PROFILES
Robert A. Norman, Principal
“I love helping schools understand branding and its benefits, learning what makes the school I’m working with unique, and the process of uncovering a school’s brand. I especially love the moment a school sees their brand for the first time and says, ‘Yes! That’s us!’ It’s really exciting when it all comes together after a school has consistently communicated their brand, the community “gets them,” and so many things fall into place.”
Liza Fisher Norman, Principal
“The process of brand development (and enrollment or campaign strategies) is fascinating because there is always so much to learn about a school and the challenges it faces. But I really love helping schools understand how to implement a brand and sustain it. There is no silver bullet here. It’s complex and multifaceted, but it’s also attainable for almost any school. I am so gratified when it starts to work and the school sees the benefits. It’s pretty impressive.”
Partners in Business — and in Life
A successful partnership for 34 years and business partners for 20, Robert A. Norman and Liza Fisher Norman developed Turnaround as a small, “boutique” firm specializing in independent schools so they could establish and maintain close working relationships with their clients. They initially created Turnaround as a marketing and design firm, combining their talents and training in business and design with their knowledge of independent schools. In 2011, they moved Turnaround to a consultancy and sold the design studio to their creative director.
Living Independent Schools and Loving It
In addition to holding bachelor’s degrees from Franklin & Marshall College, Rob and Liza are independent school graduates—Rob from Princeton Day School and Liza from Emma Willard School—and they saw two children, now grown, through Newtown Friends School (K-8), George School (daughter), and The Lawrenceville School (son). As a result, they understand independent schools not only as marketing and communications professionals, but also as alumni, prospective parents, parents, volunteers, and donors.
The Rewards
Since founding Turnaround in 1991, Rob and Liza have come to appreciate how dramatically different independent schools are despite sharing similar qualities. They have made it their goal to identify and promote the distinguishing characteristics that help bring right-fit families to schools and deepen relationships between schools and their alumni/ae and donors. Time and again, they have been gratified whenever a school embraces their recommended strategy, implements it, and reports back stunning achievements.
Expertise
Rob and Liza are frequent presenters on academic marketing topics at numerous national conferences, including The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), Small Boarding School Association (SBSA), and CASE-NAIS. Each has been designated a CASE Faculty Star, Rob for his presentation “Your Brand is Born. Now Who’s Going to Babysit?” in 2008, and Liza for a presentation on mission-based campaign marketing at the 2007 CASE NAIS annual conference, for which she was also named a Stellar Speaker.
Extracurriculars
Rob and Liza live and work in New Hope, Pennsylvania, 30 miles north of Philadelphia. When Rob isn’t working, he’s either on the golf course, at the theater acting or directing, in his shop woodworking, or at a board meeting at Greenwood House or Langhorne Players. Liza is rarely away from the computer, but when she is, she is behind a camera, volunteering with her therapy dog, scouring real estate for sale (even without plans to move), and trying to read the pile of books that keep mounting on her nightstand.
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Turnaround’s Support Staff
Rollie, ReceptionAll of the dogs are named after jazz greats: George Benson, Sonny Rollins, and Thelonious Monk.