Leadership Symposium

 

 

 

Carrie Grimes is an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the LPO department and also serves as the Director of the Independent School Leadership Master's program. She completed her Ed.D. in Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University, where her research focused on social identity and community of practice theoretical applications to school settings. Carrie's career has been centered in independent school leadership, including roles in administration, teaching, counseling, and institutional advancement in schools and programs in New York, California, and Maryland. Throughout her career, she has focused on community building, imaginative problem solving, and cross-team collaboration across various stakeholder groups, including toddlers through adolescents, parents, adult learners, donors, and alumni. Carrie has a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a M.A. in Applied Psychology from New York University.

People Will Remember How You Made Them Feel
This presentation digs into the science of emotion, in particular the work of leading scholars in emotional intelligence (Brackett, Solovay, Goleman, Caruso) to provide participants with a better understanding of how our emotions, particularly as leaders, directly drive climate within our schools. This presentation will make the compelling case that being more scientific about our emotions empowers us as leaders. Of particular fascination in this material is how the application of specific emotionally intelligent tools and practices can be activated to shift one's leadership mindset, habits, and behaviors, and contribute to positive outcomes related to the work environment. Now more than ever, we need to be actively cultivating positive work environments for our faculty and staff, as school leaders encounter an increasingly competitive landscape in which to recruit and retain employees. 
 

 

Building Trust as a Core Leadership Competency in Schools
In today’s school environments, trust is more than a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic asset. In this session, we’ll explore the concept of the Trust Quotient (TQ), a framework that helps leaders understand the role trust plays in talent, team dynamics, communication, and organizational health. Drawing on research from organizational psychology and school-based case studies, this session will introduce participants to the four components of TQ—credibility, reliability, intimacy, and self-orientation—and offer practical tools for evaluating and improving trust within leadership teams and faculty groups.

 

 

8:30 am - Registration 

9:00 am - Welcome and Introductions - Rob Devlin, SAES Exec. Director 

10:00 am - Keynote Speaker - Dr. Carrie Grimes

11:15 am - Campus Tour 

12:00 noon  - Lunch 

1:00 pm - Building Trust as a Core Leadership Competency in Schools

2:00 pm - Vital Signs for a Thriving School

3:00 pm - Wrap-up and Takeaways - Rob Devlin, SAES Executive Director