ECIS Leadership Conference Convenes in Spain

The Annual ECIS Leadership Conference provides a welcome opportunity to explore important perspectives in education and to connect with colleagues on the international school front. In late April, John Magagna, Founding Director of Search Associates, attended the 2017 conference in Barcelona, where he was joined by Senior Associate Diana Kerry and Search Consultant Dr. Günther Brandt, accompanied by his wife Janice.

This year’s conference posed the question Inspiring Curiosity – How Might We? and explored several interesting thematic tracks, including Leadership and Governance, Developing Talent and Student Learning. One such workshop session led by Mark Ulfers, Head of School at the American School of Paris, provided a teacher observation and feedback ‘toolbox’ and focused on how administrators might make better use of their time for leading instruction and learning.

“Women in Leadership” was another popular topic of discussion, based on the book What Works for Women at Work by Joan Williams. The session was attended by both men and women interested in exploring the current challenges and embracing a new model of leadership.

In fact, Search Associates has blazed the trail for women seeking school leadership positions by recently placing numerous women in their first headships. John Magagna and Günther Brandt enjoyed the chance to visit with some of these new directors. Viki Stiebert will leave her current position as Lower School Principal at Zurich International School to assume the leadership of IS Panama in the fall. Rachel Hovington, previously the Deputy Head at Atlanta International School, is currently in her first year as Head of School at the International School Hannover (ISHR) while Jennifer Weyburn is at Copenhagen International School. Sheena Nabholz, who was also present, was placed in her first headship in Cameroon, and will be moving on to Ghana in August.

In addition, John, Diana and Günther met with both schools and educators interested in future job searches. The ECIS gathering is a good place for everyone to catch up with both colleagues and candidates!