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.
Season 6 Episodes: 2022-23
Check back each month for a new episode!
Episode 77: Stacey Roshan, Former Teacher and Director of Innovation & Educational Technology, and Jenna Borrelli, Director of Wellness and Health Education, Bullis School
Release Date: June 5
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.
Relevant Resources:
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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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Archives: Episodes and Resources from Past Seasons
Questions? Comments? Stories you’d like to share on the podcast?
Please send thoughts and ideas to us at [email protected].