Irene Salter's mind is formidable with a PhD in neuroscience, Master's in psychology, and over two decades of leadership experience, but it's her genuine passion and heartfelt approach that sets her apart. She specializes in curating training and coaching spaces for leaders driven by passion, purpose, and people. Her clients include visionaries from numerous charter and traditional schools across the country, Disney, Google, Facebook, Verizon, government agencies, and nonprofits. She draws from neuroscience, positive psychology, and mind-body medicine to help her clients thrive, not just survive.
Learn more at irenesalter.com
Whether liked it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful new actor entering educational s…Whether liked it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful new actor entering educational systems — one that requires clear human discernment and engagement to deploy effectively. Think of AI as a charismatic, fast-thinking, over-educated, highly-productive new employee. They’ve just been hired to the workplace to help modernize systems and boost efficiency. Like any powerful new employee, AI needs roles, boundaries, accountability, and oversight.
In this session, the presenter - a neuroscientist and leadership coach - will facilitate the exploration of what AI should do, and what should remain deeply human, in an AI-enabled future through these essential questions:
- What is K-12 education fundamentally about in an AI age?
- What should be automated, augmented, preserved, or refused?
- Where might AI reduce exhaustion and burnout so humans can redirect their energy elsewhere?
- Which human neural capacities are worth fiercely protecting even when technology can perform them faster?
Every leader and school community will answer these questions differently. Rather than prescribing one right approach, this session creates space to engage in thoughtful conversation with other educational leaders to explore the tensions, tradeoffs, risks, opportunities, and deep questions about AI.
This session is not designed to share AI productivity hacks, learn about the latest ed-tech, engage in AI evangelism or AI disaster narratives, nor discuss how to regulate AI. Rather, participants will walk away with greater clarity about where AI belongs, and where it does not, in participants' leadership models and in their schools.
Employee performance issues rarely appear overnight. They build over time due to unclear expectation…Employee performance issues rarely appear overnight. They build over time due to unclear expectations, limited coaching, and competing leadership priorities. This interactive session helps charter school leaders and HR professionals shift from reactive discipline to proactive employee onboarding and management.
Drawing on real-world case studies and leadership coaching strategies, this session will guide participants through common scenarios that escalate into ones needing formal corrective action and unpack what could have been done earlier to change the outcome. Participants will explore practical tools for setting clear expectations from day one, cultivating internal motivation, delivering timely feedback, and supporting employee growth while balancing the realities of school leadership.
The session blends CharterSAFE’s HR risk management perspective with leadership coaching practices focused on clear, direct communication that moves schools from constantly holding employees accountable towards everyone taking personal ownership and responsibility. Participants will have opportunities to reflect on their own challenging situations and apply a structured framework to identify early warning signs and intervention strategies.
Designed for both HR professionals and executive leaders, this session provides actionable approaches to reduce risk, improve employee performance, and strengthen workplace culture before issues reach the point of discipline or termination.
Leadership transitions are inevitable — but they're rarely planned for, and even more rarely discu…Leadership transitions are inevitable — but they're rarely planned for, and even more rarely discussed openly. This session is designed for those contemplating a career shift, building a succession plan, or sitting on a board wondering how to prepare for leadership change. The presenters, Irene Salter and Caitlin O'Halloran Hellar, bring their own non-linear careers to the table and have assembled a panel of California charter leaders who have been through it myriad scenarios: ones who shifted into charter leadership from other fields, ones who built something and then passed it on, and ones figuring out what comes after.
Leaning into William Bridges' Transition Model and Jenny Blake's Pivot framework as anchors, this session offers real stories, practical tools, and honest conversation about one of the least-discussed challenges in the charter sector: what happens when it's time for what's next.
Every leader has been there – a tense boardroom, an angry parent, a staff drama swirl. In school g…Every leader has been there – a tense boardroom, an angry parent, a staff drama swirl. In school governance, even the best leaders can find themselves caught in patterns of emotional reactivity, misalignment, and eroding trust. Designed for board members, administrators, and governance teams, this session moves beyond theory to provide actionable approaches for navigating conflict, reducing reactivity, and building trust that lasts.
Participants will begin looking inwards to examine how reactivity shows up in their own patterns and judgements of others and will learn how the brain gets triggered and how mirror neurons and emotional contagion influence social dynamics. The presenters will use guided reflection and cognitive reframing to defuse the stories that underlie participants' own reactivity.
From that foundation, the session participants will learn and practice actionable communication skills and strategies that are known to reduce reactivity and build trust within groups. Participants are encouraged to bring a topic that’s reactive and challenging at their school to workshop or use one of the case studies provided. Participants will walk out the door with an action plan for their current issue as well as practical tools they can use in board meetings, staff interactions, community engagement, and their own daily life.
For a limited time, early access to this workshop is exclusively available to registrants who have opted into the Board Member Registration Package. This workshop will open to all conference registrants on September 14, 2026.
A school’s mission and vision should be more than just words the mission and vision should serve a…A school’s mission and vision should be more than just words the mission and vision should serve as the foundation for governance, strategy, budgeting, and decision-making. Yet over time, many schools experience mission drift as leadership changes, priorities shift, growth occurs, and day-to-day demands begin to overshadow purpose.
This interactive session is designed for governance teams - board members and school leaders - who want to strengthen the connection between their mission, vision, and governance practices. Participants will assess whether their mission and vision remain relevant, examine common sources of organizational drift, and explore how boards can use mission and vision as active tools for guiding policy, strategic priorities, and resource allocation.
Through facilitated discussions and team-based exercises, participants will evaluate their current level of alignment, identify areas that may need refinement, and determine whether a broader re-envisioning process is needed. The session will also provide practical guidance on engaging stakeholders in mission and vision work and discuss when strategic planning can serve as a valuable framework for translating purpose into action.
Teams will leave with a clearer understanding of the board’s role in leading mission-centered governance, a framework for assessing alignment at their own school, and concrete next steps for strengthening the connection between purpose, strategy, and results.
