Schedule, Session Descriptions, & Presenter Information

Grace Chan, Partner,
Liebert Cassidy Whitmore

Grace specializes in education and employment law, risk management, and nonprofit governance, representing independent schools and nonprofits. She advises boards, school leaders, and HR professionals on mitigating risk and aligning operations with their mission. Her expertise includes employment agreements, policies, harassment claims, wage compliance, and employee discipline. She also counsels schools on student and parent issues, including enrollment, misconduct, privacy, and DEI considerations. Additionally, Grace provides guidance on nonprofit governance, fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, and governance documents. She helps clients develop best practices while navigating complex legal landscapes.

Alec Grollman, CLCS
Area Vice President | Education and Nonprofit Practice Team, A. J. Gallagher

Alec Grollman is a Commercial Insurance and Risk Management Consultant specializing in the education and nonprofit practice sector. Concentrating in creative risk management program development and insurance coverage placement, his goal is to educate buyers, properly assess risk, and create comprehensive coverage solutions. With the addition of a Commercial Lines Coverage Specialist designation, Alec continues to increase his insurance knowledge and better position his clients. He prides himself in providing personalized and exceptional customer care to address each client’s needs and assist their overall mission. Alec’s introduction to the insurance industry began through Gallagher’s internship program in 2018 which transitioned into full time employment with the education and nonprofit team upon graduation from Bryn Athyn College where he earned a degree in Marketing and Data Science.

Heather Kruse, Chief Human Resources Officer, Viewpoint School

Heather Kruse is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Viewpoint School, where she leads all aspects of human resources including talent acquisition, performance management, compensation, employee relations, and organizational development. With over 20 years of HR leadership experience across independent schools, media, and entertainment, Heather brings a practical, people-centered approach to building transparent, high-performing cultures. She is a strategic advisor to senior leadership and the Board, known for aligning HR strategy with mission and values. Under her leadership, Viewpoint has earned multiple Best Places to Work in SoCal recognitions. Heather is also a member of the Cal-ISBOA HR Committee.

Catherine Mattice,
Civility Partners, Inc.

Catherine is an award-winning author, speaker, blogger, and business owner; has been cited in such news outlets as Forbes, INC Magazine, Entrepreneur, and USA Today; and has appeared as a guest expert on such venues as NPR and CNN. She also has over 60+ courses on LinkedIn Learning and reaching global audiences.

Catherine founded Civility Partners in 2008. After working in a toxic environment herself she decided this was a problem she could solve, and today is a leading expert on the topic of turning around a toxic workplace culture and building a positive one in its place.

Under Catherine’s leadership, the Civility Partners team has worked with over 250 clients, including Chevron, NASA, Stanford University, Embraer, and the American Red Cross to help their leaders and teams cultivate a respectful and civil work environment.

Sheba McCoy,
Director of Human Resources, The Nueva School

Sheba is the Director of Human Resources at The Nueva School. She is a dedicated human resource professional with a passion for fostering a positive workplace culture and supporting faculty and staff from a holistic place. She believes in "People, not Paper" as her motto. With over ten years of experience in HR operations. She loves creating new processes that foster integrity and compassion. She believes her HR superpower is that she can build connections within all levels of an organization. She enjoys traveling with her husband to new places. Her favorite music is 80's alternative rock. She finds Jeff Dunham's character, Peanut, hilarious.

Jessica McCullagh, Director of Human Resources, The Archer School for Girls

Jessica McCullagh, PHR, MBA is the Director of Human Resources at The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles. Jessica also manages Archer’s financial aid program. In her thirteen plus years at Archer, Jessica has worked in a number of other business office functions including student enrollment, student billing and school-wide systems integration projects. She has been a Cal-ISBOA HR Workshop committee member since 2019. Jessica worked in the management consulting and entertainment industries prior to joining Archer in 2012. She has a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA from The University of Southern California.

Angela Oliver, Director of Human Resources,
Sage Hill School

Angela Oliver is the founding Director of Human Resources at Sage Hill School and is in her 22nd year at Sage Hill. She started as the Controller in 2001 and moved into HR in 2007. She has served as a Board member of Cal-ISBOA and helped to launch the HR Symposium. She has presented on HR topics at both national and state conferences. Prior to being in HR, she worked at Windward School as their Business Manager. Angela enjoys watching sports of any kind and Hallmark movies!

Brendon Pollis,
Area Vice President | Los Angeles, California, A. J. Gallagher

Brendon Pollis is an Area Vice President, with Gallagher. He is a Property, Casualty and Benefits Consultant within our Real Estate, Nonprofit and Scholastic Division. Brendon has over 12 years experience in the Property/Casualty realm with a particular emphasis on Real Estate & Hospitality as well as Nonprofits & Education. This includes but is not limited to, large Real Estate Portfolios, Property Management & Leasing, Land Management and Development, Habitational (multi family & single family) Captive solutions, Shared and Layered Programs, Schools/Universities, including Charters, Independents and Higher Education within the Western United States (CA, AZ, OR, WA, NV,TX). Brendon is a Graduate of the University Of San Diego.

Gabrielle Turner, Director of Human Resources,
TVT Community Day School

Gabrielle Turner is a strategic Human Resources leader with over a decade of experience across diverse industries, currently serving in a leadership role at a TK–12 Independent school. She partners with the Head of School and strategic leadership team to align people strategy with institutional mission, growth, and community culture, with an emphasis on care and meaningful impact. Gabrielle brings a disciplined, scalable approach to HR informed by work in complex, multi-division and international environments. She is known for building equitable, transparent frameworks and leading initiatives across compensation, benefits, workforce planning, HR transformation, and organizational change. Outside of work, she loves spending quality time with her two daughters, baking something sweet, and enthusiastically learning the rules of American mahjong.