2027 Navigating Campus Development
Emory Conference Center Hotel
1615 Clifton RoadAtlanta, GA 30329
Event Details
Initiating and successfully completing new facility construction on your campus can be exciting, messy, and risky – all at once. The process can result in new space that beautifully expresses your mission and galvanizes your school community or leaves that same community exhausted and even disappointed. Boards and leadership teams often engage capital projects learning as they go and leaning on expertise that is sometimes not well-matched to the complexity of a campus setting. Alternatively, comprehensive planning and preparation can lead to strong execution and confidence that catalyzes the next project.
In this workshop, we will frame campus development not only as a fundraising effort or a construction management challenge, but rather as an integrated, multidisciplinary process that can elevate your school’s mission beyond the project itself. In particular, we will explore the seven disciplines of campus development and how each one can amplify and strengthen the others.
- Organizational Readiness and Alignment
- Financial Modeling, Controls, and Capital Structure
- Partner Selection and Supervision: Architects, Contractors, and Project Managers
- Fundraising and Capital Campaign Strategy
- Legal and Regulatory Compliance and Oversight
- Communication, Brand Support, and Stakeholder Engagement
- Post Project Operations and Sustainability
School leadership cannot realistically develop deep expertise in each of these areas. Rather, understanding how to “conduct the orchestra” and create a process where each discipline reinforces the others is critical to a successful project.
A campus development initiative may be the highest risk/reward endeavor that an independent school can undertake. When the complexity, added workload, and leadership-defining challenges are successfully navigated, new facilities can profoundly impact the student experience the day the doors open and for years into the future. The tangible results will, by definition, create a legacy and, when carefully planned and executed, position your school for an even more ambitious vision.
Learning Objectives:
- Assessing readiness for a campus development initiative across key elements of your school
- Setting the stage for success early and driving strong alignment over the life of the project(s)
- Establishing the respective roles of your board, senior leaders, faculty and staff, and broader school community
- Identifying the unique circumstances of your school and where conventional wisdom may or may not apply in financial strategy, fundraising, or stakeholder engagement
- Understanding how lack of coordination can derail a project and how to ensure that everyone involved is on the same team
- Instituting communication strategies, protocols, and cadence that build support and confidence
- Enhancing leadership development that will endure beyond the life of the project
A full agenda, additional speakers, and session details to follow soon. Registration will open this fall.
Audience: This workshop is designed for school heads, senior leaders involved in campus development (finance, advancement, communication), and board leadership. Schools are encouraged to send a team in order to ensure alignment across the various functions directly involved.
Speaker: Keith Evans, retired head of Westminster Schools
Keith Evans became the fifth president of The Westminster Schools in July 2014. He came to Westminster from The Collegiate School in Richmond, Virginia, where he served as head of school from 1999 to 2014. Keith has also held leadership roles at St. Mary’s Episcopal School (Memphis, Tennessee), Webb School of Knoxville (Tennessee), and The McCallie School (Chattanooga, Tennessee).
A graduate of Davidson College, Keith earned his bachelor’s degree in religion. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard University and the University of Tennessee. Over the course of his career, he has taught courses across a variety of disciplines including religious studies, economics, government, psychology, and neuroscience.
Keith has enjoyed fellowships with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University. He currently serves on the boards of Gateway Center, Atlanta’s leader in the provision of homeless services; Georgia Works, a nonprofit focused on ending homelessness, addiction recovery, and expanding educational opportunities; and A Better Chance, a national nonprofit providing students of color with the chance to attend independent schools across the country.
Keith and his wife, Emilie, have two grown sons, Ronnie and Hank. He enjoys travel, skiing, and outdoor activities of all kinds.
Event Policies & Acknowledgments
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For questions about event registration or special accommodations, contact info@sais.org.