Trustee Education Series

Join SAIS President Debra Wilson for the new Trustee Education Series focused on best practices in independent school governance, including boundaries, confidentiality, committee structure, and more. The curriculum is designed for heads of school, board chairs, and trustees.

This series is an invaluable opportunity for all trustees, especially new trustees, to understand their critical and appropriate role on an independent school board.

Speaker Information:

Debra joined the SAIS staff in July 2019. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. Her past and current board service includes EMA-The Enrollment Management Association, GEBG-Global Education Benchmark Group, MISBO-Mid-South Independent School Business Officers, and NNSP-National Network of School Partnerships. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.

Speaker Information:

Caryn Pass has represented independent schools for more than 25 years. As a partner in Venable’s Independent School Law and Labor and Employment practices and chair of Venable’s Education Practice, she advises schools nationwide on a wide range of legal issues. She tracks trends specific to independent schools and develops industry best practices. Caryn works with schools on legal issues – raised by students, parents, employees, trustees, donors, alumni, neighbors, and vendors – by establishing policies, procedures, and strategies that promote positive working and learning environments while limiting potential liability exposure. A problem solver and strategic thinker, Caryn helps avoid liability while meeting the needs of the school. 

Debra Wilson joined the SAIS staff in July 2019. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. Her past and current board service includes EMA-The Enrollment Management Association, GEBG-Global Education Benchmark Group, MISBO-Mid-South Independent School Business Officers, and NNSP-National Network of School Partnerships. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.

Join Debra Wilson, Nishant Mehta, and Nikki Butts to discuss a practical toolkit to view the financials of a school.

Speaker Information:

Debra Wilson joined the SAIS staff in July 2019. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. Her past and current board service includes EMA-The Enrollment Management Association, GEBG-Global Education Benchmark Group, MISBO-Mid-South Independent School Business Officers, and NNSP-National Network of School Partnerships. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.

Speaker Information:

Valaida Wise is president and principal consultant of her firm, Dr. Valaida Wise Consulting. Specializing in for-profit organizations, nonprofits, and educational institutions, Val brings a unique perspective predicated upon achieving exceptional outcomes across the full spectrum of operations and training with a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, governance, and leadership. Val received her Ed.D. in education leadership from George Washington University. She also holds a masters degree in early childhood education from Trinity College. Her vast experience equips her to address all aspects of organizational management and leadership, parent/teacher relationships, fundraising, staff development, and fiscal management. Val served as the head of school at the National Child Research Center in Washington, DC, The Harbor School in Bethesda, MD, and Henson Valley Montessori School in Prince Georges County MD. She is on the faculty at John Hopkins University, Baltimore in the School of Education. She is the chair of the board of trustees at Creative Minds International Public Charter School in Washington, DC. Also, she sits on the board of the McLean School in Potomac, MD, the Nora School in Silver Spring, MD, and the Association of Independent Schools of Maryland in Glen Burnie, MD.

Debra Wilson joined the SAIS staff in July 2019. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. Her past and current board service includes EMA-The Enrollment Management Association, GEBG-Global Education Benchmark Group, MISBO-Mid-South Independent School Business Officers, and NNSP-National Network of School Partnerships. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.

Over 30 years of research has shown that there is a direct and powerful connection between the effectiveness of schools and the longevity of heads.

Long-term heads lead to mission consistency, constituent continuity, more effective fundraising over time, and better working partnerships between heads and boards. Head turnover, with an average tenure at each school of 5.5 years, leads to power vacuums, frequent searches and transitions, lost revenue, missed opportunities, stakeholder unrest, and mission drift.

How do we keep our “heads”? What have the great schools with long-term successful heads taught us about how they find, keep, and work so effectively with their heads? What have great heads taught us about the characteristics of their success and the secrets of their staying power?

This session will discuss the research, the history, and the powerful correlation of these two important elements in the health, growth, and development of independent schools. 

Speaker Information:

John Littleford served as teacher, trustee, and head of school for over 25 years. For the past 28 years he has been a consultant to over 6,000 independent and international schools. His clients also include corporations, foundations, universities, and a range of other nonprofit organizations. Mr. Littleford is the founder and senior partner of Littleford & Associates. The firm’s areas of expertise are board governance, strategic planning, executive and faculty compensation and evaluation; executive searches; marketing strategies including admissions; fundraising, managing change; school climate; institutional and financial audits; and team building. His widely read landmark book, Faculty Salary Systems in Independent Schools was published by NAIS for 20 years. John Littleford speaks and leads workshops at conferences for independent and international school and nonprofit leadership all over the world. Littleford & Associates’ newsletter is published four times a year and is widely read by 25,000 trustees and schools and not-for-profit leaders.

Debra joined the SAIS staff in July 2019. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. Her past and current board service includes EMA-The Enrollment Management Association, GEBG-Global Education Benchmark Group, MISBO-Mid-South Independent School Business Officers, and NNSP-National Network of School Partnerships. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.

Speaker Information:

Debra Wilson joined the SAIS staff in July 2019. She grew up in Connecticut, where she graduated from the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. Debra received her B.A. in English from Sewanee, The University of the South, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She previously served as general counsel for NAIS for 19 years. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice. Her past and current board service includes EMA-The Enrollment Management Association, GEBG-Global Education Benchmark Group, MISBO-Mid-South Independent School Business Officers, and NNSP-National Network of School Partnerships. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors in the low country of South Carolina.