Heads' Summit

The NAIS Heads' Summit is an exclusive convening for sitting heads of school to step away from the day-to-day demands of leadership and engage with peers who understand the unique opportunities and challenges of headship. Designed to foster meaningful connection, candid conversation, and professional renewal, the summit brings together school leaders from across the country for a highly interactive experience centered on the issues that matter most today. 

Through facilitated discussions, thought-provoking keynote sessions and workshops, and ample opportunities for networking and reflection, explore emerging trends, share practical strategies, and gain fresh perspective on leading schools in a complex and rapidly changing environment. Whether navigating governance, culture, innovation, or personal leadership growth, leave with new insights, stronger connections, and renewed energy for the important work ahead. 

The Thrive 2027 Heads' Summit takes place Wednesday, March 3. Programming runs from 8:00 AM-2:45 PM ET in the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor.

This is an add-on event only. Full conference registration is required to purchase this add-on event.

• Program
• Pricing
• Speakers

2027 Heads' Summit Program

This schedule will be updated and is subject to change. All times listed are Eastern Time. A final schedule will be distributed to registrants closer to the event.  

2027 Pricing

Register for the Heads' Summit through the Thrive registration platform. This is an add-on event only. Conference registration is required to purchase this add-on event.   

*Nonmembers: If you are actively applying for NAIS membership, you are eligible to receive the NAIS discounted price. Contact us to learn more.

Summit Keynote Speaker

David Epstein
Inside the Box: Why the Right Constraints Are Your Greatest Advantage 

What if everything we've been told about unlimited freedom and resources leading to greater creativity and success is wrong?

Based on his third book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, David Epstein dismantles one of the most pervasive myths in work and life: that people are most creative, productive, and satisfied when they're most free. Drawing on fascinating research from cognitive psychology and organizational behavior, he reveals a counterintuitive truth: The right constraints can be the most powerful tools you have for focusing a team, unsticking a project, or even figuring out where to apply your effort. Through case studies that range from startling successes (and devastating failures) in Silicon Valley, to singular athletic feats, to creative breakthroughs spanning Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) to Apple, Epstein explains why doing more with less isn't just a cliché, it's a strategy.

Through meticulous research and eclectic examples—from the periodic table to Pixar films—he shows why complexity steals clarity and why organizations with too much freedom and too few boundaries often fail spectacularly, while those that strategically embrace constraints adapt repeatedly. In an era when AI is removing more constraints than ever—making it easier to produce more, faster, in every direction at once—the ability to design the right boundaries is fast becoming a critical skill.

Walk away with implementable strategies and exercises for identifying the bottlenecks actually limiting performance, overcoming our hardwired bias to always add more, and designing productive constraints that channel effort where it matters most. Above all, leave with a fundamental mindset shift: from viewing constraints as obstacles to recognizing them as opportunities to clarify priorities and launch productive exploration.

David Epstein has spent his career investigating—and overturning—our most deeply held assumptions about what makes people and teams perform at their best. His No. 1 New York Times bestseller, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, has topped recommended book lists in The Wall Street Journal, The Sunday Times, Financial Times, Forbes, and Inc. Epstein has engaged in a notable “nerd fight of gladiatorial proportions” with Malcolm Gladwell, been featured on Good Morning America and CBS Mornings, seen his books translated into more than 30 languages, and reached more than 12 million views with his two TED Talks.  

His third book, Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, expands his relentless, myth-busting pursuit of the secrets of high performance. Building on questions that arose from Range, the new book examines how constraints, limitations, and restrictions can actually be catalysts for creativity, collaboration, contentment, resilience, and reinvention in today’s rapidly changing business environments. Adam Grant called the book “a masterful case that limits are what set us free.” Gladwell said, “I’ll never think about my own work the same way again.” 

Epstein has inspired global audiences in business and education with his fascinating presentations on the keys to achieving high performance. Combining surprising data and meticulous research with eye-catching graphics and thought-provoking stories from the worlds of sports, business, science, and the arts, he overturns previous notions about both team performance and personal development. Gain actionable insights on fostering innovation, building a future-proof career and workforce, confronting change with resilience, navigating disruption, and turning challenges into opportunities from his dynamic presentation.