PROJECT PHOENIX
NESA Fall Leadership Conference · Pre-conference
End one thing. Make room for what matters next.
October 14, 2026 · 8:30 am-4:00 pm · Royal Orchid Sheraton, Bangkok
The Trap
Your School cannot keep adding without subtracting.
School leaders are carrying more than ever. The natural response is to add something— but everything you add today becomes an inherited commitment tomorrow, asking already-stretched people to be responsible for yet one more thing.
The Way Out
This is not another workshop about managing change.
School leaders are carrying more than ever. The natural response is to add something— but everything you add today becomes an inherited commitment tomorrow, asking already-stretched people to be responsible for yet one more thing.
What You’ll Leave With
01
One clear candidate for conclusion.
A program, practice, structure, ritual or assumption that may no longer justify its resources.
03
A story for renewal.
Why the old approach mattered, why now requires something different, and what the change makes possible.
02
A stakeholder resistance map.
Who may view the change as a loss, what they fear, and what they need to see, hear, or influence.
04
A 90-day pre-launch plan.
The conversations, evidence, and decisions to sequence before you announce or launch a replacement.
By the end of the day, you’ll have built your Phoenix Plan.
The Project Phoenix Process
From ash, to ember, to flight.
Come as a Team
Ending something important rarely belongs to one person.
Bring up to three leaders who share the decisions, the relationships, or the implementation.
Who Should Attend
Heads of school
Senior and Executive Leadership Teams
Division and School Principals
Board-facing, strategy and innovation leaders
Leaders responsible for culture, change or renewal
What Registration Includes
Everything you’ll need to leave with a plan.
The full-day workshop
The Project Phoenix planning workbook
Resistance & change-story templates
A complete 90-day pre-launch plan
Coffee breaks & lunch
A post-conference virtual clinic
Your Facilitators
Christian Talbot
President & CEO, Middle States · Co-founder RAIL
Guides who lead this work every day.
CT
Dr. Lina Lewis
Associate VP for International Accreditation
Supports international school navigating improvement, accreditation, strategic renewal, and complex organizational change.
Works with school leaders on accreditation, strategy, governance, AI, and the disciplines of wise institutional change.
LL
Voices from The Journey
Ashley Crowley, Barnstable Academy
“So valuable conversing with a wide range of educational leaders and thinkers- an exceptional group.”
Jason Sammartino, Malvern Prep
“I loved the gift of time to spend on launching a ‘new Phoenix.’ The process was super helpful and insightful, and I’m walking away with a great game plan!”
“Collaborating with others from my school on a ‘real’ school issue was very valuable”
Daniele Tellish, Springdale Prep
Registration
Individual Registration
$249
for one school leader attending independently.
School Team Pass (up to 3)
$499
bring the people who will help sponsor, communicate, and implement the change.
Open to leaders from all schools. Registration is handled directly through Middle States.
Choose how your school shows up.
Stop carrying yesterday into tomorrow.
Decide what matters now — and release what no longer does. Bring the thing your school knows it should stop doing, and leave with a plan for what comes next.
October 16, 2026 · Royal Orchid Sheraton, Bangkok · NESA Fall Leadership Conference