Among the many relationships we seek to maintain at NAES, the various local or regional Episcopal school associations rank high. Their work—particularly in parts of the country where there is a significant concentration of Episcopal schools—balances and enhances what we attempt to do at a national level.
This summer will see the retirement of two pillars of Episcopal education, Serena Beeks and David Charlton. Serena will be retiring as Executive Director of the Commission on Schools for the Diocese of Los Angeles, while David retires from his thirty-four years as President of the Church Schools of the Diocese of Virginia. On a local level, both of these two educators have had a tremendous impact on the regions they serve; not surprisingly, they have also been an important influence at the national level, Serena having served two sets of terms on the NAES Governing Board, while David served as an NAES Governing Board member and then Board President during the transition time between my predecessor, Peter Cheney, and myself. Both have strong ties to Virginia Theological Seminary: Serena was in the first cohort of students in the Doctor of Ministry Program in Educational Leadership there, and has capably assisted in the program since as an advisor and course facilitator for scores of students. David has had a deep impact at the Seminary through his service to its Board of Trustees, and currently is the Board President.
Most importantly, both, in their respective ways, represent the best of Episcopal school commitment and leadership. I want to take this opportunity to honor their service by highlighting some of the characteristics of their great leadership, attempting to describe why so often, in times of dilemma, individuals will think to themselves or be advised by others to, “Call Serena,”or, “Call David.”
Like so many good association leaders, they both know the vital role that school leadership and governance plays in furthering the mission of our institutions. Both have spent countless hours working behind the scenes, and both are relentless in their efforts to get back to you in response to a question or idea as soon as possible. Leading an association of schools is very different from leading an individual school, and both have used their unique vantage point as association leaders to its maximum effectiveness.
Both have a unique capacity to lead through influence. In their respective roles, Serena and David are known for their wise counsel, their tenacious follow-through, and skilled diplomacy. They get their convictions and perspectives heard not by telling people what they should do, but by showing others how their viewpoints make sense, bolstered by their years of experience and sheer organizational savvy. They know how things should work, to put it simply. Their accomplishments are impressive, but even more impressive is the way in which their influence weaves through deliberations and decision making processes, inserting into them aptly timed suggestions. Serena and David have an uncanny ability to get their way through making people feel they themselves have arrived at a decision through their own ingenuity.
Their influence is not automatic, nor does it come quickly. It comes by virtue of their steadiness and willingness to be present, to be there at the table when needed. These are two people who are relentless in showing up, so to speak. When their presence is needed, they appear. At an instinctive, intuitive level they know the importance, over the long-term, of making their viewpoints and values known through sheer attendance.
It is remarkable what the sheer accumulation of times being at the table can mean for those in positions of leadership. All too often I have found, be it in churches or in schools, that individuals will show up to meetings on a sporadic basis and assume that their voice will be heard in the same way as the voices of those who are consistently there. Serena and David have earned countless badges for attendance, and in doing so they have been more than conscientious (which in itself is no small thing). They have made their mark through presence.
Serena and David exude a unique blend of love and determination. No two people possess a more foundational love for Episcopal schools than these two. It has carried them through many battles and unsolvable problems, whether it be in their roles as leaders of individual schools or as leaders of associations of schools. No doubt, at points in their careers the sheer love for our schools has carried them through times of discouragement and frustration.
That love, however, is balanced by fierce determination. On a couple of occasions David and I have discussed some very difficult institutional dilemmas, and at no point did I ever get the sense that David was ready to give up on the situation. While love for our schools kept him in the arena, continuing to deal with the issues, sheer determination propelled him to muster up the energy and willpower to continue.
Many of you know of Serena’s deep commitment to the Episcopal schools in Haiti. It is her love for these schools, as well as the people of Haiti, that has, for example, kept her engaged and resolute in efforts to keep partnerships going during these most recent and extraordinarily difficult years in that country. I vividly recall traveling with Serena as she drove a van through downtown Port-au-Prince (no easy task) and I was amazed by her sheer will to make it to our destination, supported by her hard-won knowledge at navigating impossible congestion. I remember, at that point, saying to myself, “This is one determined person.”
Whether it is David traveling endlessly to board or foundation meetings through the Commonwealth of Virginia, or Serena traveling through the diocese (and beyond) to deliver PPP equipment to early childhood programs, their love for what they do has been transportable, but always consistent and deep, energized by the determination they feel to do right by our schools.
Of course, both have tremendous senses of humor, which allows them some distance from the many problems that cross their desk, and keeps their influence in perspective.
Many have been the times when, in group meetings where I have sat at table with one or the other, I have wanted to know what was going through their heads at the time. I take that as a sign of respect and admiration, not to mention my sense of their keen diplomatic ability to know what to keep in reserve. As colleagues and, much to my good fortune, friends, they have taught me a lot with their takes on various situations in retrospect, and I have always come away renewed and calmed by their astoundingly accurate portrayals of what transpired. On each occasion both are remarkably kind and generous in their assessments, always giving people the benefit of the doubt.
Throughout their careers in and with schools, both have never lost their sense of rootedness in the Episcopal tradition. Serena and David have been consistently mindful of keeping church and school in the same orbit, keenly aware of how that relationship strengthens both and makes our schools different from all others.
As I move toward the conclusion of my own time as an association leader, I find myself counting (and thanking God for) the abundant blessings and important relationships I have had the privilege to encounter and develop in this position. Among those I am most grateful for are the opportunities to work with these two people, individuals whose legacy with Episcopal schools will be lasting, not to mention very difficult to replicate.
The Rev. Daniel R. Heishman, D.D. is Executive Director of NAES.