Two St. Mark's faculty members—Dr. Laura Appell-Warren and Ms. Loris Adams—have recently taken on important leadership roles in national educational organizations, continuing their commitment to global and diversity education respectively.
Dr. Warren, director of global citizenship at St. Mark's, was recently elected secretary of the Global Education Benchmark Group's board of directors. The GEBG's mission is to identify specific practices in global education by collecting, analyzing, and sharing data from GEBG members, and to promote the development of global citizens in independent schools and beyond through global curriculum, experiences, and institutional support. Dr. Warren has served on the GEBG board for several years, and now, as Secretary, she joins the GEBG Executive Committee.
Ms. Adams, director of community and equity affairs at St. Mark's, was recently appointed to serve on the editorial board of DiversityIS, a new magazine focused on diversity and inclusion in K-12 independent schools. Developed by the publishers of INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity and inclusion magazine in higher education, DiversityIS will highlight the efforts of K-12 independent school educators, administrators, organizations, and other leaders across the country who are dedicated to increasing diversity, equity, and access in K-12 education as well as ensuring more inclusive environments for students and employees.
Ms. Adams is also on the faculty of the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Over the past four years she has served on the SDLC curriculum committee and as affinity group co-chair for the conference. She also has presented at the NAIS People of Color Conference and serves as a consultant for the Glasgow Group (specializing in youth program creation and engagement, staff diversity training, and curriculum development with a focus on multicultural sensitivities, intersectionality, conflict resolution and multi-faith community building) and on the advisory board of Enquiry Evaluation (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Evaluation Solutions for Educational Institutions.
Congratulations to these two talented educators. These accomplishments demonstrate that they are recognized far and wide for their leadership and expertise in fields—global and diversity education—which are significant elements of the St. Mark's 2020 strategic plan. Under their guidance, the School's Global Citizenship and Community & Equity initiatives have become successful programs contributing significantly to the St. Mark's experience.