Monday

Think Different

Monday, Noon - 1:00 pm

Duncan Wardle, Founder, iD8 & innov8; Head of Innovation, Disney

Leading with Purpose through a Pandemic

Monday, 1:15 pm - 2:30 pm

Hear from the head of school and CFOO of Western Reserve Academy, who both quickly realized that a pandemic posed challenges as well as opportunities. Learn about some of the many initiatives WRA put in place, including community outreach, purposeful positive messaging, strategic planning, scholarship creation, and advocating for legislation helpful to reopen school. Learn how this approach and style of thinking can become the model for other initiatives post pandemic.

Thomas P. Arnold, MBA, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, Western Reserve Academy
Suzanne Walker Buck, Head of School, Western Reserve Academy

Beyond "Budget vs. Actual": Using Strategy To Guide Your School's Future

Monday, 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

How do we assess or create future budgets when so much is unknown? Reviewing your budget against actual costs is standard practice, but in the wake of a crisis, most of us have wondered what other tools do we need? We will make the case for presenting forecasting, modeling and scenario planning that go beyond historical information.

Curtis Klotz, CPA, Director of Nonprofit Innovation, CLA
Sarah Reichling, CPA, Principal, CLA

Building a Remote, Fully Automated Business Office

Monday, 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

Every business office should strive to streamline business processes, and in this environment, being able to continue all business activity remotely is even more important. Information systems that interface with each other, both inside and outside of the business office, are essential. Learn how a business office outsourced many of its core functions to a third party and automated all aspects of finance, HR, and operational functions.

Eric M. Norman, MBA, CPA, Chief Financial Officer, Tower Hill School
Lee Podolski, President, Breakwater Accounting and Advisory Corp

Empowering Your Community To Bridge the Disparity Gap

Monday, 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

Inclusive and diverse workplaces promote positive social behavior and ties and strengthen employee and organizational well-being. Other benefits: creativity in the workplace, greater trust and positive regard, and empathy. In this session, learn actionable strategies to address inequities and develop a roadmap to implement tactics or programs that address diversity gaps and foster an environment of inclusiveness, growth, and community empowerment.

Nebeyou Abede, Global Vice President, Health & Wellbeing, Sodexo
Selena Cuffe, MBA, President, SodexoMAGIC
Sherry D. Ephraim, National, Director of Business Development, Sodexo

Innovate the Space: Strengthening School Community Through Capital Planning

Monday, 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

Learn how one independent school, Connelly School of the Holy Child, is modernizing its learning spaces and gathering areas while embarking on a long-range campus master plan. Partnering with independent school planning experts Hord Coplan Macht, Holy Child is transforming its facilities. This session explores the methods and outcomes of the planning process, strategies, and tactics to build upon past successes, and avenues to carry forward ambitious campus improvements.

Shannon Gomez, Head of School, Connelly School of the Holy Child
Peter Winebrenner, AIA, LEED AP, REFP, Principal, Hord Coplan Macht

Interrupting Implicit Bias in the Virtual Hiring Process

Monday, 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

Virtual hiring creates additional challenges for schools seeking to diversify their faculty and staff. This session focuses on how to interrupt implicit bias in the virtual hiring environment by examining and redesigning the structural, cultural and historical processes schools typically use. Learn how implicit bias can unintentionally enter the virtual hiring process, how to support candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, and how to audit hiring processes for bias, as well as ways to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for new hires.

Lawrence Alexander II, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Carney Sandoe
Brandon Jacobs, Associate, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practice, Carney Sandoe
Sara S. Skinner, SPHR, SHRM, SCP, Director of Human Resources, Lakeside School

Mitigating the Risk of Abuse in Boarding, Camp and Auxiliary Programs

Monday, 1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

This session, led by national experts in managing the risk of child abuse in school and extracurricular settings, spotlights the challenges schools face with boarding, camp and other auxiliary programs. Learn about effective strategies to limit the risk of abuse in these areas.

Ross Mitchell, Account Manager, Praesidium

Judgment and Decision-Making via Scenario Forecasting: Action Planning for the Future in Uncertain Times

Monday, 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm

Foresight is the practice of predicting and planning for the future. For it to have practical value in strategic planning, organizational leaders need a straightforward and structured process through which they can guide their team. This session will teach you how to develop scenario forecasts using a five-step process. It begins with an analysis of external forces that could affect your organization and ends with specific, actionable recommendations to minimize risk and maximize future opportunities.

Jennifer O. Hillen, CPA, CGMA, Chief Learning Officer, NBOA
Patrick Schuermann, Ed.D., Faculty, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University

Financial Transparency for Faculty, Staff and Trustees

Monday, 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm

To help faculty, staff and trustees gain a better understanding of school operations and financial matters, Stevenson School developed a number of financial fact "updates" and distributes them on a semi-monthly basis. These communications promote financial transparency and help our faculty, staff and trustees improve their understanding of the school's operations and finances, one building block at a time. Developing an accounting "glossary of terms" for reference has also improved understanding.

Edward F. DiYanni, Chief Financial Officer, Stevenson School
Matthew Sclafani, Controller, Stevenson School

Into the Unknown: Crisis Communication Strategies for Uncertain Times

Monday, 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm

While crisis communication is not new to schools, the need to consistently reassess effective crisis communication strategies has been paramount as the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded. Schools are continually reassessing the key question underlying every crisis communication: How does a school balance transparency against the need for privacy, while still protecting the institution from liability? This session will review the legal, practical and public relations considerations to develop a crisis communication plan that is prepared to respond in an evolving landscape.

Emily Cooke, Director of Strategic Communications, Roland Park Country School
Janice P. Gregerson, Esq, Attorney, Venable LLP
Christopher J. Lukach, APR, President, AKCG - Public Relations Counselors

Shaping Campus Master Plans in a Post-Coronavirus World

Monday, 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools will be forced to think even more creatively about investing in their physical plant and aligning their facilities with their mission. When preparing to reopen for in-person learning this fall, Ranney School began to address deferred maintenance needs while shifting programmatic goals and resources. This paved the way for a comprehensive master plan adapted for the evolving times. Learn how the school's planning process and outcomes changed to align with new goals and best practices.

Larry Eighmy, Managing Principal, The Stone House Group
Justin Hedde, AIA, Associate Principal, Centerbrook Architects and Planners
Mark Simon, M. Arch, FAIA, Principal, Centerbrook Architects and Planners
Chuck Zalewski, Business Officer, Ranney School

Reorganizing the Org Chart: Consolidating Leadership Roles While Preserving Culture

Monday, 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm

The number of administrators and directors in schools has been increasing steadily, while many heads acknowledge the "director" title is used more often as a means to retain employees than to advance strategy. With budget reductions on the horizon, schools must finally reckon with ill-defined or out-of-control organizational charts. Learn how to restructure departments, reduce and consolidate leadership roles, and implement organizational clarity without destroying the strong culture essential to an independent school community.

Gabriel Lucas, MIMS, Principal, 12M Recruiting & Ed Tech Recruiting

Risk Management Reviews: Much More than Policy Audits

Monday, 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm

When schools evaluate risk, they should consider exposures that can impact both the reputation and assets of independent schools. This session will provide an overview of best practices for risk management and liability review to ensure schools are able to minimize time and expenses on risk mitigation efforts while protecting students, staff and communities. Learn about McDonogh School's multi-year process to develop its first-ever enterprise risk management (ERM) program.

Jack Hardcastle, Chief Risk Officer/Chief Information Officer/Title IX Coordinator, McDonogh School
Rusty Godfrey, CSRM, CIC, Regional Director, K-12 Independent Schools Practice, Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, Inc.