The Change Leader

What The Change Leader does

The Change Leader, Inc. is a privately held, boutique management consultancy founded in 2007 and headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with delivery scope across North America and international higher education markets. The firm advises college and university presidents, boards of trustees, and executive leadership on interconnected institutional challenges, with a service portfolio spanning accreditation consulting, board and shared governance, presidential onboarding, strategic planning, risk and change management, marketing and brand positioning, capacity building, academic realignment, crisis management, and strategic mergers and alliances (both buy-side and sell-side). The core offering is delivered as project-based and retainer consulting engagements with custom, scope-based pricing and multi-year contract cadence; there is no software product, API, or self-service channel.

The business is anchored by founder, CEO, and Principal Consultant Dr. Drumm McNaughton, who holds a PhD and brings 20+ years of higher education consulting experience, supported by a small in-house team of certified management consultants and a network of Strategic Partners that extends delivery capacity. GTM is sales-led and direct, with no reseller or partner distribution; demand is generated primarily through a content-driven thought leadership engine led by the Changing Higher Ed podcast (320+ episodes), an active blog, webinars, seminars/workshops, and a YouTube/Apple/Spotify/Amazon distribution footprint, with inbound inquiries converted into engagements via phone and email contact. Documented client outcomes include removal of accreditation probation ahead of schedule, enrollment growth of 6% to 15%, and financial turnarounds from losses to surpluses, validated by named testimonials from The Master's University and Seminary, LIGS University, and Western Michigan University.

The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent organization, and operates as an independent professional services firm under concentrated founder ownership. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; based on the 11-50 employee range, boutique scale, and multi-year engagement model, the firm is estimated to operate in the low single-digit millions of dollars in annual revenue. There are no disclosed AI/ML products, patents, or proprietary technology platforms; the firm's intellectual property sits primarily in its content library, case study base, and the founder's personal brand and domain expertise.

Name

The Change Leader

Legal name

The Change Leader, Inc.

Website

https://changinghighered.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Change Leader is a boutique higher education consultancy advising college and university presidents, boards, and executive leaders on accreditation, governance, strategic planning, change management, and mergers, anchored by founder Dr. Drumm McNaughton and sustained through a podcast-driven thought leadership go-to-market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Organization Design & Change Management Consulting (BPAHACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Change Management & Transformation Consulting (BPAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Higher education consulting
• Accreditation consulting
• Board governance services
• Strategic planning consulting
• Change management advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Higher Education Consulting Services: Project-based and retainer consulting engagements with colleges and universities to address accreditation, governance, strategic planning, mergers, and change management challenges. Revenue derived from professional consulting fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Change Leader is a higher education management consulting firm that helps colleges, universities, and community colleges navigate accreditation, board governance, presidential transitions, strategic planning, change management, and financial sustainability. Core services include accreditation reviews and turnarounds, board governance assessments and retreats, presidential searches and executive transitions, strategic planning facilitation, Title IX and compliance advisory, and interim leadership placement.

Product overview

The Change Leader is a higher education consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of advisory services rather than a software product. The core offering consists of consulting engagements across key institutional challenge areas: Accreditation Consulting helps institutions gain, maintain, and restore accreditation standing; Board Governance and Shared Governance services strengthen institutional leadership; Strategic Planning, Risk Management, and Change Management services help institutions navigate complex transitions; Marketing and Brand Positioning services address enrollment challenges; and Mergers & Alliances consulting supports institutional consolidation efforts. Additional services include Presidential Onboarding, Capacity Building, Academic Realignment, Crisis Management, and Assessments & Evaluations. The firm also produces thought leadership content through the Changing Higher Ed Podcast and educational seminars/workshops. The portfolio functions as a unified consulting practice led by Dr. Drumm McNaughton, with services often deployed together as part of holistic institutional transformation engagements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Removal of accreditation probationary statuses ahead of schedule
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strategic PartnersOthers

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Credo: Higher-education marketing and brand strategy consultancy working with colleges and universities on positioning, messaging, and enrollment marketing. Direct peer in the marketing/brand positioning and enrollment growth service lines advertised by The Change Leader.
• Carnegie Dartlet: Higher-education marketing, branding, and enrollment strategy firm serving colleges and universities. Comparable because it competes directly on branding, marketing positioning, and enrollment growth mandates within higher education.
• AGB (Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges): The leading association and consultancy focused on board governance, trustee effectiveness, and presidential transitions in higher education. Closely comparable because board governance, presidential onboarding, and shared governance are core service lines for both organizations.
• Ruffalo Noel Levitz: Higher-education enrollment management and fundraising consulting firm working with colleges and universities on marketing, recruitment, and donor engagement. Comparable because it competes directly in the marketing/brand positioning and enrollment growth service lines The Change Leader offers.
• NCHEMS (National Center for Higher Education Management Systems): Nonprofit consulting and policy organization focused on higher-education management, finance, governance, and strategic planning. Comparable because it provides strategic planning, governance, and management advisory services to college and university leadership on similar topics to The Change Leader.
• EAB (Education Advisory Board / EAB.com): Membership-based advisory firm dedicated exclusively to higher education, serving presidents, provosts, and business officers on enrollment, student success, and strategy. Direct peer because it sells research and advisory services into the same buyer personas (college presidents and boards) on overlapping topics such as strategic planning and change.
• The Scrivner Group: Boutique higher-education consulting firm specializing in accreditation, governance, and strategic planning for colleges and universities. Highly comparable in size, niche focus, and service mix to The Change Leader, and a likely direct competitor for accreditation and governance mandates.

Broad incumbents

• MGT Consulting Group: Diversified professional services firm with an Education practice providing strategy, operational, and technology consulting to school districts and higher-education institutions. Comparable because it competes for higher-education governance, transformation, and strategic-planning engagements from a multi-vertical base.
• Attain Partners: Mid-size professional services firm with a focused Education practice providing strategy, technology, and transformation consulting to K-12 and higher-education institutions. Comparable because it sells strategic planning and change management advisory into the same higher-education buyer base from a broader scale platform.
• Huron Consulting Group: Large publicly traded professional services firm with a dedicated Higher Education practice spanning strategy, operations, finance, and technology. Comparable because it competes for many of the same higher-education transformation, governance, and accreditation-recovery mandates as The Change Leader, but at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ChangingHigherEd/podcasts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/drdrumm
• Xx.com/thechangeldr
• Facebookfacebook.com/thechangeleader

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Change Leader