The Pleasures and Perils of Headship: A Series of Conversations for the Women Heads of ISAS #2
3-part webinar series
Zoom links sent separately
Event Details
Join retired Head of School, Ann V. Klotz, for three Zoom conversations about the particular challenges women heads navigate.
All Sessions at 4:00 p.m. (Central Time Zone):
- January 27, Witch or Mom: Boss Women's Dilemmas
- February 19, Mentorship: Building our Team and Loving Our People - Even When They Leave Us
- April 1, Why We Stay: What Keeps Us in our Roles as Heads?
All sessions are on Zoom and will be recorded. Registered attendees will have access to the recordings through May 30, 2026.
Session 2 - Mentorship: Building our Team and Loving our People - Even When They Leave Us
Mentoring the next generation of school leaders is one of the privileges and responsibilities of headship. It can be lonely to lead a team and challenging to meet each individual’s needs. In this session, we will talk about the head’s role in building and nurturing her team–or inheriting a team that is not her own–and how to mentor those who aspire to greater leadership roles. Some of the questions we may discuss include:
- How do you cultivate a strong leadership team?
- What tips and tricks do you have for integrating new members of the team?
- What was the best leadership retreat you ever led or the best team-building activity you ever participated in?
- What opportunities do aspiring leaders need?
- What training do we need to offer our internal folks who move into management (department chair, division director, etc.) but do not have a lot of experience in supervising their colleagues?
- How do we help aspiring leaders balance their ambition with the work we need them to do?
- How can we encourage leaders to document tricky situations and to hold those they supervise accountable?
- How do we reassure our communities when our ‘stars’ go on to greatness beyond our walls?
The fact is, the better the people, the more likely it is that they will leave us. Join us for a lively conversation about what it means to mentor and lead. Leave the session with a few mantras around mentorship. Feel free to send Ann any questions or topics you hope we’ll address: avk@annvklotz.com
Click on "Download Agenda" for descriptions of all three sessions.
To register for the series, see the listing on January 27, 2026.
Ann V. Klotz
Ann has worked in independent schools as a teacher and administrator for more than forty years and is devoted to the intellectual, social and emotional development of children. After two years teaching at Northfield Mount Hermon (where she was a dorm mother for boys!), she was a faculty member at The Chapin School in Manhattan for twenty years, serving in a variety of roles: English teacher, drama department chair, grade-level dean, and Director of College Guidance.
Ann’s tenure as Laurel’s tenth Head of School began in 2004 and concluded in 2025. At Laurel, she taught English in the Upper School and drama in the Primary School. Particularly interested in the public purpose of private school, she was proud to have founded Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls and to have launched the Environmental Justice Semester, both of which use the School’s resources on behalf of girls at Laurel and beyond.
Serving as Chair of the board of The Heads’ Network, Ann is deeply committed to mentoring women to independent school leadership as she serves on the faculty for The Heads’ Network Acclerator. In addition, Ann serves on the board of One Schoolhouse, The 1911 Group, and her alma mater, The Agnes Irwin School.
A writer whose work often centers on the intersection of motherhood and school leadership, Ann is a founder and editor of Well-Schooled: the Site for Educator Story Telling.
She is the founder and President of Ann V. Klotz Consulting, working with school leaders and schools to help them thrive!