Cal-ISBOA News

March 23, 2026

Last week, our members had a regional gathering in Saratoga and another in Pasadena. Regional gatherings serve the important function of giving Cal-ISBOA members a chance to be together and share their triumphs and challenges more frequently than just during our annual in-person spring events. It's always a good time to connect with your fellow independent school professionals over some delicious food and refreshing beverages!

NorCal Members Gather at Saint Andrew's Episcopal School

Chief Financial Officer Najah Lowe of Saint Andrew's Episcopal School hosted a small but lively gathering of members in Saratoga last Thursday. Each person brought a unique perspective to the group, and their discussions ranged from the accounting tools, budgeting processes, and financial dashboards they use, to book recommendations and SB 848. Najah notes that it is nice to be reminded that all the members of our community are going through the same things in different ways, and that Cal-ISBOA colleagues can always share their resources, energy, and problem solving.

Pasadena-Area Members Break Bread Together

A small but collegial group of local schools from mostly within the Pasadena area met for a casual happy hour gathering last Thursday. The group spent time catching up on spring break plans, sharing updates, and talking through a mix of work and life, over some delicious beverages and appetizers. 

March 20, 2026

Cal-ISBOA is governed by a dedicated volunteer Board of Directors who graciously serve our independent school community. The association holds an election in conjunction with the Annual Conference each spring to elect Board members for the new fiscal year. This year, the membership will also vote on the adoption of carefully considered Proposed Restated and Amended Bylaws.

The Governance Committee has recommended and the Board has approved this year's slate of candidates for presentation to the membership on the Ballot as follows: 

Officers for the 2026-27 fiscal year (One-year term): 

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

Vice President: Erik Paxman, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, 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

Re-election of Current Board Members to serve during the 2026-2029 fiscal years (second three-year term):

Brian Hollis, Chief Financial Officer, The Curtis School, Los Angeles

Natalie Morales, Director of Finance, Chandler School, Pasadena

New Board Members to serve during the 2026-2029 fiscal years (three-year term):

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

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

Proposed Restated and Amended Bylaws As a California nonprofit corporation, Cal-ISBOA is governed by a set of Bylaws that were adopted in 2011 and last amended in 2017. Given that much has changed in the world since then, the Board tasked the Governance Committee with researching and recommending revisions to the Bylaws to provide for the association’s growth and evolution into the future.  This year, after many months of conversation, thoughtful deliberation, and work with legal counsel, the Board is pleased to present proposed Restated and Amended Bylaws for the Membership's consideration as recommended by the Governance Committee. The proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws will completely supersede the current Bylaws, which will be effectively eliminated with an affirmative vote for the amendments.  While the proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws greatly modernize and simplify our foundational document, shrinking it from 30 to six pages, absolutely nothing will change when it comes to the community camaraderie, high quality programs and offerings, and essential tools you’ve come to expect from your association.  This reduction has been accomplished through translating important concepts from “legalese” to plainspeak, removing antiquated and cumbersome provisions, and moving many policies and processes from the Bylaws to a Board Policy Manual. The new Policy Manual will be adopted by the Board during its April 19, 2026 meeting in preparation to serve as a companion to the newly adopted Amended and Restated Bylaws should Members vote to approve them. This will allow the Board to make policy changes as legal and organizational needs arise. The proposed Amended and Restated Bylaws approved by the Cal-ISBOA Board of Directors and recommended for your approval and other related documents are available for review on our website as follows: (i) Current Bylaws, (ii) Proposed Restated and Amended Bylaws, and (iii) a detailed summary of the changes . Please don’t hesitate to contact Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi if you have any questions or concerns. Timeline The election opened on March 20, 2026, and will conclude just before the Annual Members Meeting, which takes place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 beginning at 12:00pm at the Langham Huntington, Pasadena.

March 9, 2026

Though it was a cross-country journey, California was well represented in Orlando at the 2026 NBOA Annual Meeting once again this year, with both school colleagues and industry partners showing up in the Sunshine State last week to find inspiration and camaraderie with peers in independent schools. Many of our own beloved Cal-ISBOA leaders lent their expertise by presenting important topics.

While there were many valuable professional development opportunities, there was no shortage of socializing and fun. We hosted a totally packed house at our Tuesday Twilight ISBOA Reception cohosted with our BOA friends from MISBO, PAISBOA, Joffe Emergency Services, and Smith & Howard. We were so pleased to have so many members, sponsors, and supporters join us to raise a glass and share a bite together.

Above, left: Cal-ISBOA friends wrestling Florida alligators!

Above, right: Cal-ISBOA friends dining together at NBOA.

Below, left: Sandi Pierce (Cate School)

Below, right (from left):  Cal-ISBOA President Nicole Pennington, Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi, and Vice President Ken Parr.

[GALLERY START]  

[GALLERY END]

February 19, 2026

We are proud to announce that we have launched a new Cal-ISBOA Job Board! Like our previous Career Opportunities webpage, the Job Board allows Cal-ISBOA members to post jobs for free. Non-members and recruiting firms will be charged a fee for placement, which will support our community’s many initiatives and activities. This new Job Board improves job posting searchability and offers updated navigational functionalities like filtering by industry or employment type, all presented within an appealing, modern website aesthetic. 

Navigate to the Job Board through the primary menu on the Cal-ISBOA website. Please ensure that any active openings at your school are transferred to the new Job Board. The Career Opportunities webpage will be retired in the coming weeks.

We are excited to offer this new and improved benefit to our community!

February 17, 2026

While in Los Angeles, Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi was delighted to be able to see firsthand the incredible resilience of St. Matthew's Parish School in the wake of the devastating January 2025 wildfires. Director of Finance Trevor Mutch, Director of Human Resources Juana Ochoa, and Chief Operations Officer Cat Cecere invited Scarlett to tour the temporary facility they and the St. Matthew’s team assembled just 3 weeks after the outbreak of the Palisades fires.

The Water Gardens Campus offers St. Matthew’s students, faculty, and staff a true home-away-from-home complete with basketball courts, an outdoor playground, quaint spaces where students and faculty can gather, a band room, an art room, and a maker' space. The way they transformed an office park into a school campus is impressive. While school has been held at two temporary campuses for the past year, their Palisades Campus has undergone extensive cleanup and renovations that will allow a return this fall. We celebrate these heroic efforts to support and uplift the St. Matthew’s Parish School community and all schools affected by wildfires and other disasters, as they honor our shared commitment to students!

Below (left): Scarlett Vanyi and Chief Operations Officer Cat Cecere. Below (right): Director of Finance Trevor Mutch, Director of Human Resources Juana Ochoa, and Scarlett Vanyi. 

Below: An art sign and a hallway at St. Matthew's Parish School's temporary campus. 

February 17, 2026

Cal-ISBOA President Nicole Pennington isn't just focused on making gains during her own tenure, as evidenced by our many accomplishments in the first half of this year; she's looking ahead and stewarding the future of our organization!

In that spirit, Cal-ISBOA Vice Presidents Ken Parr and Erik Forbes Paxman and Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi (pictured left) attended the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) CEO Symposium in San Diego last week. There, they participated in intensive board development together and spent time sharing perspectives and strengthening their relationships to foster strong shared leadership for the future. We are looking forward to a very powerful, fun, and productive few years!

February 9, 2026

During a recent visit to Los Angeles, Director of Finance and Operations Elham Makabi invited Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi to attend Sinai Akiba Academy’s State of the School ceremony. The ceremony featured a fireside chat with the entire SAA Executive Team in which they were interviewed and shared the role of their departments, celebrated recent successes, announced new facilities and programs, and answered questions submitted by parents. The well-attended celebration was meaningful and beautifully conducted, complete with an elegant reception spread featuring many traditional Jewish dishes, an inspiring greeting from the board president, an arrangement performed by SAA’s student musicians, a Hebrew song for all in attendance led by the cantor, and a powerful message from the head of school. Elham treated Scarlett to a whirlwind after-hours tour of the school’s iconic Wilshire Boulevard property following the event, including the stunning Sinai Temple, where scenes from Netflix’s recent hit series Nobody Wants This were filmed. Big thanks to Elham and the whole Sinai Akiba Academy team for their generous hospitality!

Above: Director of Marketing and Communications Robyn Fener (far right) interviews her colleagues Head of School Dr. Lauren Plant, Associate Head of School for Institutional Advancement Lisa Zide, Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning Lauren Dolinka, and Director of Finance and Operations Elham Makabi at their 2026 State of the School ceremony.

Left: Head of School Dr. Lauren Plant presenting during the State of the School.

Above: Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi and Sinai Akiba Academy Director of Finance and Operations Elham Makabi

February 2, 2026

We hope you were able to connect with Cal-ISBOA leaders at the recent events hosted by Gallagher and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)! Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi and President Nicole Pennington attended the 37th Annual Seminar hosted by Gallagher on Thursday in Los Angeles, where they welcomed participants and supported members. Then Scarlett jetted up to San Francisco for the CAIS Trustee/School Head Conference, the nation's largest independent school governance conference, on Saturday.

At the CAIS Conference, Scarlett facilitated an important peer-to-peer conversation with Financial Stewardship Cohort participants about financial stewardship of independent schools, including current financial pressures and impact, and best practices for financial oversight. She led the group of more than 50 participants in completing a self-assessment that they completed individually and then discussed in small groups. She also shared a new pilot assessment scale launched in partnership with MISBO and PAISBOA. Cal-ISBOA members are encouraged to utilize these resources.

• Session Slides

• Independent School Assessment Scale (Pilot)

• Board Financial Stewardship Self-Assessment

Left: Cal-ISBOA President Nicole Pennington of Los Encinos School (second from left) and Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi (third from left) pose with partners from A. J. Gallagher at the 37th Annual Seminar hosted by Gallagher in Los Angeles.

Left: Scarlett with CAIS Business Officer Kim Klosterman and Director of Accreditation Mariana Robles at the CAIS Trustee / School Heads Conference in San Francisco.

Right: Nicole and Scarlett present at at the Annual Seminar hosted by Gallagher.

Below: The amazing skyline view of the Transamerica Pyramid and the Bay Bridge from the CAIS closing reception on the 17th floor. 

January 20, 2026

Cal-ISBOA is excited to present the 2026 Annual Meeting & Conference, HR Workshop, and Facilities Workshop, which will be held April 20-21, 2026 at the gorgeous Langham Huntington in Pasadena. Please note that this year’s program will be held on Monday & Tuesday.

You will receive an announcement email tomorrow with links to informational webpages where you can learn about all the incredible keynotes and sessions that will be offered.

**New this year!**

• Early Bird Discount: For the first time, we are offering our members a special Early Bird discount to encourage early registration! You can save on all 3 events by registering before April 1st.
  
  
• Bundle & Save: Also for the first time, you can bundle your registrations to the Annual Conference, the HR Workshop, and / or the Facilities Workshop to streamline your registration process, save money, and deepen your professional development experience!

Please send any questions to Roz Rini Larson.

December 20, 2025

On December 16-17, the Cal-ISBOA staff gathered for some enriching professional development at the Associations West Seasonal Spectacular in Sacramento. Formerly California Society of Association Executives, Associations West is the association for association professionals in California and beyond. We heard from a keynote speaker about how to move from chasing meaning to creating it, learned more about sparking connection through our events, picked up some exciting new ideas for tapping into the power of ceremony to strengthen member connections, and uncovered the hidden motivations that can either inhibit or enhance communication. We are proud to continue pursuing our own professional development to better serve our members and the California independent school community!