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Sabba Quidwai
Sabba Quidwai
The New Leadership Advantage: Turning AI Tools into Trusted Teammates
Description:
What happens when machines can think, act, and create alongside us?
In a world where AI is increasingly capable, the real advantage isn't the technology, it's how we lead alongside it. This keynote challenges leaders, educators, and innovators to make a critical shift: moving from using AI as a tool to partnering with it as a trusted teammate.
Through practical examples and human-centered insights, Dr. Sabba Quidwai shows how design thinking fuels the mindset and methods needed to build cultures of innovation rooted in empathy and trust. She introduces the SPARK framework, a powerful guide for prompting, collaborating, and creating with AI intentionally and ethically. This isn't about doing more with machines. It's about building a future where human creativity, leadership, and connection drive lasting advantage. Now is the moment to lead what comes next.
Biography
Dr. Sabba Quidwai is a speaker, author, and advisor who helps visionary leaders design human-centered systems that are technology-driven. As the CEO of Designing Schools and a lecturer at the University of California, Irvine, Sabba blends research-backed strategy with real-world application.
A former high school educator and Education Executive at Apple, Sabba has been researching the future of learning and AI since 2014. Her book and documentary, Designing Schools, explore how design thinking helps people lead through change with confidence and creativity. She believes cultures of innovation begin with cultures of empathy, where people feel seen, heard, and empowered to grow.
Sabba’s signature message? AI shouldn’t replace people, it should elevate them.
Through keynotes, coaching, and courses, she helps organizations build AI teams that work with humans, not around them, streamlining workflows, unlocking innovation, and building a future where leadership is both bold and deeply human.
Sponsored by TAYLOR'S SCHOOLS
Sponsored by TAYLOR'S SCHOOLS
Debra P. Wilson
Debra P. Wilson
Trends and Transformations
Description:
Independent schools have never lacked for challenges and this year is no different. What is happening stateside and what can we all learn from it? What do the shifting times mean for our students, our staff, higher education, and the way we work with our boards? What will require us to adjust our sails, and what may require transformation of our institutions? Whatever it is, it won’t be boring!
Biography
In August 2023, Debra P. Wilson began her tenure as the ninth president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
From 2019 until 2023, Wilson served as president of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), where she led the organization through a period of growth and supported school leaders in her region through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her SAIS role followed 19 years at NAIS, first as assistant director of regulatory affairs and later as general counsel. In that capacity, she oversaw regulatory and advocacy work for the organization, supported schools in crises, advanced best practices in governance, and created dozens of legal advisories along with other informational resources. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice.
In addition to serving on the boards of several schools, Debra’s board service includes The Enrollment Management Association (EMA), the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA), and serving on the advisory board of National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP), a division of Close Up.
Speaking frequently on topics such as leadership and governance, school safety and risk, and community health and well-being, Wilson is also co-author of the NAIS Trustee Handbook (10th and 11th editions).
Wilson received a B.A. in English from Sewanee: The University of the South and a J.D. from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. She is a graduate of the Williams School, an independent school located on the campus of Connecticut College. She is an avid reader, photographer, and cook who loves to be outdoors.
Sponsored by
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS SERVICES
Sponsored by
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS SERVICES
EARCOS Plenary Panel
EARCOS Plenary Panel
Between Rocks and Hard Places: What happens when doing the right thing could cost you everything?
Description:
Join us for a powerful conversation with seasoned international school leaders from across the East Asia region about the ultimate professional test: reconciling conflict between personal, professional, and institutional values and the demands of everyday events. Guided by an expert moderator and staged as a plenary session at the Leadership Conference, this candid panel discussion will tackle the real-world dilemmas that keep ethical leaders awake at night.
You'll Discover:
Real Stories of Moral Courage – Hear firsthand accounts from leaders who faced impossible choices and learn what happened next.
Practical Decision-Making Frameworks – Walk away with tools to navigate your own ethical crossroads.
Strategies for Building Resilience – Learn how to create the conditions that allow you to lead with integrity.
Systemic Solutions – Explore ways to transform organizations to reduce conflicts between values and careers.
Perfect for school leaders who:
Face pressure to compromise their values
Want to build more ethical organizations
Need strategies for influencing change from within
Commit to leading with authenticity and courage
Featured Panelists
Featured Panelists
Karen O’Neill
Head of School, Nishimachi International School, Tokyo, JPRami Madani
Head of School, International School of Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, MYMarta Medved
Head of School, Western Academy of Beijing, CN
Facilitator: Marc Frankel
Facilitator: Marc Frankel
Marc Frankel, Ph. D., is a Senior Consultant and partner in Triangle Associates, an international consultancy specializing in higher, independent, and international education. A psychologist by training, Dr. Frankel facilitates governance workshops, leadership development programs, and strategic planning for clients around the world, and coaches numerous senior leaders in universities and independent schools. His clients include schools in Europe, Asia, and North America, including large and small institutions and Tier 1 universities.
Dr. Frankel is a member of the governing board at the Wildwood School (Los Angeles), and he lives in St. Louis, MO, and Asheville, NC. Dr. Frankel’s undergraduate degree is from the University of Utah, and he completed his master's and Ph.D. at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Frankel has been part of Triangle Associates for over 25 years.
Sponsored by
THE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
Sponsored by
THE ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
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