leadership
Register for CSBA’s Leadership Institute
This specialized event will hone your governance skills during this chaotic time
CSBA 2022 Leadership Institute banner
Join CSBA at the 2022 Leadership Institute from July 22–23 at L.A. Live for this professional development opportunity focusing on strengthening leadership skills in the midst of this chaotic time in K-12 public education.

This year’s theme of “Leadership in a time of chaos, change and opportunity” will feature inspiring keynote speakers, collaboration with counterparts across the state, and opportunities for attendees to sharpen their leadership skills in sessions dedicated to community engagement, board meeting management, governance, budgeting, crisis communications and more.

“This event offers an intimate setting for a select group of school board members ready to push their professional boundaries, network and actively engage in their own professional development,” said CSBA CEO & Executive Director Vernon M. Billy.

Featured speakers
Dr. Natalie Stavas knows what it’s like to confront chaos. As the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia physician approached the finish line of her fifth Boston marathon on April 15, 2013, she heard explosions and ran toward them. Arriving at the scene she went to work administering CPR, applying tourniquets and triaging the wounded.

After the bombings, Stavas increased her efforts in preventing childhood violence. She became a weekly medical contributor for Boston’s Fox 25 discussing issues affecting children and young adults and a mentor for Sole Train, a nonprofit guiding inner-city youth on a path toward their full potential through running. Stavas attacks every obstacle with a fearless attitude and desire to lead. “You run towards that which you fear, that which challenges you, that which is oppositional,” she said, explaining her philosophy that running toward chaos actually makes it more manageable.

Dr. Victor Rios is associate dean of Social Sciences and professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Rios works with school districts around the state to develop programs for students who have been left behind in their education. Using his personal experience of living on the streets, dropping out of school, and being incarcerated as a juvenile — combined with his research findings — he has developed interventions for marginalized students aimed at promoting personal transformation and civic engagement. The difficulties of finding his way in education are detailed in the documentary film, The Pushouts.

Rios is also the author of six books including, My Teacher Believes in Me: The Educator’s Guide to At-Promise Students (2019); Street Life: Poverty, Gangs, and a Ph.D. (2011); and Human Targets: Schools, Police, and the Criminalization of Latino Youth (2017). He worked with President Barack Obama and his administration advising on gun violence and policing. His Ted Talk, “Help for kids the education system ignores,” has garnered over 1.5 million views.