Aggie Underwood, Vice President of the Search & Consulting Group
A search for a new leader is likely to be one of the major legacies of a school board. While a good search can take you from point A to B in an expedient fashion, a great search travels from status quo—through reflection, assessment, and discovery—to affirmation, renewal, and even transformation. The Head of School Practice of the Search & Consulting Group has a long record of partnering successfully with institutions of learning all over the world to find the right leader.
Here are few ways in which we provide compelling value:
Just the Right Size – Our size provides our clients with the intimacy and immediacy of a small bespoke experience, while offering the resources, technology, market insight, and network of a globally-connected firm.
Stakeholders in Independent and Like-kind Education – We are stakeholders in independent schools, and as such, our searches do not compete for resources among hundreds of much larger organizations. Likewise, our firm possesses resources that independent school-focused firms cannot match.
Flexible Approach – During our years serving independent and like-kind schools we have learned that a flexible approach to a search–that takes into account the unique qualities of the school, the specifics of the departing leader’s tenure, and the sentiments of the wider community–is the best way to work.
Consultants as Well as Recruiters – We embrace that we are consultants as well as recruiters. We bring to bear our experience and understanding as life-long educators to all matters pertaining to a search. We understand the various constituencies at play, and we appreciate how challenging it can be to run an independent school.
The End of the Search is Just the Start of a Successful Appointment – CS&A understands that the appointment is just the beginning of the hard work for a successful transition. That’s why our consultants remain a resource for schools well beyond the hire. We commit not only to consulting actively during the transition, but also to coming back to campus 100 days into the headship to meet with stakeholders and keep the transition on track.
Committed Allies – CS&A hosts the annual FORUM/Diversity in Philadelphia. The two-day conference, attended by over 1,200 educators, provides professional development to aspiring leaders of color and facilitates increased diversity hiring among PK-12 schools. We also hold an annual Women’s Institute, bringing together women educators from all over the country, and world, to provide discussion, panels, coaching, and lasting mentorship.
Building Inclusive Communities – To support schools and organizations in creating hiring processes that support a more diverse talent pool, all head of school searches include the option of engaging in implicit bias training for search committees at no extra cost.
I have worked with many recruiters in other sectors over the years, and I’ve never encountered anyone who puts so much care into his client’s future and well-being as Bob. He visited our campus on multiple occasions, spent dozens of hours in conversation with every facet of our community, and became deeply invested in our success. He advised us not only on our search process, but on our vision and strategy. He became part of our team. It is no exaggeration to expect that, in 10 years, FAIS may look back and see Bob’s role in our head's hire as pivotal in our school’s evolution.Matt Donegan French American International School See More Success Stories
Lead consultant of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practice, Lawrence Alexander chats with Money.com about how BIPOC high school students can find a college that values diversity and antiracist policies.
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Recently, Lawrence Alexander was interviewed by Money.com as part of an article discussing how BIPOC high school students can find a college that values diversity and antiracist policies. While the article focuses on making a college choice, many of the piece's themes and takeaways can be applied to independent schools as they work towards building more inclusive communities.
“Antiracist is an adjective,” Lawrence says in the article. “It’s not an identity, or a pass schools get by putting out a public statement.”
By looking at how culturally inclusive the curriculum is, how representative the student and faculty bodies are, and how diverse the school leadership team and board of trustees are, student and families can begin to gauge how much a school supports its minority students and promotes antiracism.
The ultimate goal is to make sure a school isn’t simply claiming to be antiracist without taking any concrete actions to move in that direction.
Our Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was a guest on "All Things Considered" to discuss the current conversation around racism.
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Lawrence Alexander, our Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, was a guest on WBUR's “All Things Considered” on June 8. On the show, Lawrence discussed how schools and companies are responding to conversations on racial injustice and what leaders can do to better address race issues.
Listen to the full interview or read highlights here.
On June 16, Lawrence Alexander joined AISNE in leading a workshop on the dynamics of implicit bias within hiring and onboarding processes.
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On June 16, Lawrence Alexander, CS&A’s Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, joined AISNE in leading a three-hour workshop on understanding the dynamics of implicit bias within hiring and onboarding processes.
Lawrence and his co-presenters helped attendees gain a deeper understanding for the dynamics of implicit bias within hiring and onboarding, including particular consideration for the dynamics of conducting these experiences virtually. They explored opportunities for improving onboarding experiences of people of color, with a focus on interrupting implicit bias, and discussed what best practice looks like when it comes to making school communities an environment in which people of color wish to remain and thrive.
Watch a recording of a webinar hosted by Lawrence Alexander and Brandon Jacobs.
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On May 6, Lawrence Alexander and Brandon Jacobs, consultants from our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting Practice Group, led a webinar discussion on how to interrupt implicit bias in the virtual hiring process.
They explained how to identify barriers to access in the virtual environment for candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. Attendees learned how to audit their virtual process for bias and create a more inclusive virtual evaluation process.
Senior Consultant David Chojnacki participated one of AAIE's weekly COVID-19 online conversations on leading through crisis.
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On April 15, Senior Consultant David Chojnacki joined Rick Detwiler, international school board development consultant, for one of AAIE's (Association for the Advancement of International Education) weekly COVID-19 online conversations. Their hour-long conversation, titled “Leading Together Through Crisis,” was about nurturing the head of school/board chair relationship during a time of crisis with an emphasis on some critical questions, including maintaining clarity of roles (governance vs. operations) and making decisions in the absence of specific policies (e.g., refunds). You can watch a recording here.
We proudly brought our DEI professional development programming to the West Coast on March 5.
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On Thursday, March 5 in San Francisco, CS&A was proud to host Carney Connections: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Educators, school representatives, and school leaders gathered for a day of DEI programming similar to our popular FORUM/Diversity event that is held each year in Philadelphia. Carney Connections featured speakers from schools across the country in four dynamic sessions. A full schedule can be found here. The event was free to attend and was held the day before our FORUM/San Francisco hiring conference.
Lawrence Alexander is featured on the Full Stack Educator Podcast where he discusses how to successfully hire a Director of DEI.
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Lawrence Alexander, leader of our DEI Consulting Practice, is a featured guest on the Full Stack Educator Podcast. Hosts Matt McGee and Michael Lomuscio chat with Lawrence as he discusses how schools should begin DEI work and how to successfully hire a Director of DEI. Listen to parts 1 and 2 here.
Two different workshops were presented by CS&A consultants and many others were in attendance.
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At the NAIS Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Ann Teaff, Bill Christ, and Karen Whitaker presented a one-hour workshop on February 27 titled “A Golden Moment for Women's Leadership in Schools.” The session was selected as one of the NAIS AC On Demand sessions. Also on February 27, Marsha Little presented “Disruptive Development: Coaching as a Tool for Culture Change” with Teddi Bair and Stacia McFadden from The Lovett School (GA). Additionally, many other CS&A consultants were in attendance at the conference.
Before joining CS&A, David served as the head of four international schools.
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David Chojnacki, Senior Consultant, was inducted into the AAIE Hall of Fame at the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) Conference. David has served as the head of four international schools, including the American Embassy School in New Delhi and Cairo American College. Immediately before joining CS&A, David was the executive director of the Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools, a position he held for 20 years. He has also served on numerous boards, including the Fulbright Commission in Greece, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and the AAIE. The AAIE Hall of Fame recognition is awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions over a period of ten 10 or more years to international education and who has furthered the goals and mission of AAIE. Presenting the award is Dr. Greg Hedger, member of the AAIE board.
Our International Practice Group – Art Charles, David Chojnacki, Fred Wesson, Ralph Davison, and John Chandler – attended the AAIE Conference February 1-5 in New York.