About Max Quinn, M.Ed.
Hi, I’m Max.
Higher Ed leader. Resilience and Nutrition Coach. Speaker. Children’s Book Author. Husband and Proud Father.
I’ve spent more than 15 years helping students navigate some of the biggest transitions of their lives. It took me a lot longer to learn how to take care of the person doing that work.
At 35, I was tired, inconsistent, and running on empty. I knew what I should be doing. I just didn’t have a system that fit the life I was actually living. So I tried everything: starting over on Mondays, relying on motivation, chasing perfection. None of it lasted.
The real change came when I stopped trying to be perfect and started building standards. Small habits. Simple structure. Daily actions repeated long enough to become part of who I am. Those standards rebuilt my energy, helped me lose more than 80 pounds, and changed how I show up as a husband, a father, and a leader.
That experience reshaped the work I want to do. Being successful on paper doesn’t mean much if you don’t have the energy and resilience to show up for the people who depend on you. In our field, that’s the students, the teams we lead, and the families waiting for us at home.
In higher education
15+ years in student affairs
My career has run through residence life, living-learning communities, student conduct, graduate enrollment management, and student affairs leadership. The through line has always been the same: building people-centered systems that help students grow, and coaching staff and student leaders to own their development.
- Director of Student AffairsTufts University School of Medicine · 2024 to present
Leading student engagement and support for graduate students in medical and health sciences programs.
- Assistant Dean of Student Affairs & Enrollment ManagementUMass Chan Medical School, Graduate School of Nursing · 2020 to 2024
Founded and led the Office of Student Affairs & Admissions, built enrollment and student success systems, and co-led the school’s first Strategic Enrollment Management Plan.
- Assistant Director, Residence Life & Living-Learning CommunitiesUMass Lowell · 2016 to 2020
Led living-learning communities focused on leadership and belonging, and coached the professional staff serving 1,400+ residential students.
- Resident DirectorBridgewater State University · 2014 to 2016
Led a 500-bed residential community with living-learning communities and themed housing.
- Graduate Research AssistantMassachusetts Aggression Reduction Center, Bridgewater State · 2011 to 2013
Spoke to more than 17,000 K-12 and college students across Massachusetts on bullying prevention and bystander intervention.
NASPA has been my professional home
My NASPA story started in grad school on the Region 1 conference committee, and it’s run through my whole career since. Coming back to Region I to lead the Fitness Club feels like coming full circle.
- Graduate Conference Intern, Region 1 Conference CommitteeNASPA Region 1 · 2012
Helped the committee plan and run the Region 1 and SALT conferences, and facilitated the Digital Brand Creation Station workshop at SALT.
- Presenter, Region 1 ConferenceNASPA Region 1 · 2014
Our HIPs Don’t Lie: Intentional Outcomes and High Impact Practices
- Mentee, New Professionals Mentoring InstituteNASPA Region 1 · 2014 to 2015
Paired with a senior student affairs leader for a year of mentorship and professional development.
- Co-Presenter, Region 1 ConferenceNASPA Region 1 · 2015
Professional Building Blocks: Competencies to Master for New Professionals
Smooth Transitions for New Professionals - Technology Knowledge Community Chair, Regional Advisory BoardNASPA Region 1 · 2016 to 2018
Led the region’s Technology Knowledge Community as a member of the Region 1 Advisory Board.
- Presenter, Mid-Level Administrators ConferenceNASPA · 2026
Win Your Day: A Practical Framework for Building Resilience, Discipline, and Daily Leadership in Higher Education. An interactive workshop where participants built a personal system of daily non-negotiables to close the gap between intention and execution, and build momentum without relying on motivation.
- Facilitator & Coach, NASPA Region 1 Fitness ClubNASPA Region I Annual Conference · November 14 to 17, 2026 · Manchester, NH
Free morning workouts to help colleagues pay themselves first. Join us
Education
M.Ed., Student Affairs Counseling
B.S., Business Management
Bridgewater State University
Certification
NASM Certified Nutrition Coach
Clifton Strengths
Consistency, Achiever, Discipline, Restorative, Relator
As a coach
The Family Legacy Project
The Family Legacy Project is my coaching practice and community, built around practical resilience, real nutrition, and sustainable habits for people whose lives are already full. I work with parents, professionals, and leaders who care deeply about the people counting on them and are tired of running on empty.
There’s no secret diet and no six-week fix. We build consistency, accountability, and systems that work with your life instead of fighting against it. Success looks like more energy, better follow-through, and showing up fully at work and at home, whatever your starting line.
As a NASM Certified Nutrition Coach, I live what I teach, as a dad, a husband, and a professional with a full calendar just like yours.
1:1 Coaching
Nutrition, habits, and accountability built around your real schedule and your goals.
Community Fitness
Free, all-levels community workouts through our Bay State Fitness Club, where people move, connect, and get stronger together.
Free Personal Results Plan
A 30-minute, action-first session that leaves you with a daily plan you can start right away.
On stage
Speaking
I speak to higher ed professionals, student leaders, and teams about resilience, personal responsibility, and building standards that hold up under pressure. My signature keynote is Pivot Points: A Personal Responsibility & Resilience Framework for Leaders at Work and Home, built around ownership-driven decisions and sustainable performance under pressure.
Other keynotes and workshops include Becoming Your Best Self: Resilience Strategies for Career, Family, and Life Transitions and The Energy & Performance Blueprint: Why Your Health Is Your Most Underrated Leadership Advantage, plus student leader workshops.
Upcoming · Oct. 29, 2026
Win the Workday: Building Resilience, Discipline, and Momentum
Higher Education Networking Collective, Professional Development Day, Simmons University, Boston
June 2026
Becoming Your Best Self: Resilience Strategies for Career, Family, and Life Transitions
Higher Education Networking Collective, Virtual
November 2025
Becoming Your Best Self: Resilience Strategies for Career & Life
NEGAP Fall Conference
November 2024
Forging Personal Excellence: Mental Toughness in Graduate Enrollment Management
NEGAP Fall Conference
For the kids
The Day We Ran Out Of Ketchup
A Flavorful Lesson In Never Giving Up. My children’s book follows Peter, whose day goes sideways when the ketchup runs out, and who finds a creative way to adapt instead of giving up.
It’s resilience for the youngest readers: setbacks are a chance to get creative, not a reason to quit.
Bring The Ketchup Club to your school
The Ketchup Club brings the book to life for K-12 students through interactive assemblies, a laugh-out-loud live reading, and family fitness nights. The club has one rule: never give up. Kids learn three club moves to get there.
Aligned with the CASEL social-emotional learning competencies of self-awareness and self-management, and built on a speaking legacy that has reached more than 17,000 K-12 students across Massachusetts. Now booking schools across New England.
Let’s connect
If any part of my story feels familiar, I’d love to hear yours. Whether you want to talk shop about student affairs, bring a session to your campus, or build better standards for yourself, reach out.
In your corner, Max
Discipline Today. Legacy Tomorrow.
The Family Legacy Project, its coaching services, and my speaking work are independent of my employer. Views shared here are my own.