Christine Hailer Baker

President of The Baker Group
Admission and Enrollment Management Services Practice Leader at Carney, Sandoe and Associates

Christine Baker is nationally known and highly regarded for The Baker Group’s work in successfully translating enrollment management practices into practical short and long-term strategies. Since its founding in 1999, The Baker Group has assisted over 900 independent school clients meet unprecedented recruitment challenges, build strong teams, and adopt enrollment management strategies and practices that ensure their viability. Chris is now the newest member of the Search & Consulting Group at Carney Sandoe and Associates in Boston, MA, where she will continue to provide goal-oriented, data-driven, research-based, and team-oriented enrollment solutions. Having devoted 40 years of her career to education, Chris’ school and college experience includes leadership positions at Milton Academy, Boston College, and Babson College. In partnering with The Baker Group, Carney, Sandoe & Associates is now able to provide a more comprehensive menu of enrollment and admission solutions, and search services to an even greater number of clients.

In addition to her work for individual schools, Chris is also known as a catalyst for some of the industry’s most successful collaborative admission and enrollment efforts, including, the founding of the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP) and directing the New England Boarding Schools Collaborative.  Chris also created and successfully directed the Chatham Experience for New England Admission Directors for 25 years and since 1999, has organized the annual Crow’s Nest Institute for experienced Admission and Enrollment Management Directors. She is the editor of the National Association of Independent School's Enrollment Management Handbook and is a recipient of the Enrollment Management Association's Bretnall Award for her leadership, commitment, and contributions to the independent school admission profession. Chris has also served on the boards of the Enrollment Management Association (EMA), the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP), and the Education Records Bureau (ERB).

Chris holds an undergraduate degree from The University of Massachusetts and a Master's in Higher Education Administration from Boston College. She is an avid cyclist, a longtime Pan-Mass Challenge rider, a former marathoner, and a lover of the outdoors.  Chris has two sons, of whom she is very proud, and lives in southern Maine with her dog Gracie.