Head of School Derek Krein announced today that Tom Pratt will serve as Tilton’s next Chief Advancement Officer beginning March 3, 2025. Pratt possesses 35 years of experience in advancement and nonprofit leadership and will come to work on the Hill after serving as a Leadership Gift Officer at nearby New Hampton School for the last five years. He brings a keen understanding of the New England boarding school and Lakes Region ecosystem, having graduated from Kimball Union Academy and later working as the school’s Director of Leadership Gifts and Planned Giving for four years.

“Tom is an outstanding addition to the Tilton School community,” adds Head of School Derek Krein. “His particular breadth of experiences and brand of excellence in connecting people and places is unsurpassed. Everyone who has engaged with Tom in this search — including faculty, alums, and trustees — comes away deeply impressed by his accessibility and love of schools. He’ll join an already committed Advancement team and become a valued partner in lifting Tilton to new heights.” 

During Pratt’s time at Kimball Union and New Hampton, he oversaw leadership gift and planned giving programs, managed a portfolio of up to 200 giving prospects, worked to create endowed funds in alignment with strategic initiatives, and traveled extensively to cultivate, solicit, and steward alumni and past parents. Over the last five years, Pratt and his team have worked to create 27 new endowments and helped secure one of the five largest gifts in school history.

“I am excited to join Derek Krein and Team Tilton at such an important time in the school’s history,” says Pratt. “My discussions with Derek, the Leadership Team, and several of the faculty at Tilton, along with Chair of the Board John Shaughnessy and many other alumni and friends, have given me an appreciation of the greatness of Tilton’s past and the promise of Tilton’s future. I can’t wait to get started!”

Prior to transitioning into advancement work, Pratt was an accomplished hockey player who attended Bowling Green State University before being drafted by the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent three years in professional hockey, also playing for affiliate teams of the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins. Pratt then returned to Bowling Green as a graduate assistant coach for a year before heading back to New Hampshire to become the Head Coach of the New England College men’s hockey team. 

Pratt then spent 21 years at Northfield Mount Hermon in various administrative roles, including Head Coach of the boys hockey program, Director of Summer School & Auxiliary Services, and 11 years as Director of Athletics & Chair of the Physical Education Department. His experience in multiple areas of independent school life positions him well to connect with and energize the Tilton community and to work closely with current Advancement team members John Agnello and Rachel Rogers in elevating the alumni experience for the years and decades ahead.

He and his wife Linda look forward to joining the Tilton community. They are parents to two adult sons and grandparents to three, with number four scheduled to arrive in June. Please join us in welcoming Pratt and his family to the Tilton community!