Jo Butler
Jo is a seasoned search consultant and coach with more than a decade of experience supporting independent schools and their leaders. She has led 45 Head of School and senior administrative searches, identifying and recruiting executives for schools such as Marlborough School (CA), Regis High School (NY), Georgetown Preparatory School (DC), The Canterbury School (IN), Friends Select School (PA), The Ellis School (PA), Charlotte Country Day School (NC), and The Blake School (MN).
Empathetic and strategic, Jo has served as an executive coach for executives at some of the most prominent schools in the country. Jo earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University and her coaching certification from Columbia University. For more than a decade, she served as a senior search consultant at Wickenden Associates, helping private schools recruit heads of schools.
Jo earned her coaching certificate from Columbia University and her MBA from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and has completed graduate coursework in organizational dynamics at the University of Pennsylvania.
A resident of Princeton, New Jersey, Jo enjoys tennis and running.
Zachary White
Since 2010, Zach has led more than 35 Head of School and senior administrative searches for independent schools across the country. An expert in research and communications, Zach has used his extensive knowledge of independent schools, client needs, and candidate networks to play a supporting role in more than 175 additional searches. He has also helped schools with various research projects, including college counseling audits and leadership assessments.
Some of his past clients include: Williamsburg Northside School (NY), Malvern Preparatory School (PA), Awty International School (TX), and Park Tudor School (IN). He has helped fill senior administrative positions at Interlochen Arts Academy (MI), Savannah Country Day School (GA), Columbia Grammar & Prep (NY), Peddie School (NJ), and The John Thomas Dye School (CA).
Before focusing on independent school recruiting, he worked in admissions at the Yale School of Management and his undergraduate alma mater, The University of Chicago. Zach holds a master’s degree in architecture history and theory from Yale University.
Zach lives in Princeton, New Jersey and enjoys cooking, hiking, and crossword puzzles.
Rebecca Achtenberg
Rebecca has been a close collaborator of Jo and Zach since 2017. She has contributed to nearly two dozen Head of School and senior administrative searches, assisting with communications, candidate outreach, and client services. She is involved in researching schools, drafting key documents on behalf of clients, sourcing prospective candidates, assessing applicants’ credentials, and cultivating our network of contacts through database management, advertising, and social media. Additionally, Rebecca has led multiple consulting projects for independent schools, including a comprehensive audit of the college counseling program at a major international school.
Rebecca earned a B.A. in Comparative Literature and a B.M. in Vocal Performance through the double degree program at the Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music. She subsequently graduated with a master’s in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.