3rd Annual Women’s Leadership Conference Recap

On Friday, March 20, 2026, the New Jersey School Boards Association welcomed education leaders to its 3^rd Annual Women’s Leadership Conference. With the goal of providing training and support to women leaders, the conference offered tailored training sessions, opportunities to network with other women in school leadership, and ways to build resilience and confidence. A historically popular event, the conference moved to a larger venue, the Brower Student Center at The College of New Jersey in Ewing, NJ.

With the theme “Rise and Thrive,” the conference opened with an energetic and informative keynote address by Dr. Kimberley Markus, executive coach for the NJSBA Lead program and former New Jersey Commissioner of Education. Titled “Not a Straight Line: Charting Your Leadership Path with Confidence and Community,” Dr. Markus shared the journey she took to find her voice and the importance that mentorship played in her development. Growing up shy and lacking confidence, Dr. Markus initially leaned into others’ belief in her. A member of her middle school marching band, her marching band teacher saw her potential and sent her to Leadership Camp. Despite being apprehensive and insecure about attending, Dr. Markus returned from camp with a new level of confidence and became the drum major, leading her high school marching band for all four years.

A seed was planted, but it took the mentorship of others to water and nurture it. During her time as a teacher, Dr. Markus desired to advance her career by earning a master’s degree, but didn’t believe it was possible due to time and financial restraints. It was her superintendent who encouraged and guided her towards a path not only to obtain her master’s degree but also to major in Educational Leadership, because he knew she was born to be a leader, despite her not seeing it in herself at the time. A year later, she earned her degree, paid for by her district. Shortly thereafter, she found her own voice. Stressing the importance of having a “leadership constellation,” she encouraged attendees to reflect on the people in their lives who led them during their journey.

During her keynote, Dr. Markus emphasized that the path to leadership doesn’t have to be a straight line. She invited Nancy Salgado-Cowan, president of the Piscataway Board of Education, to the stage to share her leadership story.  Battling adversity in her home during her childhood, Salgado-Cowan moved frequently, attending 10 schools in 17 years. While at one school, she was encouraged by her teachers to test into the gifted and talented program and was accepted. The program opened doors for her, leading her to eventually realize her dream of becoming a nurse practitioner. Her experience at multiple schools showed her the importance of being in the right environment with the right people.  “Economics matters, where you go to school matters, your teachers matter,” she said. “Whether I was learning addition or analyzing medical journals, the quality of resources around you may shape the rest of who you become.”

Dr. Markus closed out her presentation by imploring attendees not to let their trepidations and insecurities guide their decision-making. “Don’t spend too much time in your head,” she said. “It’s a dangerous neighborhood, and if you spend too much time in there, you’re going to get jumped.” As an activity, Dr. Markus instructed everyone to, using a piece of paper provided at every table, write an inspiring thought and crumble the paper into a ball. She then incited a snowball fight, asking everyone to throw crumbled paper balls across the room and open them to read someone else’s message. “We each have a story to share. We each have a journey and a path that we’ve been on. As women in leadership, we have to share each other’s stories.”

Attendees were presented with breakout sessions that covered a variety of topics. One session, “Five Keys to Rise and SHINE,” led by Fatihah Abdur-Rahman, discussed the SHINE framework, an acronym for Stack your bench, Huddle often, Invest in you, the power of Now, and Evidence of impact. This philosophy offers five practical tips for women leaders to build equity, navigate barriers and lead with clarity and confidence. Another session, “Empowerment and Boundary-Setting,” led by Grace Flagler of Younity, discussed ways for women to empower themselves in personal and professional settings, where attendees discussed how to define and set boundaries.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion. Moderated by NJSBA Chief Public Affairs Officer Chanta L. Jackson, panelists included NJSBA Immediate Past President Dr. Karen Cortellino, Alle Breve Consulting CEO Dr. Nicole Alioto, NJSBA Senior Member Technical Support & Data Coordinator Taylor Salton, and NJSBA Executive Assistant to Human Resources and the Deputy Director Soumya Atluri. The panel brought together voices from four generations, from Baby Boomers to Millennials, to break down biases and uncover synergistic strengths, ultimately producing better outcomes.

During the panel, Atluri made a comment that not only rings true, but sums up the need for the Women’s Leadership Conference. “Without collaboration, you can’t move”.