Our Wildwood, Volume 54

GIVING VOICE A conversation between community members

Lessons in Leadership

In Landis’ 19 years at Wildwood, three former associate heads of school— all female—have gone on to become heads of school in their own right. Here, Christina Kyong (Head of School at Madeira School in McLean, VA), Lori Strauss (Head of School at the Field School in Washington, D.C.), and Melinda Tsapatsaris (Head of School at Westland School in Los Angeles, CA) reflect on his mentorship and friendship.

employees. He deftly navigates these conversations with honesty and transparency that is meant to encourage growth and evolution. He doesn’t shy away from conflict to preserve good feelings, he encourages real and meaningful exploration of the problems to find a path forward. In a world that is often performative he engages in a substantive way that allows for true learning and progress. CHRISTINA: He is a great listener. He doesn’t have a prepared answer or try to anticipate what you are going to say—he listens, asks thoughtful questions and really tries to understand what the message is that you are trying to convey. I feel like that was a skill that I was working on before I got to Wildwood and by witnessing how patient and how he asked questions, he got me to think about ways that I could be a better partner/listener and really contributed to my being a more thoughtful partner for my team now. OWW: What lessons, values, or leadership practices do you carry with you that you trace directly to Landis’ mentorship? CHRISTINA: Landis always looked for opportunities to help me grow. He always asked if I wanted to join him at a conference or join him in a meeting so I could learn

OWW: Looking back on your time working alongside Landis, what stands out most about his leadership—and how it shaped you as a school leader? MELINDA: I learned countless lessons from Landis, beginning with the importance of trusting parents. Early on, I was struck by how open, transparent, and at times vulnerable he was in his communication with families— inviting them into an honest home-school partnership grounded in empathy, shared responsibility, and problem solving. I also learned how to hold the big picture while tending carefully to the details: Landis was never a micromanager, yet he was deeply attentive to the many moving parts of a K–12 school, consistently empowering his leadership team while asking, again and again, “What is best for Wildwood?” And then there were the lessons that revealed who he is as a person and leader—laugh loudly and often, mentor others (especially strong women), give credit to those who came before you, lean into difficult conversations, celebrate people generously, enjoy the process, deliver the product, and yes, wear a great pocket square. LORI: Landis respects the innate individuality and personhood of each human being. Part of respecting people is leaning into the hard conversations and difficult moments with students, parents, and school

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