Advancement & Admissions Conference 2026

Penny Abrahams, Founder & Principal of Penny Abrahams Consulting, specializes in marketing, communications, and constituent engagement for private and independent schools. She brings more than two decades of experience as a school administrator and consultant in marketing, communications, enrollment, development, volunteer management, and governance. Her background includes serving as a workshop leader, consultant, and department head with Independent School Management (ISM) for over 15 years, and as an independent school Trustee for six years.

Penny has advised more than 100 schools internationally and is a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences, helping mission-driven leaders connect strategy to day-to-day practice so that every touchpoint with families, donors, faculty, volunteers, and alumni reinforces their school’s value and purpose.

In addition to her consulting practice, Penny serves as the Director of Marketing for LeadTeam Partners, the only firm built to connect private school leaders with vetted K-12 consultants.

Mattingly Messina is the founder of Throughline, a consultancy that puts relationships at the center of philanthropy.

His career spans development, strategic communications, and high-stakes negotiations. As a legal negotiator for Google, he built trust with counterparts across civil and regulatory jurisdictions, reinforcing his belief that relationships are the most durable currency in leadership and fundraising.

After moving into independent schools, Mattingly served as Director of Advancement at Bentley School before founding Throughline, where he helps organizations treat relationships as their greatest asset and design financial models that leverage them. Through his firm and alongside other client work, he also serves in a number of interim and fractional advancement leadership positions at independent schools.

Mattingly is a trustee of his alma mater, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, where he co-chairs the Advancement Committee. He lives in San Francisco and serves on the Programs Committee of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Golden Gate Chapter.