Meet Our Head of School

Prior to coming to LCS, Anne-Marie was the Executive Director at the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) for 11 years, an association of 95 schools that are passionate about learning and leading. She was responsible for strategies designed to support continuous school improvement, and lead a passionate team and hundreds of volunteers in support of research, PD and accreditation programs that reinforce the vision of CAIS, to shape the future of education.

Since joining the national organization in 2005, she collaborated with leaders across Canada to introduce a number of initiatives. A firm believer in research, she launched the National Tracking Project to understand young alumni success in university, co-authored the National Technology Project: A Report on Effective Practice, created the first National Parent Motivational Survey, wrote the CAIS Governance Guide, and supported a number of other research projects. She has led the organization through two collaborative reviews of the accreditation process; the first eventually led to recognition by the NAIS International Commission of Accreditation; the second, with over 140 contributors, established CAIS as a leader in accreditation standards and practices. Today’s National Standards challenge schools to examine all aspects of program and operations, including innovative learning, student engagement and wellness, governance, and risk. The process is data-driven and yet highly personalized such that members report the peer review process is meaningful, relevant, and a catalyst for change.

In 2009, she launched a collaborative project for Canada’s boarding schools to promote boarding, recruit, provide research, and create Canadian marketing.

Her passion is learning and leadership development. She oversaw the CAIS Leadership Institute, which trains over 175 leaders each year, and established several new modules including Women in Leadership, Coaching Leaders, Teaching and Learning, Faculty Culture, and Marketing. She initiated a two-year program for current administrators called the Next Step Program, that supports leaders through job shadowing, mentorship, networking, and change projects. Most recently, her vision led to The 2051 Project, an international research project and incubator, that focused on the dual challenge facing independent schools: the need for academic and business innovation.

She began her career teaching English in the Kingston, Ontario area, then went on to become the Dean of Studies and Chair of the Integrated Technology Implementation program at Lower Canada College in Montreal, Quebec.

Anne-Marie currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Enrolment Management Association. Previously, she has served on the Board of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), as President of the Independent Schools Association Network (ISAnet) and on the Executive of the NAIS International Commission on Accreditation. She is a Founding Board Member of the eLearning Consortium of Canada (ELCC).

She is a frequent speaker, having visited over 150 independent schools in 8 countries, and writes a regular blog on trends in parenting, leadership and education.

Anne-Marie holds a BA, B.Ed. and an M.Ed. from Queen’s University, attended the Independent Schools Institute at Harvard in 2008, and obtained the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from The Directors College (a joint venture of McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada) in 2012. Her husband, Kevin, is the Dean of Arts at the University of Ottawa, and they have two children: Jacob and Kathleen.