Program Agenda
8:00-8:30-Registration and Breakfast
8:30-9:30-Valerie Truesdale- Assistant Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators (AASA) “Developing Effective Principals: What Kind of Learning Matters?”
9:30-9:45- Coffee Break
9:45-10:45- Dr. Gracie Branch-Associate Executive Director for Professional Learning at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) “Making Mentors and Supporting Women Leaders”
11:00-12:00-AM Breakout Sessions
Sarah Sherman- “Self-Preservation is the new Self-Care”
Kimberly Rizzo Saunders & Robin Melone- “Her Place at the Table: Women Leaders and Negotiation"
Stephanie Rivas & Abigale Shields- “Women Talk Money: The Financial Realities of Being a Woman”
Barb Smith- “Lifting Up Inclusivity: Who is Sitting at the Head Table?"
12:00-1:00- Lunch
1:00-2:00- Jennifer Berkshire, co-author of The Wolf at the School House Door- “A Careful Look at School Funding and Equity"
2:00-2:10-Break
2:15-3:15-PM Breakout Sessions
Sarah Sherman- “Self-Preservation is the new Self-Care”
Kimberly Rizzo Saunders & Robin Melone- “Her Place at the Table: Women Leaders and Negotiation"
Stephanie Rivas &; Abigale Shields- “Women Talk Money: The Financial Realities of Being a Woman”
Barb Smith- “Lifting Up Inclusivity: Who is Sitting at the Head Table?"
3:30-4:30- Dr. Jennie Weiner- University of Connecticut Neag School of Education -“Breaking Through the Double Bind"
31, 2023
Symposium of Women Educational Leaders
Keynote Speakers: ValerieTruesdale
"DevelopingEffectivePrincipals:WhatKindofLearning Matters?"
TheWallaceFoundationsupportseducationalleaderdevelopmentindistrictsacrossthe UnitedStates ArecentstudybytheLearningPolicyInstitutesynthesizesresearchon principallearning,exploresprincipals’accesstohigh-qualitylearningopportunities, anddiscussesstateandlocalpoliciesthatsupportthisaccess Policiesthatsupporthighqualityprincipallearningprogramscanmakeadifference
PresenterBiography:
ValerieTruesdalejoinedAASA,theSuperintendentsAssociation,asAssistantExecutive Directorin2019
ValeriepreviouslyservedasChiefTechnologyandTransformation OfficerforCharlotte-MecklenburgSchoolsgrowingpersonalizedlearningforCMS’ 151,000students PriortojoiningCMS,Valerieservedasasuperintendentofschoolsfor tenyearsinBeaufortCounty,SCandinOconeeCounty,SC.Valeriehasservedpublic educationasachiefacademicofficer,deputysuperintendentforastatedepartmentof education,highschoolprincipal,andmostimportantly,ateacher.Valerieearned credentialsasaCertifiedEducationalTechnologyLeader(CETL)byConsortiumfor SchoolNetworking(CoSN)andCertifiedEducationChiefTechnologyOfficer(CECTO) bytheUniversityofNorthCarolinaatChapelHill Valeriewasaformerstate SuperintendentoftheYearforSC,isapastpresidentofASCDinternationalandwas namedCTOoftheYearbytheCharlotteBusinessJournal, Sheisacurrentboard memberoftheNationalDropoutPreventionCenter,CoSN,andtheNationalPolicy BoardforEducationalAdministration(NPBEA).ValerieholdsaPh.D.fromUSC,MBA fromGeorgiaState,andaBachelor’sinEducationfromClemsonUniversity
Dr.GracieBranch
"MakingMentorsandSupportingWomenLeaders"
Laysmakespotatochips,GodivamakeschocolatesandtheNationalAssociationof ElementarySchoolPrincipals(NAESP)ismakingmentors NAESP’sNationalMentor TrainingandCertificationProgramprovideshighlystructuredprofessionallearning, createsacadreofqualifiedmentorsandchannelsexpertisetosupportschoolleaders Thisuniquetrainingintegratesresearch-basedpracticeswiththeknowledgeand experiencesoftheparticipants Schooldistrictscanalsocustomizetheprogramtofit theirspecificneeds.Inaddition,wealsorecognizethatourwomenleadersneed certainsupportssoNAESP,throughitsCenterforWomeninLeadership,isalso providingadditionalactivitiesforwomenleaderstogrowtheirleadershipcapacityand mentoreachother Jointhissessiontoseehowyoucanbeginamentoringpipelineand buildcapacityforwomenleadersinyourdistrict.
PresenterBiography:
Dr.GracieBranchservesastheAssociateExecutiveDirectorforProfessionalLearning attheNationalAssociationofElementarySchoolPrincipals(NAESP) Inhercurrent position,Dr.Branchworkswithprincipalstopromoteleadershipdevelopmentand mentorpublicschooladministrators HerundergraduatedegreeisinEarlyChildhood Educationandin2011;sheearnedherPhDfromtheUniversityofOklahoma(OU)in EducationalAdministration,CurriculumandSupervisionwhereshewasnameda DavidL.ClarkScholar.In2016,UniversityCouncilforEducationalAdministration (UCEA)recognizedDr Branchforexcellenceineducationalleadership
March 31, 2023
Symposium of Women Educational Leaders
Keynote Speakers:
Jennifer Berkshire
Co-author of The Wolf at the School House Door "A Careful Look at School Funding and Equity"
In New Hampshire and beyond, public education is under attack like never before. So what's the end goal of school privatization advocates? And how can we make sure that our public schools survive and thrive?
Presenter Biography:
Jennifer Berkshire writes about education and politics for the Nation, the New Republic, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and other publications She is the creator and co-host of the education policy podcast “Have You Heard" and the co-author (with Jack Schneider) of A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door: the Dismantling of Public Education and the Future of School Jennifer teaches in the journalism program at Boston College and in the Education Studies program at Yale University A licensed public school teacher, she lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Dr.JennieWeiner "BreakingThroughtheDoubleBind"
Thissessionwillexplorehowgenderstereotypescanimpactwomen's abilitytoaccessandthriveinleadership Inparticular,wewilldiscussthe conceptofthe"doublebind"inwhichfemaleleadersfindthemselves critiquedforeitherbeing"tootough"(e.g.,she'saggressive,she'smean,etc.) or"toosoft"(eg,she'stooemotional,she'sweak),whereitcomesfrom,and howtocombatitmovingforward.Wewillfocusnotonfixingwomen,but ratherondisruptingthediscriminatorysystemsthatlimittheir contributionsandsuccess.
PresenterBiography:
JennieWeinerisanAssociateProfessorofEducationalLeadershipatthe NeagSchoolofEducationattheUniversityofConnecticut.Herscholarship aimstore-frameeducationalleadershipandchangetomakebothmore inclusive,equitable,andorientedtowardcollectiveupliftandcontinuous improvement Thisincludesinvestigatinggenderandracialbiasin educationalleadershipaswellasissuesofeducationalinfrastructureatthe local,districtandstatelevels Sheistheco-author,withDr Isobel Stevensonof“TheStrategyPlaybookforEducationalLeaders:Principles andPractices”andofaforthcomingbookwithDr MonicaHigginson WomeninK-12educationleadershipfromHarvardEducationPress Teachingisherpassion
March 31, 2023
Breakout Session Descriptions
Self-Preservation is the New Self-Care
Sarah Sherman
Carrying the mental load between home and work, Imposter Syndrome, and a tendency to people please are some barriers to women advancing in leadership roles and causing burning out. These tendencies can all have significant impacts on our performance, relationships, and overall mental health. This workshop will discuss how toxic stress, and mental overload shape our responses to everyday demands, so we can build awareness in ourselves and colleagues. We’ll also delve into strategies such as how to create boundaries and buffers, do more by doing less, and find the joy again, because self-preservation is the new self-care.
Her Place at the Table: Women Leaders and Negotiation
Kimberly Rizzo and Robin Melone
Many women fail to recognize opportunities to negotiate about their roles, the support and resources they need, their own compensation, and more. This is especially true in the field of education. This breakout session can help you become empowered to negotiate for what you need to create the conditions for career and personal success by exploring the issues unique to women and negotiation, rethinking the purpose of negotiations, and demonstrating strategies that suit you authentically When women negotiate, they not only negotiate for themselves they negotiate for all women to promote workplace equity
Women Talk Money: The Financial Realities of Being A Woman
Stephanie Rivas and Abigale Shields
The truth is that it’s more expensive to be a woman. So we have to do what we can to make sure we have the money we need, both now and in the future. There are times that life will cost us more. For example, we have more student loan debt, we have higher health care costs (including in retirement), and we face the pink tax (that is, marked-up prices on products and services). And sometimes we ' re paid less. A few examples include the wage gap, the mom tax, and the Social Security tax. We’ll talk about how to plan, save, and invest in a way that takes these financial realities into consideration.
Lifting Up Inclusivity: Who is Sitting at the Head Table?
Barb Smith
Inclusivity is a relatively new word, even though many have been using it, and fighting for it, for decades The actions, and inactions, of leaders today have made inclusivity a topic of discussion, frustration, polarization, and importance. Who sits at the head table matters in all organizations and on all teams, including those in education. Once we understand how to demolish the walls that have been in place for a very long time, we can welcome new chairs with new faces at the table. Why do these walls exist and how can we bring them down? The future depends on us understanding this very important question and taking action.
31, 2023
March
March 31, 2023
Breakout Sessions Presenter Biographies
Self-Preservation is the New Self-Care
Sarah Sherman has been teaching students with emotional and behavioral challenges from the inner cities to the Seacoast of NH as well working with teachers/administrators on understanding how SEL disorders, trauma/toxic stress, and what we know about neuroscience, impact student learning to provide support and practical strategies for 20 years in the capacity of Special Educator, SEL Consultant, and Instructor through UNH PD She has a Masters in Special Education, is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher, and completed Post-Graduate Certificates in Applied Behavior Analysis and Trauma Informed Practices and Policies. Sarah is also a certified Yoga Instructor who has been teaching a Trauma Informed Yoga class through Haven for 5 years and leads workshops for yoga teachers on trauma informed practices She combines her unique experiences, neuroscience and research based practices, and strength-driven connection making to remove barriers and build skills in both students and adults. She presents in a relative and engaging way that is full of discussion, reflection, and application of content that leaves people inspired and prepared to make a change
Her Place at the Table: Women Leaders and Negotiation
Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders has been working as a New Hampshire educator for 28 years She has had a variety of experiences in both the classroom and school administration. As a teacher and adjunct professor she has taught sixth grade through graduate students, in classrooms from North Carolina to New Hampshire. Dr. Rizzo Saunders' doctoral work included the areas of curriculum, assessment, instruction, professional development, and leadership As a school administrator she has worked for the Londonderry, Hollis-Brookline, Winnisquam, and the ConVal school districts. She has been in the role of ConVal School District for the past 14 years, serving as the Superintendent for the last seven She has presented at national conferences for ASCD and Learning Forward, as well as locally in New Hampshire Most recently Dr Rizzo Saunders has been presenting on the cost of an adequate education in NH. She lives with her husband Robert and their son Parker in Hopkinton, New Hampshire.
Robin Melone is an experienced and well-respected criminal attorney, litigator and negotiator. For the nearly twenty years she has represented both defendants and victims through the criminal process, trying hundreds of cases to New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Federal juries ranging from misdemeanors to homicide She is a member of the U S District Court District of NH CJA panel and a DOVE attorney In addition to her criminal practice, Robin has represented both reporting and responding parties in Title IX proceedings at colleges, universities and K-12 schools throughout New England. Robin is trained in trauma informed investigation techniques as a civil rights investigator handling in-house investigations for educational institutions and employers faced with responding to allegations of sexual harassment or assault. Robin is active in the New Hampshire Bar Association, the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and a long-time member and the current president of the NH Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Robin was the 2020 Champion of Justice for NHACLD and the 2021 recipient of the NH Women’s Bar Association’s Marilla Ricker Achievement award and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She is committed to mentoring in her professional life as a frequent presenter and trainer for her colleagues and in her private life as a coach for Girls on the Run and a community volunteer
Dr. Kimberly Rizzo
Robin Melone
Sarah Sherman
March 31, 2023
Breakout Sessions Presenter Biographies
Women Talk Money: The Financial Realities of Being A Woman
Stephanie Rivas became a Partner at one of the largest and most successful firms in the Industry, Baystate Financial in January 2022. Prior to joining Baystate, she was the Managing Director of the leading firm at Prudential Financial, where she started 23 years ago as a receptionist right after High School Both her Father and Grandfather also worked for Prudential, making her the 3rd generation in the business. Stephanie’s Firm was the first female led organization in Prudential’s 140-year history to win the Trophy for being the #1 office in the company in 2017 Other career highlights include winning Prudential’s Life Founders Award given to the Top 5 Life firms in the company every year since taking over the organization in 2015, winning a President’s Citation in 2016, being a GAMA International Diamond Award winner every year since 2015 as well as organically doubling both the headcount and revenue of the firm in just 4 years Stephanie is very involved in the Industry and currently serves on the FINSECA Foundation Board of Directors, winning the GAMA Ambassador of the Year in 2019 She is also on the FINSECA NY Board of Directors as Secretary and won the Advisor Today Magazine 4 under 40 Award
Abigale Shields began her career with Baystate Financial in 2011 as a Sales Support Consultant on the Sales Desk and transitioned to the Financial Planning Department in late 2012 As Baystate’sDirector of Financial Planning, Abigale is now responsible for the development and growth of the firm’s financial planning department as well as the continuing education of existing Baystate Financial Planners Abigale is an advocate of holistic planning, which takes into account the client’s overall goals and current situation in order to provide the best possible advice and guidance for their future. In addition to leading her team, Abigale manages the firm’s financial planning and Personal Financial View software and trains financial advisors to utilize these for both client aggregation and planning projections. She facilitates training for existing advisors to become approved Financial Planners and regularly audits and approves financial plans for advisors to deliver to their clients Abigale graduated from Wheaton College in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics and holds her Series 106, 6, 63 & 7 licenses.
Lifting Up Inclusivity: Who is Sitting at the Head Table?
Barb Smith is a former Division I college athlete, Division I college basketball coach, motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur, and advocate for all levels of leadership. Having both played and coached at the college level, Barb knows that sports go beyond winning and losing Having experienced the highs and lows and twists and turns both in sport and in life, Barb has learned the meaning of resilience Her story is one of extreme highs, like winning conference championships and back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, but also extreme lows, like not winning games or losing a player to spinal meningitis Barb has shared these stories and others as she speaks on organizational principles, leadership, inclusivity, and team-building. Barb is the Founder of Courtside Leadership, an organization that promotes leadership, teamwork, and team dynamics She has authored a book entitled, Beyond the Talent: Profile of a Winning Team, which details some of her research in building successful teams. Most recently, Barb founded Find My Team, a startup company that partners with aspiring female student-athletes, parents, and coaches and empowers them with the knowledge necessary to make the college athletic recruiting process a positive, proactive, and successful experience Barb majored in Health Education at The Ohio State University and earned her MBA in Organizational Behavior at Iona College in New York. She coached women ’ s basketball at Iona, Univ of Colorado-Boulder, San Diego State, Univ of CaliforniaBerkeley, Univ of Minnesota, Saint Louis University, and Illinois State When not working, Barb enjoys family, nature, birding, cycling, traveling, attending sporting events, meeting new people, and playing with her two rescued greyhounds
Abigale Shields
Barb Smith
Stephanie Rivas
