Profile

A FUTURE IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION
ROOTED IN CORE VALUES

Lawrence S. Sykoff, Ed.D.

Partnering with organizations to act strategically to create value, drive impact, expand capacity, and accelerate mission.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

LSS Consulting Group, LLC

BUSINESS STRATEGY

LSS Consulting Group helps institutions and community organizations realize their vision and achieve success.

As President of LSS Consulting Group, LLC, Dr. Sykoff works with organizations to develop strategic
solutions to accelerate their mission.

BREADTH OF SERVICES

LSS Consulting Group provides a wide range of strategic solutions to businesses and institutions in multiple sectors including strategic planning, campaign feasibility studies, campaign management, Board development, and operational assessments. Our clients are health care organizations, secondary schools, universities, performing arts centers, for-profit enterprises, foundations, community associations, alumni associations, and religiously affiliated organizations.

Additionally, Dr. Sykoff is frequently provides direct mentoring and counsel to institutional leaders, including customized performance review systems for senior management, executive leaders, and trustees. Pro bono consulting services are made available to many small, nonprofit organizations in New Jersey.

Institutional Leadership

As former Head of School and appointed Head of School Emeritus, Dr. Sykoff’s twenty-year tenure at Ranney School,
1993-2013, saw unprecedented levels of enrollment growth. His leadership was characterized by trust, respect,
and a clear vision and strategic outlook.

During his tenure, Ranney School sustained a steady trajectory of growth and the school achieved national recognition. The school reached and sustained record levels of enrollment with 800+ students year after year. The campus was completely transformed into a contemporary educational institution with several new academic buildings, including an expansive Middle and Upper School dining hall. The steady growth included expanded roadways and a modern park like campus setting with multiple common outdoor gathering spaces. The campus transformation included a high-tech library, collegiate style running track, turf athletics fields, scoreboards, new tennis courts with outdoor seating, a performing arts hall, art galleries, modern science labs, a STEAM arts and technology infrastructure, and an outdoor observatory for emerging astronomy programs.

The school quickly rose in the rankings as being one of the finest among independent schools in state and the region. Amidst the steady pathway forward, Dr. Sykoff guided Ranney’s entrance into the prestigious Cum Laude Honor Society, ushering in expanded opportunities for student recognition. Ranney’s reputation was celebrated by The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools who used the campus for their annual professional development conference, hosting over 1700 teachers and school leaders. One of the many capstone events of this era was the incredible performance by the Lower, Middle and Upper School orchestra and chorus at Carnegie Hall.

Ranney graduates continue to be invited to attend the finest colleges and universities throughout the world. The slogan, Knowledge, Vision and Honor framed the school’s culture during two decades of steady growth and defined the school’s core values inspired by its founder, Russell G. Ranney. Today, Ranney stands tall as a beacon of educational excellence with enormous promise and boundless potential.

DISTINCTIONS

Upon Dr. Sykoff's retirement, the Middle and Upper School academic building was named in his honor, known as The Lawrence Sykoff Center for Excellence, as a tribute to his longstanding leadership and enduring legacy.

In June 2013, upon his retirement, the Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Sykoff Headmaster Emeritus and initiated a Lawrence S. Sykoff Leadership Award, presented annually to a graduating senior.

During his tenure, the Ranney School Board of Trustees created the Lawrence S. Sykoff Fellowship Award in his honor, providing funds for teachers and administrators pursuing advanced study and research.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you
are a leader.”

— John Quincy Adams

Board Affiliations & Community Leadership

  • American Cancer Society Eastern Regional Board of Advisors

  • Count Basie Center for the Arts - Advisory Board

  • Family and Children’s Services of Monmouth County

  • Independent Colleges & Universities of New Jersey (ICUNJ)

  • K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital Advisory Board

  • Lunch Break of Monmouth County

  • New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS)

  • Riverview Medical Center Foundation, Hackensack Meridian Health

  • ALS Foundation of Monmouth County

Speaking Engagements

  • New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS)

    • Governance and Trusteeship as Leadership

    • Strategic Vision Before Strategic Planning: The Conceptual Framework 

    • Strategic Philanthropy: Inspire Engagement Through Impact   

    • Building Capacity: The Value of Incremental Growth

    • Fundraising: Creating Loyal Stakeholder Engagement 

  • National Association of Independent Schools

    • Sustaining a Long-term Headship

    • Pathways to a Longstanding Headship: Transformational Leadership (Co-collaborator in research study in conjunction with Association of Independent Schools of New England and Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington)

    • The Head Transition Process: Getting It Right

    • Communications — From Calm to Crisis and Back 

    • The Middle Matters: The Impact of Middle School in a K-12 Structure

  • Independent Colleges & Universities of New Jersey (ICUNJ) (representing the 14 private colleges and universities in NJ): Strategic Philanthropy: Generating Higher Levels of Capacity

  • Lake Michigan Association of Independent Schools: The School Head and Board Chair Partnership

Publications

THE TWO RIVER TIMES

Contributing educational writer to the newspaper distributed in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

  • The Teachable Moment

  • Modern Leadership – Are We Teaching It Enough?

  • The Value and Limitations of Standardized Testing

  • The Role of Grandparents as Advisors and Mentors in the School Setting

  • The Importance of School Uniforms

  • Taking a Parenting Page from the Coach’s Book: Review, Reaffirm, Reassure

  • Children Need More of Us Now (Guidance for parents during pandemic)


INDEPENDENT SCHOOL QUARTERLY JOURNAL

  • Author of The Teacher as Artist: A Profile in Creating a Masterpiece


NAIS PUBLICATIONS

Co-author of two nationally recognized strategic planning
books for nonprofit Boards.

  • A Trustee’s Primer on the Strategic Process, NAIS Publications

  • The Strategic Process: 10 Steps For Building Your Independent School’s Future, NAIS Publications

Awards & Honors

  • University of San Diego Arthur E. Hughes, President Emeritus, Lifetime Achievement Award presented with the medallion of distinction by the School of Leadership and Education Sciences in recognition of outstanding leadership, lifetime service and commitment to education and non-profit organizations (2019)

  • Lunch Break Iconic Community Influencer Award for steadfast and loyal contributions to the organization's community outreach programs (2019)

  • Parker Family Health Center Gala Honoree for dedicated commitment to the mission of helping the underserved and expanding fundraising capacity (2019)

  • Awarded the Dennis W. Zilinski, II Veterans Foundation Medal of Excellence from Lieutenant General John Thomson, III, U.S. Army Commander for assisting veterans, Wounded Warriors, active service members and their families (2019)

  • New Jersey State Senate Certificates of Commendation for leadership and public service (March 2008 & March 2013)

  • Council for the Support and Advancement of Education (CASE) Quarter Century Leadership Award for excellence in leading highly successful philanthropic projects (November 2011)

  • Holiday Express Crystal Star Award for helping the underserved and underprivileged, and for helping the organization achieve philanthropic goals (September 2011)

  • Honoree at the Count Basie Center for the Arts for service and leadership to education and the arts (June 2010)

  • Ranney School Hall of Fame for contributions to the development, construction, and expansion of programs and new facilities throughout the campus (2010)

  • United States Congressional Service Awards for community service and school leadership (May 2003, March 2008, November 2008, July 2010)

  • Recognized and honored numerous times for actively supporting the Tinton Falls Police Department and the Junior Police Academy (2000 to present)

Education

Dr. Sykoff received his doctoral degree (Ed.D.) and master’s (M.Ed.) in Educational Psychology in Leadership from the University of San Diego and his bachelor’s degree (B.B.A.) in Finance and Accounting from the City University of New York.

Please refer to LSS Consulting Group LinkedIn profile for more information