Welcome to The Admissions Club

Aubrey Bursch is passionate about supporting small and independent schools to increase enrolments, retention, and revenue. As the daughter of lifelong educators and the mom of two independent school students, she combines her passion for schools with her 20+ years of marketing and development experience to help schools identify and implement high ROI initiatives.

Aubrey co-hosts the Mindful School Marketing podcast, leads free Small School Leaders monthly meet-ups, facilitates the Small School Solutions professional development program, hosts the Small School Leaders Virtual Conference, and speaks nationwide.

"Learning and growing is part of working in a school. We expect it of our students and teachers, and we should also do it ourselves. Setting aside time for professional development - like watching The Admissions Club - gives us fresh strategies and resources that can have a profound impact on how we plan our year and meet our goals." - Aubrey

Lindsay is a school marketing professional with an MBA from Mount St. Mary’s University. She began her career in healthcare marketing, and has worked in school marketing since 2019. Lindsay is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing and Admissions at Maryland International School (MDIS) and Children’s Manor & Magnet Montessori Schools (CMMS), which has 10 locations across Maryland, USA.

MDIS is a private, 1-12 school and is the only school in Maryland (and the second school in the mid-atlantic region) to offer all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes. CMMS prepares children to excel in a global society by providing an academically rigorous, engaging, and supportive learning environment using the Montessori Method.

"The Admissions Club can provide school professionals with practical tips from marketing and admissions experts from around the world. Take some time to get a fresh perspective to help your marketing and admissions efforts; you’re bound to learn something new!" - Lindsay

Liz has successfully led independent schools, charter schools, and universities in award-winning admissions, financial aid, retention, marketing, and branding efforts for over fifteen years.

She has been in the trenches—giving tours, developing marketing strategies, crunching numbers, and strategising to grow enrolments. Liz knows the pressures (and joys!) schools face, and she loves working with marketing and admissions teams to drive quality families to a school.

"Having a team of experts at the tip of your fingers is exactly what schools need. The Admissions Club is chock full of great brains who are here to help schools!" - Liz

Trevor Waddington is an ‘edupreneur’ and leading expert on school digital marketing, digital psychology, and behavioural economics that drives parent’s search for their children’s next school.

He began his career in the classroom, quickly moving into administration, and for 17 years has held directorships in admissions, marketing, communications, enrolment management, and financial aid. In 2016 Trevor launched Truth Tree, an award-winning digital marketing agency that provides strategies & solutions for schools.

"Change happens in an instant these days, and it’s impossible to be an expert in more than one area. The Admission Club provides all that you need so the experts can help you on-demand, when you need it most." - Trevor

When it comes to pulling enrolments out of a nosedive, you want Bianca Coleborn on your team. After cutting her teeth in the corporate world, Bianca has more than 12 years of experience working in senior marketing roles for coeducational schools in Australia. A specialist in developing strategies that create cut-through in competitive markets, Bianca was the instigator of Concordia Lutheran College’s Queensland’s Best Kept Secret video that went viral (in the best possible way) and went on to win international recognition.

Bianca also heads the School Marketing Manifesto, which provides time-poor school marketers with the tools to stop getting stuck doing the “busy work” and find time for the deep, strategic work. It provides a user-friendly strategic framework to take the guesswork out of generating positive word of mouth in your school’s community by optimising the parent experience.

"The Admissions Club is a game changer for school professionals because it provides an avenue for real collaboration within an industry that can be notoriously competitive at times. By working together and sharing our collective wisdom, we can move our industry forward as a whole." - Bianca

Brendan Schneider is the founder and CEO of SchneiderB Media, a digital marketing agency for schools that focuses on increasing inquiries. He’s one of the leaders in the field for teaching on and knowledge about inbound marketing for schools. In addition, Brendan presents and consults on inbound marketing, social media, SEO, and marketing technology at the regional and national levels.

With his workshops, blog, podcast, VirCons and SEO Coach software, he continues to advance the abilities of the independent school admission, communication, and marketing professional. Brendan is also the founder of The MarCom Society, a community created exclusively for Marketing and Communication (MarCom) Professionals at schools.

"The older I’ve gotten, I’ve realised the less I know. So, as a result, I set time each week to engage in professional development, and The Admissions Club is perfect for all advancement professionals at schools to learn each week." - Brendan

Mary-Lou has a very varied background, that includes being one of Australia's internet pioneers when she started one of Australia's first online retail businesses in 1997. She then moved into the Higher Education sector, followed by K-12 in 2009.

After 9 years as the Director of eLearning at Melbourne Girls Grammar, in 2017 she accepted the role of Chief Digital Officer to complete the school’s digital transformation. She was a finalist for the CIO of the year award in 2018, and she and her team were widely recognised for their innovative approach, winning numerous innovation awards from 2015-2019.

Most recently, Mary-Lou was appointed Director of Digital Innovation at Redlands in Sydney. Redlands is a leading Independent P-12 School in Sydney, Australia, which has provided a coeducational learning environment since 1978. It has a unique international flavour, with students representing 50 countries, and it offers both the HSC and the International Baccalaureate. Redlands is a school on the move when it comes to digital transformation, and as the ICT and Marketing teams continue to collaborate on projects together, The Admissions Club video series supports the professional learning across both teams.

"The series highlights how we can continue to attract, engage, and convert future families, as well as connect with our current Redlands community." - Mary-Lou

Timo leads the marketing team at Digistorm. A passionate go-to-market campaigner and firm believer of putting the customer at the centre, he’s worked across a variety of tech platforms where he built customer journeys, turned strategies into action, and drove customer loyalty.

Digistorm builds websites, apps and admissions management systems for over 700 schools around the world. Specialising in the K-12 school sector, Digistorm’s easy-to-use and custom branded tools help schools attract, nurture and connect with their communities.

"Putting time aside for self development is hard, but well worth it! In an ever changing marketing ecosystem, your school communities’ expectations are formed by the much larger brands they interact with. The Admissions Club gives you bite sized practical tips and inspiration that’ll help you grow your skills, so you can grow your school" - Timo

Georgie is a Project Manager and Onboarding Specialist with over six years experience delivering digital projects for the commercial marketing industry.

She has a passion for teaching and has provided internal, on the job training to professional managers at home in Australia and abroad in the USA.

Georgie’s day-to-day is spent instructing admissions teams to use Digistorm ‘Funnel’ and implement new software solutions to advance K-12 schools around the world.

Digistorm builds websites, apps and admissions management systems for over 700 schools around the world. Specialising in the K-12 school sector, their easy-to-use and custom branded tools help schools attract, nurture and connect with their communities.

"The Admissions Club is an invaluable insight into how the world’s leading school marketers and professionals are employing cutting edge techniques and opportunities to advance their schools. The content is easy to digest, and will leave you feeling inspired to make a difference for your school after every episode!" - Georgie

Paul is a Partner at Emmet Consulting, a company made up of education strategy and marketing specialists, and experts in cross-team alignment.

Having personally worked with schools and those who provide services to them for over a decade, he’s passionate about education for students of all ages and proud to play a small part in supporting such a meaningful industry.

Emmet’s work spans some of Australia’s best-known educational institutions, across departments including marketing, admissions, and advancements. Its projects range from brand strategy through to the establishment of digital marketing best practices. Emmet also handles Digistorm’s implementations, and supports schools who are undertaking wholesale repositioning within their local markets.

"As someone who works to align different teams towards shared goals, I’m a first-hand witness of the power of individual self-improvement. The Admissions Club was created to help marketing and admissions pros level themselves up in their professional lives, and in the process level up their teams with them." - Paul

During her time at Digistorm, Monica was all things customer facing. Spending her career in digital transformation, she has seen first hand the importance of considered change management with an empathetic approach to the impacted stakeholders.

Working in the front line of hundreds of process improvement implementations across multiple industries she has lent on many tools and frameworks to ensure their success.

Digistorm builds websites, apps and admissions management systems for over 700 schools around the world. Specialising in the K-12 school sector, Digistorm’s easy-to-use and custom branded tools help schools attract, nurture and connect with their communities.

"There are always opportunities to improve how we do things. The best place to start and to gain confidence in your ability to implement change is exposure to new information and learning how others are doing things. The Admissions Club gives you direct access to applicable and relatable ideas for you to pick up and run with at your school. You don’t have to sift through corporate related content to find information that relates to your everyday, The Admissions Club experts have done that for you." - Monica

Anthony is the Founder of Feesable, based in Australia, and for years has been working with schools in brand, marketing, digital and strategy.

Leveraging a broad background across corporate, small business, and non-profit, Anthony brings a depth of experience to the education market, with a blend of creative design thinking, marketing know-how, digital expertise, and strategic insight.

Feesable is a first of its kind School Fee calculator, that delivers a simple and transparent experience for families researching school fees. Feesable also helps schools to present their fees in an innovative way, building trust and boosting enrolments.

"No-one can learn or grow in a silo, so getting tips and wisdom from others, especially from broader circles than you might not ordinarily interact with, is always going to be helpful. That’s why The Admissions Club is such a useful resource to help you grow in your role as a school marketer, and ultimately help you and the school to better engage with and serve families in your community." - Anthony

As part of the Digistorm website design team, Amy works with schools across the globe to help them design the admissions tool of their dreams: a new website! Having over eight years experience working with websites and over two years working with schools, she can confidently help your website convert!

Digistorm builds websites, apps and admissions management systems for over 700 schools around the world. Specialising in the K-12 school sector, Digistorm’s easy-to-use and custom branded tools help schools attract, nurture and connect with their communities.

"If you’re looking at levelling up your school marketing and turning leads into admissions, The Admissions Club is going to be your cup of tea!" - Amy

Following a career that spanned over twenty years in higher education admissions, Kim now serves at the College and Career Counsellor and Admissions Coordinator at the Maryland International School.

Maryland International School is a private 1-12 school, and the only school in Maryland and the 2nd school in the Mid-Atlantic region to offer all three International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes (Primary Programme, Middle Years Programme, and Diploma Programme).

"The Admissions Club is a unique opportunity for educators to learn from experts in a wide range of professions. The Admissions Club will encourage its members to think about their work from a different perspective." - Kim

Sam supports our schools long-term, helping them to make the most of their Digistorm products. She has a wide variety of experience with schools and skills to take them to the next level, with years of previous hands-on experience using Digistorm products as a client in a school herself.

Digistorm builds websites, apps and admissions management systems for over 700 schools around the world. Specialising in the K-12 school sector, Digistorm’s easy-to-use and custom branded tools help schools attract, nurture and connect with their communities.

"Working with hundreds of schools, I see over and over again that people who are really making a mark are those who invest their time to learn how to work smarter, not harder. The Admissions Club will help you do exactly that!" - Sam