The NAIS Member Voices podcast features stories from the thoughtful, hard-working individuals who make up the independent school community. You'll hear from faculty and staff at NAIS member schools about their roles, challenges, successes, inspiration sources, and more. Whether you are currently part of the NAIS community, considering joining, or simply interested in learning more about our industry, we hope you will listen and enjoy!
Be sure to rate, review, and subscribe to hear a new episode each month.
Find Member Voices on iTunes, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Season 6 Episodes: 2022-23
Episode 77: Stacey Roshan, Former Teacher and Director of Innovation & Educational Technology, and Jenna Borrelli, Director of Wellness and Health Education, Bullis School
Stacey Roshan, former teacher and former director of innovation and educational technology at Bullis School (MD), and Jenna Borrelli, director of wellness at Bullis, share classroom tools that help kids connect to their teachers and one another. They also talk about wellness techniques for teachers and the importance of reflection and awareness to well-being.Sponsored by ERB
Relevant Resources:
- 2022 High School Survey of Student Engagement: Read the full report and action items for schools.
- 2022 Middle Grades Survey of Student Engagement: Read the full report and action items for schools.
- Independent Ideas blog: Health & Well-Being: Supporting the Adults on Campus
- New View EDU podcast: The Relationship Between Emotions and Learning
Episode 76: Matt Gerber, Chief Innovation Officer, Western Reserve Academy
Matt Gerber, chief innovation officer at Western Reserve Academy (OH), describes his practical approach to innovation, the types of courses his school's innovation center offers, and the impact these factors have already had for his students in the real world.
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS Research: 2021 Survey of Independent School Innovation Leaders
- NAIS Podcast: New View EDU
- Independent School magazine issues: The Future of Strategy (Winter 2023) and The Future of Independent Schools (Summer 2021)
- NAIS Strategy Lab: Register for events to help you make strategic progress at your school.
Episode 75: Seth Hanford, Head of School, Elgin Academy
Seth Hanford, head of school at Elgin Academy (IL), talks about his leadership journey and how being a successful leader relies on building relationships. He also discusses the importance of connection, community values, and spending time with students during challenging times.
Sponsored by FilterED by Sourcewell
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS Professional Development: Register for the School Leadership Institute (SLI) and Institute for New Heads (INH).
- NAIS New View EDU podcast: Supporting Healthy Habits for Students in a Digital World
- NAIS Research: Learning Loss in Independent Schools: Mental Health in the Pandemic Era and 2021-2022 Independent School Health Check: Mental Health Among NAIS High School Students
- NAIS Research: How Polarization Affects Independent School Communities
- Independent Ideas blog: Health & Well-Being: Supporting the Adults on Campus
Episode 74: How Equity and Well-Being Work Together in Our Schools
Listen to an episode from our sister NAIS podcast, New View EDU. In last season's finale, two school heads with deep expertise in leading diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work—Jessie Barrie of the Bosque School (NM) and Kalyan Balaven of the Dunn School (CA)—join host Tim Fish and special guest co-host Caroline Blackwell for a conversation about equity, well-being, and the future of inclusion efforts in independent schools. The new season of New View EDU debuts March 14.
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS Professional Development: Register for the NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute, the NAIS Equity Design Lab: Grading for Equity, and the NAIS Inclusive Schools Network Institute.
- Independent Ideas blog posts: Health & Well-Being: Supporting the Adults on Campus and Slowing Momentum: What Does Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Really Include?
- Independent School magazine: Leadership Lessons: How Heads Must Address the Challenges DEI Practitioners Experience Today
Episode 73: Kori Rimany, English Teacher, The Frederick Gunn School
Kori Rimany, an English teacher at The Frederick Gunn School (CT), talks about the effects of the pandemic on student wellness and shares her impressions of faculty health and well-being today, including how to continue moving forward and what it looks like to teach when you're not OK.
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS Research: Learning Loss in Independent Schools, Part 3: The Role of Social-Emotional Learning in Responding to Learning Loss
- Independent Ideas blog: Health & Well-Being: Supporting the Adults on Campus
- Scenario Planning for Examining Education Workforce Trends: Read NAIS President Donna Orem's blog post and Looking Ahead presentation
- Independent Ideas blog: Teacher Retention: A Teacher’s Perspective on Keeping Colleagues
- NAIS Webinar Recording: Mental Health: How and Why Burnout Among Those Who Support Many Others Must Be Address
Episode 72: The Conversation: Dot Kowal, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Sonoma Academy; and Rochelle Reodica, Head of School, The Independent Day School
In this episode of Member Voices: The Conversation, we are featuring a dialogue between colleagues at NAIS member schools, published in the Winter 2023 issue of Independent School magazine.Dot Kowal, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Sonoma Academy (CA), and Rochelle Reodica, head of school at The Independent Day School (CT), discuss what prompted them to create a study group for Asian, Pacific Islander, and South Asian educators, why it matters, and what they've learned along the way.
Relevant Resources:
- Independent School magazine: The Conversation: The Power of Affinity Spaces for Asians, Pacific Islanders, and South Asians
- NAIS Resource: Talking with Your Community About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work
- Independent Ideas blog: Retaining Teachers of Color at Predominantly White Schools
- Independent School magazine: Following a Nontraditional Path to Leadership
Episode 71: Briel Schmitz, Head of School, and Alexa Carver, former Board Chair, Spruce Street School
Briel Schmitz, head of Spruce Street School (WA), and Alexa Carver, the school's former board chair, discuss how they ensured that they each stayed in the appropriate "lane," how their partnership fostered risk-taking and innovation, and how they worked together to confront crises at their school.
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS Video: Creating a Trusted Board Chair-Head Partnership to Lead Effective School Transformation
- NAIS Webinar Excerpt: How the Board-Head Relationship Works in Decision-Making
- NAIS Research: Strong Structures, Strong Start: What Heads of School and Trustees Need to Thrive
- NAIS Snapshot Survey: Board Relationship and Challenges
- NAIS Jobs-to-Be-Done Research: What Are Boards Searching for When They Hire an Independent School Leader?
- NAIS Professional Development: Leadership Through Partnership (LTP)
Episode 70: Mark McKee, Head of School, Viewpoint School
Mark McKee, head of school at Viewpoint School (CA), shares his experience of leading as an introvert, orienting new board members, and dealing with school crises.Sponsored by SpringMath by Sourcewell
Relevent Resources:
- Video: Susan Cain: Educating Introverts
- NAIS Trustees' Guide: Recruit, Train, and Engage Strong Board Members
- NAIS Legal Tip: Revisit Crisis Prevention and Response Plans
- Learn more about this episode’s sponsor, SpringMath by Sourcewell, by visiting its website.
Episode 69: Taryn Upchurch, Director of Outreach, Tru School
Guest host Joe Corbett, NAIS senior research analyst, speaks with Taryn Upchurch, director of outreach at Tru School (CA), about using Jobs-to-Be-Done in marketing, personalizing messaging for families, and finding students that resonate with your school’s mission.Sponsored by Proliftic by Sourcewell
Relevent Resources:
- NAIS Research: Jobs-to-Be-Done Study on Independent School Parents
- NAIS Market View: Use data to improve your recruitment strategy, find prospective families, and better understand your community with this essential enrollment power tool
- NAIS Research: 2021 State of Independent School Marketing Survey
- NAIS Resource Guide: Enrollment and Admissions
- Learn more about this episode’s sponsor, Proliftic by Sourcewell, by visiting its website.
Episode 68: Gary Krahn, Head of School, La Jolla Country Day School
Gary Krahn, head of school at La Jolla Country Day School (CA), joins us to discuss how to develop student media literacy, the importance of treating everyone with dignity, and how educators can encourage students' ways of thinking.
Sponsored by HMFH Architects
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS New View EDU Podcast episodes: Schools for Growing Citizens and New View EDU Episode 17: The Opportunities and Obligations of Citizenship in K-12 Education
- NAIS Research: Civil Discourse in Independent Schools
- Independent Ideas blog: The Pandemic of Misinformation
- NAIS Video: Critical Thinking and Media Consumption
- Learn more about this episode’s sponsor, HMFH Architects, by visiting its website.
Episode 67: Joe Powers, Head of School, The Woods Academy
Joe Powers, head of school at The Woods Academy (MD), discusses how elementary school leaders can innovate, the future of elementary school leadership, and how he stays in the moment.
Relevant Resources:
- NAIS New View EDU Podcast: Mapping the Future Purpose of Education
- Independent Ideas blog: The Homework Debate: What It Means for Lower Schools
- Independent Ideas blog: Why We Teach Coding in Elementary School
- NAIS Innovative School Model Showcase Webinar Recording: Entrepreneurship at Aspen Academy
Episode 65: Casey Hitchcock and Johnathan Harris, Co-heads of School, Lynnhaven School: The Conversation
In this episode of Member Voices: The Conversation, we are featuring a dialogue between colleagues at NAIS member schools, published in the Summer issue of Independent School magazine.Casey Hitchcock and Johnathan Harris, co-heads of school at Lynnhaven School (VA), discuss how they landed on this leadership model, the benefits of two heads, and what makes it work for them.
Relevant Resources:
- Independent School magazine: The Conversation: Two Co-Heads Discuss Their Leadership Model
- Independent School magazine: Are Two Heads Better Than One?
- Independent School Summer 2022 issue: The Headship Issue