Cal-ISBOA News

June 15, 2026

While in the area for the Northern California Facilities Workshop, Cal-ISBOA Membership Engagement Manager Peggy Marshall was hosted by CFO/COO Deann Hays, Director of Facilities & Operations (and Cal-ISBOA Board Member) Eleazar Madrid, and HR / PR Manager Sydney Polich for an exciting tour of the Redwood Day School campus. Redwood Day offers lower and middle school (K-8), providing a transformative learning experience for students that creates a foundation for lifelong growth and success. The campus features several beautiful buildings for classrooms, science labs, design and art studios, a full-sized gymnasium, and more, and next year it will also feature an inspiring outdoor “Design, Build, Innovate” space with a shade structure. Redwood Day also boasts new boys and girls locker rooms and bathroom facilities, and the addition of astroturf in their well used outdoor spaces is forthcoming. We thank Deann, Eleazar, and Sydney for generously sharing their school with us!

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June 8, 2026

Cheers to a great end-of-year happy hour with the NorCal CalISBOA group on June 2! It was wonderful to relax, catch up, and celebrate Kathy Layendecker as she heads into retirement. Thanks to everyone who came out to make it such a happy occasion and thanks to Jeanne Jacobs-Gaffney for organizing it. We're looking forward to our next one!

May 29, 2026

At Cal-ISBOA, we are always trying to do more and better for our members. To that end, this year we worked to incorporate several innovations into our Signature Spring Events in Pasadena, all of which experienced record-setting attendance. In addition to the changes to our Welcome Reception and Kick-Off Dinner inspired by Charles Vogl's work, we rolled out several exciting new offerings like a new event App, a wellness experience, Cal-ISBOA Gives Back charitable giving, and new sponsor support programs that led to record community engagement.

The new event App allowed members to access schedule information and program details from the convenience of their phones while on-the-go, as well as providing easy access to sponsor information and a number of important member resources. We are excited to see what we can do with this App in the future!

Thanks to Platinum Annual Corporate Sponsor Poppy Bank's generous support, we were able to provide a unique Mindfulness Experience that included resources to support busy professionals attending conferences that included Wellness Walks and a Community Corner featuring tactile experiences like puzzles, coloring books, colorful slime, watercolors, and guided mindfulness activities to support focus, increase mental clarity, and optimize adult learning.

Designed to support the groups and communities that support our schools, this year we introduced Cal-ISBOA Gives Back, a charitable giving opportunity benefitting a local service organization. Selected as our 2026 beneficiary for its critical support of our school community during the 2025 LA fires, The Change Reaction is an organization that provides financial assistance to Angelenos.

Finally, we worked to better support our sponsors through a special orientation as well as a Sponsor Ambassador program that connected sponsor representatives with our members, to help new and returning sponsors get to know our community and have a great experience.

We hope you could feel the impact of these innovations! We look forward to continuing to raise the bar.

May 20, 2026

Thank you to all who joined us for our Welcome Reception & Kick-Off Dinner at the Langham Huntington in Pasadena! Between the excellent company, delicious food, and gorgeous setting, it was the perfect way to begin this year's Annual Conference. 

Building on the traditional foundation for our dinner as an opportunity to bring our members and business partners together for a purely social occasion, we were inspired by this year's Annual Conference Keynote speaker Charles Vogl to make some intentional changes designed to help guests connect even more deeply. In distinction from previous years, we reduced the number of guests at each table to better support rich and inclusive conversations, we set votive candles and fairy lights in our centerpieces to help guests keep their focus on their table and dinner companions, and we introduced a small activity with Conversation Reflection Cards to give guests a structured invitation to share personally with each other. You can learn more about Charles' impactful suggestions and how to fold them into your next gathering by downloading his guide to Sacred Dinners for Deep Friendship. 

We hope you were able to join us for this memorable evening! If not, we hope you will plan to join us for next year's Welcome Reception & Kick-Off Dinner in Northern California. 

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May 15, 2026

This year, the Cal-ISBOA HR Workshop in Pasadena featured not one but two fantastic keynote presentations to assist our HR members in their pursuit of excellence at their schools. 

Our Workshop day began with an empowering keynote from award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and business owner Catherine Mattice (Civility Partners, Inc.) on the topic of Your HR Superpower: Building a Culture of Ownership and Accountability. Presenting a model of how HR work can be integrated into a school's business strategy, elevating HR professionals from "complaint deposit boxes" to be strategic partners in decision making, Catherine presented actionable insights and tips for understanding and improving your organization's employee culture. Hint: remember to check and potentially change the "OIL"! 

Following a parade of exciting breakout sessions, our HR Workshop culminated in a Closing Keynote from nationally recognized expert on leadership, culture, and the modern workforce Eric Swenson (Tanzanite Leadership Development and Symmetry HR Outsourcing) on the topic of A Blueprint for School Culture: How You Can Shape Connection, Engagement, and Belonging. In a moment when employee engagement and retention are more important than ever, Eric invites HR managers to position themselves as the proactive architects of workplace culture and employee experience rather than administrators, with the help of innovative HR leadership strategies without adding budget or headcount.

Workshop registrants can access full presentation slides on our Workshop Materials page when they are logged in. If you were able to join us, we hope these two keynotes gave you useful insights and ideas to apply at your school!

Below: (left) Catherine Mattice and (right) Eric Swenson presenting at the 2026 Cal-ISBOA HR Workshop.

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May 11, 2026 

We welcomed advisor, speaker, and bestselling author Charles Vogl to give a very special keynote at our Annual Conference this year on the topic of Creating Deep Connection: Community Building Fundamentals. Helping us define the nature of a true community in the era of post-pandemic loneliness and isolation, Charles offered evidence-based arguments for the foundational importance of authentic connections and community in our work and in our lives more generally. He identified tools and strategies for building these connections and the sense of belonging that they engender through intentional invitations (over announcements) and by creating opportunities for real platonic intimacy to develop among participants.

Ahead of our 2026 events, we worked to incorporate innovations in our Annual Conference, HR Workshop, and Facilities Workshop inspired by Charles' impactful ideas, and if you were able to join us, we hope you could feel the difference! 

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April 27, 2026

What a fantastic few days we had as we gathered together to connect with peers and business partners for this year's Annual Conference, Human Resources, and Facilities Workshops at the lovely Langham Huntington, Pasadena! 

Not only did we have record attendance at this year's event, but we rolled out several innovations this year like a new event App, a wellness experience, Cal-ISBOA Gives Back charitable giving, and new sponsor support programs that led to record community engagement too.

We had the distinct pleasure of hearing from two notable keynote speakers during the HR Workshop on Monday, April 20, including award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and business owner Catherine Mattice and nationally recognized expert on leadership, culture, and the modern workforce Eric Swenson.

After an incredible Welcome Reception & Kick-Off Dinner in the gorgeous Horseshoe Garden on Monday night, Annual Conference attendees heard from adviser, speaker, and the author of three books and much sought-after keynote speaker Charles Vogl, who led the group in a pivotal discussion about creating deep connection with community building fundamentals that we can use at our schools and in every facet of our lives.

It was a powerful and meaningful two days packed with authentic community connection and deep topical learning that supports our daily work. Members and sponsors shared their expertise in 17 other sessions across the two days.

The association's Annual Member Meeting was held during the Annual Conference lunch on Tuesday, April 21, during which we heard from Board leaders about an array of accomplishments and aspirations, celebrated outgoing Board members, announced Board and Bylaw election results, and honored this year's Martha Ambros Community Impact Award Recipient: Kathy Layendecker, Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations at Castilleja School. 

Thanks to Platinum Annual Corporate Sponsor Poppy Bank's generous support, we were able to provide a unique Mindfulness Experience that included resources to support busy professionals attending conferences that included Wellness Walks and a Community Corner featuring tactile experiences like puzzles, coloring books, colorful slime, watercolors, and guided mindfulness activities to support focus, increase mental clarity, and optimize adult learning. 

If you attended, please help us continue improving our programs by completing evaluations for the HR Workshop, Facilities Workshop and Annual Conference. If you missed it this year, we encourage you to consider joining us next year!

There were too many memorable moments to show them all, but here are a few special moments that were captured in photos that we think you'll enjoy. You can find more photos on our LinkedIn channel, and we invite you to share photos and memories from the events as well. Please tag Cal-ISBOA so your peers can enjoy them too!

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April 21, 2026

We are pleased to announce that the 2026 Election of the Cal-ISBOA Board of Directors has been completed and the Amended Bylaws have been approved. Thanks to our member schools for taking part in this important governance process! Read more about the new Bylaws and our newly elected leadership here. 

We welcome the following newly elected Board members for their first term, 2026-2029: 

• Chris Thomas, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, Oakwood School, North Hollywood

• Jessica McCullagh, Director of Human Resources, The Archer School for Girls, Los Angeles

The Following Board Members were reelected to continue serving for a second term, 2026-2029: 

• Brian Hollis, Chief Financial Officer, The Curtis School, Los Angeles
• Natalie Morales, Director of Finance, Chandler School, Pasadena

For 2026-2027, our Board Officers will be:

• President: Ken Parr, Director of Finance & Operations, Carlthorp School, Santa Monica

• Vice President: Erik Paxman, Silicon Valley International School, Palo Alto

• Vice President: Natalie Morales, Director of Finance, Chandler School, Pasadena

• Treasurer: Deepika Nabar, Chief Financial Officer, Archbishop Mitty High School, San Jose

• Secretary: Rebecca Rowland, Director of Human Resources, Campbell Hall, Studio City

Congratulations to all new and returning Board members! Thank you for your service to our community.

April 3, 2026

We are thrilled to announce that Kathy Layendecker, Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations at Castilleja School, has received the 2026 MACI Award!

Named after Cal-ISBOA’s founding Executive Director, The Martha Ambros Community Impact (MACI) Award is given to a member of the California independent school community who has distinguished themself through their engagement in professional development activities, their connection with fellow members, and their impact within the Cal-ISBOA community. Consistent with Martha’s leadership, recipients will have transcended their role as an employee of an independent school by furthering the hallmarks of our association: collegiality, connectedness, integrity, and friendship within and across school communities.

Inaugurated in 2024, the Martha Ambros Community Impact Award is formally presented annually at the Cal-ISBOA Annual Meeting, which will be held on April 21, 2026 at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena.

Kathy Layendecker started her Independent School journey in 2005 as the CFO at Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, Oregon. She went on to be the Interim Head of School for two years and then Associate Head of School. In 2012, Kathy left Oregon Episcopal School to become Head of School at Shattuck-St Mary's in Faribault, Minnesota. She arrived at Castilleja School in 2014, where she continues to serve as Associate Head of School for Finance and Operations. Kathy has also worked in the private sector as an investment banker at First Boston and Goldman Sachs, as a strategist for Harcourt General, and as a founding employee of IGN Entertainment.

Kathy served on the Cal-ISBOA Board of Directors from July 2016 through June 2022, culminating in her service as the President of the Board from 2020-2022, as well as numerous Committees throughout the years. During her time as Board President, she oversaw the strategic planning process as well as succession planning around Martha Ambros's retirement as founding Executive Director of the organization. Beyond her notable contributions to Cal-ISBOA, Kathy has served on the Boards of the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), Carey School, Avenidas, and the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP). She has also presented on Finance 101 at the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) Trustee / School Head Conference, facilitated sessions at the CAIS Annual Meeting, and served on Pacific University’s Endowment Investment Committee.

About winning this year’s MACI Award, Kathy says, 

I have enjoyed being part of and contributing to Cal-ISBOA, and I am humbled and honored to be nominated by my peers and recognized by a community of educators I rely on, admire, and respect.

Betty Noel-Pierre, Head of School at Castilleja School, adds her congratulations and says, 

After such a long career in independent schools, it is fitting that Kathy has earned this distinguished honor. The Cal-ISBOA community has been an important part of her professional life, and her impact within that community and beyond deserves recognition.

Kathy joins the Cal-ISBOA Board of Directors and staff in encouraging our community to start thinking NOW about who you’d like to recognize with the 2027 award! Although we will not announce 2027 award nominations until after the first of the year, you may submit nominations for next year’s award at any time through this form:

NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES

Please send any questions about this award to Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi at scarlett.vanyi@isboa.org.

March 31, 2026

Cal-ISBOA is partnering with the experts at Inner Design to bring you a Mindfulness Experience at our spring gatherings in Pasadena. Wellness events and activities are woven throughout our schedule so that you can take advantage of the opportunities that work best for you. In addition to a guided Wellness Walk around the gorgeous property of the Langham Huntington each morning and on Monday afternoon, we will have a devoted Community Corner where attendees can take some time to unplug from stress, enjoy calming activities, and connect with each other. The Community Corner is a facilitated reset space for high capacity professionals navigating full days of learning, networking, stimulation, and transitions. It is a wellness space offering short nervous system resets and creative grounding practices throughout the conference day. This space supports regulation, clarity, and sustainable presence between sessions. We hope you'll check it out! 

Overview of Wellness Opportunities

Monday, April 20

7:00am - 7:30am Wellness Walk: Meet in Courtyard

7:30am - 5:00pm Community Corner Room Open: Wentworth Room

4:30pm - 5:00pm  Wellness Walk: Meet in Courtyard

Tuesday, April 21

7:00am - 7:30am Wellness Walk: Meet in Courtyard

7:30am - 4:45pm Community Corner Room Open: Wentworth Room

Brought to you by Platinum Annual Corporate Sponsor Poppy Bank. Poppy Bank is committed to providing the best products and services, which has propelled its success and garnered national recognition for performance. 

Inner Design is a mindfulness-based education and coaching platform led by Rubina Chadha, who is an educator, mindfulness leader, and creative coach with over 10 years of experience guiding artists, executives, and students to align their energy and purpose. Rubina’s programs have been featured by ABC, FOX, NBC, and CBS.