July 15, 2021
She Was a Super Board Chair
A few days ago I received that eerie, vague, automated email reply that made me suspect something had happened to one of our ISCA members, Sarah Bankson Newton. Unfortunately, that suspicion was true and Sarah had passed away unexpectedly on May 2, 2021 while traveling on vacation. Sarah was the beloved Board Chair of Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, MA. You can read Esperanza Academy's loving tribute to her
HERE.
Sarah had been an ISCA member since 2019 and I vividly recall one ISCA Chair Chat that she participated in last October and the strong impression she left on me. I remember thinking what a vivacious person she seemed to be and such a compassionate leader. I told her in a follow up email, how lucky Esperanza Academy was to have her passion and devotion. She was so excited about the school's virtual fundraising gala that evening, she invited me to attend and then shared a video with me. She was incredibly proud of her school.
Within a day of receiving that automated email reply, I received a personal email from Sarah's daughter who shared how much Sarah loved being Board Chair of Esperanza Academy and was always trying to be better in her leadership role. I share with you this brief excerpt from her daughter's email...
"Days before she passed, she had printed two articles to read on vacation (she had just been vaxxed and was so excited to finally travel!!). I saw them when we were unpacking her duffel...one was about supporting antiracism on educational boards and one was called "how to be a super board chair." Absolutely committed until the end."
So in honor of Sarah Bankson Newton, I share with you that article which was published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review in August, 2020. The irony is that she already was a Super Board Chair!
Upcoming Events
ISCA Webinar July 28th
12:00 - 2:45 pm ET
Navigating Legal Risk as a New Board Chair
All ISCA members are invited to participate in this in-depth interactive session addressing this year's top legal issues. While this session is a scheduled part of our New Chair at the Table training for new board chairs, the content is timely and relevant for all board chairs, so we are making this session available to all ISCA members.
