Wednesday
November 4
- From 12:00 PMArrival & conference opens
- AfternoonOpening sessions
- EveningReception & featured address
-
About
About
-
Schools
Schools
-
Professional Learning
Professional Learning
Formats We Host
Overview & Calendars
Series
For Presenters & Members
- Careers Careers
-
Accreditation
Accreditation
-
Athletics
Athletics
- Login
Residential Conference · Governance · Leadership
Annual Conference for Heads of School
2026
Three days of substantive dialogue, peer counsel, and quiet reflection on the leadership of independent schools, convened above the ridge at Mohonk Mountain House.
Convenes
Wed, Nov 4
12:00 PM ET
Adjourns
Fri, Nov 6
12:00 PM ET
Format
In-person · Residential
Meals and lodging on site
Members
$545 · $590 non-member
Registration open through Nov 3
About the Conference
A gathering of heads, in the tradition of the profession.
The one time each year when the heads of NYSAIS schools set the calendar aside and think together about the work.
Each November, NYSAIS convenes its heads of school at Mohonk Mountain House for its annual leadership conference. The program brings together keynote addresses, framing conversations, working sessions, and peer counsel, held on the property over three days.
The 2026 conference is tagged under Governance and Leadership. Sessions will make room for the questions heads face most often but rarely have time to raise with peers.
Peers who know the seat
The room is heads of school only. Conversations are candid because the audience is your closest professional counterparts.
Substance over programming
Framed sessions, quiet time for reading and thinking, and long-form dialogue. Not a track-heavy conference.
A restorative setting
Mohonk removes the pull of the desk. The point is to be somewhere the work can be looked at from a distance.
Keynote
The 2026 keynote address.
Featured speaker
Dr. Maud Mandel
President, Williams College
Dr. Mandel will deliver the featured address at the 2026 conference. A fuller speaker biography and the schedule of her remarks will be published as we approach the conference.
Additional speakers and session leads — coming soon.
Program
Three days on the ridge.
Thursday
November 5
- MorningPlenary & working sessions
- AfternoonWorking sessions & peer counsel
- EveningDinner & continued dialogue
Friday
November 6
- MorningClosing sessions
- 12:00 PMConference adjourns
Full 2026 program, including session leads and reading materials, is available at pl.nysais.org.
Venue
Mohonk Mountain House
A historic mountain resort on the Shawangunk Ridge above New Paltz, and the setting for NYSAIS residential conferences. Meals, sessions, and lodging all take place on the property.
Attendees not staying overnight at Mohonk must still register with the resort as a Day Guest. Information about alternative lodging options is available on the residential conferences page.
- Address
- 1000 Mountain Rest Rd
New Paltz, NY 12561 - Reservations
- (800) 772-6646
Registration
Reserve your place.
Conference registration is a two-step process: register with NYSAIS below, then reserve your room directly with Mohonk.
Member Schools
NYSAIS Member
$545.00
per attendee, full conference
- All sessions and materials
- Meals during the conference
- Access to peer counsel groups
Non-Member
$590.00
per attendee, full conference
- All sessions and materials
- Meals during the conference
- Access to peer counsel groups
Registration closes on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, or when the conference reaches capacity (200 seats). Please review the NYSAIS Cancellation Policy before purchasing.
Logistics
Before you arrive.
Lodging at Mohonk
Guest rooms are reserved directly with Mohonk Mountain House. Call the reservations line at (800) 772-6646 immediately after registering — rooms often sell out for NYSAIS conferences.
If Mohonk is fully booked, contact NYSAIS to be added to the waitlist.
Day Guest Option
Attendees not staying overnight at Mohonk must still register as a Day Guest with the resort. Contact Lorie Byers at lbyers@mohonk.com for the Day Guest form.
Alternative lodging options are listed on the residential conferences page.
Dietary & Accessibility
Dietary requirements (vegan, Kosher, allergies, etc.) should be sent directly to Lorie Byers at Mohonk.
Closed captioning is available on personal devices at keynote sessions. ASL interpretation requests should be sent to support.nysais.org at least two weeks in advance.
Attendee Norms
The terms of the room.
By registering, all attendees
- Agree to abide by the NYSAIS Professional Learning Attendee Norms.
- Consent to share their name, school, title, and email address with the session presenters and hosts.
Honor Contribution
- The NYSAIS Board approved an honor contribution for each Mohonk conference registration. Contributions are given to the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians, descendants of the indigenous people and ancestral caretakers of the land on which the Mohonk Mountain House now stands.
Questions
- For questions about registration, please contact support.nysais.org.
See you on the ridge
Three days to think together about the work of leading a school.
The 2026 Annual Conference for Heads of School convenes Wednesday, November 4 at Mohonk Mountain House.