Who We Are
Founded by leaders, not analysts. Every engagement is led by executives who have held the roles your institution depends on.
Fortis Via brings executive-level practitioners to every engagement — professionals who have held the cabinet and leadership roles your institution depends on. We do not simply produce analysis. We counsel on the critical decisions that need to be made, in what order, and with what consequence. The report and the judgment come from the same person.
Kyle McGowan is the founder of Fortis Via Group and an experienced higher education executive with a career spanning institutional advancement, large-scale fundraising, and presidential advisory. He has served in executive and vice-presidential roles at Georgetown University, Vanderbilt University, Idaho State University, and Belmont University — institutions that collectively represent the full range of higher education: elite research universities, regional comprehensives, and mission-driven private institutions.
Kyle brings expertise in large-scale fundraising campaigns, organizational leadership, and helping institutional leaders align ambition with financial and philanthropic capacity. His work is grounded in direct executive experience. He is the practitioner who leads every engagement — from the initial fit conversation through the Gateway Briefing and every stage of the Journey that follows.
Dr. Bob Fisher
Presidential Advisor
President Emeritus,
Belmont University (2001-2021)
“I wanted the Presidency to matter at a university.”
SEE CASE STUDY SUMMARY
Bob Fisher delivered one of the most consequential presidential records in modern American higher education. The record speaks for itself.
When Fisher arrived at Belmont in 2000, the institution carried a net operating deficit of $250,000 and enrolled fewer than 3,000 students. When he retired 21 years later, enrollment had nearly tripled to more than 8,000. Annual operating margin had grown to $110 million. Over $1 billion had been invested in the physical campus — largely without debt — funding 28 new buildings and more than 80 acquired surrounding parcels. Four new colleges had been launched: Law, Medicine, Education, and Pharmacy. Two had been acquired: Art and Architecture. He led the $326 million “We Believe Campaign,” brought men’s basketball to national prominence, and hosted two nationally televised U.S. presidential debates — in 2008 and 2020. He sustained a 5% annual faculty merit raise pool for 20 consecutive years, through market cycles, enrollment pressures, and a global pandemic.
Named CEO of the Year, Tennessean of the Year, and Nashvillian of the Year, Fisher earned the nickname “Bob the Builder.” His perspective on presidential decision-making, board dynamics, resource alignment, and institutional strategy is not theoretical. It is earned.
John Case brings more than 35 years of experience serving higher education, academic medical centers, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutes. His experience spans public and private universities, health care, research institutes, private industry, and HBCUs.
He brings deep expertise in institutional financial and operational strategy, change management, and organizational leadership to support sustainable decision-making. He is the practitioner Fortis Via engages when financial modeling, operational restructuring, or fiscal strategy is central to the engagement.
Connie Harris brings more than 30 years of experience advising organizations on communications strategy, content development, and brand alignment. Her work translates institutional priorities into messaging that drives engagement and results.
She is the practitioner Fortis Via engages when communications positioning, stakeholder narrative, or institutional brand alignment is central to the work.
What Makes Fortis Via Different
Large consulting firms carry structural limitations worth understanding before you commit. Fortis Via is built differently.
| Fortis Via Group | Large Consulting Firms |
|---|---|
| The practitioner who commits to an outcome is the practitioner who delivers it | Senior partner in the pitch; junior analysts in execution |
| Counsel grounded in direct executive experience in the roles your institution depends on | Broad frameworks applied generically |
| Fixed-scope deliverables with defined outputs; we recommend stopping when the evidence does not support moving forward | Engagements designed to expand scope and extend duration |
| The value is in honest assessment, including the willingness to say no | Incentive to validate the client’s existing direction |
| One to two institutions at a time, by design | One to many: serving dozens of institutions simultaneously |