Confidently You: Women in Leadership

On this episode of Confidently You , we have not one, not two, but three Heads of School joining us: Dr. Laura Hotchkiss, Head of School at Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (PA) Sally Keidel, Head of School at The Agnes Irwin School (PA) Dr. Karen Warren Coleman, Head of School at William Penn Charter School (PA) We're excited to welcome these three accomplished women to the podcast to discuss their...

On this episode of Confidently You , our guest is Elizabeth Maglio, Director of Professional Learning at the Southern Association of Independent Schools, also known as SAIS. Elizabeth is here to discuss her career and how important her core values are to her work as a leader and community builder.

On this episode of Confidently You , our guest is Erin Rehel, the Chief Operating Officer of One Schoolhouse, an organization that partners with independent schools to create programs, products, and services for Academic Leaders. Erin is a brilliant leader, and we're excited to talk with her about her career, her educational journey, and her passion for developing the next generation of school lea...

On this episode of Confidently You , we're interviewing Confidently You cohost, Lynne Macziewski, Head of School at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr, PA. We discuss her journey from classroom teacher to Head of School. She reflects on the opportunities, the mentors, and all the learning along the way.

On this episode of Confidently You, we're joined by Emily Krichbaum, Director of Strategic Programs and Education at the National Women's History Museum. Emily is also an athlete and a coach, and she is passionate about women and girls in sports. She joined us to talk about the intersection of athletics and leadership for women and girls.

On this episode of Confidently You, we're joined by Megan Murphy, Global Executive Director of The International Coalition of Girls' School, also known as ICGS. We discuss the evolution of ICGS and its new Global Leadership Institute, a one-year fellowship for girl-serving educators and professionals to advance their expertise in leadership. 

On this episode of Confidently You , we're joined by  Polly Fredlund, Head of School at Westover School, an all-girls boarding and day school for grades 9-12 in Middlebury, CT. Polly is an independent school leader with over twenty-five years of experience working in schools as an Assistant Head of School, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Assistant Director of Upper School, English teache...

On this episode of Confidently You , we're joined by Liza Garonzik, founder and CEO of R.E.A.L Discussion. We're talking with Liza about her career in and around independent schools, her path to entrepreneurship, and how listening is the key to unlocking your leadership capabilities.

On this episode of Confidently You , we're joined by Cheryl Schenk, Director of Enrollment Management at Eastside Preparatory School, in Kirkland, Washington, just outside of Seattle. We're discussing with Cheryl what it means to be an authentic and vulnerable leader and how she cultivates an inclusive community at Eastside Prep.    

On this episode of Confidently You, we're joined by a team of women leaders from the Browning School, an all-boys K-12 day school in New York City. Our guests are Jan Abernathy, Chief Communications Officer, Janet Lien, Assistant Head of School and Director of Enrollment, and Kelly West, Director of Admissions. We're discussing creating a culture within their administration that supports women lea...

On this episode of Confidently You, we're joined by Claire Goldsmith. Claire is an educational innovation and strategy consultant for schools and non-profits through her company, Lamplight Education. She is also the Chair of the EMA Board of Trustees. We're excited to discuss Claire's career journey, being a thought leader in Ed Tech, and her experiences serving on Boards.

On this episode of Confidently You, we're joined by Dr. Susan Perry, Associate Head of School for Wellness and Belonging at Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, North Carolina, and Senior Consultant for EXPLO Elevate. We're excited to discuss Susan's career, the role wellness and belonging play in our school community, and what potential this new model has to create healthy, sustainable schoo...

On this episode of Confidently You , we're joined by Dr. Autumn Graves, Head of School at St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville, VA. Her leadership extends beyond her own school - Dr, Graves is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of SAIS, she sits on the Board of Directors of the 1911 Group, and is also a Board member of Leadership + Design. We're excited to discuss Dr. Graves's career and he...

In this episode, we're joined by Jen Evers, Executive Director of The Heads Network and former Director of Strategic Initiatives & Professional Development at the International Coalition of Girls Schools. We're going to talk about Jen's career with independent schools and associations, her future with The Heads Network, and how we can all work together to help women lead authentically. 

On this episode, we're joined by Whitney Soule, Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania. Whitney shares her career journey through higher ed, what she has learned in the first few years of her current position, and how she has led a team through tumultuous times.

On this episode of Headspace, we're joined by Jodi Grass, the Head of The Oak Grove School in Ojai, California. Jodi has been Head of School for seven years but has been a part of the Oak Grove Community for 17 years. Listen in as we learn more about her path to leadership, how her values align with Oak Grove's mission, and how she has navigated big changes at a small school.  

In this episode, we're joined by Donna Orem. Donna became president of NAIS in 2016. Before that, she served as NAIS's chief operating officer for 11 years. But, she began at NAIS in 1998 as the vice president for educational leadership and later became the vice president for strategic initiatives and research. Now, 25 years later, Donna is heading into the next chapter in her career: retirement....

Welcome to part two of our conversation with Meera Shah and Amy Richards from Educational Directions. We are Demystifying the Search Process for women leaders in independent schools. In this episode, we're talking about the nuts and bolts of the process, the role of the search firm versus the search committee, what materials you'll need to prepare, and how to navigate the process with confidence.

In this episode, we're joined by Rebecca Taylor, Director of Human Resources at Georgetown Day School. After spending ten years as a Director of Human Resources at an independent school in North Carolina, Rebecca joined GDS in 2022 to help create a comprehensive Human Resources function. We're going to talk about the important leadership skill of hiring as well as what to think about when applying...

In this episode, we're joined by Meera Shah and Amy Richards from Educational Directions, a nationally recognized consulting firm for independent schools specializing in searches for heads of schools and administrators. With Meera and Amy's help, we'll peek behind the curtain of the independent school search process. This is a big topic, so we decided to break it into two episodes. In Part I, we'l...

In this episode, Lynne and I are sharing our thoughts on the 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report, also known as the SOTI.  We talked about three areas highlighted in the SOTI and their impact on women:  1. What do enrollment leaders need to be successful? 2. What is the career journey for today's enrollment professional? 3. Real talk about the gender gap for men and wom...

This episode is part of a new series we're calling Headspace, where we interview Women Heads across independent schools. Our first Headspace guest is Anne Stavney, Head of School at the Blake School in Minneapolis, MN, where she has served as their Head since 2012. We discussed Anne's history with independent schools, the key to her success as a leader with many priorities, and how she has been a...

In this episode, we're joined by Heather Hoerle, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of The Enrollment Management Association. Heather became EMA's executive director in 2011. Working with the leadership team, she sets a clear direction for the staff, inspiring gold-standard service for our constituents and pushing for us to continuously innovate. Externally, in her work with schools and...

In this episode, we're joined by Penny Abrahams, Senior Consultant with Independent School Management. Penny first joined ISM in 2010 as a member of the Advancement Academy's founding faculty. As a Senior Consultant, she specializes in marketing communications, enrollment management, and development. Her experience in these areas comes from working in private-independent schools and other non-prof...

In this episode, we are talking with Susanne Carpenter, Founder and Principal of Carpenter Leadership Consulting , a firm focused on strategy, organizational development, and leadership performance for independent schools. She is also the proud graduate of an independent school, an independent school trustee, and a champion for these schools. Susanne knows first-hand how education has been disrupt...