Keynote Speakers

•  Terance Mann, Small forward, Shooting guard, LA Clippers
•  Daynia La-Force, Assistant Coach, WNBA Atlanta Dream

Terance and his mother, Daynia, will speak to the importance of character assessment from the student and parent perspective in evaluating schools as well as the value of character development in schools. 

Terance Mann is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Florida State Seminoles. Terance started his basketball career as a student-athlete at Hillside School (MA) where he was coached by Ray Cross, EMA ALC Member and Director of Enrollment Management & Financial Aid, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at St. Andrew's School (RI).

Daynia La-Force is an assistant coach with the WNBA's Atlanta Dream and a former player with the Georgetown Hoyas. Before joining the WNBA coaching staff, she coached at the collegiate level at the University of New Haven (Division II), Northeastern University (Division I) and the University of Rhode Island (D1).

Session moderated by Ray Cross, Director of DEI, St.Andrew's School (RI)

This panel brings together different school types and educational leaders who will focus on offering perspectives on alternative ways in which schools are assessing character during the application process. The discussion will afford schools an opportunity to think about ways in which they can determine what characteristics they are looking to assess relative to community fit for respective institutions. Equipped with the right knowledge, enrollment professionals will be empowered to determine what measurement tool/tools are most appropriate for their school culture. 

Featured Panelists

• Rohan Arjun, Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, Friends Select School (PA)
• Catie Gibbons, Director of Enrollment Management, Garrison Forest School (MD)
• Peter Gilbert, Assistant Head, Salisbury School (CT)
• Maureen Smith, Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Marvelwood School (CT)

Session moderated by Ray Cross, EMA ALC Member & Director of Enrollment Management & Financial Aid  & Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, St. Andrew's School (RI)

Character Skills Assessment

This interactive session will teach symposium attendees about EMA's Character Skills Snapshot tool.

Speaker:

• Kitsana Salyphone, Director of Member Success, EMA 

Character by Design

Participants will learn strategies for creating a school culture that elevates academic, social-emotional and leadership outcomes. You will explore how schools like the Ron Clark Academy use consistent expectations and intentional experiences to improve empathy, integrity, responsibility, creativity, and courage in students.  

Speaker:​​​​​​

• Troy F. Kemp, EMA  ALC Member, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships, Ron Clark Academy (GA)

Shifting the Lens

In this session, you will gain valuable insights into how families evaluate a school’s “personality” from the perspective of a consultant. What do you choose to emphasize when working with a family? What do you highlight when families are on your campus? Are you truly leveraging your strengths, or are you missing the mark? 

Speaker:​​​​​​

• Kristen J. Naspo, M.A., Managing Partner, Boarding School and Non-Traditional Advising, The Bertram Group (MA)

Keep It Real

Let's talk about character. Society has been affected and shaped by our actions and behaviors.  How has character played a role?  In this closing keynote, we will dive in and dissect character and its impact on human beings and how the effect has shaped our history books for decades.

Speaker:

• Keith Wright, Vice-President of Psychometrics and Assessments, EMA