OUR STORY
Our enterprise was founded in early 2021 through the shared vision of three founders: Stephen Badger, Jim Leonard, and Story Leonard. Twice chairman of the board of privately owned Mars, Inc., Stephen understood the transformative potential of professional coaching from his experience within and beyond Mars. He approached Jim and Story, whom he knows well from his service as a trustee at Santa Fe Prep, to gauge their interest in bringing professional coaching to the world of education. After an intensive exposure to coach training with iPEC and many conversations with independent school leaders across the country to assess the need and appetite for leadership coaching, our idea came to fruition.
Coaching@Altitude was launched with a singular focus: to empower school leaders to reach their full potential and advance their school enterprise.
Stephen Badger
FounderStephen has a deep passion for the power of coaching, having benefited from it in business as well as life and witnessed its transformative power with many individuals, in both a personal and professional capacity.
He attended Duke University, Reed College, and graduated from Union Institute in Cincinnati with a BA in Anthropology.
Stephen was deeply involved as an investor and ultimately as the President of Seeds of Change, an organic seed and food company, from 1992-2004, before his appointment as the Global Director of Corporate Affairs for Mars, Incorporated. In March of 2008, Stephen joined the Mars Board and became Chairman in 2011, completing his first three-year term. As Chairman, he oversaw the creation of Mars’ first ever 25 year Vision and significantly evolved the Board to be more strategic and intentional. In March of 2017 he assumed the Chairmanship again (rotating off in March of 2020), having overseen the creation of the first Purpose for the company in its history: “The world we want tomorrow starts with the how we do business today.” Stephen also stewarded the creation of the Compass, a four quadrant model with the Purpose at its center that sets targets, which include non-financial metrics like positive social impact.
Other board service includes The Association for Traditional Arts, the Muscle Shoals Music Foundation, the Economics of Mutuality Foundation, and Santa Fe Preparatory School. Stephen’s advisor roles include Bruvi, Regeneration, and Drew’s Cookies.
Stephen also produced the documentary Muscle Shoals, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013 to a standing ovation. The film was sold around the world, including to PBS’ premiere network ITVS in the United States. Stephen thrives on time in nature, whether that be hiking, skiing, or mountain biking–and loves doing all three with his son and friends.
Jim Leonard
DirectorFully certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Jim has coached a dozen Heads of School as well as a division head and a grade-level dean. He believes the coach-client relationship offers school leaders greater self-awareness, valuable time and space to reflect and reframe, and the opportunity to align their values and beliefs with their actions.
Jim Leonard served 21 years as Head of School at Santa Fe Prep, retiring in 2020. During his tenure, Prep launched Breakthrough Santa Fe, developed the Davis New Mexico Scholars program, completed three successful capital campaigns totaling $26 million, was selected as a Malone Family Scholars school, and established the Edward E Ford Summer Teachers’ Colloquium with an Educational Leadership Grant from the EE Ford Foundation. Jim also coached boys’ varsity soccer for eleven years and taught a senior English class each spring. He has served on the boards of United World College in Montezuma, New Mexico, The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS,) and The Santa Fe Conservation Trust.
Prior to joining the Prep community in 1999, Jim was the Assistant Director and an English teacher for seven years at The Mountain School of Milton Academy in Vershire, VT. He and Story began their teaching, coaching, and residential life careers at Pomfret School in 1986.
Jim is a 1982 graduate of Williams College and received his Master’s degree in English literature in 1991 from the Bread Loaf School of Middlebury College. He and Story have three daughters, all graduates of Santa Fe Prep: Kelsey ‘11, Molly ‘12, and Campbell ‘20.
Story Reed Leonard
Associate Director & CoachWith a certification in executive coaching coupled with 35+ years in Independent Schools, both boarding and day, Story is fully committed to re-energizing school leaders. The onslaught of Covid was depleting beyond measure, exacerbating an already burgeoning mental health crisis. The demands we place on educational leaders only keep growing, yet professional development and support have not kept up. Story believes that coaching is one way to address this gap. Over the past two years, she has coached associate heads, DEI leaders, deans, and department chairs with the goal of reconnecting their values and strengths to a clear sense of purpose in their work. This process provides leaders with renewed positive energy and focus. Having the space to reflect upon and then articulate who you are as a leader and how you want to lead is transformative.
Story also coaches clients to conduct conversations more effectively: giving difficult feedback, addressing parent anger, advocating for a new position, and managing up, to name a few. We build culture in our schools in each conversation we have; how we listen matters immensely.
Prior to creating Coaching@Altitude with Jim and Stephen Badger, Story served as the Director of College Counseling for 13 years at Santa Fe Prep. She also relaunched girls’ lacrosse in New Mexico in 2001, dedicating herself to growing the sport. Story began her independent school career at Pomfret School (1986-1992) and The Mountain School of Milton Academy (1992-1999), where she held a range of teaching, coaching, and administrative responsibilities, including Admissions Director, Head Advisor, and Dean of Women.
Story is a 1984 graduate of Williams College and received her Master’s degree in Liberal Arts in 1993 from Dartmouth College. She and Jim have three daughters, all graduates of Santa Fe Prep: Kelsey ‘11, Molly ‘12, and Campbell ‘20.
Aisha Crumbine
CoachAisha Crumbine believes the truest act of leadership is knowing and using our strengths to create spaces where others are comfortable and confident to do the same. In her twenty years of experience in education, she has been a teacher and/or administrator in every type of school including: a traditional ISD serving predominantly Black students, the original KIPP Academy charter serving LatinX/Black students, The Kinkaid School (her alma mater) which is an elite private school serving a wealthy/fairly homogenous student body, and back to a traditional public school that had a bit of all of the above. In every one of those places, kids, teachers, administrators and parents alike wanted one thing most of all: to be seen and valued. As a Certified Dare to Lead™ Facilitator, Aisha is committed to helping parents and educators lead with courage and create space for themselves and our children. Aisha will also add the full iPEC coach training to her repertoire.
Aisha is a Teach For America alumna and most recently served as the VP of Development for TFA Houston. She’s served on the board of Breakthrough Houston and Girls, Inc. She has a B.A. in English from Trinity University in San Antonio and an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Teachers College at Columbia University, where she was a founding cohort member of the Summer Principals Academy (SPA) Program. She and her husband Dave love talking about parenting, personal leadership, baseball and action movies. Together they have two beautiful children whom they are raising to be daring leaders in their own right.
Bea Fuller
CoachA certified and experienced leadership coach, Bea is motivated to guide clients to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for their unique strengths and draw on them to be intentional, thoughtful, and energized leaders in all aspects of their lives. During her time with C@A, Bea has coached school leaders at many levels, including Head of School, associate head of school, CFO, division directors, admissions directors, academic deans, and DEI leaders.
In her more than 35-year career in independent schools, Bea has served as a high school principal, director of college counseling, Leadership teacher, English teacher, art teacher, and athletic coach at a wide range of schools, including Severn School, Georgetown Day School, Barrie School, and Holton-Arms in the Maryland/Washington, D.C. area, and boarding schools: Northfield Mt. Hermon in Massachusetts and Midland School in California. In every school, she has focused on building strong community spirit by inspiring clear communication across constituents.
A graduate of Williams College, Bea was a double major in English and studio art and a three-sport captain in field hockey, ice hockey, and lacrosse. She earned a Masters of Science in Education degree from Johns Hopkins University, including a graduate certificate from the Association of Independent Maryland Schools in Educational Leadership and Supervision for Independent Schools, while working full time and raising three sons. Her young men, who attended Landon School and graduated from Severn School, all currently serve in the military: two are first lieutenants in the US Navy and one graduated West Point and is deferring his service commitment to play professional rugby. Her partner is also a life-long educator and has served as Head of School for 23 years.
Michael Multari
Coach“The last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor Frankl
Supporting others on their journey–personal and professional–is Michael’s passion. He is a certified professional coach after completing hundreds of hours of training through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). As a coach with Coaching@Altitude, Michael has coached Assistant Heads of School, Directors of Admission, Department heads, and Chief Operating Officers, to name a few.
Originally from New Jersey, Michael graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a BA in Secondary Education and Social Sciences. He then headed west to Northern New Mexico to begin his teaching career, spending the first ten years in both public and private schools. Michael was hired by Santa Fe Prep as the founding Director of the Breakthrough Santa Fe program in 2003. Across the next fifteen years, Michael served Prep as Breakthrough Director, Director of Admissions, US History and New Mexico History Teacher, Advisor, and Coach. He received a Masters Degree in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College of Santa Fe in 2009.
In 2018, Michael launched a new phase of his life and career, moving close to relatives in Cali, Colombia, and starting a travel company for Americans interested in visiting Colombia, Todo Bien Colombia. When he is not supporting others on their own journeys; Michael can be found enjoying time with family, struggling with Spanish, drinking coffee, and traveling throughout the inspiring country of Colombia.
Increasingly, coaching is becoming integral to the fabric of a learning culture—a skill that good managers at all levels need to develop and deploy.
HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW