REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

HEADS OF SCHOOL AND DEI DIRECTORS:
Building Powerful Partnerships  

A workshop series designed for paired participation. Heads of School and their Directors of Diversity are invited to attend to forge mutual/shared learning and carve out time for shared visioning. 

Friday, September 20, 2024 – 10:00am-4:00pm - In-person 

Thursday, January 30, 2025 – Virtual 

Friday, April 25, 2025 – 10:00am-4:00pm - In-person 

Who Should Attend?

This program is designed for paired participation. Heads of School and their Directors of Diversity are invited to attend. Schools with seasoned Heads and Directors of Diversity are welcome but those with newer developing relationships will find the process especially rewarding. Should a school not have someone in the leadership roleof DEI Director / Coordinator, they are welcome to attend with the person who holds this work for the school or a representative of a DEI Committee. If you are unsure who would be the best fit, Heads of School are invited to be in touch with the facilitator, André Withers . 

Workshop Series Description

Finding sustained success in a school's ability to further its DEI goals and retain the leadership in this role seems to be an increasingly challenging endeavor. High turnover in the role creates stumbles, fits and starts. A critical component of the success or failure of a school's DEI initiatives is the relationship between the Head of School and the Director of Diversity/Belonging. This three-part professional development experience will look to forge mutual/shared learning, carve time for shared visioning and to have time with a leading DEI consultant for strategy development.

Session Descriptions  

Friday, September 20, 2024: 10:00am - 4:00pm

Session 1: Effective Partnering; Who Needs What From Whom (in-person at Hamlin Robinson School) 

With culture at the core, this session will explore the ways in which the Head of School and the DEI Director are inextricably linked and how each role can support the other.  

Thursday, January 30, 2025 – 10:00-11:30am PT / 11:00-12:30pm MT 

Session 2: School Specific Counsel (Virtual - can be rescheduled with André if this time does not work for you) 

For strategy development and to facilitate dialogue, each school will have the opportunity for a session where their individual school work and relationship can be supported. 

About the Instructor 

André Withers
Partner, Consultant, Coach

Having recently concluded a 25+ year run in independent schools, André has now made Educators Collaborative the next stop on his professional journey. During his time with EC, André has been fully engaged with multiple Head of School searches, Board retreats, Senior Administrative searches and a host of other school consultations.  

Originally from Indiana, André has been in independent schools for over 25 years. The initial foray into the world of independent schools was The Orchard School in Indianapolis, IN. He found an immediate home as a Middle School teacher and Advisor. As the School grew and as opportunities arose, André was able to also find that his gifts and talents were aligned with an additional role of Director of Diversity. Those roles brought tremendous growth and preparation for the role of Director of Middle School that he assumed in 2001. Concurrent to the work at those two schools, André was invited to serve on the board of ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) where he chaired the Equity Committee and was a member of two accreditation teams. That valuable work also led to additional service with NAIS. André was a faculty member of the Summer Diversity Institute and subsequently worked as the director of that professional development opportunity for three years.  

In 2004 André was named Assistant Head of School at The Lowell School in Washington, DC. That term was also coupled with leadership and service opportunities. While at Lowell André served a term on the Board of AIMS (Association of Independent Maryland Schools) while also being a regular presenter at PoCC and NAIS’ Annual Conference. In 2009, André joined the Administrative team at The Madeira School where he served three years before becoming Assistant Head of School and serving for 10 more years.  

André joined Educators Collaborative in 2022. Having become a trained Executive Coach, he will be active in not only leadership searches for schools but also supporting schools and their leaders evolve in ways that can ensure institutional success. These insights have been shared in multiple articles in Independent School Magazine, the latest arriving in the Spring 2024 issue.  

Registration 

Registration is now closed.

Registration for the course includes participation in the two in-person workshops and the virtual session. Due to the sensitive nature of the programs the sessions will not be recorded.  

Pricing 

To receive the early bird or regular discount, your registration must be complete and payment must be postmarked or received by the stated deadline. 

For registrations with payment by check, payment must be postmarked by the stated deadline 

Online registrations completed by credit card must be completed by 11:59pm on the stated deadline. 

Clock Hours, STARS Credits, and Certificates

This course is eligible for a total of 11.5 in-service hours / credits.

A session sign-in sheet will be provided in a follow up email following each session to note your attendance. To receive full credit for your participation in this course, you will need to sign in for each session you attend. You may also request a certificate of participation via this sign-in sheet.

Please make sure to check any spam or promotional folders in your inbox, as our emails tend to get misclassified.

For more information on Continuing Education Units, please visit our CEU FAQ page. 

If you have any other questions, contact NWAIS Program Coordinator & Registrar, Vivian Hoang. 

Cancellation