Women + Leadership (Northern California)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Join the California Teacher Development Collaborative for our 17th annual Women + Leadership Conference! This impactful event brings together women educators from our schools to celebrate our journeys and strengthen our individual and collective impact. We will gather on February 12, 2027 in San Francisco at Edge & Node House of Web3.
Our theme this year is Full Hands and Hearts: Leading from Where and Who We Are. This gathering will focus on the intersection of where you lead from (your role), who you are (your identity), and how both play into all that you hold as women leaders.
Designed in collaboration with our featured speakers and a committee of dynamic women leaders from across CATDC member schools, the day will be filled with opportunities to:
- Reflect: Consider who you are within your specific role
- Grow: Discover new approaches and build your leadership toolkit
- Plan for Greater Impact: Explore the meaningful difference you can make directly from your seat
- Strategize for Sustainability: Identify practices that can sustain you and the work within your sphere of influence
- Network: Make meaningful connections across the CATDC community
INTENDED AUDIENCE
Women + Leadership is an affinity space that is welcoming and respectful of women of all backgrounds, including trans women, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals who are comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women. We recognize and acknowledge the intersection of race and gender identities, and it is our hope that we can offer an inclusive and intentional space that challenges white supremacy and celebrates the uniqueness, experiences, and contributions of each participant.
FEATURED SPEAKERS AND LEAD FACILITATORS
LORI COHEN
Lori Cohen has worked in education for three decades, serving as a teacher, instructional coach, site leader, professional development facilitator, and published author. While working in schools, she developed a Teaching Fellows program for new teachers, designed in-house professional development tailored to the needs of the staff, built instructional coaching programs, and served as the Dean of Faculty, where she oversaw the overhaul of teacher growth and evaluation. She also supported new teachers across the state of California as they developed their skills as early-career educators.
KAWAI LAI
Kawai Lai is a designer and facilitator who partners with leaders to navigate complexity and plan for the future. She brings an equity lens, deep education expertise, and agile design principles to every engagement. With Eric Hudson, she co-founded RE:Collective, a team of skilled facilitators who guide leadership teams through pivotal moments of realignment, renewal, and reinvention. In addition to her work with Re:Collective, Kawai reimagines inclusive ways of working with August Public and co-authored The New Team Habits (©2020), a practical guide for building stronger team practices. Previously, Kawai co-founded VizLit to unleash the visual mind of every learner, served as Vice President of Innovation at NAIS, where she launched its strategic planning practice and explored trends shaping the future of education, and helped grow the edtech startup Education Elements. She began her career in change and technology at Deloitte Consulting. Kawai has served as a trustee on the boards of several independent schools and currently serves on the advisory boards of Defy Ventures and TeachAAPI. She holds an MBA from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from SMU.
TAMISHA WILLIAMS
Tamisha Williams is the Founder of Tamisha Williams Consulting and a certified executive coach with over a decade of experience as an equity practitioner and organizational leader. She specializes in sustainable leadership development, helping leaders and the organizations they serve build the capacity to perform at their highest level without burning out. Her signature Abuntu framework guides clients toward leadership that is both effective and enduring.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
LAUREN BENJAMIN
Lauren Benjamin has cultivated a thriving career as a multidisciplinary artist and educator for over 20 years. Lauren earned her BFA in painting and photography and holds a Master’s in Education. She is an alum of dance epicenter Jacob’s Pillow and CATDC’s Leadership Fellows. She worked as a supervisor to student teachers at Mills College Graduate School of Education, where she was able to mentor and coach new teachers as well as experienced professionals new to the field of education. Lauren believes in sharing the power of identity development through the lens of the arts and has published her curriculum with Frameline Organization and presented at educational conferences, including conferences held by the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE) and Project Zero of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. During Lauren's eight-year tenure at Sacred Heart Schools Atherton, she held multiple roles including Dance Program Director and Fine Arts Department Chair. Her most recent position was Assistant Principal of Mission & Culture, where she centered belonging in the school’s adult onboarding and school-wide student programs. In 2023, Lauren joined the CATDC team as the Northern California Director, bringing her extensive experience in education and leadership to facilitate professional growth and collaboration among teachers in the region, and she now works as a CATDC coach and consultant. She identifies as a love practitioner who aims to build community through her teaching practice and leadership.
ALEXA HART
Alexa is a committed educator with classroom expertise ranging from teaching third grade in Peru to high school Literature at a Jewish day school in Vancouver, BC. As a school leader, Alexa has supported various international endeavors such as Reclaim Childhood, Boundless Life’s pioneer middle school program, Trailblazers, and American Councils for International Education in Washington, DC. Alexa currently teaches at The Nueva School in the Bay Area, where she was named Distinguished Educator as an Upper School faculty member. When not teaching, she enjoys reading, traveling, and watching her family grow and learn.
JACQUELINE KURZER
A native San Franciscan, Jacqueline Kurzer has committed her professional life to educational equity and access for children. Since graduating from Barnard, she has worked for both schools and nonprofits including: Cathedral School for Boys (Director of Lower School), Marin Horizon School (Director of Enrollment Management), Alta Vista School (Dean of Students), San Francisco University High School (math teacher), Breakthrough Summerbridge (Associate Director of Academics), Aim High (master teacher and academic coach), The Ivy Key, Jumpstart for Young Children, and America Reads. She has presented 25+ trainings and seminars on curriculum design, student support and cultural competency at Columbia University, Drew School, Aim High, Breakthrough Collaborative, at the NAIS People of Color Conference and the National Enrollment Management Association Annual Conference. Currently she is the Director of Institutional Impact at San Francisco Day School. She lives in Marin County with her loving family, son Theodore and husband Harrison!
TANVEER ALIBHAI
Tanveer has worked in education for over 25 years in diverse roles, including school administrator, teacher, parent educator, and consultant. She holds a B.Ed. and a B.S. in elementary education from McGill University, an M.Ed. from Notre Dame de Namur University in California, and a certificate in Pedagogical Coordination in the Reggio Emilia Approach from Webster University. She began her teaching career, working in elementary schools across Canada and the U.S as a classroom teacher. Her leadership roles include Head of Lower School, Head of Early Childhood Education, and Director of Extended Day at The Seven Hills School in Walnut Creek, as well as Head of Lower School at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland. As a consultant, Tanveer has supported schools locally and abroad through teacher and leadership coaching, professional development, parent education, and K–8 distance learning design, inquiry learning, values-based leadership, and more. Her Bay Area consulting partners include Prospect Sierra, Bentley School, Marin Preparatory School, Imagination Lab School, The San Francisco School and Presidio Hill. Tanveer has served on the boards of People of Color in Independent Schools, Pact, An Adoption Alliance, and the Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI). Born in Nairobi and raised in Canada, she now lives in the East Bay with her family, including her husband, son, daughter and dog. Deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and grounded in the needs of the best interests of children, she also enjoys reading, painting, photography, gardening, yoga, biking, spending time in nature and international travel, and time with her family.
LAILA ABDELAL MCCLAY
Laila Abdelal McClay is the Associate Head of School and a Humanities Teacher at The Bay School of San Francisco. Laila is in her 23rd year teaching and leading in independent schools in the Bay Area following a career in public radio and television as a reporter, producer, and director.
LOCATION
Cancellation Policy
Life happens. We understand that there will be times when you cannot attend a workshop that you have registered and paid for. We strive to be as helpful and flexible as possible when things out of your control happen. Please visit our FAQ page for detailed information about our cancellation policy and answers to frequently asked questions about enrollment and membership.