Note: This module is open to everyone, regardless of gender identity.

There is considerable research on women and leadership but little on women in leadership in independent schools and the particular challenges and opportunities of this environment. This module will offer a series of interactive exercises, discussions and reflections examining contemporary leadership theory, focusing on self-development, leadership learning, career patterns, and succession planning within the context of independent school leadership.

Learning Intentions: Participants will:

• Cultivate greater self-awareness of leadership traits and skills
• Examine past and present career points to envision future directions
• Develop an understanding of how to build a culture of leadership development for women in schools
• Think critically about career patterns, supports and obstacles through fictional and non-fictional narratives
• Connect with colleagues from across Canada
• Have fun!

CAIS 2021 National Standards Alignment:

• Connections to the CAIS 2021 National Standards:
• Leadership Standards: 2.3, 2.7, 2.8
• Human Resource Standards: 10.1, 10.3, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8

Facilitator Biographies

Claire Kelly

Claire Kelly serves as Assistant Head of School: Student Life, at Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario. She teaches AP Capstone Research, senior English, and coaches student leaders. Claire earned her PhD from OISE/UT (’19) in Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education, with a dissertation exploring organizational change, in particular, career patterns of women and gender representation in independent school headships in Canada. She has presented her research in various contexts, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS).

Claire has been a CAIS LI Women and Leadership module facilitator twice before and is delighted to be returning to this role. She lives with her husband and two sons on campus, and loves to travel, run, paddle, and play guitar.

Rachel Marks

Rachel Marks is the Deputy Head of School at Lauremont School. She has a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, a Master of Education from Queen's University and received her Montessori teacher training at Toronto Montessori Institute. Rachel is a member of Cohort 21, which is a highly committed and innovative community of professional educators from The Conference of Independent Schools. As part of Cohort 21, Rachel researched how to develop and measure joy in her students' learning experience and used this to cultivate the vision for the Elementary program at TMS. She is also part of CAIS where she meets regularly with the Heads of Elementary programs in other Independent Schools across Canada. Rachel is one of the facilitators for the CAIS Women’s Affinity Group that meets throughout the year with women across Canada. She is also the co-founder of the LiftUp/Uplift initiative that supports women in leadership across the independent school landscape. Rachel has led several charitable initiatives at TMS, including a groundbreaking social entrepreneurship project with 360°Kids, a local non-profit supporting homeless youth.

Rachel is also a mom of two children, Abby and Dylan, both of whom graduated from TMS. Rachel is married to Cory, a chef extraordinaire, and together they have cultivated a love of great food, fine dining and an insatiable thirst for travel. They are also parents to Oscar, an amazing puppy and consumer of peanut butter!