NWAIS Spring Heads Meeting
May 13-15, 2024 Alderbrook Resort and Spa (Union, WA)
Session Information
Keynote Workshop  Both/And Thinking to Enhance Your School’s Performance In this workshop, Natalie will share the core ideas in Wendy Smith & Marianne Lewis’s Both/And Thinking: Embracing Creative Tensions to Solve Your Toughest Problems. Having worked for almost a decade with Wendy to study competing demands such as how to balance short-term and long-term goals, social and financial imperatives, and competitive and collaborative approaches, Natalie will take participants through hands-on exercises that move them away from making either/or choices towards applying both/and thinking for more creative, flexible and impactful decisions and better performance. Featuring: 
Natalie SlawinskiProfessor of Sustainability & Strategy and Director of the Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation at the Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria.
Dr. Slawinski earned her PhD from the Ivey Business School at Western
University in Canada. Her research focuses on how to navigate the paradoxes of
sustainability, place, and temporality in organizations and communities. Her most recent research examines these
themes in the context of social enterprise and community entrepreneurship.
Natalie serves as Adjunct Professor and Advisor to Memorial University’s Centre
for Social Enterprise and is a Research Fellow at the Cambridge University
Judge Business School’s Centre for Social Innovation. Her
recent book explores how engaging both/and thinking supports community
revitalization. Additional Workshops Include: Working Together in Time of Crisis: Navigating Difficult Conversations
In
moments of crisis, leaders in independent schools encounter a distinctive array
of challenges as they navigate and foster dialogues amidst diverse
perspectives, spanning realms such as religious, cultural, political, and
beyond. This presentation and interactive workshop is designed to help you practice skills for engaging with sensitive and challenging topics. Observe as Asheq Fazlullah, Director of the Leadership Institute of Interfaith Philadelphia, and Sara Zebovitz, Associate Director of Interfaith Philadelphia, model dialogue across differences.
Develop skills to bring empathy, understanding, and curiosity to conversations you have or facilitate. Share stories and learn tips for honest and authentic exchanges in your own settings, whether at home or in the workplace. Equip yourself to be a bridge-builder in times of polarization and be a catalyst for change by honing the art of dialogue facilitation. Learn alternative ways to invite meaningful dialogue that doesn't lead to conflict.
Featuring: 
Asheq Fazlullah, Director of the Leadership Institute of Interfaith Philadelphia, andSara Zebovitz, Associate Director of Interfaith Philadelphia Asheq Fazlullah (he/him), Director, Leadership Institute of Interfaith Philadelphia At Interfaith Philadelphia, Asheq helps develop and deliver programming, while expanding the organization's reach via partnerships. Programming includes efforts to increase religious literacy and help develop dialogue skills. Partnerships include local congregations as well as national institutions like Interfaith America. His involvement with Interfaith Philadelphia started in 2017 with the Walking the Walk program followed by 3 years on the Board and Diversity Committee. More recently as a consultant and lastly as staff from the summer 2022. Asheq serves with Campus Ministry at Villanova University in the role of Muslim Student Advisor and Affiliate Advisor with the Interfaith Center at Swarthmore College and the IMPACT Center at Bryn Mawr College. He has taken Graduate coursework in Theology and Ministry at Villanova University and is working towards a Master of Arts in Interreligious Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace (formerly Hartford Seminary). Asheq serves on the Board of Interfaith Alignment, an online community sharing contemplative spiritual practices. Additionally, he has served as a Public Speaker for the Delaware Valley Speakers Bureau, the local affiliate of the Islamic Networks Groups (ING). In this capacity, he has given nearly a hundred presentations on Islam and Muslim Americans at a variety of venues including faith groups, public schools, private schools, universities, senior centers, law enforcement and local civic organizations, across the Greater Delaware Valley. Previously, Asheq has served on the Executive Committee of CAIR-Philadelphia, the Board of Muslims Serve and the Board of the Main Line Muslim Society. Before beginning work in religious life and pastoral care, Asheq worked in institutional finance analyzing, managing and trading Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities (CMBS) in Boston, Hartford and New York; most recently as a Senior Vice President for Real Estate Derivatives trading at KBC Financial Products. He earned a B.S. in economics from Penn State, University Park and is a graduate of Conestoga Senior High School in Berwyn, PA. Sara Zebovitz (she/her) Associate Director A Philadelphia native, Sara moved back to the region during the COVID-19 pandemic with a passion for the upbuilding of her hometown as a true city of brotherly love, and a passion for soft pretzels. Sara most recently lived in Israel as a member of an urban kibbutz, or commune. During her time overseas, she worked in informal education with Israeli and North American youth to create a more just, inclusive, and unified society. Sara discovered the strength of Interfaith Philadelphia as a participant in the first cohort of Interfaith Philadelphia’s Visionary Women program, a program close to her heart. She is honored to help the organization continue to offer this type of meaningful programming. Sara previously served as the Director of Habonim Dror North America, a Jewish youth movement that focuses on a sense of responsibility and social justice through a Jewish lens. She also served as the Founding Director of the American Zionist Youth Council, an organization that brings together Jewish youth from across the religious and political spectrum. Sara views bridge building as essential to creating the society of which we dream. She is a member of the 2023 Association of Fundraising Professionals Leadership Institute cohort, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ameinu. When away from her desk, Sara is most often cooking, crocheting, or cheering on the Philadelphia sports teams. and
Relationship = Results: The critical importance of the Head DEI Director Collaboration At a
time when belonging is increasingly critical to students and adults alike,
there is also increasing pressure on our school’s efforts to be increasingly
inclusive communities. The high rate of turnover of DEI practitioners and Heads of School speaks to the vulnerability of both roles. There are inherent challenges in both positions around managing sensitive topics in a divisive time. One approach to supporting the school’s DEI objectives involves supporting each other and solidifying the partnership of heads and practitioners.
This discussion-based session will delve into the top reasons why and examine potential solutions to stem the tide. Come join your colleagues for a discussion on strategies to support each other and carry forward this important work in partnership.
Featuring: 
André Withers, 25-year independent school administrator,DEI expert and partner with Educators Collaborative
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