Launching
THE BELLDEGRUN CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP by DR. JOSH BERGER Director of the Belldegrun Center for Innovative Leadership
At
a recent K–12 faculty meeting, I asked the students, teachers, and staff voluntarily serving on the Belldegrun Center for Innovative
Leadership (BCIL) committees to please stand up and be recognized. It felt like half of the packed East Campus Theater rose to their feet. Launching this exciting new initiative, made possible by the extraordinary generosity and vision of the Belldegrun family, has been a truly collaborative and community-wide process.
M
y involvement began last year when Katherine McKellar, Upper School History Department Chair, and I researched dozens of University and K–12 Leadership Centers across the country to identify key similarities, differences, and implementation challenges. One piece of advice we heard frequently from Center Directors was that our launch would be much more successful if students and colleagues had meaningful opportunities to shape its direction. This led to K-12 students, faculty, staff, and alumni working in small groups to outline priorities for our upcoming BCIL. We subsequently formed
four committees comprised of nearly 75 student and faculty volunteers that I had the opportunity to lead with our outstanding co-chairs. The
commitment of each of these committees was exceptional, and I am deeply grateful for their hard work and inspiring contributions. Below is a brief summary of each committee’s impact. 18