2023 NEASC Leadership Conference

This December 6-8, Director of Leadership Search and Consulting Services George Entwistle joined hundreds of participants at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel for the annual Leadership Conference of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). George reports, “The size of this conference seemed perfect for creating a comfortable environment—one conducive to conversations.

The conference, the theme of which was Sustainable Innovation, featured three main speakers. In addition to a session presented by three school leaders called “Courageous Leadership,” George was able to attend Student and Youth Activist Seokhyun (Nathan) Baek’s talk, “Youth Innovation: Leaving this place better than we found it.” The senior at Avenues Online encourages youth to play a key role in maintenance and innovation in society. As Founder of the Microphone Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Nathan aims to amplify the voices of youth and teach the Sustainable Development Goals. Kapono Ciotti, International School Leader and Executive Director of What Schools Could Be, presented “Reimagining What School Could Be: An Innovator’s Guide to the Future of Education.” Kapono described education as an act of social justice and his interest in shifting school culture to be impact based. The third featured presentation, “AI Everything, Everywhere, and All at Once,” was given by Priya Lakhani OBE, CEO and Founder of CENTURY Tech. Priya’s award-winning education technology company develops AI-powered learning tools for schools, colleges, universities, and corporate education providers across the world.

The pre-conference and conference sessions were well attended by participants. George was pleased with the constant flow of traffic through the Exhibitor’s Hall, where refreshments drew participants. At the Search Associates (SEARCH) table, George enjoyed describing our services to leaders considering becoming SEARCH Leadership Candidates and others interested in school services like teacher recruitment. He also had the chance to catch-up with a former colleague from Shanghai American School. George adds,

I had a very positive experience at the conference as an exhibitor. There was always someone to engage with, so I was quite busy.

As we have for many years, Search Associates looks forward to next year’s NEASC Leadership Conference!