2027 Navigating Campus Development

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School leadership cannot realistically develop deep expertise in each of these areas. Rather, understanding how to “conduct the orchestra” and create a process where each discipline reinforces the others is critical to a successful project.

A campus development initiative may be the highest risk/reward endeavor that an independent school can undertake. When the complexity, added workload, and leadership-defining challenges are successfully navigated, new facilities can profoundly impact the student experience the day the doors open and for years into the future. The tangible results will, by definition, create a legacy and, when carefully planned and executed, position your school for an even more ambitious vision.

Audience: This workshop is designed for school heads, senior leaders involved in campus development (finance, advancement, communication), and board leadership. Schools are encouraged to send a team in order to ensure alignment across the various functions directly involved.

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Initiating and successfully completing new facility construction on your campus can be exciting, messy, and risky – all at once.

The process can result in new space that beautifully expresses your mission and galvanizes your school community or can leave that same community exhausted and even disappointed.

Boards and leadership teams often engage capital projects learning as they go and leaning on expertise that is sometimes not well-matched to the complexity of a campus setting. Alternatively, comprehensive planning and preparation can lead to strong execution and confidence that catalyzes the next project.

In this workshop, we will frame campus development not only as a fundraising effort or a construction management challenge, but rather as an integrated, multidisciplinary process that can elevate your school’s mission beyond the project itself.

Facilitator: Keith Evans

Keith Evans retired from Westminster Schools in 2026 after 12 years as president. Prior to that role, he was the head of school at Collegiate School in Richmond, VA, for 15 years. In both settings, he led a series of campaigns and campus development initiatives that spanned a range of different facility types and financing strategies. In retirement, his interests include supporting nonprofit organizations in designing integrated capital improvement initiatives; serving on several boards that focus on educational access, workforce development, and homelessness; and spending as much time as possible skiing in the Western U.S. and Canadian Rockies.