NEW LEADERSHIP INTRODUCING THREE AGILE LEADERS

Leaders in Agility

Castilleja welcomes new Leadership Team members Dr. Nadia Johnson, Laura Zappas, and Anne Rubin

Agility calls for perspective, which we gain by learning from others and listening to new stories. These tales teach us how to take risks and dream big.

“Independent schools must embody the values we are teaching,” Dr. Johnson stated matterof-factly at a faculty meeting late this summer. New leaders Dr. Johnson, Assistant Head for Curriculum and Community, Ms. Zappas, Head of Middle School, and Ms. Rubin, Head of Upper School, all model Castilleja’s leadership competencies in different ways. All three of them moved across the country this summer to come to Castilleja, definitely demonstrating agility from the very moment they set foot on campus.

As Dr. Johnson, Ms. Zappas, and Ms. Rubin reflected on agility, each one of them remembered a person who had faith in their capacity to take risks by pursuing paths they might not have considered on their own. This highlights another important element of the Castilleja experience, relationships. The connections that Castilleja students feel to their teachers is a critical step toward developing initiative, agility, and purpose—and becoming compassionate leaders.

TAKING A ROAD UNKNOWN

Nadia Johnson

Assistant Head for Curriculum and Community

“Being agile helps you understand what really matters. It helps you develop strong mental health. It helps you consider: what do I do next and how can I adapt?”

After college, Dr. Johnson faced some of these questions as she made choices about her career and her happiness. Soon after starting a job in banking, Dr. Johnson realized that this path was not meant for her, so she asked herself, “what’s the next best scenario?” When encountering obstacles, Dr. Johnson follows a three-step process: stop, regroup, and pivot. It is this very process that eventually led her to Castilleja.

Deciding it was time to pursue her passion, Dr. Johnson left the banking job and enrolled in a PhD program for cultural studies. She then began her career in education. However, growing up, Dr. Johnson never imagined she would end up working in schools. Her goal was to become a lawyer. But sometimes opportunities arise that require us to deviate from our plans and exercise agility. Along the way, we may even uncover hidden talents that bring us strength and happiness. Dr. Johnson exemplifies the courage required to stray from a prescribed path and the delight that emerges from taking a new road.

CELEBRATING CONNECTIONS

Laura Zappas

Head of Middle School

“By moving here, I wanted to model to my children how to step outside our comfort zone, so they could see that there are many ways to live a life.”

An English teacher at heart, Laura Zappas knows the power of a great story. Her own story includes a chapter about her grandfather, a main character who modeled risk-taking and agility. He set off on his own as a teenager traveling by horse from Iowa to Wyoming to build his homestead, always learning new things, much like Ms. Zappas.

While Ms. Zappas’ mode of transport differed— travelling from Ohio to California by car and with her family of seven (husband, three kids, and three pets), — her grandfather’s adventurous spirit certainly infused their journey. Imparting lessons to our children takes time, but we know that sometimes, the best lessons are taught by example. Ms. Zappas understands the relationship between trying new things, developing confidence, and becoming a changemaker.

This very concept is embedded into Ms. Zappas’ philosophy about educating Middle School girls. She aims to build upon and deepen an interdisciplinary curriculum that engages students in identifying and celebrating those connections. As a former teacher, department chair, dean, and now Head of Middle School, Ms. Zappas herself models agility by embracing new roles and challenges. In turn, the students, and her children, will begin to tell themselves, “I can do it, too.”

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

Anne Rubin

Head of Upper School

“Agility is an accumulation of hard conversations and difficult experiences and how you react to them.”

To Anne Rubin, agility means balancing two opposing concepts at once. For example, balancing positionality and belonging is a paradox. We must understand our positionality—recognizing our identifiers—but also feel a sense of belonging in all situations. The flexibility this demands is difficult, and our reaction measures our adaptability. So how does one improve? We must continue to find ways to know ourselves.

Growing up with parents from two different countries and cultures, Ms. Rubin constantly evaluated her own positionality and belonging; agility is embedded into who she is. Perhaps this is what contributed to her steadfast confidence.

Understanding that confidence is built, Ms. Rubin is purposeful about creating experiences that give students room to grow and flourish. While these experiences may be challenging, they also provide a safe forum to have hard conversations and unravel reactions. Ultimately, she understands that the conversations that make for an agile student often depend on the strength of the relationship with the guiding adult.