We are a unique team of consultants.
We strengthen leaders in education so that they are better equipped to support their students and organizations.
Our Work
We help our clients understand and respond to the challenges they confront in a rapidly changing world.
Our Expertise
Leadership, governance and strategy.
Our years of experience—from coaching leaders to running board retreats to assessing enrollment to preparing and supporting leaders—puts us in a unique position to strengthen your team and your school.
Our work is uniquely designed for each client to maximize success and minimize stress while getting to the desired outcomes. We see the big picture. We help make sense of data. We focus not only on what works now, but also on what is coming next.
A Team With International Experience
Partner and Senior Consultant
Marc Frankel, Ph. D. is a Senior Consultant and partner in Triangle Associates, an international consultancy specializing in higher, independent and international education. A psychologist by training, Dr. Frankel facilitates governance workshops, leadership development programs, and strategic planning in the United States and around the world, and coaches numerous senior leaders in universities and independent schools. His clients include schools in Europe, Asia and North America, including large and small institutions and Tier 1 universities.
Among his accomplishments are the development of evaluation methodologies for governing boards and senior academic and administrative leaders, co-founding the School Leadership Institute for the National Association of Independent Schools, being on the faculty of a major leadership development program for land-grant universities in the United States, and authoring or co-authoring numerous articles and white papers on issues in governance and leadership of schools and universities.
Dr. Frankel is a member of the governing board at the Wildwood School (Los Angeles), and he lives in St. Louis with his wife, Jacqueline. Their son, Alex, lives and works in Los Angeles. Dr. Frankel’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Utah, and he completed his Masters and Ph.D. at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Frankel has been part of Triangle Associates for over 20 years.
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Marc T. Frankel, Ph.D.
Judith Schechtman, M.S.W.
Partner and Senior Consultant
Judith Schechtman, M.S.W. (Judy) is a Senior Consultant and partner in Triangle Associates, an international consultancy specializing in higher, independent and international education. She is a clinical social worker by training, having taught as an adjunct professor at Washington University, St. Louis. Ms. Schechtman facilitates governance workshops, leadership development programs, and strategic planning in the United States and around the world, and coaches numerous senior leaders in independent schools. Her clients include schools in Europe, Asia and North America, including large and small Institutions.
Her accomplishments include the development of evaluation methodologies for governing boards and senior academic and administrative leaders, co-founding the School Leadership Institute for the National Association of Independent Schools, being on the faculty of a major leadership development program for land-grant universities in the United States, and authoring or co-authoring numerous articles and white papers on issues in governance and leadership of schools and universities.
Ms. Schechtman is a former board member of Forsyth School (St. Louis). She lives in St. Louis with her husband, Richard. Their daughter, Lisa Schechtman and her husband Vlad Dorjets live and work in Washington D.C. Ms. Schechtman’s undergraduate degree is from Northwestern University and her Master’s is from Washington University. Ms. Schechtman has been part of Triangle Associates for over 20 years.
Partner and Senior Consultant
An experienced senior executive with over 17 years of success in educational leadership and board relations, Abigail DeLessio partners with independent and international schools to provide strategic direction, focus, and insight, ensuring the identification and implementation of sustainable, strategic goals. Abbi has led two school boards, including chairing the Board of Managers at Hong Kong International School (HKIS), one of the premier independent schools in Asia. Abbi has expertise in governance, board development, leadership search, strategic planning and operations management and she utilizes her experience in independent school governance, working closely with school leadership to maximize strengths and identify opportunities for differentiation and growth to help schools advance their missions and visions. Her first-hand experience provides the expertise to lead boards around the world in a variety of disciplines, including design thinking, policy development and implementation, and the application of best practice in independent and international school governance.
Abbi obtained a B.A. in Economics from Clark University and holds a Certified FT Non-Executive Director Diploma (Level 7). In addition to her international and independent school board service, Abbi has served as chair or member of numerous international boards including the Asian University for Women Hong Kong Support Foundation; the Child Development Centre; and the Support! International Foundation. Abbi and her husband Tim reside in Tucson, Arizona and New York City, New York.
Abigail DeLessio
Steven Graham, Ph.D
Senior Consultant
Dr. Steve Graham is a Senior Consultant for Triangle Associates. He served as Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Missouri System from 2002 to 2021, providing leadership for academic and faculty affairs issues across the multi-campus UM System. He is a Professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri (MU). He has over 30 years of experience in higher education as an administrator, professor, and consultant. He consulted with a number of universities including the Tennessee Board of Regents, University of Houston, Ohio University, Utah Valley University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of Missouri-St. Louis, as well as extensive training and evaluation work in business settings including AT&T and Data Storm.
Dr. Graham has written approximately 100 articles or papers on a variety of topics including academic quality, cultural and organizational changes in higher education, leadership development, and manager coaching. His book, Academic Quality Work, was co-authored with William Massy and Paula Short. His current research efforts focus on the dramatic changes occurring in higher education and their impact on traditional public universities. His two most recent books include Volatility in Higher Education: An Anthropological Perspective, published in 2018, and a 2021 book entitled Paths to the Future of Higher Education, both co-edited with Brian Foster and Joe Donaldson.
Dr. Graham's undergraduate degree is from Coe College, and he received a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He and his wife, Jill, live in Columbia, Missouri.
Steve Bristol, M.S.Ed.
Senior Consultant
Steve Bristol is a lifelong member of the independent school community. As a student, teacher, coach, senior administrator, and consultant for over 40 years, Steve is personally and professionally part of schools and school culture. Through Triangle Associates, Steve applies the depth and breadth of his experience in partnering with schools around operational and administrative excellence.
Having launched his career as a traditional “triple-threat” in boarding schools, Steve led four very different schools in advancement, athletics, enrollment management, and daily operations. In addition, Steve has extensive experience in school technology and marketing and communications.
Steve helps lead schools through triumph and tragedy and, in so doing, has developed a uniquely broad portfolio of experiences and knowledge. A practical, authentic school leader, Steve engages with his clients personally and collaboratively, endeavoring to partner with them as they navigate the strategic, personnel, and operational challenges of today’s 21st-century educational landscape.
Steve holds a B.A. from Hamilton College, an M.S.Ed in School Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals. A lifelong athlete, coach, and outdoorsman, Steve incorporates the skills and collaborative spirit of his passions in all his work with schools. In addition, Steve and his wife, Karyn, a psychotherapist, have raised three independent school graduates and make their home with their two labs in the Lakes Region of Western Maine.
Daniel L. Clay, Ph.D., MBA
Senior Consultant
Dr. Daniel L. Clay is professor and dean of the University of Iowa College of Education, a role he has held since 2016. Prior to this, Dan served as the dean of the University of Missouri College of Education for six years, where he also served on the board of directors of the Missouri Innovation Center, a business incubator/accelerator.
Dan is a nationally recognized scholar and fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association. He is a leader in the application of continuous quality improvement methods that focus on organizational performance excellence. He has expertise in finance, marketing, enrollment growth, research growth, leadership development and fundraising. Dan was recognized in 2014 as a Leader of Change by The Network for Change and Continuous Innovation: Higher Education’s Network for Change Leadership.
Dr. Clay earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota; a Master of Arts in educational and counseling psychology from the University of Missouri; and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri. He also received a higher education administration certificate through the Management Development Program at Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Missouri Trulaske College of Business.
Dan is also a successful entrepreneur involved in business start-ups inside and outside education.
