ECIS Leadership Conference 2023

This past week, Director of School Relations Sheena Nabholz attended the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) Leadership Conference hosted by Search Associates’ (SEARCH) member school International School of Düsseldorf. The theme, Culture and Change, was highlighted by over 90 presentations and workshops, many of which centered on developing school culture and promoting community well-being. This year’s event was sold-out!

Of the many conference highlights, the keynote by Mary Ashun, Head of Ghana International School, resonated with conference attendees, as did her passion for supporting our teachers and shielding them from “failure” and burnout. Susan Lucia Annunzio, in her Keynote, Becoming a Higher-Performing School, discussed the global factors that distinguish high-performance within organizations. She provided research gathered by The Center for High Performance on identifying the differentiating characteristics of high-performance, assessing performance of the administrative team, and increasing awareness of cultural risk.

Of further interest to conference participants were updates from Fidelis Ntenge of the International Baccalaureate on changes to their programs, and from ECIS CEO Kam Chohan about the International Anti-Discrimination Task Force.

During the conference, Sheena was honored with an ECIS service award, presented to her as she ends her six-year tenure on the board. On the final morning of the conference, SEARCH sponsored the first ECIS Women in Leadership Breakfast, and Sheena was pleased to be able to give greetings on behalf of SEARCH to the amazing women leaders in attendance, as well as to reiterate our commitment to supporting an increase in women leaders in senior leadership roles.