The Opportunity

The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is the leader in college and university accreditation. In June 2020, the NECHE was set to change leadership after decades under one president. The organization underwent a national search, eventually finding a new leader who would change the organization’s brand positioning to be outward facing rather than traditionally conservative.

The Strategy

NECHE’s new president was no stranger to leveraging earned media coverage to move agendas and was eager to get in front of the region’s academic leadership in a similar manner. To that end, BG developed and launched “NECHE on the Road,” a thought leadership podcast that featured interviews with college and university presidents from around the region. 

The Result

“NECHE on the Road” not only introduced the new president to the region’s academic thought leaders, but also allowed a traditionally conservative non-profit to be outward facing with a goal to expand its reputation on a national scale. The podcast and accompanying website quickly became a point of conversation within higher education and continues to be a critical asset for NECHE’s national expansion strategy.