Cal-ISBOA News

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!

December 10, 2025

It is always such a treat when staff can visit Cal-ISBOA member schools, where the magic of our community’s devoted service happens in real time. We thank Rob Thomas (President), Karen Ortiz (Vice President of Finance), and Ilaria Pardini (Director of Human Resources) for a wonderful tour of the iconic Notre Dame High School campus in Sherman Oaks.

Drawing from both the French tradition of the Holy Cross, brought to Southern California by way of Indiana in 1947, and the Spanish Mission tradition of San Fernando, visible in the school’s striking Mission-style architecture, Notre Dame High School meets each student where they are and helps them realize their unique potential. This approach is evident in the school’s diverse extracurricular offerings, from photography to robotics to strength training, and in its students’ championship titles in myriad sports both during and after their time on campus. Thanks again to Rob, Karen, and Ilaria for sharing their special school with us!

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December 8, 2025

The Annual Cal-ISBOA Holiday Luncheons were held in San Francisco and Los Angeles last week. The simultaneous events were attended by a combined almost 160 members, where we gathered together to celebrate the holiday season with good food and great conversation.

We want to thank our generous sponsors, IMA and Gallagher, for helping to minimize the costs and providing prizes.

Do you have pictures from either Holiday Luncheon that you would like to share? We'd love to feature them in our communications! Please email photos to Roz Rini Larson (Membership & Communications Coordinator) at roz.rinilarson@isboa.org. 

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

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Cal-ISBOA is governed by a dynamic Board of Directors composed of talented members from across the state. Members play a pivotal role in identifying future leaders, and we encourage members to participate in the Board nomination process.

The Governance Committee is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for seats on the Cal-ISBOA Board beginning July 1, 2026. Board service is open to all members of Cal-ISBOA, and nominations are due by Friday, February 27, 2026.

Please give consideration to peers you believe would meaningfully contribute to our community through serving in this important leadership role. If you feel inspired to serve our community in this role, please consider nominating yourself. More details are available as follows:

• Cal-ISBOA Board Recommendation Process
• Cal-ISBOA Considerations when Recommending
• Board Member Nomination Form
• Board Member Expectations

Please contact Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi at scarlett.vanyi@isboa.org if you have any questions. We look forward to receiving your nominations!

Above: 2025-2026 Cal-ISBOA Board and Staff during the Board Retreat