April 2013
| Business World Magazine | 287
For more than 50 years, the National Asso-
ciation of Independent Schools has fulfilled
a role as the leading authority, advocate and
repository of research involving educational
trends and best practices for independent
schools and affiliated associations. As amem-
bership organization, NAIS is comprised by
representatives frommore than 1,400 private
schools and associations of theUnited States,
as well as another 250 international institu-
tions. Since 2001, Patrick Bassett has served
as president of the organization. In his per-
spective, the role of NAIS is to provide ad-
vocacy and data (in fact, “the industry’s best
data base of how independent schools oper-
ate”) to bolster their educational model and
enhance professional development opportu-
nities for schools as well as board leaders. As
“a thought leader,” NAIS engages a staff of
some sixty people who are primarily engaged
