The Green Mountain Institute

The Green Mountain Institute is a 3-day retreat at The Woodstock Inn & Resort in Vermont.

Strong, strategic governance is more critical than ever for independent schools.  Led by Senior Consultant, Mark Davis, the Green Mountain Institute will prepare heads of schools and board chairs to navigate today’s most pressing issues for effective, stable leadership and long-term sustainability.  Our team of leadership coaches and special guest speakers will offer high-impact content sessions and facilitated workshops to equip chairs and heads with the tools and skills they need for best practice governance and collaborative partnership.

Participants will continue to work with the CS&A team throughout the school year with seasonal check-ins and guided support, enabling chairs and heads to build on and reinforce the tools and skills learned at The Green Mountain Institute.  Participants will also develop meaningful relationships with other board chairs and heads of school, creating an invaluable cohort of trusted advisors and peers.

*The Green Mountain Institute will return in the Summer of 2026.  We will have event details published in the Fall of 2025.

Please review the program from the Summer of 2024 below.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Paul Argenti is a pioneer in the field of corporate communication, teaching some of the earliest courses on the subject for Harvard Business School, Columbia Business School, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He wrote Corporate Communication, the first textbook in the field now in its eighth edition, along with Corporate Responsibility, Digital Strategies for Powerful Corporate Communication, The Power of Corporate Communication, and many other books and articles. He teaches courses on corporate communication, corporate responsibility, and general management, and has consulted and run training programs for hundreds of companies including ING, Mitsui, Novartis, Goldman Sachs, and the Detroit Lions. Argenti is a frequent contributor to Harvard Business Review and has appeared in numerous publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and others.

Caryn Pass has a nationwide practice advising independent schools in virtually every type of legal matter. Caryn's philosophy is that effective legal counsel must be consistent with a school's culture. Caryn takes a proactive approach when assisting schools. By identifying problems before they arise and assisting with the creation of a sound foundation, she places schools in the best possible position to respond to legal challenges. Her goal is to craft practical solutions that comply with the law, while integrating the school's culture, goals, and practical limitations. Independent schools interact with many constituencies, including students, parents, employees, trustees, donors, alumni, neighbors, and vendors. Caryn helps to navigate these relationships by establishing policies, procedures, strategies, and best practices that promote positive working and learning environments, while limiting potential liability exposure. Her clients include small and large schools; parochial and non-parochial schools; well-established schools with large endowments and newly established institutions; boarding and day schools; and single-sex and co-ed institutions.

Mike Hanas has been supporting leaders and groups to achieve clarity, shared purpose, courage, and wisdom throughout his professional career. After several decades of serving in front-facing leadership roles (including 19 years as a Head of School), Mike is called to put what he's experienced and learned to use in support of others extending themselves. Mike builds relationships from a posture of curiosity and humility and a desire for impact and meaning. He works with clients in education, non-profits, and commercial enterprises and supports their development of internal resources and wisdom through structured, reflective practice. He employs a complex systems approach—informed not only by knowledge and skills necessary, but also by the context and identity that shape a challenge or opportunity—and helps leaders loosen and untangle knots. Mike works with individuals and teams, including Heads, Founders, CEOs, Boards, Executive Directors, and Senior Leaders.