2026 Heads' Retreat with Ian Symmonds

Heads' Retreat facilitator

About Ian Symmonds

Ian Symmonds is a strategist, author, and advisor to leading independent schools and colleges around the world. After 15 years in senior leadership roles at private schools, colleges, and universities—driving enrollment growth and institutional turnarounds—he founded Ian Symmonds & Associates (ISA) in 2003. Over the past two decades, Ian has advised thousands of clients, flown over four million air miles, and gained a perspective on schools, colleges, and nonprofits that few consultants globally can match.

Ian’s leadership career spans Pacific University, Culver-Stockton College, Saint Mary’s Hall, and Trinity University, where he served as a senior officer, executive director, and dean. His expertise in educational strategy has led to transformative change for countless organizations.

A recognized global thought leader in education, Ian is known for his culturally relevant, forward-thinking approach that balances innovation with enduring impact. He frequently speaks and writes on the intersection of education, community-building, and social change.

Ian is a widely published author and sought-after keynote speaker at national and international conferences. His work sits at the intersection of strategy, education, sport, and social impact, helping leadership organizations navigate complexity, clarify direction, and build long-term relevance. Husband, father and aspiring guitarist, he’s convinced that some of life’s best thinking happens on a motorcycle—and that the journey usually teaches more than the destination.

Shared Keynote and Heads' Q&A: The Art of Perception

About Amy Herman

Amy Herman is a lawyer and art historian who uses works of art to sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills. By showing people how to look closely at painting, sculpture, and photography, she helps them hone their visual intelligence to recognize the most pertinent and useful information as well as recognize biases that impede decision making. She developed her Art of Perception seminar in 2000 to improve medical students' observation and communication skills with their patients when she was the Head of Education at The Frick Collection in New York City. She subsequently adapted the program for a wide range of professionals and leads sessions internationally for the New York City Police Department, the FBI, the French National Police, the Department of Defense, Interpol, the State Department, Fortune 500 companies, first responders, the military, and the intelligence community. In her highly participatory presentation, she demonstrates the relevance of visual literacy across the professional spectrum and how the analysis of works of art affords participants in her program an innovative way to refresh their sense of critical inquiry and reconsider the skills necessary for improved performance and effective leadership. The program has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The CBS Evening News, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. Her TED talk, A Lesson on Looking, went live in December 2018. Ms. Herman holds an A.B., a J.D., and an M.A. in art history. Her book, Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, was published in May 2016 and was on both the New York Times and Washington Post best-sellers' lists.  Her second book, Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving, was published in December 2021. Her third book, smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain, was published in October 2022.