The Trustee Table

In this episode, Dr. Doreen Oleson, co-author of the NAIS Head Search Handbook and search consultant for RG-175, explores why diversity is a critical component to a successful head search. She shares how search committees can help ensure a diverse candidate pool, how bias manifests in the search process, and ways trustees can recognize and overcome their own inherent biases. Dr. Oleson served Saint Mark’s School, an Episcopal Parish Day School in Altadena, CA as head of school for twenty-five years and retired in June, 2015. Prior to her appointment in 1990, she was Assistant Vice-President at Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA and also taught in the public schools in Hawaii and California. She served as the president of the governing board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools, was trustee of the National Association of Independent Schools, was president of the California Association of Independent Schools’ board of directors, served on the National Commission on Accreditation, was chair of the Commission on Schools for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and was a field instructor at the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College. Dr. Oleson currently coaches aspiring school leaders and belongs to organizations and boards which support education and community service learning.

In this must-listen episode for trustees and heads of school, Dr. Richard Chait highlights how boards can govern more effectively during times of crisis, the importance of the head of school/board partnership, and practical ways boards can work more generatively while balancing the short and long term needs of the school. Dr. Chait is Professor of Education, Emeritus, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has studied nonprofit governance for over 35 years and co-authored the seminal book Leadership as Governance: Reframing the Work of Nonprofit Boards, as well as Improving the Performance of Governing Boards and The Effective Board of Trustees. Dr. Chait has served as a member of the board of directors of BoardSource and as a trustee on the executive committees of Goucher College, Maryville College and most recently, Wheaton College. He has provided consultation to the boards and executives of more than a hundred nonprofit organizations, particularly in education and the arts. Prior to joining the faculty at Harvard, he was a professor at the University of Maryland and at Case Western Reserve University and was formerly associate provost at Pennsylvania State University.

In this episode, Dr. Jeffrey Gold takes listeners through his decision-making process at the start of the pandemic, how boards can utilize breakout and generative thinking to achieve both short and long term objectives, and generative questions boards should consider as they innovate for the future. Dr. Gold is the chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, vice president of the University of Nebraska system, and chair of the board of UNMC’s principal clinical care academic health system partner, Nebraska Medicine. In April 2017, Dr. Gold was also named chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the state’s public metropolitan university. He holds a health professions academic appointment at the rank of professor in the UNMC College of Medicine, as well as in the College of Public Health, where his research interests in population health are concentrated. Dr. Gold's national leadership is extensive and has included more than 50 national professional committees and more than 100 national organizations, volunteer boards, government/public health councils, and industry. Dr. Gold has also served in numerous roles on governing boards and as the elected leader of regional and national professional, accreditation and advocacy organizations in the educational, research and clinical care delivery sectors.

In this timely episode, Ann Skeet, Senior Director of Leadership Ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, shares models of ethical leadership practices, the ways boards can seek resolution to ethical challenges, and how trustees can prepare for ethical decision-making in times of crisis. In her role at the Markkula Center, Ann guides programs in leadership, business and social sector ethics. She researches, writes and speaks about the ethical dilemmas of leaders, corporate culture and the ethical challenges of governance. In addition, Ann works with board directors, CEOs, and C-suite executives to shape and reinforce organizational cultures that encourage ethical outcomes. She writes about issues facing leaders in across sectors regularly for her blog, Benison: The Practice of Ethical Leadership and for other media outlets such as Marketwatch, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Recode, and CEO Magazine. Ann is a magna cum laude graduate of Bucknell University and holds a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School.

In this episode, Dave Sternberg explains the biggest misconceptions trustees have about fundraising, how they can become more comfortable in their fundraising role, and presents ways to build and sustain donor relationships. Dave has been a fundraising professional since obtaining his BA Degree from The Ohio State University. He is a faculty member at The Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University’s Fund Raising School, where he teaches courses such as Building the Annual Fund and Marketing for Fundraising. Dave is also a Senior Governance Consultant for BoardSource and is the only person in America to be affiliated with both the Lilly School of Philanthropy and BoardSource. In 1996, Dave founded Loring, Sternberg and Associates providing fundraising counsel to educational foundations, social service organizations, higher education, and membership organizations. In 2008, Dave authored the second and third edition of Fearless Fundraising for Nonprofit Boards; a publication for BoardSource and a best seller since its publication.

In this episode, Dr. Shirley Davis, explores how boards can recruit and onboard diverse trustees, the impact of diversity on board culture, and how to manage conflicts that may arise from embracing diverse perspectives. Dr. Davis is the former Global Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Workplace Strategies for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). She has also been a featured expert on NBC’s The Today Show, USA Today, National Public Radio, The Wall Street Journal, Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, The Washington Post, and Inclusion Magazine. Dr. Davis is an experienced HR and diversity and inclusion thought leader, a senior executive, a certified leadership coach, and a former chief diversity and inclusion officer for several major Fortune 100 companies.

In this episode, Romayne Levee, school founder and Director of Education Strategy at Mission Minded, inspires Trustees to set a new bar for their next strategic plan: one that is student-outcomes focused rather than school operations focused. For 20 years, Romayne been professionally and personally fulfilled working among schools and colleges that challenge the status quo by innovating teaching and learning, diversifying their communities, affording life-changing paths to under-resourced students, and empowering young women to take their seat at the table. As the founder of an independent high school herself, Romayne knows all too well the labor of love that it takes to stoke the flame of an educational institution. She sat on the Board of Vistamar School for 12 years as founding Board Chair, and currently sits on the Board of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She is a graduate of UCLA with a degree in Political Science.

In this episode, Dr. Marc Brackett, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Professor in the Child Study Center at Yale University, discusses how his research on emotional intelligence can inform strategic planning, the head of school/board chair relationship, and board culture. Marc has published over 125 articles and is the recipient of numerous awards. He is the lead developer of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social emotional learning that has been adopted by over 1000 public, charter, and private schools across the United States and other countries. Marc is also a distinguished scientist on the National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development and on the board of directors for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). His latest book, Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive, was published on September 3.

In an episode that will further educate heads and trustees about the latest developments in teaching and learning, Dr. Jo Boaler discusses her research into unlocking learning potential at any age. Dr. Boaler is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University, and the co-founder of youcubed, a site to give teachers, parents and students the resources they need to excite students about mathematics. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), and a former president of the International Organization for Women and Mathematics Education (IOWME). She wrote the first MOOC on mathematics teaching and learning and is the author of eleven books and numerous research articles. Dr. Boaler was recently named by the BBC as one of the eight educators changing the face of education. Her latest book, Limitless Mind: Learn, Lead and Live Without Barriers, was released on September 3.

In this episode, Jim Hulbert, a partner and lawyer at the Jane Group https://www.thejanegroup.biz/, shares his expertise on crisis management, including the major issues facing independent schools today and how heads and boards can approach crisis communication effectively. When a school is in crisis, Jim works closely with the board, often on-site, to develop communications strategies and protocols. He also trains school leadership in crisis management including sexual misconduct issues and other highly sensitive matters. Jim is a frequent presenter at NAIS, TABS, NAIS TABS legal symposiums, and numerous regional conferences. In addition, he is a lead presenter on child protection for the Council of International Schools, a consortium of over 600 international schools throughout the world. Jim graduated from Culver Academies (IN). He was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in American Studies. In 1982, he earned his law degree at Boston College, cum laude.