Hacker Burr is a people person and a connector. Coming from a long line of independent school educators (St. Marks, Webb School, St. Andrews, Westminster, Nobles, McCallie, GPS), and having started his advancement career at the age of 14--giving tours at Holderness School--he found a natural fit in the advancement world, eventually making him one of the youngest Heads in the country.

Hacker deeply believes that "fit" is everything. He is passionate about leveraging his years of experience to help client schools and candidates find this fit", believing that when placement work is done right, teams and organizations grow stronger–resulting in an elevated student experience and higher levels of customer satisfaction.

As a former Big Back Pack client, and over two years working closely with Big Back Pack's founder, Steve Mandell, Hacker was inspired by the BBP approach, and upon Steve's passing in the Spring of 2022–after a long and courageous battle with cancer–Hacker acquired Big Back Pack.

As a company, we are dedicated to carrying Steve's vision forward into the future, building on the tremendous brand that was established over the early years of the company and continuing to deliver the same level of service and care that Steve embodied throughout his career. Steve had a very simple approach: show-up early, work hard, and care compassionately for others.

With a positive, wellness-based approach to employment and operations, schools can truly be great places to teach and learn. This was Steve Mandell's mission when he founded Big Back Pack in 2017, and it continues to be our mission today.