EDUCATION & SOCIAL IMPACT · SINCE 2016

The executive search
and organizational consulting
firm built for education

We help school systems and nonprofits find exceptional leaders and build the organizational capacity to keep them. Every engagement is designed around the people, culture, and outcomes that move mission-driven work forward.

2026 BY THE NUMBERS

Proven results across
education and social impact

94%
Leader retention at year two Across all placements since founding
90day
Average search-to-placement 3x faster than industry standard
32+ yrs
Building stronger organizations Mike's experience in the education sector
Read the case studies
Trusted by the organizations on the front lines
KIPP Chicago Public Schools Aspire Public Schools Education Leaders of Color Noble Schools Leading Educators Results for America KIPP Texas Academy District 20 KIPP St. Louis The Accelerated Schools Alpha Public Schools
What We Do

Search and strategy that compounds.

Whether you need the right leader in the seat or the right strategy on the page, our work is designed to build organizations that don't just survive a transition. They get stronger because of it.

Search

Executive & School Leader Search

Diverse, rigorously vetted pipelines for CEOs, superintendents, principals, and senior leadership roles. We work the way you wish every search firm did, embedded, transparent, and accountable to fit.

  • Executive search for C-suite and senior leadership
  • School Leader and Principal Search
  • Anti-bias candidate assessment frameworks
Explore search services
Advisory

Strategic Advisory Services

Five practice areas across talent, strategy, programming, sustainability, and M&A. Designed to make your mission compounding, not crisis-driven.

  • Talent, Human Assets and Leadership
  • Strategic Planning and Academic Strategy
  • Programming, Prevention and Intervention Design
  • Strategic Fundraising and Sustainability Planning
  • Mergers, Acquisitions and Strategic Partnerships
Explore advisory services
Membership

Stronger Select Membership

Our subscription practice for organizations that never want to be caught flat-footed by a leadership transition. Proactive coaching, training, and priority access.

  • New Leader Entry Coaching and Support
  • Stronger Talent Academy training
  • Priority access to search at member rates
See how it works
Resources

Tools, Podcast & Thought Leadership

Tools and checklists, The Stronger Podcast, original research, and field-tested frameworks. Institutional knowledge we share because the work matters more than the proprietary advantage.

  • The Stronger Podcast
  • Tools and Checklists Library
  • Thought Leadership and Research
Browse the library
Our Work

Case Studies & Outcomes

The proof is in the work. See how mission-driven organizations partnered with Stronger to place the right leaders and build the systems that hold, from executive search to advisory engagements.

  • Executive and school leader placements
  • Advisory engagements and measurable outcomes
  • Results in our partners' own words
Explore case studies
Watch · 4 min Mike on why we built Stronger.
Who We Are

Led by people who've
walked in your shoes.

Stronger Consulting was founded by leaders who built and led the very organizations we now serve, including charter networks, district central offices, and social impact nonprofits. We know the work because we've done the work.

Equitable Empowerment Equity isn't an add-on. It's the design.
Respect For your people, your time, your mission.
Informed Transparency Straight talk, even when it's hard.
Boundless Optimism We bet on what's possible.
Compassionate Connection Relationships are the work.
Meet the Team
Client Stories

What it's like to work with us.

Tool · Built by Stronger

Compensation Benchmarking
for education leadership.

Set competitive, equitable, mission-aligned compensation without spending months on research. Built specifically for K-12 and social impact roles and updated regularly, with more tools on the way.

Try the Tool
CEO range
COO range
Head of School
Principal
Director level
The Stronger Podcast Episode 28: Hosted by Mike Montoya, Featuring Sonia Park
The Stronger Podcast

Conversations to build
stronger, more equitable organizations.

Hosted by Mike Montoya. Conversations with the education leaders, innovators, and practitioners building more equitable, sustainable, high-performing organizations, turning real challenges into strategies you can use. Thirty-eight episodes in, with guests from KIPP, Alpha Public Schools, Education Leaders of Color, United Way, and more.

38
LATEST EPISODE · LISTEN NOW
Not Everything That Ends Is A Failure: Career Pivots, Growth Mindset, and Redefining Fulfillment with Tess Vigil
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Let's Talk

Every great leader has
coaches and mentors. Let us be one of yours.

Whether you're hiring, planning, or just thinking ahead, we'd be glad to be a sounding board. Complimentary consultations. No pitch, no pressure.

Newsletter

Field notes from the firm,
in your inbox.

New tools, podcast episodes, case studies, and thinking on leadership search and organizational strategy. Monthly. Short. Useful.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.