Administrators of Color in Independent Schools

Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20

We hope you will join us for a day and a half of connection, mentoring and sharing between senior administrators of color working in independent schools around the country at the 6th Annual Administrators of Color in Independent Schools Conference. 

Gyasi Ross will be a keynote speaker at this year’s conference. Ross is a member of the Blackfeet Nation. His family also comes from the Suquamish Nation of the Port Madison Indian Reservation where he resides. He is a father, author, speaker and lawyer. TV, radio, online and print media often seek his input on a variety of topics and issues. Ross speaks at schools and universities and at major race and social justice conferences. He also hosts a weekly podcast, Breakdances with Wolves–Indigenous Pirate Radio, which is widely available on all popular platforms.

Actor, writer and activist Brandon Kyle Goodman will also be a keynote speaker at the event. In 2020, Goodman emerged as a voice for the Black and Queer communities, best summed up in Revolt TV’s piece “7 Reasons Why Brandon Kyle Goodman is Comedy’s Next Big Name.” Goodman served as writer and producer on Netflix’s Big Mouth for multiple seasons and voiced the lead character Walter for the spin-off series Human Resources. Goodman has previously appeared in Amazon’s Modern Love, Netflix’s feature film Feel the Beat, a cameo in Curb Your Enthusiasm and most recently as Clay in Mel Brooks’ Hulu series History of the World Part II.

Camonghne Felix is an American writer, poet and communications strategist. She wrote Build Yourself a Boat, which was long-listed for the 2019 National Book Award in Poetry, a finalist for the PEN/Open Book Awards and a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. Felix is also the author of Dyscalculia: A Love Story of Epic Miscalculation, which negotiates the misalignments of perception and reality, love and harm, and the politics of heartbreak, both romantic and familial. Her poetry has appeared in Academy of American Poets, Harvard Review, LitHub, PEN America, Poetry Magazine and elsewhere. Her essays have been featured in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, Teen Vogue and other places.

The conference will begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 19 and end at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 20. A detailed agenda will be provided closer to the event.

We aim to make this flagship, nationwide conference accessible to all who want to attend. Should the registration fee be cost-prohibitive, please reach out as some financial assistance is available. 

Registration for this event is closed. Please contact Assistant Principal Priyanka Rupani with questions at prupani@fwparker.org.

Agenda

Thursday, October 19
  • 5 p.m. | Welcome
  • 6 p.m. | Opening Remarks with actor, writer and activist Brandon Kyle Goodman
  • 7:45 p.m. | Dinner sponsored by Strategenius
Friday, October 20  
  • 8 a.m. | Breakfast 
  • 9 a.m. |  Keynote with Blackfeet author, attorney, rapper, speaker and storyteller Gyasi Rossi
  • 10:30 a.m. | Coffee Break
  • 11 a.m.–12 p.m. | Affinity Groups by Role
  • 12–1 p.m. | Networking Lunch
  • 1:15 p.m. | Keynote with American writer, poet and communications strategist Camonghne Felix
  • 3 p.m. | Wrap Up and End of Conference
  • 3:30 p.m. | Offsite Cocktail Reception sponsored by The Glasgow Group

List of 2 items.

  • Hotel Information

    1816 N Clark St
    Chicago, IL 60614
     
    3630 N Clark St
    Chicago, IL 60613
     
    1244 N Dearborn Pkwy
    Chicago, IL 60610

    Hotel Lincoln is within walking distance to the school, located at 330 W. Webster, Chicago, IL 60614.  Hotel Zachary and The Claridge House are reachable via public transportation or a short (10min) Uber/Taxi ride.  
  • Transportation


     
    Out of town attendees can easily fly into  O'Hare International Airport or Midway International Airport. Both airports are equal distance from the school, about 15 miles. 
     
    Transportation from the airport to hotels can be secured via cab, ride share, or public transit. Please visit the airport website for more information. A cab/ride share from the airport usually runs about $50 not including tip. 
     
    Hotel Lincoln is within walking distance to the school, located at 330 W. Webster, Chicago, IL 60614.  Hotel Zachary and The Claridge House are reachable via public transportation or a short (10min) Uber/Taxi ride.
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.