2024-2025 Online Governance Series
For Board Chairs/Clerks, Governance Committee Chairs/Clerks, Heads of School, and all Trustees.
Join us for another year of relevant, timely, practical sessions on issues around school governance.
Join us for another year of relevant, timely, practical sessions on issues around school governance.
Click on the tabs below for a description of each session in this year's Series.
The Sessions
Building Bridges, Not Walls
Thursday, September 12, 2024 | 7:30-9:00 AM | Peter T. Coleman, PhD
This interactive session will practical guidance for leading your independent school through the complexities of political polarization. Today's political climate can seep into classrooms, challenging civil discourse. This session will equip school leaders with tools to: Understand how polarization impacts student learning and your school community. Develop policies promoting respectful dialogue, critical thinking, and media literacy. Foster a culture of civil discourse where all voices are heard. Equip educators with strategies for navigating sensitive topics constructively.
About Peter T. Coleman, PhD
Dr. Peter T Coleman is a professor of psychology and education at Columbia University and a renowned expert on constructive conflict resolution, intractable conflict and sustaining peace. Dr. Coleman has authored or edited a dozen books, well over 100 scientific articles and chapters, is the recipient of various awards, and his work has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Nature, Scientific American, PBS Newshour, and Harvard Business Review. His most recent book, The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization (2021) was released by Columbia University Press.
Peter Coleman can be reached at coleman@exchange.tc.
Trusteeship 101
Thursday, October 10, 2024 | 8-9:30 AM | John Littleford
John Littleford, Senior Partner, Littleford & Associates, will present an interactive overview, using case studies, of the basic concepts of independent school governance, including boundaries, confidentiality, committee structure and more. Topics that will be covered and touched upon include:
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being a strategic board
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boundaries and the proper channeling of issues
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board policy vs. management and operations
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confidentiality
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managing constituents and constituent related incidents or crises
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board and committee structures and types and functions of committees
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the critical role of the committee on trustees
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board and head and chair evaluation
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This session is an invaluable opportunity for all trustees, especially new trustees, to understand their critical and appropriate role on an independent school board.
About John Littleford
John Littleford served as teacher, trustee, and head of school in his 25 year independent school career. Since 1994 he has been a full-time consultant to over 3,000 independent and international schools as well as corporations, foundations, universities, and a range of medical and arts oriented non-profit organizations. As Senior Partner of Littleford & Associates, John's expertise includes: governance, strategic planning, executive and faculty compensation and evaluation, executive searches, marketing, fund raising, managing change, crisis management, school climate, organizational review, institutional and financial audits, and team building.
John has been a speaker, presenter, workshop leader and keynote on several continents and is the author of a highly popular book on faculty salary systems in independent schools. His firm's newsletter goes out five times a year to 25,000 trustees and school leaders and is circulated and read worldwide.
Navigating Challenges: Leading & Governing Independent Schools
Thursday, January 16, 2025 | 8:30-10:00 AM | James P. Honan
Info CoThis session will highlight some of the key strategic and financial challenges facing independent schools and provide guidance for the potential roles that Heads and Trustees can play in addressing these challenges in the coming years.
About James P. Honan
James P. Honan is a Senior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and has served on the faculty at the HGSE since 1991. He is also a faculty member at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), an affiliate faculty member with the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at HKS, and a member of the Faculty Executive Committee of the Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) at Harvard University. He is Educational Co-Chair of the Institute for Educational Management (IEM) at HGSE and Faculty Chair of Emirates Leadership Initiative Executive Education Program and Nonprofit Financial Stewardship (NFS) at HKS, a fully online executive education program. He has also been a faculty member in a number of Harvard's other executive education programs and professional development institutes for educational leaders and non-profit administrators, including the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents, the Management Development Program, the ACRL/Harvard Leadership Institute, Crisis Leadership in Higher Education (Faculty Co-Chair), HGSE/Grantmakers for Education Program (Faculty Chair), the Principals' Center, and the Harvard Institute for School Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education; Governing for Non-Profit Excellence, Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management, NAACP Board Retreat, and Habitat for Humanity Leadership Conference (Faculty Section Chair) at the Harvard Business School (HBS); and Strategic Management for Charter School Leaders, Achieving Excellence in Community Development, American Red Cross Partners in Organizational Leadership Program and US/Japan Workshops on Accountability and International NGOs at the Harvard Kennedy School. He has served as Faculty Co-Chair of the Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations program, an institute developed by the Initiative on Social Enterprise at HBS and the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University and served previously as Educational Chair of HGSE's Management Development Program. He has also taught in executive education programs and professional development institutes in Aruba, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Guatemala, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Thailand, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. He has served as a consultant on strategic planning, resource allocation, and performance measurement and management to numerous colleges, universities, schools, foundations, and non-profit organizations both nationally and internationally.
Demystifying Racial Competence
Thursday, February 13, 2025 | 8:30-10:00 AM | Ali Michael, PhD
"Racial competence is a matter of skill, not character," according to Howard Stevenson, PhD. In other words, if you find it difficult to manage racial stress, if you struggle to recognize racism or you can't think of ways to intervene when you see it happening, that's not because you are bad. It's because you haven’t had the chance to practice, it’s a lack of skill. This workshop will unpack the 4 foundational aspects of racial competence for trustees and institutional leadership, why they matter, and how to acquire them. These skills are critical and applicable for both multiracial boards and racially homogenous boards. The facilitator is White and will share many stories from her life and research.
About Ali Michael, PhD
As the Co-Director of the Race Institute for K-12 Educators, Ali Michael, PhD, works with schools and organizations across the country to help make research on race, Whiteness, and education more accessible and relevant to educators. Fall 2022, Ali released her two most recent publications, including Our Problem, Our Path: Collective Anti-racism for White People, co-authored with Dr. Eleonora Bartoli (Corwin, 2022). Her other new release is the young adult adaptation of White Fragility, co-adapted with Toni Graves Williamson, entitled White Fragility: Why Understanding Racism Can be so Hard for White People (Beacon Press, 2022). Ali is the author of Raising Race Questions: Whiteness, Inquiry and Education (Teachers College Press, 2015), winner of the 2017 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Award. She is co-editor of the bestselling Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice: 15 Stories (2015, Stylus Press), the bestselling Guide for White Women who Teach Black Boys (2017, Corwin Press), and Teaching Beautiful and Brilliant Black Girls (2021, Corwin Press). Ali sits on the editorial board of the journal Whiteness and Education. She teaches in the Diversity and Inclusion Program at Princeton University and the Equity Institutes for Higher Education at the University of Southern California. When she is not writing, speaking, or training, Ali is striving to be an anti-racist co-parent to two amazing kids.
Navigating the Educational Hiring Landscape:
Insights and Strategies for Boards of Trustees and Heads of Schools
Thursday, April 3, 2025 | 8:30-10:00 AM | Darryl J. Ford
Navigating the educational hiring landscape requires a strategic and proactive approach. By understanding the latest trends, leveraging technology, promoting diversity, and implementing best practices, educational institutions can position themselves for success in attracting and retaining top-tier talent. This presentation aims to equip Boards of Trustees and Heads of Schools with the insights and strategies needed to thrive in today's competitive hiring environment. Key objectives include:
- Understand the current hiring landscape in education, including emerging trends and challenges.
- Identify strategies to attract and retain top-tier talent amid increasing competition.
- Discuss best practices for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in educational hiring.
- Provide actionable recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of recruitment efforts.
About Darryl J. Ford
Darryl J. Ford joined Carney, Sandoe and Associates as Vice President, Education Leadership Services, after three decades of leadership in private schools. In addition to leading executive searches, Darryl helps advance new initiatives to support leaders through transition, mentor and train aspiring leaders, and advance the social impact for educators and students across a wide range of educational organizations.
Most recently, Darryl served as Head of School at the William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia from 2007-2023. During his 16 years as a hands-on head of school, Darryl led a $135 million capital campaign and developed a master plan to transform the campus while implementing a strategic vision and attending to the day-to-day work of the school. Darryl’s former roles include serving for 10 years as the Director of Middle School at Penn Charter as well as Head and Executive Director of St. Gregory’s Episcopal School, a low-tuition school for boys in Chicago.
He offers significant higher education experience having served on the board of Villanova University for 10 years. Specifically, he served on the board’s executive, student affairs, and audit and risk committees, and served on and chaired the academic affairs committee when the University increased the number of doctoral students and doctorates granted and achieved R2 status with high research activity.
More recently, Darryl served on Villanova University’s Aequitas Committee to analyze DEIB on campus and helped to implement university-wide changes. In addition, he is part-time Lecturer in the School Leadership Program in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. There, Darryl presents on and explores symbolic leadership as an important frame for leaders understand and employ, among other topics.
Darryl has extensive governance experience and currently serves on the boards of Wilmington Friends School, AIM Academy, Cliveden of the National Trust, and the Foundation Board of the Wissahickon Charter School. Prior board service includes Friends Council on Education, Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, Steppingstone Scholars, and Pennsylvania Association of Independent School’s Commission on Accreditation. Critical to Darryl’s leadership is a commitment of personal and institutional service and supporting individuals and schools in meaningful ways. He has participated on and led many accreditation teams, mentored many aspiring and established school leaders across the country, and is a sought-after speaker in K-12 and higher education.
Leadership Services
Thursday, May 8,2025 | 8:30-10:00 AM | Debra P. Wilson
Session description coming soon.
About Debra P. Wilson
Debra P. Wilson is the ninth president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
From 2019 until 2023, Wilson served as president of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), where she led the organization through a period of growth and supported school leaders in her region through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her SAIS role followed 19 years at NAIS, first as assistant director of regulatory affairs and later as general counsel. In that capacity, she oversaw regulatory and advocacy work for the organization, supported schools in crises, advanced best practices in governance, and created dozens of legal advisories along with other informational resources. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice.
In addition to serving on the boards of several schools, Debra’s board service includes The Enrollment Management Association (EMA), Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG), Mid-South Independent School Business Officers (MISBO), and National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP).
Speaking frequently on topics such as leadership and governance, school safety and risk, and community health and well-being, Wilson is also co-author of the NAIS Trustee Handbook (10th and 11th editions).
Wilson received a B.A. in English from Sewanee: The University of the South and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She is a graduate of the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors.
Risk Management Hot Topics for School Leaders
Thursday, June 5, 2025 | 8:00-9:30 AM | Sara Schwartz
In this lively and interactive session, experienced education and employment lawyer Sara Schwartz will facilitate a discussion about risk management for Board Chairs and Heads of School in 2025. While topics will be finalized in June, Sara will likely address topics such as: fostering the Head of School-Board Chair relationship; anticipating and resolving anonymous and other complaints; developments in student discipline litigation; governance priorities; and enterprise risk management.
About Sarah Schwartz
Sara Schwartz is the Founder and President of Schwartz Hannum PC, a law firm founded in 1995 and based in Andover, MA, that specializes in education, employment and labor law. In the course of representing more than 350 educational institutions across the United States, Sara has become a trusted advisor to Heads of Schools, Presidents, Chairmen of the Board, Deans, Business Officers and others as independent school and higher education leaders tackle and resolve matters of school governance, student and employee disciplinary matters, risk management, sexual abuse allegations, and the myriad compliance documents such as enrollment agreements, school bylaws, student/parent handbooks and more. Sara is a cum laude graduate of both Yale College and Harvard Law School.