Confidently You: Women in Leadership

EMA's latest podcast is Confidently You: Women in Leadership, designed to support women working in independent schools who are or want to become leaders. The podcast is hosted by Lynne Macziewski from The Baldwin School and Rebecca Malotke-Meslin of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching & Consulting. We engage in thoughtful discussions about our experiences as women leaders to demystify the path to leadership and provide valuable resources in our field.

Shaping the Future of All-Girls Education 05/19/2025

Shaping the Future of All-Girls Education On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Megan Murphy, Global Executive Director of The International Coalition of Girls’ School, also known as ICGS. We discuss the evolution of ICGS and its new Global Leadership Institute, a one-year fellowship for girl-serving educators and professionals to advance their expertise in leadership. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/36580985

Headspace: Polly Fredlund 01/27/2025

Headspace: Polly Fredlund On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Polly Fredlund, Head of School at Westover School, an all-girls boarding and day school for grades 9-12 in Middlebury, CT. Polly is an independent school leader with over twenty-five years of experience working in schools as an Assistant Head of School, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Assistant Director of Upper School, English teacher, coach, outdoor leader, and advisor. We’re speaking with Polly about her journey to headship. She shares some of the toughest moments in her career and how it led her to the leader she is today. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/34942835

Unlocking Your Leadership with Listening 01/10/2025

Unlocking Your Leadership with Listening On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Liza Garonzik, founder and CEO of R.E.A.L Discussion. We’re talking with Liza about her career in and around independent schools, her path to entrepreneurship, and how listening is the key to unlocking your leadership capabilities. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/34743560

Vulnerability & Inclusivity 12/09/2024

Vulnerability & Inclusivity On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Cheryl Schenk, Director of Enrollment Management at Eastside Preparatory School, in Kirkland, Washington, just outside of Seattle. We’re discussing with Cheryl what it means to be an authentic and vulnerable leader and how she cultivates an inclusive community at Eastside Prep. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/34350825

Stronger Together: Women Supporting Women 11/14/2024

Stronger Together: Women Supporting Women On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by a team of women leaders from the Browning School, an all-boys K-12 day school in New York City. Our guests are Jan Abernathy, Chief Communications Officer, Janet Lien, Assistant Head of School and Director of Enrollment, and Kelly West, Director of Admissions. We’re discussing creating a culture within their administration that supports women leaders. Whether they are giving each other their flowers, setting healthy boundaries, or letting go of perfectionism and the scarcity mindset, we can all learn more about the role we each play in supporting the women around us. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/33916082

Authentically Embracing Risk 09/16/2024

Authentically Embracing Risk On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Claire Goldsmith. Claire is an educational innovation and strategy consultant for schools and non-profits through her company, Lamplight Education. She is also the Chair of the EMA Board of Trustees. We’re excited to discuss Claire’s career journey, being a thought leader in Ed Tech, and her experiences serving on Boards. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/33081397

Wellness and Belonging 06/20/2024

Wellness and Belonging On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Dr. Susan Perry, Associate Head of School for Wellness and Belonging at Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, North Carolina, and Senior Consultant for EXPLO Elevate. We're excited to discuss Susan's career, the role wellness and belonging play in our school community, and what potential this new model has to create healthy, sustainable schools. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/31824252

Headspace: Dr. Autumn Graves 06/06/2024

Headspace: Dr. Autumn Graves On this episode of Confidently You, we’re joined by Dr. Autumn Graves, Head of School at St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville, VA. Her leadership extends beyond her own school - Dr, Graves is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of SAIS, she sits on the Board of Directors of the 1911 Group, and is also a Board member of Leadership + Design. We’re excited to discuss Dr. Graves's career and her thoughts on how mentorship, sponsorship, and partnership support successful leadership. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/31635582

Connecting Women Leaders 03/29/2024

Connecting Women Leaders In this episode, we’re joined by Jen Evers, Executive Director of The Heads Network and former Director of Strategic Initiatives & Professional Development at the International Coalition of Girls Schools. We’re going to talk about Jen’s career with independent schools and associations, her future with The Heads Network, and how we can all work together to help women lead authentically. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/30595013

Elevating Your Leadership 02/09/2024

Elevating Your Leadership On this episode, we’re joined by Whitney Soule, Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions at the University of Pennsylvania. Whitney shares her career journey through higher ed, what she has learned in the first few years of her current position, and how she has led a team through tumultuous times. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/29873403

Headspace: Jodi Grass 01/16/2024

Headspace: Jodi Grass On this episode of Headspace, we’re joined by Jodi Grass, the Head of The Oak Grove School in Ojai, California. Jodi has been Head of School for seven years but has been a part of the Oak Grove Community for 17 years. Listen in as we learn more about her path to leadership, how her values align with Oak Grove’s mission, and how she has navigated big changes at a small school. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/29513208

Wise Women with Donna Orem [S2.E4] 12/12/2023

Wise Women with Donna Orem [S2.E4] In this episode, we’re joined by Donna Orem. Donna became president of NAIS in 2016. Before that, she served as NAIS’s chief operating officer for 11 years. But, she began at NAIS in 1998 as the vice president for educational leadership and later became the vice president for strategic initiatives and research. Now, 25 years later, Donna is heading into the next chapter in her career: retirement. Today, Donna shares her wisdom with us, along with some real talk about the progress toward gender equity of leadership in independent schools and where we can go from here. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/28794813

Demystifying the Search Process: Part II [S2:E3] 11/26/2023

Demystifying the Search Process: Part II [S2:E3] Welcome to part two of our conversation with Meera Shah and Amy Richards from Educational Directions. We are Demystifying the Search Process for women leaders in independent schools. In this episode, we’re talking about the nuts and bolts of the process, the role of the search firm versus the search committee, what materials you’ll need to prepare, and how to navigate the process with confidence. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/28794723

Hiring and Getting Hired [S2.E1] 11/21/2023

Hiring and Getting Hired [S2.E1] In this episode, we’re joined by Rebecca Taylor, Director of Human Resources at Georgetown Day School. After spending ten years as a Director of Human Resources at an independent school in North Carolina, Rebecca joined GDS in 2022 to help create a comprehensive Human Resources function. We’re going to talk about the important leadership skill of hiring as well as what to think about when applying and interviewing for new positions. We’re also asking Rebecca to share great hiring practices to help build a healthy culture to promote inclusion and retention in your schools. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/28653788

Demystifying the Search Process: Part I [S2:E2] 11/15/2023

Demystifying the Search Process: Part I [S2:E2] In this episode, we’re joined by Meera Shah and Amy Richards from Educational Directions, a nationally recognized consulting firm for independent schools specializing in searches for heads of schools and administrators. With Meera and Amy’s help, we’ll peek behind the curtain of the independent school search process. This is a big topic, so we decided to break it into two episodes. In Part I, we’ll hear about Meera and Amy’s personal leadership stories. We’ll also discuss how to be intentional about career planning and what these search consultants wish candidates knew before, during, and after the process. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/28253717

Women & EMA's 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report 06/29/2023

Women & EMA's 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report In this episode, Lynne and I are sharing our thoughts on the 2023 State of the Independent School Enrollment Industry Report, also known as the SOTI. We talked about three areas highlighted in the SOTI and their impact on women: 1. What do enrollment leaders need to be successful? 2. What is the career journey for today's enrollment professional? 3. Real talk about the gender gap for men and women admission directors. This report is the Enrollment Management Association's (EMA) flagship research project providing a snapshot of the enrollment management industry about every three years. The 2023 update is EMA's fourth edition of the report. EMA members can view the full report and access the SOTI Data Dashboard at enrolllment.org in the /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/27306189

Headspace 05/15/2023

Headspace This episode is part of a new series we're calling Headspace, where we interview Women Heads across independent schools. Our first Headspace guest is Anne Stavney, Head of School at the Blake School in Minneapolis, MN, where she has served as their Head since 2012. We discussed Anne's history with independent schools, the key to her success as a leader with many priorities, and how she has been a champion for women leaders in her role as Head. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/26829921

Innovative Leadership 05/04/2023

Innovative Leadership In this episode, we’re joined by Heather Hoerle, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of The Enrollment Management Association. Heather became EMA’s executive director in 2011. Working with the leadership team, she sets a clear direction for the staff, inspiring gold-standard service for our constituents and pushing for us to continuously innovate. Externally, in her work with schools and the wider education sector, she aims to advance the profession of enrollment management and empower individual professionals. We’re going to talk about Heather’s career, her steadfast support of women in leadership, and the ways she’s innovating at EMA. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/26504316

Valuing the Outside-In Perspective 03/02/2023

Valuing the Outside-In Perspective In this episode, we’re joined by Penny Abrahams, Senior Consultant with Independent School Management. Penny first joined ISM in 2010 as a member of the Advancement Academy’s founding faculty. As a Senior Consultant, she specializes in marketing communications, enrollment management, and development. Her experience in these areas comes from working in private-independent schools and other non-profits for more than 20 years. Being a strong leader means knowing when to consider working with an outside organization to help you achieve your goals. Penny shares with us how she supports schools, their advancement teams, and women leaders in order to maximize their impact. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/26025201

Leading Teams with Confidence and Kindness 02/02/2023

Leading Teams with Confidence and Kindness In this episode, we are talking with Susanne Carpenter, Founder and Principal of , a firm focused on strategy, organizational development, and leadership performance for independent schools. She is also the proud graduate of an independent school, an independent school trustee, and a champion for these schools. Susanne knows first-hand how education has been disrupted in the last couple of years. Her goal is to help align independent school leaders' vision with goals and to build the best schools possible. Leadership needs support as they transition into this new era. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/25663029

Reimagining the Education of Leaders 01/19/2023

Reimagining the Education of Leaders Today, we’re joined by Dr. Carrie Grimes, Assistant Professor and Director of the Independent School Leadership Graduate Program at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. At Peabody, Carrie serves as a faculty member across different graduate programs in the department of Leadership Policy and Organization in addition to her role as Program Director of the Independent School leadership master’s degree program. Carrie is here to share with us the exciting research and changes at Peabody that have led to an increase in women joining the Independent School Leadership Graduate Program. These intentional changes are a reimagining of not only the training of our leaders but also leadership itself. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/25662876

The Struggle is Real: Avoiding & Managing Burnout in Admissions 01/05/2023

The Struggle is Real: Avoiding & Managing Burnout in Admissions We recorded this episode at EMA’s Annual Conference in Orlando. In this episode, we’re joined by Lauren Lewis Director of Enrollment Management at the Advent School in Massachusetts, and Laura Burgess from Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Tabor Academy in Massachusetts. Lauren and Laura presented the session The Struggle is Real: Avoiding & Managing Burnout in Admissions. The title says it all! They are here to share their own experiences but also create a space for women in schools to talk about the symptoms of burnout, why working in a school is a unique and all-consuming environment, and why it is different for women and people of color and what we can do to prevent, manage and recover from burnout together. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/25371009

Women of Color Power Hour 12/08/2022

Women of Color Power Hour We recorded this episode at EMA’s Annual Conference in Orlando. In this episode, we’re joined by Susan Mantilla-Goin, Dean of Enrollment Management at the Pomfret School in Connecticut, and Vivien Valenzuela Mallick Director of Admission and Financial Aid at The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California. During the annual conference, Vivien and Susan hosted the Women of Color Power Hour. This session gave these two long-time friends, former colleagues, and veterans in the field an opportunity to share how they earned their leadership positions by possessing the experience, knowledge, skills, and vision to meet their schools’ enrollment goals. They’re hoping to help women of color use their voice and bring their authentic selves to work so that they can confidently share their perspectives which are underrepresented at predominantly white institutions. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/25020420

Tooting Your Own Horn 11/24/2022

Tooting Your Own Horn In this episode, we’re talking with . Angela is here to talk with us about claiming your achievements, tooting your own horn, and making strategic career moves. Angela shares her personal experiences as well as tried and true ways that women can overcome their fears of self-promotion to advance their careers. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/25020381

Parenting and Leading at School 11/10/2022

Parenting and Leading at School In this episode, we’re talking with Bethany Burgun, Director of Mission Advancement at Saint Joseph High School in South Bend, Indiana. Bethany is here to talk with us about the complexities of being a school leader while also having your children enrolled in your school. While it can be incredibly rewarding it can also bring on stress, and impact your relationships with colleagues and employees. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/24715053

Staying In It 10/27/2022

Staying In It In this episode, we’re talking with Frankie Brown, Assistant Head of School for Enrollment Management and Financial Aid at Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC. Frankie is here to speak with us about the space between being a leader while still needing to be led, managing up while also creating a path for others to follow in your footsteps, and how leadership still looks different for women and women of color in independent schools. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/24714759

Building Meaningful Relationships to Advance Your Career 10/10/2022

Building Meaningful Relationships to Advance Your Career Join Lynne and Rebecca as they discuss building meaningful relationships with people who can help advance your career. While we’d like to think we can do it all by ourselves, let’s be real. You need to create a network around you of colleagues, influencers, decision-makers, and mentors to achieve success in your current role and when reaching for that next rung on the ladder. They share different ways you can get started building those relationships. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/24597681

How to be a Better Risk-Taker 10/10/2022

How to be a Better Risk-Taker In this episode, we’re talking with Debra Wilson, President of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS). Debra is here to talk with us about trends in headships for women, the challenges women still face when ascending into leadership, and how to gain experience and confidence to take on your next leadership role. /episode/index/show/57baf117-1b4e-4fde-969b-54ed351a6eda/id/24597762

Confidently You: Women in Leadership

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