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- NorCal Facilities Workshop 2026
NorCal Facilities Workshop 2026 Friday, June 12, 2026 Head-Royce School, South Campus For those Facilities and Operations professionals unable to join us in Pasadena in April, our NorCal workshop offered a comparable program to ensure you don’t miss out on the key sessions and insights. Registrants may park in the South Campus (4368 Lincoln Ave) upper lot by entering the Anna Head Loop entrance. The Facility Workshop will be in Building P in the Hawk's Nest. Click here to see a map of Head-Royce. This year's theme is Community & Connection. |
Friday, June 12, 2026 |
9:00am – 9:30am Registration
9:30am - 10:00am Welcome, Introductions & Warm-Up Activity
10:00am – 11:00am Session 1 Listserv Live! Facilities Edition David Marcus (Director of Facilities, de Toledo High School) Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from others? This interactive session is your opportunity to ask burning questions, share challenges, and hear real-time solutions from fellow school colleagues. Just like posting on a Listserv—but live and dynamic! Key Takeaways: Gain insights from peers who have tackled similar financial and operational challenges. Exchange best practices and creative solutions to common issues in independent schools. Expand your network and build valuable connections for ongoing collaboration. Come ready with questions, ideas, and an open mind. Whether you’re troubleshooting a financial, operational, or HR hurdle, navigating new regulations, or refining processes, this session will provide practical, real-world takeaways to bring back to your school.
11:00am - 11:30am Break: Newcomers Welcome
Session 2 Benefit of an Owner’s Representative: Protecting Your School’s Largest Asset Kerri Speck (Owner's Representative for PS1 and Gafcon) Real estate and a school's facilities are often its most significant assets. However, many institutions lack the internal expertise to manage these assets effectively, which is crucial for protecting them and ensuring they are used so the school operates efficiently and productively. An Owner's Representative plays a defined role as an advocate for a school. That role can be large or small. This session will encourage attendees to consider who on their campus is tasked with these responsibilities, consider the skills needed to oversee this work, and whether this role is best kept "in-house" or entrusted to a hired advocate. Participants will learn to:
12:30pm - 1:30pm Networking Lunch & School Tour
Session 3 Robbing the Bank of Facilities: Responsible Reserve Planning Joe Rayburn (Director of Partner Development, Building Solutions) and School Facilities Professionals to be determined Participants will learn how to use data to make informed decisions about responsibly reinvesting in their campuses. While independent schools continue to be mission-minded and focused on student experience, we still have a responsibility to reinvest in the building systems and teams that support those missions. Participants will learn how the campus infrastructure supports pedagogy and advancement and how to reshape our budgeting mindset. We carry our real property as the largest asset on our balance sheet, but we treat those real assets like overhead. Participants will learn how to transform their budgeting and decision-making protocols to more align with the "asset model". Participants will learn how to develop the team responsible for managing the campus by hearing about resources that transform our operations teams from Toolbelts to Technology.
Session 4 Optimizing Facilities & Operations for Schoolwide Readiness Eleazar Madrid (Director of Facilities & Operations, Redwood Day School), Sydney Polich (Human Resources Manager, Redwood Day School), Jared Mata (Saint Andrew's Episcopal School, Director of Operations and Safety), and Bridget Guerra (The Athenian School, Director of Operations)Summer is the most operationally complex period of the school year, with construction projects, staffing changes, technology systems, compliance work, and program planning happening at once. This session positions facilities and operations professionals as leaders in schoolwide readiness, which goes beyond building management. Participants will explore how physical campus preparation, people systems, procurement workflows, and scheduling constraints must be designed together. The goal is to help schools move from reactive problem-solving to intentional readiness planning that supports a strong start to the academic year.
4:00pm - 4:15pm Closing Remarks
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Bridget Guerra
Bridget Guerra is the Director of Operations at The Athenian School, a 6–12 independent day and boarding school in Northern California. Her work centers on planning and decision-making around campus security systems, including camera strategy, governance, and long-term sustainability. She collaborates closely with technology, facilities, boarding, and school leadership to assess needs and implement solutions that align with daily campus operations. Bridget brings a practical, vendor-neutral perspective informed by evaluating system models, managing legacy infrastructure, and asking the right questions before selecting solutions. | Eleazar Madrid
Eleazar Madrid is the Director of Facilities & Operations at Redwood Day School, a K-8 school in Oakland, CA. Leveraging nine years of experience in school operations and property management, he focuses on enhancing operational efficiency and maintaining safe, well-managed learning environments. He oversees campus safety, emergency preparedness, facilities, and operations, and works closely with the CFO/COO on capital projects and long-term planning. He leads large-scale construction and renovation efforts and is deeply committed to sustainability, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence. | David Marcus
David is a founding board member and the first Business Manager of de Toledo High School, where he has served in leadership roles for 25 years and now oversees all facilities operations. With a 15-year background in accounting and quality assurance, he helped establish the school and later specialized in new-facility construction, maintenance, campus security, and rentals. A recognized author and presenter on school safety, emergency preparedness, and institutional security, David has spoken to regional and national organizations. He advocates for a collaborative, multi-agency approach to school security that integrates governmental, private, and community resources. |
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Jared Mata
Jared is the Director of Operations & Safety at Saint Andrew’s School, where he oversees campus operations, facilities, and comprehensive safety and security planning. With eight years of experience in independent schools, his background spans project management, capital planning, regulatory compliance, and the development of school-wide safety, emergency preparedness, and communication protocols. His work focuses on proactive risk management, campus infrastructure improvement, and creating practical systems that support students, staff, and families. | Sydney Polich
Human Resources Manager, Redwood Day School
Sydney is in her second school year with Redwood Day. As the lead HR practitioner, Sydney works with managers and staff to efficiently and compassionately resolve employee relations matters, coordinates payroll and benefits offerings, and provides thought leadership for the School's personnel-related activities. Sydney holds a PHR through HRCI, and she received a BA from Saint Mary's College. Prior to working at Redwood Day, Sydney served as the Northern CA HR lead for an international nonprofit. | Joe Rayburn
Joe Rayburn, Director of Partner Development at Building Solutions, is responsible for new sales and business development. He brings over 20 years of sales and business development experience in the A/E/C industry. Having come from a consultative background, he is well-versed in the many facets of delivering complex projects and effectively communicating those solutions to our clients. Joe has spoken to varying groups including PAISBOA, Cal-ISBOA, MISBO, TCSA, and NBOA. |
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Kerri Speck
Kerri is currently the Owner's Representative for PS1 Pluralistic School, assisting the school's leadership in developing a strategy to accomplish their goals while helping manage their real estate holdings and providing support for the facilities team. She serves on the PS1 Board, where she has held the position of Board Chair and chaired several committees and fundraising campaigns. She briefly served as the PS1 Interim Director of Advancement. She also serves on the Board for Marlborough. She is an active member of the California State Bar. |
Thanks to Head-Royce School for Hosting this Event!
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