Board & Governance
A strong board retreat can reenergize board members, strengthen governance practices, and align the team around the school’s mission and future. But too often, retreats default to routine updates rather than engaging activities that spark meaningful dialogue and reflection.
In this hands-on session, participants will learn and experience four ready-to-use activities designed to bring new energy and focus to their next board retreat. Each activity helps boards assess and strengthen governance in different ways — from centering on mission, to identifying strengths and gaps, to envisioning future priorities. Participants will actively engage in the activities themselves, then debrief on how to adapt and facilitate them with their own boards.
Facilitated by the League’s board governance trainers, this session is fast-paced, interactive, and highly practical. Participants will leave with four retreat-ready tools to improve engagement and outcomes at their next board gathering, including:
- Identify the purpose and value of interactive retreat activities
- Facilitate four specific activities that strengthen board alignment, reflection, and planning
- Adapt activities to fit their own board’s culture, size, and goals
- Bring back ready-to-use tools to make retreats more engaging and effective
Having worked in Colorado charter schools since 2004 as a teacher, coach and school leader, Kia brings League members an array of knowledge and real-world experience. Utilizing School Quality Reviews, professional development training, and customized coaching, she focuses on coordinating and providing training to charter school teachers and leaders in the areas of data and accountability, teacher effectiveness, and leadership practices. In addition, she partners with charter schools through multi-year contracts to develop and implement improvement strategies that ensure student achievement along with the growth and development of teachers and leaders.
Explains Kia, “As a teacher, I was grateful for the autonomy charter schools possess. It provided me the opportunity to meet the individual needs of my students in whichever way I saw fit. The trust given to teachers, who know their students best, helped me to feel empowered in teaching my students in the most effective way. When I was a school leader, I appreciated the fact that I could design our school based on the wants and needs of our community. We worked closely with parents who had a voice in how our school was run. Charter schools can be a true gathering place or hub for their community as staff and families all work together towards a common goal, improving the lives of their students.”
Prior to joining the League, Kia was a founding teacher at Imagine Charter School in Firestone where she worked for 10 years in a variety of roles, including elementary principal. She also created and ran her own business for several years, a character-based, after-school theater program, at various charter schools in Colorado. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Mercyhurst University and her Master’s Degree in education leadership from the University of Northern Colorado. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, baking sweet treats and tackling DIY projects around the house.
