THE NORTHWEST SCHOOL

Michael J. McGill
Head of School
The Northwest School — Seattle, WA

Faculty Workshop

The Northwest School is at a pivotal moment in its relatively short (35-year) history, with founding faculty retiring, a head entering his fourth year, a largely new administrative team, and significant changes to its schedule — with all that implies — imminent.  

Having seen Teibel present several times to large groups (including at NBOA and a couple of different NWAIS conferences), we asked Howard to join the full faculty at its annual August retreat just prior to the start of school to facilitate a discussion about institutional change — and individual reactions to it. He was terrific.

Confronted with some challenging moments early in the day, he deftly (and humorously) defused what could have devolved into an unproductive venting session. He was thoroughly prepared for the two sessions he ran, but also nimble enough to alter the agenda in response to the direction of the conversation and needs of the audience. If you're contemplating work with groups of any size — boards, administrators, faculty — particularly around change, and are looking for an outside facilitator, Howard is very skilled.