Roycemore School
As Roycemore School celebrates its 110th anniversary, the independent institution in Evanston, Illinois is taking stock of how it has changed -- and what comes next.
Founded in 1915 by a group of parents on Chicago’s North Shore as a finishing school for their daughters, Roycemore has evolved into a coeducational, college preparatory school serving a diverse community of 220 students in pre-K through 12th grade.
Guided by its mission to help students discover their passions through academic rigor and character development, Roycemore remains committed to nurturing its close-knit community. “We are an intentionally small, independent school focused on the best academic research available about what makes an impact in a student’s educational journey,” said Head of School Chris English.
In recent years, Roycemore’s focus has extended beyond the classroom and into the boardroom. Through a partnership with Kellogg’s Golub Capital Board Fellows Program, the school has welcomed MBA students onto its board to tackle strategic projects that strengthen governance, deepen alumni engagement and bring fresh perspectives to long-standing challenges. Through the program, fellows serve as ex-officio board members while taking courses in board governance at Kellogg.
The partnership has been so successful that Roycemore invited two recent fellows to join as full board trustees.
“Partnering with Kellogg connects us to resources that help strengthen our board and refine our governance model,” English said. “It also brings in bright, young professionals who are eager to make a difference in the nonprofit sector.”
“They have youth and energy and can dive deeply into projects that many of our trustees don’t have time for,” he added. “That dedication serves our mission well.”
Like many independent schools, Roycemore has faced challenges keeping alumni engaged as their loyalties often lie with their colleges or graduate schools. As its 110th anniversary approached, the school made reinvigorating alumni connections a priority. “We’re always looking at different avenues for engaging our community -- it’s been a strategic initiative -- but we haven’t been able to spend a lot of time on our alumni involvement,” said Roycemore Board Chair Anthony Chambers.
When Vic Boardman, Kellogg ’25, was matched with Roycemore as a Board Fellow, he was tasked with strengthening alumni engagement. At first, he found it challenging to design a project within the 15-month fellowship that would have a meaningful impact. With guidance from Kellogg Professor Allison Henry and regular feedback from Roycemore’s leadership, Boardman developed a targeted plan.
He conducted surveys and interviews with alumni to learn about their experiences as students and what information they wanted from the school. From those conversations, Boardman created opportunities for alumni to visit campus. He suggested establishing mentorship programs that connect alumni with current students through the school’s experiential activities, as well as linking high schoolers with recent graduates attending colleges of interest.
Boardman also recommended “low-touch interactions” like sharing news about classmates and teachers in the school’s Facebook alumni group and posting throwback photos from old yearbooks. His work also helped improve how the school collects alumni data.
“All the fellows have gone above and beyond their projects in engaging with the Roycemore community,” said Morgan Busbey, assistant head of school for advancement. “Vic, for instance, was eager to continue brainstorming after he completed his project and made sure we could put these plans into action.”
Shortly after Boardman presented his recommendations to the board last spring, the trustees voted to invite him to join as a full member. He accepted as he began his new position as a consultant with Boston Consulting Group in Chicago.
Boardman credits the fellowship with building his confidence to speak up in board meetings, especially among seasoned professionals. “That’s something I carry with me now in meetings with clients and my team,” he said. “I came to Kellogg focused on becoming a stronger leader, and my experience at Roycemore was the most impactful of my MBA program.”
Another fellow, Dorian Allen, ’24, also brought valuable expertise to Roycemore’s board. Already serving on the board of Friends of Dartmouth College Swimming and Diving since 2017, Allen welcomed the chance to learn how a formal nonprofit board operates.
His project, the details of which remain confidential, focused on developing new revenue streams to support Roycemore’s students and operations. He researched potential partnerships and consulted with other schools that had similar collaborations to understand financial impacts and board roles.
“It was essential to clearly define the boundary between staff involvement and board oversight,” Allen said. “Staff will manage partnerships directly, while the board’s role is supervisory. Establishing that framework was important.”
The board approved the framework, and the school continues to work toward bringing these partnerships to fruition.
Allen said attending board meetings was particularly valuable because he learned how to ask targeted questions that were not off-putting and helped gather necessary information. English recalled that during his work on international initiatives, Allen helped bridge understanding between his executive role and the board.
After Allen completed his fellowship with Roycemore, the board invited him to join as a full member. He accepted and now focuses on marketing and external communications as part of the advancement committee. “I wanted to continue making a lasting impact and deepen my connection to the school and its mission,” he said.
Allen, a product manager at JP Morgan in Chicago, applies many skills he learned during his fellowship. “Communicating with leadership and providing context for different strategies is directly relevant to my current role,” he said.
Because a majority of Roycemore’s trustees are alumni and parents of students, the outside perspective of the Board Fellows has proved especially valuable. “Bringing in someone whose investment in the institution isn’t tied to their own child’s experience has been very helpful,” English said.
Busbey added that because of the Board Fellows’ outside perspectives, they ask insightful questions. They’re also eager to connect what they’re learning in Kellogg classes and apply fresh ideas to Roycemore’s work.
“The Board Fellows approach their work with curiosity and a strategic lens,” said Board Chair Chambers. “Their biggest impact is in project presentations, where they use data to highlight trends over the years. That’s been especially helpful to the board.”
