#CEESA2026 Speaker Spotlight: Kathleen Naglee

Leading Schools with Joy and Clarity: Kathleen Naglee’s CEESA 2026 Conference

In March 2026, international educators will gather in Sofia, Bulgaria for the 36th Annual CEESA Conference, hosted at the Grand Hotel Millennium and supported by the Anglo-American School of Sofia. This year’s theme, focused on “The Heart and Art of Teaching,” is powerfully represented by Kathleen Naglee, founder of Kathleen Naglee Advisory Services and a globally respected leader in organizational transformation and future-focused learning.

While Kathleen will contribute to the main conference program, the centerpiece of her participation is her full-day pre-conference workshop, designed for school leaders, teacher leaders, and educators seeking to strengthen culture, belonging, and purpose-driven leadership.

About Kathleen Naglee

With over 30 years of experience in teaching, IB coordination, school leadership, and directorships, Kathleen has guided schools around the world through curriculum redesign, cultural change, and strategic transformation. Her consultancy now supports leaders and teams seeking to build thriving learning cultures grounded in student agency, adult wellbeing, and future-ready educational design.

She is known for blending leadership psychology, identity and belonging work, and emerging technologies -including AI – to create sustainable systems that honor the heart and humanity of teaching.

Pre-Conference: Leadership is a Relationship, Not a Role

Date: March 12, 2026
Location: Anglo-American School of Sofia
Format: Full-day, pre-conference workshop

This full-day session invites leaders and educators to rethink leadership as a dynamic, relational practice rather than a position or checklist of responsibilities.

Grounded in psychology, leadership development, and the latest research on belonging and motivation, Kathleen’s workshop will help participants:

• Understand leadership as a relational practice rather than a position or set of tasks.
• Recognize how everyday interactions shape the culture, conditions, and learning environment of a school.
• Strengthen communication and trust-building skills that enhance collaboration and connection.
• Develop a personalized plan to apply relational leadership practices in their current context.

Participants will engage with reflection protocols, practical tools, and collaborative design activities that they can immediately apply in their own contexts.

Whether you are a head of school, principal, coordinator, or teacher leader, Kathleen’s pre-conference experience will offer a powerful opportunity to deepen your leadership practice and bring renewed focus to what matters most.

Conference Sessions with Kathleen Naglee

In addition to the pre-conference, Kathleen will lead a powerful four-part series titled “The Tender Future”, exploring love, courage, and relational leadership in contemporary schooling.

These sessions examine why love remains controversial in educational systems – and why embracing it may be the innovation schools need most.

Part 1 – The Tender Future: Love as Innovation

Date: March 13 and March 14

Location: Grand Hotel Millennium

This session reframes love as a radical, future-focused form of innovation. Participants explore how care, relational courage, and ethical leadership can transform school culture.

Key themes include:

• Challenging assumptions about innovation
• Understanding why relational approaches often meet resistance
• Real examples of love-driven decisions that changed wellbeing or trust
  
  

Part II – The Tender Future: Leading with Love in a Skeptical System

Date: March 13 and March 14

Location: Grand Hotel Millennium

This follow-up session explores how leaders embody love in systems that do not name or reward it.

Participants will learn how love functions as:

• Courage and truth-telling
• Boundary-setting and protection
• Everyday acts of leadership that foster belonging
  

Thanks to Our Sponsors

CEESA 2026 is made possible through the generous support of our partners and VIP members, including the Office of Overseas Schools, Insurance Services International, International Schools Services, Clements Worldwide and ISAM360.

See You in Sofia

Kathleen Naglee’s pre-conference workshop is a signature opportunity for educators seeking deeper clarity, stronger school culture, and leadership approaches grounded in humanity and purpose.

Join us in Sofia, Bulgaria from March 12–14, 2026.
Register now and be sure to reserve your place in Kathleen’s full-day workshop.