Leadership+Design
A Decade of Impact
Building capacity, moving towards action and designing joyful experiences.
10 YEARS
At Leadership+Design we have spent the last 10 years working with leaders to help shape the future. Our mission to build the capacity of leaders to be optimistic futurists, reflective change-makers and human-centered design thinkers has been unwavering. We decided this was the right moment to measure the impact of that work and to reflect on how our collaboration with clients has lead to meaningful change and positive impact in the schools, organizations and communities.
Here’s what we’ve built, learned, and where we’re headed.
The Story of Leadership+Design
We started scrappy. We still are.
Leadership+Design was founded in 2014 through the merger of two innovative initiatives: the Santa Fe Leadership Center and Leading is Learning. SFLC, launched in 2010, hosted its first Santa Fe Seminar in 2011 and quickly became known for its leadership coaching, strategic planning, and professional development programs. Leading is Learning, founded in 2012, brought a bold design-thinking approach through workshops like the Leadership + Design Summer program and Critical Conversations Lab. Together, the two organizations combined strengths to create Leadership+Design, uniting creativity, innovation, and adaptability in service of schools and leaders. Over the past decade, we’ve grown from a small, scrappy collective into a dedicated team offering programs, coaching, and strategic services that support individual growth and institutional change. Today, our work spans 190 cities, 34 states, and 7 countries, engaging thousands of educators and leaders. At our core, we are a capacity-building organization, helping schools and individuals develop the skills, mindsets, and habits to lead with courage and joy. While our reach has expanded, our mission remains rooted in people, collaboration, and transformation.
At a Glance
(Impact by the Numbers)
Number of Clients Served
Working mostly with independent and secondary school clients, our portfolio of projects includes international schools, nonprofits, arts organizations and higher education partners
The Santa Fe Seminar
Wonder Women
UnMastered
The Leadership+Design Fellowship
What’s Next? Design Your Journey
Badass Facilitators
Leadership Lab
Culture Lab
L+D Expedition
The Reset
Wonder Women Rising
Wonder Women
The Leadership+Design Fellowship
What’s the Future
What’s Next? Design Your Journey
The Reset
L+D Summer for Educators
L+D Summer for Students
L+D Design Thinking Bootcamp
Innovative Leadership
4D Studio
The Leadership+Design Fellowship
What’s Next: Design Your Journey
L+D Expedition
Design for Election Season
Design for Resilience
Design for Retention/Enrollment
In the 10 years since we were founded, we’ve worked and partnered with organizations in over 190 cities, 33 states and 5 countries.
Alabama
- Highlands School (Birmingham)
Connecticut
- Eagle Hill School (Greenwich)
- Global Citizens Initiative (Greenwich)
- AISAP (Madison)
- Foote School (New Haven)
- Hopkins School (New Haven)
Florida
- The Bolles School (Jacksonville)
- All Saints Academy (Winter Haven)
- Florida Council of Independent Schools (Tampa)
Indiana
- The Orchard School (Indianapolis)
Massachusetts
- Phillips Academy (Andover)
- Artisans Asylum (Boston)
- Boston University Academy (Boston)
- Shady Hill School (Cambridge)
- The Fenn School (Concord)
- Middlesex School (Concord)
- St. John’s Preparatory School (Danvers)
- Dedham Country Day School (Dedham)
- Northfield Mount Hermon (Gill)
- Esperanza Academy (Lawrence)
- Brookwood School (Manchester-by-the-Sea)
- Meadowbrook School of Weston (Weston)
- AISNE (Milton)
- Walnut Hill School for the Arts (Natick)
- Smith College (Northampton)
- Smith College Executive Education (Northampton)
- Inly School (Scituate)
- The Cambridge School of Weston (Weston)
- The Bancroft School (Worcester)
- Carney, Sandoe & Associates (Boston)
North Carolina
- TABS (Asheville)
- Cary Academy (Cary)
- Charlotte Country Day School (Charlotte)
- Charlotte Latin School (Charlotte)
- Cannon School (Concord)
- Montessori Community School (Durham)
New Mexico
- Bosque School (Albuquerque)
- Escuela del Sol Montessori (Albuquerque)
- Santa Fe Preparatory School (Santa Fe)
Oklahoma
- Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City)
Rhode Island
- St. Andrew’s School (Barrington)
- St. George’s School (Middletown)
- Lincoln School (Providence)
- Moses Brown School (Providence)
Texas
- Austin International School (Austin)
- Headwaters School (Austin)
- The Girls’ School of Austin (Austin)
- All Saints Episcopal School (Beaumont)
- The Post Oak School (Bellaire)
- Episcopal School of Dallas (Dallas)
- The Hockaday School (Dallas)
- St. John’s School (Houston)
- St. Stephen’s Episcopal School (Houston)
- The Kinkaid School (Houston)
- All Saints Episcopal School (Lubbock)
- Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) (Midland)
- St. Luke’s Episcopal School (San Antonio)
- Fort Worth Country Day (Fort Worth)
- SAIS (Atlanta)
Vermont
- Maple Street School (Manchester Center)
- Vermont Academy (Saxtons River)
- Leland & Gray (Townshend)
- ISANNE (New England)
International
- Stratford Hall (Vancouver, BC)
- Concordia School (Shanghai)
- The American School Foundation (Mexico City)
- The Avenues School (Sao Paolo)
- American School in London (London)
- European Council of International Schools (London)
- International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (Global)
California
- Berkwood Hedge School (Berkeley)
- Maker-Ed (Berkeley)
- The Berkeley School (Berkeley)
- Desert Learning Center (Blythe)
- Providence High (Burbank)
- Pacific Ridge School (Carlsbad)
- Stevenson School (Carmel-by-the-Sea)
- Harbor Day School (Corona Del Mar)
- Athenian School (Danville)
- Escuela Bilingüe Internacional (Emeryville)
- Sea Crest School (Half Moon Bay)
- The Healdsburg School (Healdsburg)
- Crystal Springs Uplands School (Hillsborough)
- The Bishop’s School (La Jolla)
- The Children’s School (La Jolla)
- The Gillispie School (La Jolla)
- St. Anne School (Laguna Niguel)
- Marin Primary & Middle School (Larkspur)
- Los Altos School District (Los Altos)
- Pinewood School (Los Altos)
- Ventana School (Los Altos)
- Alice & Nahum Lanier School (Los Angeles)
- Brentwood School (Los Angeles)
- Marlborough School (Los Angeles)
- The Curtis School (Los Angeles)
- Wildwood School (Los Angeles)
- Hillbrook School (Los Gatos)
- Midland School (Los Olivos)
- Foundation for a College Education (Menlo Park)
- Mid-Peninsula High School (Menlo Park)
- Phillips Brooks School (Menlo Park)
- Synapse School (Menlo Park)
- Trinity School (Menlo Park)
- Marin Horizon School (Mill Valley)
- Mount Tamalpais School (Mill Valley)
- The Saklan School (Moraga)
- Blue Oak School (Napa)
- Napa Unified School District (Napa)
- The Wesley School (North Hollywood)
- Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (Oakland)
- The College Preparatory School (Oakland)
- Head-Royce School (Oakland)
- St. Paul’s Episcopal School (Oakland)
- The Thacher School (Ojai)
- The Girls’ Middle School (Palo Alto)
- Chadwick School (Palos Verdes Peninsula)
- Polytechnic School (Pasadena)
- Waverly School (Pasadena)
- Idyllwild Arts (Idyllwild-Pine Cove)
- The Woodland School (Portola Valley)
- The Branson School (Ross)
- Adda Clevenger School (San Francisco)
- Alta Vista School (San Francisco)
- Bay Area Directors of Admission (San Francisco)
- Bay School of San Francisco (San Francisco)
- California Teacher Development Collaborative (San Francisco)
- Cathedral School for Boys (San Francisco)
- Drew School (San Francisco)
- French American International School (San Francisco)
- Jewish Community High School of the Bay (San Francisco)
- Katherine Delmar Burke School (San Francisco)
- Millennium School (San Francisco)
- Presidio Hill School (San Francisco)
- San Francisco Day School (San Francisco)
- The San Francisco School (San Francisco)
- San Francisco Village (San Francisco)
- Synergy School (San Francisco)
- International School of San Francisco (San Francisco)
- The Urban School (San Francisco)
- Town School for Boys (San Francisco)
- St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School (San Mateo)
- The Carey School (San Mateo)
- Mark Day School (San Rafael)
- Partnership Resources Group (San Rafael)
- Crane Country Day School (Santa Barbara)
- Santa Cruz County (Santa Cruz)
- Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences (Santa Monica)
- Sonoma Country Day School (Santa Rosa)
- The Buckley School (Sherman Oaks)
- Sonoma Academy (Santa Rosa)
- Sonoma County Human Services (Santa Rosa)
- Sonoma County Office of Education (Santa Rosa)
- The Presentation School (Sonoma)
- West Sonoma County UHSD (Sebastopol)
- Helios School (Sunnyvale)
- Mendocino County Schools (Ukiah)
- St. Paul’s Episcopal School (Visalia)
- Seven Hills School (Walnut Creek)
- Center for Early Education (West Hollywood)
District of Columbia
- AISGW (Washington)
- Beauvoir School (Washington)
- Capitol Hill Day School (Washington)
- Edmund Burke School (Washington)
- Georgetown Day School (Washington)
- Lowell School (Washington)
- Sheridan School (Washington)
- St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School (Washington)
- The Field School (Washington)
- The Lab School (Washington)
Georgia
- Mount Vernon Presbyterian School (Atlanta)
- The Children’s School (Atlanta)
- The Lovett School (Atlanta)
- Trinity School (Atlanta)
- MISBO (Marietta)
Kentucky
- Assessment for Learning Project (Lexington)
- The Lexington School (Lexington)
- Center for Innovation in Education (Lexington)
Maryland
- Folio Collaborative (Baltimore)
- Friends School of Baltimore (Baltimore)
- Gilman School (Baltimore)
- The Park School of Baltimore (Baltimore)
- Washington Episcopal School (Bethesda)
- The St. Paul’s Schools (Brooklandville)
- Friends Community School (College Park)
- AIMS (Glen Burnie)
- Grace Episcopal Day School (Kensington)
- Garrison Forest School (Owings Mills)
- McDonogh School (Owings Mills)
- Krieger Schechter Day School (Pikesville)
- McLean School (Potomac)
- NBOA (Washington)
New Hampshire
- White Mountain School (Bethlehem)
- YMCA Camp Belknap (Tuftonboro)
New York
- The Albany Academies (Albany)
- Brooklyn Friends School (Brooklyn)
- Brooklyn Heights Montessori School (Brooklyn)
- Mary McDowell Friends School (Brooklyn)
- Riley’s Way Foundation (Brooklyn)
- Buffalo Board of Education (Buffalo)
- Buffalo Seminary (Buffalo)
- The Masters School (Dobbs Ferry)
- Darrow School (New Lebanon)
- Allen-Stevenson School (New York)
- American Montessori Society (New York)
- Barrow Street Nursery School (New York)
- Friends Seminary (New York)
- Klingenstein Center (New York)
- Metropolitan Montessori School (New York)
- NYC Department of Education (New York)
- Nightingale-Bamford School (New York)
- Stephen Gaynor School (New York)
- Teachers College, Columbia University (New York)
- The Caedmon School (New York)
- The Calhoun School (New York)
- The Gateway School (New York)
- Village Community School (New York)
- Young Women’s Leadership Network (New York)
- Montessori School of Rochester (Rochester)
- Rye Country Day School (Rye)
- Hackley School (Tarrytown)
- Emma Willard School (Troy)
- NYSAIS (Albany)
- Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) (New York)
Oregon
- Catlin Gabel School (Portland)
- Oregon Episcopal School (Portland)
South Carolina
- Christ Church Episcopal School (Greenville)
Utah
- The McGillis School (Salt Lake City)
- Rowland Hall (Salt Lake City)
Washington
- Bainbridge Island School District (Bainbridge Island)
- Jewish Day School (Bellevue)
- The Franklin Academy (Bellingham)
- Eastside Community School (Issaquah)
- Issaquah School District (Issaquah)
- West Sound Academy (Poulsbo)
- The Overlake School (Redmond)
- Eastlake High School (Sammamish)
- Billings Middle School (Seattle)
- Explorer West Middle School (Seattle)
- Jewish Day School of Seattle (Seattle)
- Lake Washington College Foundation (Kirkland)
- Lake Washington School District (Redmond)
- NWAIS (Seattle)
- Seattle Girls’ School (Seattle)
- The Bush School (Seattle)
- The Northwest School (Seattle)
- The Valley School (Seattle)
- University Prep (Seattle)
- Villa Academy (Seattle)
- The Evergreen School (Shoreline)
- Annie Wright Schools (Tacoma)
- Tacoma Public Schools (Tacoma)
- Charles Wright Academy (Tacoma)
Colorado
- Aspen Country Day (Aspen)
- Association of Colorado Independent Schools (Boulder)
- Boulder Country Day School (Boulder)
- Friends School of Boulder (Boulder)
- Watershed School (Boulder)
- Colorado Department of Education (Denver)
- Colorado Education Initiative (Denver)
- Colorado Pollinators Summit (Denver)
- Denver Academy (Denver)
- Graland Country Day School (Denver)
- International School of Denver (Denver)
- Montessori School of Denver (Denver)
- St. Anne’s Episcopal School (Denver)
- Stanley British Primary School (Denver)
- The Logan School for Creative Learning (Denver)
- The REDI Lab @ Colorado Academy (Denver)
- Tides Center (Denver)
- Kent Denver School (Englewood)
- Jeffco Public Schools (Golden)
- Steamboat Mountain School (Steamboat Springs)
- The Lowell Whiteman School (Steamboat Springs)
- Vail Mountain School (Vail)
- Compass Community Collaborative School (Westminster)
Delaware
- St. Anne’s Episcopal School (Middletown)
- Wilmington Friends School (Wilmington)
Illinois
- Catherine Cook School (Chicago)
- Chicago Academy for the Arts (Chicago)
- Crown Family Philanthropies (Chicago)
- Francis W. Parker School (Chicago)
- ISACS (Chicago)
- Near North Montessori (Chicago)
- The Chicago Public Education Fund (Chicago)
Louisiana
- St. Martin’s Episcopal School (Metairie)
- FirstLine Schools (New Orleans)
- Ascension Episcopal School (Youngsville)
Michigan
- University Liggett School (Grosse Pointe Woods)
- Interlochen Center for the Arts (Interlochen)
New Jersey
- The Pingry School (Basking Ridge)
- Blair Academy (Blairstown)
- Far Hills Country Day School (Far Hills)
- Hoboken Charter School (Hoboken)
- Moorestown Friends School (Moorestown)
- New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (Morristown)
- The Pennington School (Pennington)
- Princeton Day School (Princeton)
- Enrollment Management Association (Skillman)
- Wardlaw+Hartridge School (Edison)
- ISAS (Dallas)
Ohio
- The Summit Country Day School (Cincinnati)
- The Seven Hills School (Cincinnati)
Pennsylvania
- Holy Ghost Preparatory School (Bensalem)
- ADVIS (Bryn Mawr)
- The Baldwin School (Bryn Mawr)
- Germantown Academy (Fort Washington)
- Abington Friends School (Jenkintown)
- Harrisburg Academy (Lemoyne)
- Malvern Preparatory School (Malvern)
- Mercersburg Academy (Mercersburg)
- Newtown Friends School (Newtown)
- Delaware Valley Friends School (Paoli)
- Friends Council on Education (Philadelphia)
- Germantown Friends School (Philadelphia)
- Girard College (Philadelphia)
- The Miquon School (Conshohocken)
- William Penn Charter School (Philadelphia)
- The Agnes Irwin School (Rosemont)
- Friends’ Central School (Wynnewood)
- Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) (Philadelphia)
Tennessee
- Girls Preparatory School (Chattanooga)
- McCallie School (Chattanooga)
- Presbyterian Day School (Memphis)
- Harding Academy (Nashville)
- The Heads Network (Nashville)
- TAIS (Nashville)
Virginia
- Alexandria Country Day School (Alexandria)
- Episcopal High School (Alexandria)
- St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School (Alexandria)
- St. Anne’s-Belfield School (Charlottesville)
- The Steward School (Henrico)
- Norfolk Academy (Norfolk)
- Brandcenter (Richmond)
- Collegiate School (Richmond)
- St. Catherine’s School (Richmond)
- St. Christopher’s School (Richmond)
- VAIS (Richmond)
- VCU (Richmond)
- Strelitz International Academy (Virginia Beach)
- Service Stars (Richmond)
- Longview Education LLC (Charlottesville)
Wyoming
- Journeys School (Jackson)
