2027 Administrative Professionals Retreat

presented by: Elyse Lozada, HR Coordinator, The Baldwin School

If coordinating calendars and scheduling meetings is a regular part of your work, Google Calendar Appointment Schedules can help make the process faster and easier.

Elyse Lozada will introduce this simple scheduling tool and demonstrate how school professionals can use it to eliminate much of the back-and-forth involved in finding meeting times. Through practical examples, she will show participants how to create and customize appointment schedules for different needs, including meetings with colleagues, prospective employees, families, and other external contacts.

Participants will learn how to:

• Create and customize appointment schedules for different types of meetings

• Streamline scheduling by allowing others to select from available times

• Use appointment links with people outside their school, including those without Gmail accounts

• Create a clear, welcoming booking experience with simple email language for sharing scheduling links

Participants will leave ready to create and use their own appointment schedules to save time and simplify an everyday administrative task.

About the Presenter

Elyse Lozada joined The Baldwin School community in 2022 as Human Resources Coordinator. In her role, she supports the Human Resources Director, Business Office, and Auxiliary Programs team, contributing across a range of administrative and operational functions.

A proud member of the Baldwin community, Elyse especially looks forward to the school’s Senior Song tradition each year. Outside of work, she is an avid reader and can almost always be found with a book by her side.

presented by: Erica Zematis, Special Assistant to the President’s Office, NAIS

The strongest assistants do more than manage the day-to-day. They understand the bigger picture, anticipate needs, and think strategically alongside their head of school.

Independent schools are navigating shifts in enrollment, hiring, technology, and the student experience, and administrative roles are evolving right along with them. Drawing on her perspective as Executive Assistant at NAIS, Erica Zematis will explore the trends shaping independent schools and what they mean for the professionals who support school leaders.

Participants will learn how to:

• Understand the bigger picture by identifying key trends affecting independent schools and school leadership

• Strengthen their strategic partnership with their head of school by becoming more informed, proactive, and forward-thinking

• Build new skills to meet the demands of an evolving administrative role

• Articulate their value and impact to support professional growth and future opportunities

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the changing independent school landscape and practical ideas for growing their skills, strengthening their leadership partnership, and advancing professionally.

About the Presenter

Erica Zematis serves as Special Assistant to the President’s Office at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), supporting NAIS President Debra Wilson. Previously, she served as Executive Assistant to the Head of School at Jacksonville Country Day School. She brings more than 25 years of experience in administrative support roles.

Erica has published articles designed to help assistants strengthen their professional skills, covering topics including board meeting minutes, leadership development, supporting multiple leaders, goal setting, and building positive working relationships. At NAIS, she has championed new initiatives to support school executive assistants through webinars, peer connections, and a new institute launched in April 2026.

Erica holds a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from the University of North Florida. As a military spouse, she has had the opportunity to live, work, and build community in many different parts of the world.