From serving as a faculty member for pre-conference workshops to sharing best practices, and collaborating with industry peers, Viewpoint School made an impact and gained valuable knowledge at the annual Enrollment Management Association (EMA) conference held in Austin, TX from September 16-20.

Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Laurel Baker Tew, and her Admission team members Casey Andrade, Brooke Vimtrup, and Evan Hassan were joined by Chief Belonging and Community Officer Patricia Jackson, for three days of inspiring conversations and empowering experiences.

 Known as a national thought leader in the world of enrollment management, Laurel served as a pre-workshop faculty member, along with four of her peers, teaching data storytelling, board reporting, and dashboards. 

“Everything about this important annual event speaks to its unique mission: the way it deepens school impact and fosters whole student growth with data-driven insights,” shared Baker Tew. “These incredibly important insights into student learners of today – and their parents – serve and cultivate our communities of enrollment and academic leaders. And, in Viewpoint’s case, they help us meet our world ready promise: creating exceptional readiness for extraordinary futures.”

During this season, we at Viewpoint continue to discuss the evolution of language and how words matter–part of the reason why the ongoing communication and partnership between the Admission team and the Office of Community Life is more important than ever.  

“Being around people who are different from us helps to make us more creative, more open, and more hardworking,” said Jackson. “One of the EMA’s opening sessions, ‘The Great Disruption and the Breakdown of Compacts,’ explored themes such as the loss of boundaries, political neutrality, generational differences, and the theme of the conference, Embracing Change. These topics echoed conversations already underway here at Viewpoint, reflecting some of our back-to-school messaging and emphasis on shared purpose and community alignment.”

To round out Viewpoint’s presence at the conference, Laurel joined all past winners of EMA awards on stage, which was a proud and poignant moment. Laurel was awarded the William B. Bretnall Award at the 2022 Enrollment Management Association (EMA) Conference in Orlando, Florida. The Bretnall Award is given each year to a leader and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of admission and enrollment management. 

In the newest episode of On Point, Head of School Mark McKee sits down with Assistant Head of School for Enrollment, Laurel Baker Tew, to talk about navigating the independent school admission journey. Laurel offers perspective on what families should know as they begin their search, common misconceptions about the process, and how to identify the right fit for each child. Their conversation also explores broader trends shaping the independent school landscape, from demographics and financial aid to innovation, trust, and the growing number of educational options. This episode offers practical advice and thoughtful guidance for parents who want to better understand what sets independent schools, and Viewpoint, apart in 2025 and beyond.

Tune in here

You also can find the On Point podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Viewpoint School channel on YouTube, and at viewpoint.org/onpoint. 

Returning to the same field where she once played in a high school All-Star Game, Brittany Thackery, Associate Director of Admission and Athletics Liaison, experienced a full-circle moment on June 11 as she was inducted into the Orange County Hall of Fame for her contributions to sports.

“Once I got there and saw my former coaches and teammates, it all became real,” Thackery said. “That’s when it really hit me how meaningful this is.”

Held at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, the ceremony honored athletes who have made a lasting impact on the Orange County region. Thackery now joins an esteemed group of inductees that includes Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, Amanda Beard, and Greg Louganis.

“My high school coach presented the award to me,” she added. “Standing on home plate with all the high school All-Star players around, just like I was all those years ago, was surreal. It brought everything back.”

Softball has always been central to Thackery’s life. She and her two sisters all played Division I in college, and she credits her coaches for laying the foundation early.

“Orange County is pretty much the hotbed for softball. I was lucky to grow up around amazing coaches from a young age,” she said. “They taught me the game, the fundamentals, and the mindset. I owe them everything.”

Among those who helped present her award was a former travel ball coach who taught her how to slap hit when she was just 12 years old.

“At the time, I remember thinking maybe one day I’d be good enough to play on his team,” Thackery said. “And then to have him there that night, helping to recognize me, meant everything.”

Although Thackery is grateful for the recognition, she said it was never about chasing awards. For her, it was always about loving the game and showing up fully for her team.

“I had people tell me I was too small to play in college. But I didn’t care. I wanted to learn, be coached, compete, and be the best teammate I could be,” she said. “All of this came as a byproduct of that drive.”

Reflecting on her journey, Thackery hopes students remember that effort and heart matter more than perfection.

“I wasn’t the strongest or the most physically gifted, but I gave it everything I had,” she added. “That’s what made all the difference.”

Congratulations to Brittany Thackery, who’s been hitting it out of the park at Viewpoint this year through her leadership and dedication. 

Viewpoint School welcomed the highest turnout ever of more than 125 Los Angeles-area independent school enrollment leaders and their heads of school at the annual Enrollment Management Association (EMA) professional development event. Hosted in the school’s Carlson Family Theater, the featured speaker, EMA Executive Director and CEO Heather Hoerle who also serves as a Viewpoint Trustee, provided attendees with an in-depth view of the trends and drivers shaping independent schools now, what they mean for school leaders, and how your team can embrace a strategic mindset to ensure long-term enrollment success.

Following the keynote, attendees gathered in Viewpoint’s Benjamin Franklin Library for lunch and roundtable discussions on six different topics: AI, Regional Consortia, Career Development, Heads of School, Retention, and USC Enrollment Management Certificate Program, of which Laurel Baker Tew, Associate Head of School for Enrollment Management is an Adjunct Faculty member. Following the event, we had the opportunity to sit down with Laurel, who offered her insights and reflections:

What do you think contributed to the record turnout for this event? 

The Los Angeles area is home to a large number of independent schools, whose enrollment leaders are deeply interested in essential mindsets for school success and sustainability.  EMA is a national thought leader in this area so it was natural that so many enrollment leaders wanted to come participate.

What is the key takeaway you hope attendees gained from the event? 

“That it’s no longer about just “admission.”  It’s about strategic enrollment management.  SEM has to knit together and unite all success factor for students and schools: not just marketing and recruitment, or selection and onboarding of new families, but these other interconnected factors that affect admission:  a school’s mission and brand; its institutional strategy; its sense of culture and belonging; its programs and outcomes; its family engagement and retention; and its tuition and financial strategy.

What were some of the highlights or standout moments from this year’s event?

First of all, a national Leader of the stature of Heather Hoerle herself coming to deliver the key findings from EMA’s biennial survey of thousands of independent-school-applying families, The Ride to Independent Schools. Second, because EMA’s work in supporting our schools’ enrollment robustness encapsulates the words of EEFord Foundation President John Gulla, who says:  “I believe independent schools are particularly well-positioned to develop, adopt, and share approaches to current educational challenges and changes that can broadly benefit all students—public, private, and independent… It is this spirit of innovation, of a willingness for individual independent schools to try something new…that makes us critical right now. ”