Cal-ISBOA News

February 9, 2026

During a recent visit to Los Angeles, Director of Finance and Operations Elham Makabi invited Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi to attend Sinai Akiba Academy’s State of the School ceremony. The ceremony featured a fireside chat with the entire SAA Executive Team in which they were interviewed and shared the role of their departments, celebrated recent successes, announced new facilities and programs, and answered questions submitted by parents. The well-attended celebration was meaningful and beautifully conducted, complete with an elegant reception spread featuring many traditional Jewish dishes, an inspiring greeting from the board president, an arrangement performed by SAA’s student musicians, a Hebrew song for all in attendance led by the cantor, and a powerful message from the head of school. Elham treated Scarlett to a whirlwind after-hours tour of the school’s iconic Wilshire Boulevard property following the event, including the stunning Sinai Temple, where scenes from Netflix’s recent hit series Nobody Wants This were filmed. Big thanks to Elham and the whole Sinai Akiba Academy team for their generous hospitality!

Above: Director of Marketing and Communications Robyn Fener (far right) interviews her colleagues Head of School Dr. Lauren Plant, Associate Head of School for Institutional Advancement Lisa Zide, Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning Lauren Dolinka, and Director of Finance and Operations Elham Makabi at their 2026 State of the School ceremony.

Left: Head of School Dr. Lauren Plant presenting during the State of the School.

Above: Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi and Sinai Akiba Academy Director of Finance and Operations Elham Makabi

February 2, 2026

We hope you were able to connect with Cal-ISBOA leaders at the recent events hosted by Gallagher and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)! Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi and President Nicole Pennington attended the 37th Annual Seminar hosted by Gallagher on Thursday in Los Angeles, where they welcomed participants and supported members. Then Scarlett jetted up to San Francisco for the CAIS Trustee/School Head Conference, the nation's largest independent school governance conference, on Saturday.

At the CAIS Conference, Scarlett facilitated an important peer-to-peer conversation with Financial Stewardship Cohort participants about financial stewardship of independent schools, including current financial pressures and impact, and best practices for financial oversight. She led the group of more than 50 participants in completing a self-assessment that they completed individually and then discussed in small groups. She also shared a new pilot assessment scale launched in partnership with MISBO and PAISBOA. Cal-ISBOA members are encouraged to utilize these resources.

• Session Slides

• Independent School Assessment Scale (Pilot)

• Board Financial Stewardship Self-Assessment

Left: Cal-ISBOA President Nicole Pennington of Los Encinos School (second from left) and Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi (third from left) pose with partners from A. J. Gallagher at the 37th Annual Seminar hosted by Gallagher in Los Angeles.

Left: Scarlett with CAIS Business Officer Kim Klosterman and Director of Accreditation Mariana Robles at the CAIS Trustee / School Heads Conference in San Francisco.

Right: Nicole and Scarlett present at at the Annual Seminar hosted by Gallagher.

Below: The amazing skyline view of the Transamerica Pyramid and the Bay Bridge from the CAIS closing reception on the 17th floor. 

January 20, 2026

Cal-ISBOA is excited to present the 2026 Annual Meeting & Conference, HR Workshop, and Facilities Workshop, which will be held April 20-21, 2026 at the gorgeous Langham Huntington in Pasadena. Please note that this year’s program will be held on Monday & Tuesday.

You will receive an announcement email tomorrow with links to informational webpages where you can learn about all the incredible keynotes and sessions that will be offered.

**New this year!**

• Early Bird Discount: For the first time, we are offering our members a special Early Bird discount to encourage early registration! You can save on all 3 events by registering before April 1st.
  
  
• Bundle & Save: Also for the first time, you can bundle your registrations to the Annual Conference, the HR Workshop, and / or the Facilities Workshop to streamline your registration process, save money, and deepen your professional development experience!

Please send any questions to Roz Rini Larson.

December 20, 2025

On December 16-17, the Cal-ISBOA staff gathered for some enriching professional development at the Associations West Seasonal Spectacular in Sacramento. Formerly California Society of Association Executives, Associations West is the association for association professionals in California and beyond. We heard from a keynote speaker about how to move from chasing meaning to creating it, learned more about sparking connection through our events, picked up some exciting new ideas for tapping into the power of ceremony to strengthen member connections, and uncovered the hidden motivations that can either inhibit or enhance communication. We are proud to continue pursuing our own professional development to better serve our members and the California independent school community!

December 10, 2025

It is always such a treat when staff can visit Cal-ISBOA member schools, where the magic of our community’s devoted service happens in real time. We thank Rob Thomas (President), Karen Ortiz (Vice President of Finance), and Ilaria Pardini (Director of Human Resources) for a wonderful tour of the iconic Notre Dame High School campus in Sherman Oaks.

Drawing from both the French tradition of the Holy Cross, brought to Southern California by way of Indiana in 1947, and the Spanish Mission tradition of San Fernando, visible in the school’s striking Mission-style architecture, Notre Dame High School meets each student where they are and helps them realize their unique potential. This approach is evident in the school’s diverse extracurricular offerings, from photography to robotics to strength training, and in its students’ championship titles in myriad sports both during and after their time on campus. Thanks again to Rob, Karen, and Ilaria for sharing their special school with us!

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[GALLERY END]

December 8, 2025

The Annual Cal-ISBOA Holiday Luncheons were held in San Francisco and Los Angeles last week. The simultaneous events were attended by a combined almost 160 members, where we gathered together to celebrate the holiday season with good food and great conversation.

We want to thank our generous sponsors, IMA and Gallagher, for helping to minimize the costs and providing prizes.

Do you have pictures from either Holiday Luncheon that you would like to share? We'd love to feature them in our communications! Please email photos to Roz Rini Larson (Membership & Communications Coordinator) at roz.rinilarson@isboa.org. 

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

[GALLERY START]

[GALLERY END]

Cal-ISBOA is governed by a dynamic Board of Directors composed of talented members from across the state. Members play a pivotal role in identifying future leaders, and we encourage members to participate in the Board nomination process.

The Governance Committee is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for seats on the Cal-ISBOA Board beginning July 1, 2026. Board service is open to all members of Cal-ISBOA, and nominations are due by Friday, February 27, 2026.

Please give consideration to peers you believe would meaningfully contribute to our community through serving in this important leadership role. If you feel inspired to serve our community in this role, please consider nominating yourself. More details are available as follows:

• Cal-ISBOA Board Recommendation Process
• Cal-ISBOA Considerations when Recommending
• Board Member Nomination Form
• Board Member Expectations

Please contact Executive Director Scarlett Vanyi at scarlett.vanyi@isboa.org if you have any questions. We look forward to receiving your nominations!

Above: 2025-2026 Cal-ISBOA Board and Staff during the Board Retreat

November 12, 2025

We thank all attendees for joining us for another successful and enlightening California Legal Symposium on November 5, 2025! We also thank our incredible cohosts and presenters at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, who always deliver critical legal updates and insightful information in an accessible format geared directly at California Independent Schools.

You can check out the session topics that were offered at the 2025 California Legal Symposium here, and registrants can access session recordings until December 12 here. Some topics are perennial favorites while others were designed to speak directly to the most pressing needs for schools right now.

Setting a new record at 226 registrants, this was our most attended Symposium yet! We are delighted to continue to bring you this valued program, and pleased to report positive and useful feedback from attendees’ evaluations, including:

• “Great job! I enjoy this symposium every year. It could last 3 days with all of the content areas!”
  
  
• “I would love for this to be offered twice a year.”
  
  
• “Wage and hour issues can be an all-day session by itself! Schools have a hard time staying inside of a box. The creativity presents challenges when matched up against the legal requirements.”
  
  
• “I would love two symposiums - one that is like this and then another that is higher level topics.”
  
  
• “There is never enough time for Q&A sessions. Lots of good questions and answers. Left me wanting more.”

We hope you will join us next year for another wonderful Legal Symposium on November 12, 2026!

October 22, 2025

GoFundMe recently created 1.4 million donation pages for nonprofits all across the country on their own volition using publicly available information from the IRS and other sources.

Following backlash from the nonprofit community, GoFundMe last week reversed course and took several actions including removing logos they used without permission. In addition to the apology issued on LinkedIn, the NonProfit Times reported on some important nuances.

Cal-ISBOA recommends schools investigate their GoFundMe status to be sure their fundraising is not negatively impacted and claim their pages to assure any funds donated to the school do, in fact, flow to the school. Taking action may also prevent bad actors from fraudulently claiming a school's donation page. 

After claiming your school’s page, you can decide whether to use it, remove it (scroll down for instructions), or submit a takedown request. 

October 20, 2025

On October 9, the Cal-ISBOA staff gathered for some enriching professional development at the Associations West Capital Summit in Sacramento. Formerly California Society of Association Executives, Associations West is the association for association professionals in California and beyond. We heard from keynote speakers about strategies to navigate change through collaboration and connection, learned more about building high-impact boards and designing cultures that drive success, and picked up some exciting new ideas for event programs and formats. We are proud to continue pursuing our own professional development to better serve our members and the California independent school community!