• Trustee Series webinars will be recorded, unless otherwise noted. Any content and/or conversations that occurred in Zoom breakout rooms were not recorded.
• Trustee Series webinar recordings will be available to registered schools to access until June 30, 2024, unless otherwise noted.
• Instructions on how to access the recordings and applicable resources will be sent within 24-48 hours of the live presentation to the contact person registered on the ISACS website as well as anyone pre-registered on Zoom for that particular webinar.
• Passwords are not required to access the recordings; however, Trustee Series registrants will be prompted to complete a Zoom On-Demand Online Form before gaining access to each webinar.
• Recordings must only be accessed by schools that registered for the 2023-24 Trustee Series. Please do not share the recording links with others outside your school community. ISACS will contact any non-registrant who completes the online form and will require a registration fee.

Trustee Series webinars will take place from 3:00 – 4:00 pm central/4:00 – 5:00 pm eastern

• WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2023  Board Culture, Roles & Responsibilities Lynn Wendell, Independent School Governance Expert Whether you are new to trusteeship or a seasoned board member, it is a good idea to pause and reflect on the best practices and board habits that lead to effective governance. Join this webinar to review the core  responsibilities of independent school board members and how your responsibilities as a board member are different from those of the head of school. We will discuss tricky situations you might encounter as a board member and how to handle them and review aspects of board culture that contribute to board success. This governance “booster shot” will prepare you for what’s ahead as you approach the 2023-24 board cycle.
• THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 Foundations of Governance: Tips & Traps for Trustees Sara Goldsmith Schwartz, Schwartz Hannum PC Serving on the board of trustees of an independent school is a significant contribution to the community, and also a significant responsibility. This webinar, led by experienced school attorney Sara Schwartz, will utilize real-life hypotheticals to explore key aspects of being an independent school trustee. Topics will include: overview of duties; essential board functions and documents; the ideal board relationship with the head of school; the board’s role in a crisis; and recommended action items.
• THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023 Effective Financial Governance for Independent School Trustees Mary Kay Markunas, National Business Officers Association (NBOA)  Every independent school trustee must effectively steward the school by fulfilling their fiduciary role; the board’s partnerships with the head of school and business officer are critical. This webinar will foster a deeper level of fiduciary stewardship and financial governance. Trustees will enhance their understanding of the multi-faceted independent school business model and learn to ask the right questions to inform more strategic discussion. School leaders will learn how best to report information to ensure financial stewardship and long-term sustainability.
• THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2023 Wearing Three Hats: Trustee-Parent Dilemmas Robert Evans, Psychologist, Author & School Consultant  The relationship between trustees and parents has always been complex. It begins with the closest of connections when the trustee also is a parent at the school. Wearing two hats—as steward and customer—presents a range of challenges. But trustees also have a third hat when they deal with parents, especially those who second-guess and criticize teachers and seek special treatment for their children. What are the best ways to manage these situations? In this webinar, Evans will outline concrete steps for successful coping.
• THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024 Futureproofing Your Board Greg Bamford & Carla Silver, Leadership+Design Most trustees know that their primary role is to hold the school in trust and to steward it into the future. However, most boards tend to focus on the present and–at best!–think about the next 5-7 years. Thinking like futurists allows boards to consider a longer-term direction and be more likely to shape the future rather than simply react to it. Trustees should be thinking about playing the long game, and thinking like a futurist is a mindset that we can develop, practice, and apply to board work. Embracing futurist thinking at the board level leads to higher trustee engagement, more fulfilling work, and a board that is focused on strategic thinking and generative governance. We’ll introduce fundamental frameworks for bringing futurist thinking to the boardroom: identifying the signals of our possible futures, using scenarios to sharpen strategic thinking, and framing strategic questions to guide you toward your preferred future.