About
Celebrating School Marketers Worldwide
The Brilliance Awards began in 2013 when the founders of InspirED School Marketers realized there was no international competition dedicated solely to private school marketing and communications.
InspirED's goal for the Brilliance Awards is to celebrate the brilliant work being created for private school enrollment, development, alumni/ae relations, and more.
Take a look at the previous winners which include small nursery schools and large boarding schools. You never know who might win, but you can't win if you don't enter!
Your Work Deserves To Be Recognized On A Global Stage
Join your peers! Let your achievements inspire the entire private school community. Enter now.
Executive Director
Aubrey Bursch
Aubrey Bursch serves as the Executive Director of the InspirED Brilliance Awards, bringing deep school-based experience, industry leadership, and a longstanding commitment to supporting the people responsible for advancing school missions.
Over more than two decades, Aubrey has worked across school marketing, enrollment, advancement, communications, community engagement, and leadership. Through Easy School Marketing, the Small School Leaders Conference, and the Mindful School Marketing podcast, she has become a trusted educator, speaker, facilitator, and connector for professionals navigating increasingly complex responsibilities often with limited time, staffing, and resources.
Aubrey also served as a Brilliance Awards judge before assuming leadership of the program. As Executive Director, she is committed to honoring Rob and Liza Norman's legacy, safeguarding the awards' independent process, and expanding their reach, relevance, and value without compromising the integrity that has earned the community's trust.
Advisory Board
Jan Abernathy
Jan Abernathy is the Chief Communications & Strategy Officer at The Browning School, a K–12 boys' school in New York City, and presents regularly at conferences sponsored by regional, national and international independent school associations. She is also president of New York City Independent Schools Communications Professionals and a member of the board of trustees of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), as well as a trustee at Grace Church School in Manhattan. She is on the faculty of the CASE Academy, providing professional development to emerging and mid-career advancement professionals. Her consulting firm, Jan Abernathy Strategic Communications, provides communications and DEI counsel for educational institutions and non-profits. Jan is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Angela Brown
Angela Brown is head of marketing at Halda, an AI enrollment platform serving higher education and K-12 institutions. She leads Halda's marketing team, building the systems and content that help enrollment and marketing leaders reach families more effectively. Before Halda, Angela spent seven years as director of marketing and communications at Flint Hill School, a JK-12 independent day school, where she managed enrollment marketing, communications and community engagement for the school. That experience on the school side shapes how she thinks about marketing for private schools today: practical, resource-conscious and grounded in what moves families to enroll. Angela has served as a Brilliance Awards judge since 2020, and currently sits on the program's advisory board. She's spent more than a decade on both sides of the desk, from the school office to ed-tech, and brings that perspective to her work with the Brilliance Awards.
Nija Meyer
Nija Majmudar Meyer is a strategic enrollment, marketing, and communications leader who spent the past decade at Woodward Academy, a PK–12 independent school with the largest enrollment in the continental United States. She oversaw admissions, financial aid, strategic marketing, and communications, advancing institutional positioning, strengthening the family experience, and supporting long-term financial sustainability within an $85 million operating budget. A respected voice in independent school education, Nija frequently presents at conferences and webinars. Her 2025 “Marketing Magic” workshop was named one of the Top Five “Best of Thrive” sessions at the NAIS Annual Conference. She is a recipient of the Enrollment Management Association's Rising Star Award and serves on the board of trustees of E3n, formed through the merger of EMA and ERB. Previously, Nija held marketing and consulting roles with Fortune 500 companies. She graduated summa cum laude from Emory University and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School.
Kara Lysne-Paris
Kara Lysne-Paris brings 15 years of communications management experience in independent schools, informed by earlier leadership in not-for-profit educational program management. At UTS, Kara leads strategic communications, ensuring inclusive, consistent and transparent communication. She serves on the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Peer Review Team and led UTS's accreditation in 2025. Prior to UTS, Kara held communications management roles at The York School and Robbins Hebrew Academy. She has volunteered in governance roles for nearly 20 years, including a decade as Chair and Vice Chair of the High Park Nature Centre, where she received the Province of Ontario's 10 Year Volunteer Service Award. She also serves as Treasurer and Trustee of the Saluki Club of Canada Rescue and Education Trust. Kara has served as a judge for the InspirED Brilliance Awards since 2019 and is a member of its Advisory Board. Kara holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Communications and a Master of Arts in Japanese Studies. Having studied in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, and taught in Japan, she brings an international perspective and a commitment to educational excellence.
David Willows
Dr David Willows is Co-founder and Strategic Director at [YELLOW CAR], the world's leading experience strategy training and consultancy firm for schools. Between 2005 and 2022, he was Director of Advancement at the International School of Brussels, Belgium. During this time, he grew to be widely regarded as one of the most innovative practitioners in the field, helping to shape and define the future of Advancement (admissions, marketing & communications, fundraising & alumni relations) in schools. He was recently listed as one of the world's Top 10 Global Educational Influencers. An author and regular keynote speaker & trainer at international events around the world, David is passionate about helping schools advance in ways that are relevant for today's educational landscape.
