey Academy, which designs large-scale capability-building programs to unlock the potential of people in leading institutions. Dua was also the convenor of the Taskforce on Higher Education and Opportunity, a group of 37 organizations representing 2.4 million students across the US (including 4-year, 2-year, public, private and HBCUs) focused on expanding opportunity for America’s post-secondary students. He currently serves on the Board of the College Advising Corps and previously served on the boards of the Citizens’ Budget Commission, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, and the United Way of New York City. Dua holds an LL.M. from the Yale Law School, and holds dual bachelors in economics and law from the University of Sydney.
2. Sam Sanders
Company: KPMG UK
Title: Partner, Consulting Lead for Education, Skills & Productivity
At KPMG Sam Sanders is a Partner. He also leads the consulting business’s Higher Education (HE) Advisory team and KPMG’s Education Consulting practice in the UK. Sanders has over 20 years of experience working with high profile public sector clients – both in the UK and Australia – delivering large scale organizational redesign, process and customer journey improvement, core systems selection, and change management projects. Notably, KPMG is a leading UK provider of tax, audit and advisory services. It employs 14,000 people in 22 offices across the country.
The work that Sanders and his team are currently delivering – in partnership with a broad range of UK universities – is helping these important institutions survive and thrive in an ever-changing and increasingly competitive environment. In addition to Education, Sanders has worked extensively across the Criminal Justice sector, Defence, Health and with a number of other Central Government clients.Before joining KPMG, Sanders was a Consultant at Accenture. He received his MA from Kings College London and a BA from University College London.
3. Dennis Morrone
Company: Grant Thornton LLP
Title: National Managing Partner, Not-for-Profit & Higher Education Practices
Dennis Morrone is the National Managing Partner of Grant Thornton's Not-for-Profit & Higher Education Practices. In this capacity, Morrone has overall responsibility for the services performed by the firm for clients in this sector nationwide, along with all related marketplace initiatives. Notably, Grant Thornton is one of America’s largest audit, tax and advisory firms, boasting revenues of $2.3 billion for the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2022. There are almost 50 offices nationwide, employing more than 9,000 problem solvers.
Prior to joining Grant Thornton in May of 2002, Morrone was previously part of Arthur Andersen’s Metro New York Not-For-Profit Practice. On top of that, Morrone recently completed a 3-year term on the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) Not-for-Profit Advisory Committee (NAC). Over his career, he has developed and taught numerous courses on not-for-profit accounting and compliance topics, has been a prolific presenter in various industry forums, and has written extensively for Grant Thornton's not-for-profit industry letters and many other industry publications. Morrone earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from Villanova University.
4. Louisa Menne Brøndsted
Company: Implement Consulting Group
Title: Partner and Director of Learning Institute
Louisa Menne Brøndsted is partner in Implement Consulting Group. She has a strong passion for creating behavioral and business impact through learning. She is the program manager of large academies and is experienced in making sure the training sticks. She has designed and facilitated over 1,500 workshops and training sessions and has recently focused on digital and blended learning. The last 8 years Louisa has been the director of Implement Learning Institute and is furthermore the dean of Implement University, which offers internal training with more than 35 masterclasses and 5 learning journeys.
Implement Consulting Group AG is a consultancy firm specializing in sustainable change and transformation. Based in Copenhagen, with additional offices in Aarhus, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo, Oslo, Zurich, Munich, Hamburg, and Raleigh, their team of over 1000 colleagues collaborates with clients worldwide on a diverse range of projects. Previously, Brøndsted was an analytical consultant at STRATEGOS A/S. She earned her master’s in sociology at the University of Copenhagen and another master's in leadership and management at Griffith University.
5. Martha Laboissiere
Company: McKinsey & Company
Title: Partner
Martha Laboissiere is a Partner of the Education Practice at McKinsey & Company. In this role, she serves clients in higher education, workforce training and workforce development. Laboissiere works extensively with higher education clients, advising institutions and systems on strategy, growth, technology, research, operational improvement, and organization transformation. Her firm, McKinsey & Co., is a renowned global management consulting firm, serving as a trusted advisor to leading businesses, governments, and institutions worldwide. With a wide-ranging presence across private, public, and social sectors, McKinsey leverages its vast scale, expertise, and global reach to tackle unique and complex challenges for clients.
Laboissiere also leads efforts to transform workforce systems supporting public and private entities with mapping the supply and demand of labor and designing strategies to close the gap. Furthermore, she brings experience in launching new businesses in the workforce training space, including Generation USA — a not-for-profit recruiting, training, and employment program for young adults and displaced workers. Laboissiere graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a PhD in biochemistry and an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Brasilia.
6. Mark Krafft
Company: Bain & Company
Title: Partner
Mark Krafft is a Partner and a leader of the Performance Improvement and Higher Education practices at Bain and Company. While he works across industries, Krafft is also a core member of the firm’s Consumer Products practice. He brings 15 years of consulting and professional services experience to his clients in the US and abroad, having worked in the firm’s New York, London, and Washington,D.C. offices.
Bain & Company is a leading global consultancy that empowers ambitious changemakers to shape the future. Operating in 65 cities across 40 countries, Bain collaborates closely with clients as a unified team. Prior to joining Bain, Krafft worked in M&A investment banking in Los Angeles. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he was granted the R.C. Kopf Fellowship and Shuchman-Hulbert Memorial Award in Marketing. He also earned a BA from Amherst College.
7. Claudia Wang
Company: Oliver Wyman
Title: Partner, Head of Education Practice in Asia Pacific
A Partner based in Oliver Wyman’s Singapore office, Claudia Wang leads the Asia education practice. During her career, she has finished around 100 education engagements, advising leading private equity firms, operators, and government bodies globally on policy drafting, opportunity identification and assessment, market entry and expansion, commercial due diligence, and operations strategies in pan-Asia regions. She specializes in K-12 school, after-school tutoring, English language training, and vocational education segments. Apart from the education industry, Wang also has had over 20 project experiences in industrial and consumer sectors.
Oliver Wyman is a prominent global management consulting firm with a strong presence in over 70 cities across 30 countries. They offer specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organizational transformation. Employing over 6,000 professionals around the world, they help clients optimize their business, enhance operations, manage risks, and seize opportunities for accelerated organizational performance. Before joining Oliver Wyman, Wang was an Associate Partner at EY-Parthenon. She holds a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Shanghai International Studies University.
8. Rajeev Kalachaveedu
Company: Cognizant
Title: Managing Partner & Business Leader, Education, Media & Information Services
Rajeev Kalachaveedu is the Managing Partner & Business Leader of Education, Media & Information Services at Cognizant. He has over 26 years of experience in the IT Services industry and remains focused on delivering transformational outcomes to customers. Cognizant education is a digital-first connected learning model that paves the way to the future of higher education.
The consulting firm’s education business is backed by the idea that emerging technologies such as analytics, AI, and machine learning will be key to hyper personalizing the student experience: helping to identify at-risk learners and provide the most effective support for each person. Notably, Kalachaveedu graduated from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University with an undergraduate degree in technology.
9. Andrea Espinola Wilson
Company: BDO USA, LLP
Title: Managing Partner, Industry Specialty Services and National Co-Leader, Nonprofit & Education Practice
At BDO USA, Andrea Espinola Wilson is a Managing Partner of Industry Specialty Services and co-leads the company’s Nonprofit and Education Advisory Services practice. In these roles, she advises organizations on a wide range of issues, including compliance matters, cost allowability and recovery issues, cost accounting, procurement, internal control, and operational assessments. She is an accomplished finance and operations advisor with more than 18 years of experience providing leadership in: compliance, financial, procurement, operations, human resource, budgeting, and management systems.
Wilson’s vast industry knowledge ensures that solutions are grounded in practical, operational experience. She is also a member of BDO’s Institute for Nonprofit Excellence. Before joining BDO, Wilson was a Deputy Chief Management Officer at Management Systems International and a Director of Contracts at the Academy for Educational Development. Earlier in her career, she was an Auditor at KPMG. Wilson earned a Graduate Certificate in Procurement and Contracts Management at the University of Virginia and her undergraduate degree in Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley.
10. Patricia McGowan
Company: CohnReznick LLP
Title: Partner, Education Sector Leader
Patricia McGowan is a CohnReznick Partner and co-Leads the Not-for-Profit and Education Industry practice in New England. She is also a member of the Affordable Housing Industry practice in New England. Through a public accounting career that began in 1989, McGowan works with all types of not-for-profit organizations, including social service organizations, developers of affordable housing, arts and cultural organizations, independent schools, and private and community foundations. Her firm, CohnReznick, is a well-established professional services organization with a rich history spanning a century. With a global workforce of nearly 4,000 team members and a presence in 25 locations, including global subsidiaries, CohnReznick is dedicated to serving clients across 30 diverse industries.
Moreover, McGowan has lectured on various not-for-profit issues. She is responsible for developing CohnReznick’s national not-for-profit continuing education curriculum. In addition, she is a national instructor with CohnReznick’s Leadership and Development team, teaching not-for-profit and affordable housing technical courses and staff development programs. Previously, McGowan was a Partner at Kostin, Ruffkess & Company, LLC. She graduated from the University of Connecticut with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
11. Dan Bonnette
Company: RSM US LLP
Title: Partner, National Education Sector Leader
A Partner at RSM, Dan Bonnette is a firm-designated higher education, government and not-for-profit specialist with more than 31 years of experience. For RSM, he serves as the National Education Sector Leader; and previously served as the Higher Education and Not-for-Profit Industry Leader for the Northeast Region and as the Public Sector Industry Leader for the New England market. Previously, Bonnette managed the audits of numerous higher education, not-for-profit, and public sector organizations, including many with international operations. He’s also provided technical assistance on accounting and financial reporting issues to these organizations.
Moreover, Bonnette is an expert in Single Audits performed in accordance with the Uniform Grant Guidance (previously OMB Circular A-133) and has performed hundreds of audits pursuant to those standards. Prior to joining McGladrey, he spent 18 years at Deloitte & Touche. During this time, in addition to his client service responsibilities, he served as the National Learning Leader for Deloitte’s Public Sector Practices, responsible for developing the training curriculum for all public sector professionals nationally. Bonnette graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with an undergraduate degree in economics.
12. Samantha Fisher
Company: Accenture
Title: Managing Director, North America Education Practice
Samantha Fisher is a Managing Director with Accenture’s Education Practice, with a focus on the US market. She has nearly 20 years of experience in management and strategy consulting, including on projects with 50+ colleges and universities, associations, and education agencies. During her career, Fisher has worked across the spectrum of education in the US and abroad. She has worked with nonprofit to for-profit, private to public systems, small to large, and at all ranges of selectivity.
Her areas of focus include strategic planning, market entry and growth (particularly online), higher education mergers and acquisitions, digital and analytics strategy, and performance management, among others. In addition, Fisher has supported the research and written publications around many of the above topics – and presents regularly at industry conferences. She started her career as a Regional Manager of Asia Operations at EF Educational Tours. Fisher was also Vice President of Education at EY-Parthenon. She earned her undergraduate degree in economics from Brandeis University.
13. Lane McBride
Company: Boston Consulting Group
Title: Managing Director & Senior Partner
Lane McBride is a member of Boston Consulting Group's Public Sector and People & Organization practices, in addition to serving as a member of the firm’s education leadership team in the US. His firm, BCG, has been a pioneer in business strategy since its establishment in 1963.
Since joining BCG in 2003, McBride has focused primarily on the education sector, spanning topics such as strategy, organization design and transformation, change management, cost efficiency, performance management, and consumer insight. He earned his undergraduate degree in government from the University of Virginia.
14. Erin Covington
Company: Alvarez & Marsal
Title: Managing Director
Erin Covington is a Managing Director with Alvarez & Marsal’s Public Sector Services in Washington, D.C. As PSS’s Co-Leader and Education Leader, Covington leads a team of 100+ to provide management and advisory services for public sector and commercial clients, with a focus on performance improvement opportunities across the education sector. With a presence on four continents and a team of over 7,500 professionals, Alvarez & Marsal specializes in serving corporates, private equity firms, law firms, and government agencies facing complex challenges.
Prior to joining A&M, Covington served as Chief Financial Officer for numerous organizations, including the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. and Friendship Public Charter schools, where she led the completion of a public bond offering; resolved material weaknesses in federal grants management; and significantly improved working capital management. Covington earned a BBA in accounting from James Madison University.
15. Jason Reed
Company: FTI Consulting
Title: Managing Director
As the Managing Director of FTI Consulting, Jason Reed brings over 20 years of experience providing consulting services to a diverse range of mid-market and global companies, non-profit organizations, and higher education institutions. Reed’s expertise extends to various industries, including financial institutions, biotechnology, healthcare, and national defense. FTI Consulting is a prominent global consulting firm that offers a comprehensive range of capabilities and expert services to guide clients through their most critical opportunities and challenges. Each practice within the firm is led by accomplished experts known for their deep knowledge and proven track record of delivering impactful solutions.
Prior to joining FTI, Reed served as the Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the University of Maryland Global Campus, the world's largest public online university. During his tenure, he collaborated with Amazon and academic leaders to revolutionize the digital student experience, particularly in the university's acclaimed nursing and cybersecurity programs. Reed also previously ran his private practice as a management and technology consultant. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from George Washington University.
16. Frank Kurre
Company: Protiviti, Inc.
Title: Managing Director
Frank Kurre is the Managing Director and Global Leader for Protiviti’s Higher Education and Not-for-Profit practice. Notably, Protiviti is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach, and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Kurre also serves as the company’s Global Account Management lead. An industry veteran, he brings over 36 years of experience providing consulting solutions in audit, technology, business process, controls, analytics, risk, compliance and strategy.
Prior to joining Protiviti, Kurre served for many years as the National Managing Partner of a global accounting firm’s Not-for-Profit Practice. Furthermore, he has provided audit and consulting services to over two hundred not-for-profit organizations over his 36-year career. Kurre graduated from the Seminary of Immaculate Conception with a master’s and from St. John’s University with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
17. Roy Mathew
Company: Deloitte Consulting
Title: Principal and Education National Practice Leader
Roy Mathew is a Principal at Deloitte, where he leads the Higher Education Consulting practice. It is worthy to note that Mathew has more than 20 years of consulting and industry experience across both private and public sector clients. Previously he’s led many of Deloitte’s largest Higher Education transformation programs that span strategy, implementation, and operations. Mathew is also actively involved in developing the firm’s capabilities in new business models and innovative uses of technology.
Deloitte is a prominent provider of top-notch audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services, serving numerous renowned brands, including almost 90% of the Fortune 500® and over 7,000 private companies. With a rich history of over 175 years, Deloitte's vast network of member firms extends across more than 150 countries and territories. Mathew holds an undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a graduate degree from Stanford University.
18. Kasia Lundy
Company: EY-Parthenon
Title: Principal, US Higher Education
Kasia Lundy is a Principal at EY-Parthenon and leads the Education practice. With nearly 20 years of consulting experience with the firm, she is responsible for overseeing teacher effectiveness and compensation initiatives, strategic resource allocation, portfolio strategy work and race-to-the-top strategies at the state level for students in kindergarten to 12th grade. EY-Parthenon, with a dedicated team of 9,000+ professionals spanning across 120 countries, offers EY clients comprehensive corporate, transaction, and turnaround strategies that are not only actionable but also impactful, leading to sustainable long-term growth.
Lundy’s higher education engagements focus on strategic planning, governance and organization structure design, revenue-generating strategies (such as online strategies, program development and alternative revenues), academic outcome improvement strategies, and operational efficiency improvement strategies. She earned a BA in economics and MBA from Harvard University.
19. Chris Schwyter
Company: Willis Towers Watson
Title: Senior Vice President and Client Advocate for The Higher Education Industry Practice
Chris Schwyter is the Senior Vice President and Client Advocate for The Higher Education Industry Practice at Willis Towers Watson. Schwyter is a leading professional in the commercial insurance brokerage industry, where he is focused on the risk management needs of colleges and universities. His firm, WTW, provides data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk, and capital. With a global presence spanning 140 countries and markets, WTW leverages its local expertise to help clients sharpen their strategy and maximize performance.
Before joining WTW, Schwyter served as a Senior Vice President at Marsh, where he was responsible for middle-market client executives for the higher education industry practice. He is a graduate of Temple University.
20. Andrew Slapp
Company: Capgemini
Title: Senior Director, Public Sector and Higher Education
Andrew Slapp is the Senior Director of Public Sector and Higher Education at Capgemini, a global leader that partners with companies to transform and manage their businesses through technology. Guided by its purpose of unleashing human energy for an inclusive and sustainable future, Capgemini comprises 360,000 diverse team members across more than 50 countries.
Previously, Slapp spent over four years at DXC Technology, where he most recently served as CEO of Salesforce Prace-DXC Systems Partners. Before that, he also spent more than 11 years at Fuji Xerox Australia. He started his career as a consultant at POS Solutions, where he worked with retail organizations to provide consulting and guidance on installing retail management systems and the best practices. Slapp earned his MBA from Macquarie University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Technology Sydney.
21. Dayna Aravich
Company: Gartner
Title: Vice President of U.S. Education Industry and Chair Board Operations for Women in Sales
Dayna Aravich is the Vice President of U.S. Education Industry and Chair & Board Operations for Women in Sales at Gartner, where she empowers thousand of women in sales to connect, learn, lead, and drive exceptional business outcomes. Gartner, Inc. is a trusted provider of actionable, objective insights that enable smarter decisions and stronger performance in an organization's critical priorities. With a workforce of over 19,500 associates, Gartner offers expert-led, practitioner-sourced, and data-driven research to guide clients in over 100 countries. In North America alone, the company has 98 associates dedicated to serving its customers in Education; has 250 Education Industry Practitioners and SMEs; and is empowering over 440 unique education organizations through Gartner’s insights platform.
Before taking on her current role, Aravich held several positions within Gartner, including Area Vice President, Americas High Tech, and Manager, Large Enterprise Accounts - Technology & Service Providers. Notably, in January 2021, she took leadership of the Education Industry Practice within Gartner, to better serve this important community of customers – and partner to advance the mission of Education. Aravich earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University.
22. Richard Sadler
Company: CGI
Title: Vice President, Consulting Delivery
Richard Sadler is a Vice President for Consulting Delivery at CGI. Sadler is responsible for leading the Empowered Learning education team in CGI. He has many years of experience in delivering and managing technology projects across a wide range of key business sectors. Moreover, in recent years, he has been at the forefront of both the Connected Learning program in Glasgow City, and Inspire Learning in Scottish Borders. Currently, Sadler is leading the drive to deliver similar benefits to other partners and projects across the UK and elsewhere. Before joining CGI, Sadler was the Head of Infrastructure Deployment Support.
Notably, CGI is a major global IT and business consulting services company, known for its insights-driven and outcomes-focused approach. With a presence in 400 locations across 21 industries worldwide, CGI offers comprehensive, scalable, and sustainable IT and business consulting services, combining global expertise with local delivery.
23. Ankur Mathur
Company: Tata Consultancy Services
Title: Vice President and Education Unit Head
At Tata Consultancy Services, Ankur Mathur is a Vice President and also leads the Education Unit. With over 30 years at TCS, Mathur is driven by a purpose of bringing a positive change in the lives of Learners through Digital Transformation of Educational Institutions. He has led strategic relationships and provided technology & transformation services to clients in US, Europe, UK, South America, Israel, India and Australia. During his lenghty tenure with Tata, Mathur has built expertise in business transformation, technology strategy & deployment, and building strategic relationships with Clients & Partners.
Mathur holds a post-graduate diploma in Management and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering. He is also certified in Governance of Enterprise IT and is a Six Sigma Green Belt. He has participated as a Local Ethics Counsellor, and is a proponent of leadership, inclusion & diversity, besides being a Gold Certified Mentor at TCS.
24. Shawn Rodriguez
Company: World Wide Technology
Title: Vice President, State & Local Government and Education
Shawn Rodriguez is the Vice President of State & Local Government and Education at World Wide Technology. He leads a talented team of functional leaders and is responsible for developing and executing go-to-market strategies, including field sales hiring and enablement, integrated field marketing, contract capture, vertical business development, partner and solution execution, and overall growth. Prior to joining WWT, Rodriguez held leadership roles at Forescout Technologies and Splunk. He began his sales career in various positions focused on state & local government and education at NetApp and Nortel Networks.
With over 20 years of experience in the SLED sector, Rodriguez actively serves on numerous boards and committees for organizations like NASCIO, COVITS, and the Commonwealth of Virginia Joint Commission on Technology and Science. He is also a member of the State & Local Government and Education Executive Council for CompTIA. Rodriguez earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the Belk College of Business at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
25. Jean Demchak
Company: Marsh
Title: Global Education Industry Practice Leader
Jean Demchak is the Global Leader of Marsh's Education Industry Practice, overseeing the integration of Marsh McLennan's business operations into the higher education and K-12 sectors, including public, private, and for-profit institutions. In her role, Demchak manages and coordinates the firm's resources, addresses emerging issues in local offices, designs products for not-for-profits, serves as a liaison with the marketplace, and customizes specialized services to meet client needs. As the world's leading insurance broker and risk advisor, Marsh operates in 130 countries with over 45,000 colleagues, providing data-driven risk solutions and advisory services to commercial and individual clients.
With over 34 years of experience in the brokerage community, Demchak has dedicated the last 29 years to specializing in the education industry, focusing on risk retention groups and pooling programs, consortia programs, and innovative product design and customization of coverage documents. Demchak holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
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