Unparalleled Wisdom
We’ve assembled an advisory board of top performers with very different backgrounds, and an understanding of what really works when it comes to leadership and organization performance.
We feel confident our service offerings are continuously enhanced by gathering relevant and pointed feedback from our expert advisory board. The Bryan Group team meets with our advisory board three times a year, reviewing and improving our search practices in all service areas. Our team works diligently with members of our advisory board as they help guide our team to continuously improve our processes to produce the most successful evaluations and the best possible leader candidates
Janet Allison is a veteran educator, administrator and consultant, whose experience transcends a variety of fields in teaching and learning, public school administration, strategic planning, and best practice 21st Century school reform initiatives. For a period of close to 28 years, Janet served the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) in her professional roles for the Commission on Public and Secondary Schools (CPSS) where she led the CPSS mission of maintaining and sustaining relevant and dynamic Standards of Accreditation which define and ensure a quality education, support for member schools through self-evaluation, peer review and ongoing monitoring, support for research-based practices that are critical to continuous school improvement, and model delivery for a culture of self-reflection, collaboration and inquiry. Prior to that Janet was a middle and high school teacher and building administrator.
Since her retirement in 2015 she continues to serve as both a professional advisor, facilitator and consultant in support of many educational reform initiatives, school improvement plans, and research-based, school-wide 21st century learning implementation plans. Janet has also maintained and sustained participation in a number of professional activities and associations and has conducted over thirty-five accreditation visits to international schools.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Northeastern University in Boston, MA and a B.A degree from the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. Janet has also completed advanced graduate study in the fields of Computer Science and Social Science via the Continuing Education Program at Northeastern University.
Joe DiMartino is founder and president of the Center for Secondary School Redesign (CSSR), which builds on work started at Brown University where he served as Director of Secondary School Redesign. CSSR provides substantial technical assistance to numerous districts and schools that are seeking to personalize learning for adolescents including as the primary TA provider for the New England Network for Personalization and Performance Assessment (NENPP). NENPP included 13 high schools in 4 New England states and was awarded an i3 grant to assist schools to move toward personalization and performance assessment. CSSR was also the primary TA provider for the Springdale AR Race to the Top District efforts to increase personalized learning district wide. Both of these projects include a move away from seat time to competency for earning course credit.
In addition to writing numerous published articles, Joe has co-authored three books: Personalizing the High School Experience for Each Student, and the Facilitator’s Guide for High Schools at Work: Creating Student Centered Learning, both published by ASCD, and They’re not Stupid: Unleashing the Genius of Each Student published by Rowman and Littlefield. He also co-edited Personalized Learning: Preparing High School Students to Create their Futures, published by Rowman Littlefield and The Personalized High School: Making Learning Count for Adolescents published by Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.
Joe holds a B.A. from Brown University, an M.Ed. in Special Education and Counseling from Rhode Island College, studied in the MBA program at Bryant University and has completed the coursework for a Ph.D. in Culturally Responsive Education from Brown University. Joe is first and foremost a parent and grandparent, often stating that he has learned much more from his six children, including the four adopted from outside the United States, than he could ever hope to teach them. Helping to create learning environments where diversity is valued, as exemplified in his family, is a prime motivator for Joe.
Dr. Bill Preble is a Professor of Education at New England College (NEC) in Henniker, NH. He currently teaches in NEC’s Doctoral Program (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership, teaching courses on Qualitative and Quantitative Research, Contemporary Issues in K-12 Education and Educational Reform. He also teaches Educational Psychology and a course called, “Is Math Literacy a Civil Right?” in NEC’s undergraduate program. Bill was the 2015 Faculty of the Year Award Recipient from New England College’s Education Division and the 2011 Kilgore Award-winning Professor of the Year at NEC.
Bill is the founder and Executive Director of the Center for School Climate and Learning, a national research and professional development center that works with schools, diverse teams of student leaders, teachers and parents to understand and improve school climate, adult culture, school safety, and personalized teaching and learning.
Bill is a former elementary teacher, middle school social studies teacher and elementary school principal. Bill is the author of several books, chapters and articles including: Transforming School Climate and Learning written with Rick Gordon and The Respectful School co-written with Steven Wessler. He has published several articles in ASCD’s Educational Leadership journal about his work in schools as well as The New Hampshire Journal of Education.
Bill is married to Holly Preble and they have two adult children, Christopher and Anna Li. Bill is also a motivated and available drummer and cajon player.
Barrett M. Christina is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire School Boards Association. Hired at NHSBA in 2005, Mr. Christina has served as the Association’s Staff Attorney, Director of Governmental Relations, Chief Trainer and Associate Executive Director, before being appointed Executive Director in 2017. In his years at NHSBA, Mr. Christina has provided trainings to thousands of school board members, testified on dozens of bills before the NH Legislature, drafted many pieces of legislation, and has provided school board members and school administrators with legal guidance, trainings and support on all matters relative to school board governance.
Mr. Christina is a 2004 graduate of Franklin Pierce Law Center (now known as the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law) and is a 1996 graduate of the State University of New York at Oswego with a B.A. in History. He resides in Dover, NH.
Aaron Fuentes is a student at Edward C Reed High School. He currently serves as the Finance Director of the Nevada HSDA. A politically affiliated group. He has been a member of leadership since elementary school, and is the current Student Body Treasurer of his high school. Apart from that, Aaron is also Treasurer of his Spanish club, making him responsible for managing his club and school’s finances. Aaron took part in the months long superintendent search process for the Washoe County School District. Academically, he is a member of the Reed High school Biomedical Academy, a program dedicated in preparing young individuals in healthcare related careers. Aaron is an athlete, participating in varsity Lacrosse. He’s also an active participant in Robotics, Debate, Bowling, student council and, Key club. He hopes to attend Saint Mary’s College of California after high school and enter a career in politics and medicine.
Ricardo LeBlanc-Esparza has 31 years of experience serving as a teacher and administrator in high-poverty schools. His experience includes serving as the principal of Granger High School in the state of Washington which was comprised of 90 percent students of color and 90 percent students of poverty. The school had less than a 50 percent graduation rate, and the community also had the highest reported crime rate in the region. By developing a team approach which involved parents, students, educators, and the community working toward a common goal, Ricardo helped Granger High achieve a 90 percent graduation rate, and the crime rate in the community decreased to the lowest reported crime rate in the Yakima Valley. The school’s remarkable turnaround was featured in the Education Trust publication, “It’s Being Done.” Ricardo also led an alternative school in the Denver metro-area designed for teen mothers and their children. This school was the subject of a television series, “High School Moms” broadcast on the Discovery channel.
Ricardo has since retired from being a full time educator and is now consulting across the nation helping schools design and implement systems that will help all students reach their academic and social potential. He has co-authored two books through Solution Tree, “Breaking the Poverty Barrier” and “Strengthening the Connection Between School and Home.” His experience of elementary and secondary education gives him a unique perspective on the development of a student throughout their K-12 experience. He has delivered numerous presentations focused on helping educators learn how to break the poverty barrier. He has also written for numerous educational publications. Ricardo has a passion and strong belief that all students can be successful if the correct systems are implemented in a school-wide manner.
Dr. John Theis is the founder of Whole Student Learning and creator of the SeeMe ForMe app. He created this company to fill crucial gaps in the social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health space. Dr. Theis started his career working with students experiencing developmental and behavioral challenges. He maintained dual roles as a social worker and classroom teacher. He established a tech-focused approach during his doctoral work while receiving his Education Administration and Leadership doctorate from the University of Minnesota. He was a professor in the Education Department at St. Cloud State University. More recently, he was the Chief Academic Officer for a non-profit educational service organization, leading the development of standards-based curriculum and assessments for the PreK through Grade 12 population. He maintained his whole student approach by infusing social-emotional and mental health content into all subject areas. Dr. Theis is ecstatic to see the education sector begin to fund initiatives that focus attention on the whole student; encapsulating the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.
Shawn T, Loescher, Ed.D., is an active practitioner and currently serves as the COO of a large school district with a focus on excellence and innovation in education in the greater San Diego Metropolitan region. He was one of 16 worldwide awardees of the TED-Ed Innovative Educators for 2019-2020. Dr. Loescher earned his doctorate from the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University with a focus on leadership, innovation, theory, and policy. He is an America Educational Research Association (AERA) awarded scholarly practitioner in the field of action research and sciences. He is is a sought after keynote speaker, guest lecturer, TED Talk speaker, consultant, and think tank participant.
Dr. Sherrell Hobbs is a dedicated visionary leader known for her unwavering commitment to uplifting marginalized voices and advocating for those in need. With a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a Doctorate in Philosophy, she has forged a multifaceted career marked by creativity and strategic prowess. Currently serving as the Executive Director of Doctors Charter School in Miami Shores, Dr. Hobbs continues her legacy of educational excellence. Her leadership, marked by integrity and vision, has garnered respect and recognition from peers, media, and publications.