A Curiosity: Who's Really Behind the Curtain at Blackbaud? Part 2

continued from Part 1:

The Visionaries: Senior Leadership  

At the top, the big picture lives—where someone looks at the education landscape and says, “this is where we’re going.” I wanted to understand decision-making at that altitude. 

I sat down with Mark Davis, Vice President of Education Products at Blackbaud, and asked what it looks like from the top. 

How do you set direction without losing touch with what's happening at the ground level?  

Mark didn’t hesitate. “I spend every opportunity with my team and my customers to remind them of our purpose and foundational objectives. These statements collectively provide my team the ‘North Star’ direction for how we intend to serve our K–12 independent schools.”  

He acknowledged the challenge: market and technology changes are accelerating, especially in the age of AI. His plan is to keep the lines of communication open—staying close to customers and building trust so people feel comfortable reaching out directly, not just to him, but to his team. 

He told me he reminds his team in quarterly R&D planning sessions: “Even with the best laid-out plans, shift happens, and we need to be prepared to pivot.” He paused. “It’s important to emphasize the ‘f’ in that quote.” 

Fair point, Mark. I’d like to keep this blog’s G-Rating…  

What does the bigger picture look like when you're thinking five years out?  

Mark outlined Blackbaud’s planning cycle: a Long-Range Plan (three years out), an Annual Operating Plan (one year out), then the budget process. The long-range work refreshes the North Star, gathers market research, runs SWOT analyses, and frames objectives around innovation, service, and growth. 

This past planning cycle was especially interesting, he explained, because they were forecasting AI's impact on schools and their technology. And Mark's vision appears comprehensive:  

His vision included classroom-focused AI that reduces teacher admin work; new interfaces that simplify full-featured systems; agents that support students and parents to increase engagement; and intelligent capabilities that use a school’s own data to predict enrollment, cash flow, collections, and student success. 

“In short,” Mark said, “I am excited to see how we can help shape the future of K–12 education as technology advances accelerate in the near future.”  

The vision is impressive—and clearly driven by someone who genuinely cares about the mission. But after all these conversations, I still had one lingering question: Is there one person at the top of this curtain pulling the strings? One wizard orchestrating it all?  

There was only one way to find out. And the answer came in the most unexpected of places—over dinner in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.  

The Curtain Drops: Dinner with Mark Davis  

Mark Davis loves a dimly lit, bustling steakhouse—unrushed meals and easy conversation that drifts between sports, work, and family. Comfortable. Human. 

Between courses, I pitched him my idea for this article: the Wizard of Oz metaphor, the climb through decision-makers, and the question I’d been chasing—who’s really behind the curtain at Blackbaud? 

He listened thoughtfully—not because he lacked an answer, but because he wanted the right one. Then the conversation drifted, the way good dinners do. 

Then, later in the evening, something shifted. Mark had that look—the one you get when a thought clicks into place organically, not forced. He reached for his phone, scrolled for a moment, then turned the screen toward me.  

“I think this is what you were asking for,” he said.  

On the screen was a candid photo of an oversized boat deck—maybe twenty-five people, casual and smiling, captured mid-connection. 

“This is from our Education Pillar retreat in Charleston,” Mark said—an annual gathering of designers, product managers, and engineers to plan one-, three-, and five-year outlooks. 

I looked at the photo longer than I probably needed to, forgetting the phone in my hand was his. But something about it snapped everything into place. I had my answer.  

The “man” behind the curtain wasn’t a man at all—it was a team: bright faces, working together for the greater good. 

All this time, I’d been climbing a ladder thinking I was looking for the Wizard. And what I found instead was so much better: a community of genuine people who cared about solving problems for schools like mine, collaborating at all levels—who dream big and then figure out how to make it real. 

A conclusion that would make little Toto proud.  

The Bottom Line  

When product decisions come from a diverse team of builders, strategists, storytellers, and visionaries—where customer feedback is treated like gold and flows through every level—you get solutions that work in the real world. 

The feedback loops Lauren, Lolly, and Elizabeth described. Jessi’s commitment to root problems. Corey’s portfolio-level prioritization. Mark’s open lane with customers. None of this happens when one person is calling the shots behind the curtain. 

So that’s the real revelation: the curtain didn’t hide a wizard. It revealed a community of impassioned people. My curiosity led me through an elaborate, collaborative process—messy, human, and genuine. 

Austin Ewachiw
Director of Technology at Calvert Hall College High School

Austin is an advocate for innovation and a proponent of thoughtful change management. He champions those causes in his school and as part of Blackbaud’s K–12 Advisory Board, where he currently serves as Executive Director.

Special thanks to all my article contributors @blackbaud:  

Jessi Walters, Corey Eck, Lauren Barker, Lolly Ihrke, Elizabeth Bottonari, and Mark Davis