Featured Speakers

Kyle Scheele

Monday, February 24

Innovation Expert, “Patron Saint of Crazy Ideas”

With an authentic blend of humor and heart, Kyle Scheele provides teams and individuals with practical tools for boosting creativity, innovation, risk-taking and resilience.

Kyle Scheele has been called "the patron saint of crazy ideas.” Whether he's holding a Viking funeral for the regrets of 21,000 people, hosting the world's first fake marathon, or gaining a million TikTok followers in just 25 hours, Scheele is always on the lookout for crazy ideas that produce wildly outsized outcomes.

Over the last decade, his projects have been featured in outlets like Fast Company, WIRED, The Washington Post, Yahoo!, BuzzFeed, UpWorthy, Goalcast and more. His videos have been viewed over 250 million times, and he has spoken to hundreds of thousands of audience members across the United States. More than anything, Scheele hopes that his story can inspire others to chase their own crazy ideas and become the people they were meant to be.

Crystal Washington

Tuesday, February 25

Technology Trends Expert and One of Forbes’ 50 Leading Female Futurists

Futurist, author and Hall of Fame Speaker, Crystal Washington equips organizations with the knowledge they need to become “future-proof.” As a technology strategist and certified futurist, Washington makes complex artificial intelligence, social media and app technology easy to understand and accessible for everyday people.

Washington’s clients include Fortune 100 companies, with Google, American Express and Pfizer among them. As a sought-after keynote speaker, she has entertained and educated audiences around the globe.

As one of Forbes’ 50 Leading Female Futurists, she appears weekly on season two of the Emmy-nominated show Life 2.0. She’s also appeared in numerous publications, including Entrepreneur and Bloomberg Businessweek, and major television networks regularly call on her as a tech expert.

Washington is the author of “One Tech Action” and “The Social Media Why.”

Jeff Shields

Wednesday, February 26

NBOA President and Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Shields, FASAE, CAE, has served as president and CEO of NBOA for more than 10 years. Under his leadership, the association has grown from 23 founding member schools in 1998 to over 1,300 U.S. member schools, plus member schools in Mexico, Canada and 20 other countries around the globe. Shields serves as a trustee for the Enrollment Management Association (EMA) and on the board of AMHIC, a self-governing insurance company for nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC. Previously, he served on the board of directors of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE); as a trustee for One Schoolhouse, an innovative online school offering supplemental education to independent schools; and as a trustee for Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC.

Duncan Booth

Wednesday, February 26

NBOA Board Chair, Chief Operating Officer, The St. Paul's Schools

Duncan Booth is chief operating officer at The St. Paul’s Schools in Maryland. As chief operating officer, Booth advances initiatives on behalf of the institution and collaborates with the leadership team, athletic and academic departments for day-to-day continuity. In addition, Booth has campus-wide responsibility for all operations, including facilities, safety and security, technology and risk management. Prior to working at The St. Paul’s Schools, he served as assistant head of school for finance and operations at Roland Park Country School. Booth is a leader in business operations amongst independent schools. He currently serves as the chair of the NBOA Board of Directors and was previously trustee of the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools (AIMS).