2026 SAIS Annual Conference

10:30am EDT

2026-27 National and Regional Financial Aid Trends Room 3Jackson Marvel From Avoidance to Action: A Practical Framework for Leading Difficult Conversations Room 6Tosha Arriola Growing Leaders From Within: Cultivating Leadership Through Intentionality Room 4Lauren Rodgers Leading Campaigns and Construction Successfully: Avoiding the Risks and Reaping the Rewards of Campus Development Room 5Keith Evans Strategic Plans Don't Fund Themselves Room 7-8Peter Baron • Mattingly Messina Student-Centered Schedule Design: Aligning Time With Learning Plaza AAndrew Taylor Teaching Well as AI Reshapes Classrooms Plaza CDaniel Forrester The Resistance Paradox: Approaches to Growth, Evaluation, and Feedback Room 9-10Ryan Burke

1:00pm EDT

Actionable Data: Prioritizing Student and Educator Well-Being Room 5Nina Kumar • Meredith Miller HR Compliance in Action: Master the Tricky Situations Plaza CMonica Javia I Have This Data; Now What? Room 4Lisa Hà • Randie Benedict Mentoring: Build a Sense of Belonging and Purpose Room 3Kathleen Brewer • Allyson McCloud • Catherine Beck Symbols, Strategy, and School Spirit: Durham Academy's Rebrand Room 7-8Victoria Price • Leslie Traba When AI Acts: Redesigning Learning and Assessment Room 6Liz Helfant • Connie White World & Work Ready: Diploma Distinctions Room 9-10Andrew Bishop

2:30pm EDT

Data Fluency in the Age of AI Room 5Cindy Blackburn Independent Schools Legal Update: What's New and What's Next Room 6Jennifer Carroll • Ilanit Fischler Leading Through the Metacrisis Plaza CBrent Kaneft Relationships First: Aligning Leadership, Faculty, and Families Room 4Erin Chadwick • Hunter Chadwick Rigor, Regulation, and the Science of Engagement Plaza ARachael Zaher The Invisible Handbook: Decoding the Unwritten Rules of School Culture Room 3Amir Farokhi • Natalie Pitchford What a Capital Campaign Is Really Asking of Your School Room 7-8Trey Boden Why Trustees Serve and How Leaders Should Respond Room 9-10Damian Kavanagh

10:30am EDT

Building Culture and Retention Through Employee Wellness Programming Plaza CAnne Glosky • Katelyn Williams • International Baccalaureate Building High-Performance Leadership Metabolism Room 6Moira Kelly Cultivating Belonging in the Era of AI Plaza ADouglas Beam • International Baccalaureate Leading Schoolwide AI Through Strategic Task Force Design Room 3Jessie Jung • Karin Montini Leverage Your Professional Growth System to Drive Retention Room 4Melissa Fast • Hilary Robinson • Katie Donahue • McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects Thinking About Thinking: Unlocking Student Autonomy Through SRL Room 9-10Abigail Shaheen • Pranjoli Saletore • McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects Tying Outcomes to the Independent School Value Proposition Room 5Craig Tredenick • Jason Lasnetski • Youth Inc. Using Operational AI to Strengthen Institutional Advancement Room 7-8Sam Geisler • Andrew Greene • Youth Inc.