Mike Cobb is an international speaker and consultant in school design, change leadership, pedagogical ponderings, innovative practices, and frugal campus development. Mike has served schools for over 25 years as a teacher, coach, division head, admissions director, and Head of School. Mike is a 2009 Vanderbilt University Peabody Fellow and he holds an M.Ed. from Cambridge College plus additional degrees from the University of North Texas. With a passion for student engagement and authentic learning, he currently serves as the Head of School at All Saints Episcopal School, a PS-12 school of 675 students in Tyler, TX. The school has received national recognition for innovative learning and leadership with Mike at the helm. All Saints has created renowned, innovative learning spaces and progressive programs that emphasize authentic learning and student agency. The design and implementation of ground-breaking spaces like the Collaboratory, Center for Innovation, Learning Farm, Learning Villages, STEM Zone, Outdoor Learning Center, Science Explorium, and more demonstrate the very best of active learning. Mike was recently received the 2020 Intrepid Innovator Award from OESIS.

 John Littleford of Littleford & Associates

Littleford & Associates was founded by John Littleford in 1994. Mr. Littleford has served as head of school for 18 years, a teacher for 25 years, and a board member and chair of schools and nonprofit agencies.He has written and spoken extensively worldwide on each area of the firm's consulting expertise. John Littleford is the co-author, with Valerie Lee, of the book, "Faculty Salary Systems in Independent Schools". This landmark publication on this topic was published by NAIS from 1983-94. His articles on the career ladder concept of faculty compensation are found in Larry Frase's book, entitled "Teacher Motivation and Compensation", published in 1992 by the Technomic Press.Mr. Littleford has his B.A. degree from Dickinson College, Critical Language Degree from Princeton University, M.A. from Harvard University and a Certificate of Advanced Study from Harvard University.As Senior Partner, Mr. Littleford conducts all workshops, on-site visits and evaluations of contracts for Heads and nonprofit CEO's.Having earned a reputation for excellence, Littleford & Associates has over 7,000 clients worldwide, including Canada, Southern and Central America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Education
Dickinson College Bachelor of Arts Degree, Majors: History and Russian Language Princeton University Critical Language Degree, Recipient of Carnegie Foundation and U.S.
Government Grants to study Russian and Chinese. Senior Thesis: “Stalin and
the Nazi-Soviet Pact”, with excerpts included in the critically acclaimed biography of Joseph Stalin by the renowned historian and author, Robert C. Tucker

Harvard University Master of Arts Degree, East Asian Studies. Masters Thesis: “The Power Behind the Throne” researched under Harvard University Chinese and East Asian historians, Edwin O. Reischauer, Ezra Vogel and John King Fairbank.

Harvard University Certificate of Advanced Study - Administration and Leadership during a full year Sabbatical. Research with Valerie C. Lee, Professor of Education, University of Michigan, and Professors at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Additional graduate work at Stanford and Princeton in the Chinese language and Government.

Professional Experience

1983-1992 Part time consulting

1992-present Full time consultant and senior partner, Littleford & Associates, Baton Rouge, LA. Clients include over 7,000 independent and international schools and agencies on these topics; faculty compensation, and evaluation; board governance topics; executive search; marketing and/or fund raising; financial management; school and community climate issues; coaching; and strategic planning.

1974-92 Head of School of three large K-12 independent schools in the United States. In all three schools, accomplishments include: substantially increased student retention and enrollment through internal and external marketing programs; increased annual and endowment fundraising through innovative outreach strategies; creative approaches to faculty compensation, benefits and evaluation system design; and the launching of Mandarin language and foreign exchange programs.

Publications
“Faculty Salary Systems in Independent Schools” in cooperation with Professor Valerie C. Lee, Professor of Education, University of Michigan. Published by the National Association of Independent Schools for 18 years.

“Faculty Compensation and Motivation” published by Technomic Press, edited by Larry Frase, Contributing Author.

Littleford & Associates Newsletter published four times annually and read by 25,000 Heads of Schools and Board Members worldwide

Articles published in Fortune, Christian Science Monitor, and The New York Times on various educational topics.

Littleford & Associates has a corporate membership in the National Association of Independent Schools. The firm is listed on the NAIS website under the following service categories: board services: board development, board/head relations, compensation and benefits, board evaluation, strategic planning, and training and retreats; Administration: head mentoring; Management: executive leadership, organizational and general consulting; Teaching: teacher compensation and evaluation.

Jamie Estes
A graduate of St. Anne’s-Belfield School and Washington & Lee University, Jamie Estes began his career as a teacher and coach at an all-boys boarding school in Virginia.  From 2002-07, he served as Head of Upper School at Rocky Mount Academy, a K-12 day school in North Carolina.  Since joining Southern Teachers in 2007, Jamie has led over 140 successful searches and placed over 300 administrators.  He is the author of the Southern Teachers' Leadership Study and is Southern Teacher's Director of Search Services.

Rod Chamberlain is Southern Teacher's Director of Consulting. Prior to that, he served in several independent school leadership positions, including the Associate Headmaster for Academic Affairs at Charlotte Latin School (NC), the Head of Schools at Kamehameha Schools (HI), the Head of School at University Lake School (WI), and multiple positions at Milton Hershey School (PA). Rod completed his B.S. in elementary education at Elizabethtown College (PA), and holds a M.Ed. in teaching and curriculum, and D.Ed. in curriculum and supervision from the Pennsylvania State University.