Announcements

SAES Executive Director Announcement

Dear Members of the SAES Community,

On behalf of our Board of Directors, and with great pride, I am very pleased to announce that Rob Devlin has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools effective July 1, 2022. Rob has been Head of School at St. George Episcopal Day School in San Antonio for the past 17 years. He has also led SAES as the former Board President and has served on our Standards Committee. The Board is confident that SAES will flourish under Rob’s leadership due to his more than 30 years of experience in leading independent schools and his deep abiding love of Episcopal schools.

We want to thank the Search Chair, Nathan Sheldon and our Search Committee for their efforts in bringing forth such strong finalists and ultimately identifying Rob as our permanent Executive Director. The search committee recommended Rob to the Board because of his breadth and depth of experience and thoughtful leadership in Episcopal schools, his dedication to SAES, and his outreach to our association schools. Rob deeply loves and appreciates Episcopal schools and the Episcopal Identity. The search committee found Rob to be an experienced and successful school leader who values the importance of healthy relationships. He is also a gifted administrator who is highly innovative, energetic, brimming with programmatic expertise, and has a strong technology background. We are confident that he will be a great resource to school leadership in the association. Rob is seen as a patient, loving, and collaborative person who has a warm and caring pastoral style. It is said that Episcopal schools “light him up,” as he lives and breathes the Episcopal Identity and values the role it plays in the formation of children.

The Association will not only benefit from Rob’s comprehensive experience in both K-12 and PK-8 schools, but also from his background and expertise in cultivating campus-wide technology plans. His work on executive leadership teams in the development of school-wide strategic plans for various aspects of school life will be of great help in providing guidance to SAES schools. Rob’s talent and experience are far reaching and reflect a wonderful balance of expertise, leadership, and mentorship. Rob has been married since 1991 and has two daughters and one son. He is a graduate of Kinkaid School, with a BA from Trinity University, and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.

The Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools is grateful to the The Rev. David A. Madison, D. Min. for his successful tenure as Executive Director of SAES, and we are proud that David now serves as Executive Director-Elect at the National Association of Episcopal Schools. We thank Doreen Oleson and the search firm, RG175, for guiding our Search Committee through the discernment process that led us to appointing Rob Devlin as our permanent Executive Director. As SAES Executive Director-Elect, Rob will be speaking to the association at the Biennial Conference. Please plan to join us.

Sincerely,

Catherine “Scootie” Clark,

President, SAES Board of Trustees

“And the easiest way to do that (receive God’s Love) is to become part of a community of people who want to give and receive love, to liberate themselves from the tyranny of

the self to look outward….”

The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry, Presiding Bishop and

Primate of The Episcopal Church

Dear SAES Community,

One of the most beautiful aspects of our association is found in the rich diversity of our schools. From the large, well resourced, urban K-12 schools, to the modest, rural, early childhood schools, and everything in between, the schools of the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools come together to form a rich tapestry that proclaims and shares the love and hope of Christ with all. Although we may differ in size, structure, location, resources, and operation, we remain united in our shared commitment to the pursuit of both faith and reason. Our schools find common ground in “advancing academic excellence (SAES)” as we “seek and serve Christ in all persons,” while also “loving our neighbors as ourselves” and “respecting the dignity of every human being. (BCP)”

This shared and celebrated commitment to providing outstanding academic preparation while “building lives of genuine meaning, purpose, and service (NAES)” is what I love about Episcopal schools, and this is why I am honored to serve as the next Executive Director of the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools beginning in July of 2022.

As your next Executive Director, I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to build upon the strong legacy of leadership provided by selfless servants such as The Reverend David Madison, Connie Wootton and many others. I am extremely grateful for the steady hand of leadership provided by our interim director, Andrew Wooden, and the amazing SAES team of Pat Blevins, Mary Katherine Duffy, and Jeanie Stark - thank you all for continuing to serve our association with great skill and love in the midst of this transition. Thank you also to Nathan Sheldon and all the members of the search committee, to search consultant Doreen Oleson, and to the SAES Board of Directors for their service to our association throughout this process.

Together, may we all remain part of a community of people who want to give and receive love. See you all at the Biennial next week!

Respectfully,

Rob Devlin
Biennial Conference 2021

2021 SAES Virtual Biennial Conference Platform Officially Open

Access the Conference Platform

The conference begins at 11:00 am on Thursday, October 21st, and ends at 12:30 pm on Friday, October 22nd. We urge you to login to the platform to test for any technical difficulties. Visit the help desk for assistance.

There are a variety of ways in which you can participate and engage in the content:

Virtual Networking Lounge: The platform has a Virtual Lounge that will be open throughout the conference - it will be a place in which you can go to engage with your colleagues as well as after breakout sessions to continue the conversation! We hope you will take advantage of the Virtual Networking Lounge for reconnecting with friends, continuing discussions, and sharing ideas.

Sponsors: As in years past, our sponsors have been incredibly generous and supportive, and they will be offering content that is relevant and helpful. Many of them are offering breakout sessions beginning at 11:30 am on Thursday and we hope you will attend these sessions. Additionally, I encourage you to find an opportunity to visit their rooms and offer your thanks for their continued support of SAES and its programs.

Breakout sessions: Beginning at 1:30 on Thursday, participants will have a wide variety of breakout sessions to choose from. We are confident that will find something to interest you whether you are an Administrator, a member of the Faculty, a Board member, or clergy.

Keynote speakers: On Friday morning (Oct. 22) David Epstein and Yvonne Adams will offer incredible insight into what it means to be an educator in today’s world. David’s message will focus on helping students reach their full potential, and Yvonne will motivate the all-important conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Awards Ceremony: One of our treasured practices during this conference is to honor the nominees and name the winners of The Connie Wootton Excellence in Teaching Award. Join us on Friday at 11:45 as we honor those among us who show excellence in teaching. The Ken Bastian and the Budgie Hollaman Awards will also be given during this session.

All of us at SAES are glad to welcome you to our Biennial Conference. Come early so you don’t miss a single opportunity to pray and learn with us! It’s going to be a great conference and we are glad you are here!

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