The Pleasures and Perils of Headship: A Series of Conversations for the Women Heads of ISAS #3
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 3 - Why We Stay: What Keeps U in our Roles as Heads?
In this session, we will swap stories and laugh a bit at the “You can’t make this stuff up” parts of our job! Long ago, I stopped using the word balance, preferring “the struggle to juggle” in describing my life as a head. What are your best juggling strategies? Heads are asked to keep a lot of plates spinning in the air, and sometimes, a plate shatters. I prefer sequence over balance any day because balance implies the idea that if we could just get everything perfectly aligned, no plate will not fall. Sequence means we focus on what’s on fire and then, once that particular situation is calm we return to the whole. How do we “get back in the game” when we feel downhearted or when the board’s expectations are unrealistic?
What keeps you coming back to your job–besides the pay check? As a Head, you are the Chief Inspiration Officer. Where do you find inspiration? How do you refuel? All Heads talk about the importance of cultivating resilience in children, parents and faculty, but how do we practice what we preach in our own lives? Who has time for self-care? How do you handle the mountain of email? The endless meetings? The cranky parents? The unhappy teacher? The naughty child? The demanding family members in your own family? In this hour, take some time to celebrate your successes and share with your colleagues the ways in which you both manage the day-to day-work and also restore yourself. 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!