Chris Bright

A seasoned educator with over three decades of experience in schools across the country and internationally, E.C. Partner Chris Bright is also an accomplished pianist, composer, and painter. Relentlessly open to learning and thinking creatively, he has successfully guided schools toward building a broader purpose of making a difference in their communities.

Chris began his career in education in his hometown of Oklahoma City at Westminster School. As an art teacher and member of an interdisciplinary team, he was influenced by the principles of Ted Sizer’s Coalition of Essential Schools. He continued as a teacher and team leader at The American School in London, where he designed project-based learning experiences, created portfolio assessment practices, and integrated technology into the classroom. During that time, he also pursued his own education at the Institute of Education, University of London, completing an MA in Values in Education and a Ph.D. (ABD) in Philosophy of Education, examining values in education through both an institutional and individual lens.

Soon after, he began a highly successful career as an educational leader. He was the head of the upper school at New Canaan Country School for seven years before returning to Oklahoma to become the head of Casady School, a PK-12 coeducational day school of about 1,000 students. Chris then combined his passions for art and education to lead the Charter High School of Arts–Multimedia and Performing (CHAMPS) in Van Nuys, CA, as their executive director. He concluded his career in schools as the third head of the Vistamar School in El Segundo, CA.

First as a teacher, then as an executive director, and ultimately as a head of school, Chris fine-tuned his deep understanding of teaching and learning, school communities, and organizational dynamics, as well as strategic planning, enrollment, development, governance, and financial management. With the mindset of a lifelong creative learner, he brings his ability to spearhead varied and inspiring ways schools can thrive while remaining rooted in the idea that schools have a foundational role in building a more equitable, resilient, and hopeful world.