IBSC Aspiring Leaders' Colloquia
A 10-Month Program Focused on Leadership in Boys’ Schools
Starting June 22, 2025
Join this unique program focused on leadership in boys’ schools led by Tom Batty, IBSC executive director, and Chris Post, headmaster at The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland (United States). Collaborate with a small cohort of aspiring leaders to better understand your leadership style and strengths as you develop your own educational philosophy on the path to boys’ school leadership. This 10-month experience includes a leadership inventory, four in-person seminars on June 22 at the 2025 IBSC Annual Conference, and multiple virtual modules via Zoom led by heads of boys’ schools from around the world.
In-person modules take place at Belmont Hill School on June 22, at the start of the 2025 IBSC Annual Conference. Topics include:
- Know Yourself: Leadership Strengths and Growth Areas
- Leadership in Boys’ Schools: Boys’ Education, Culture, Structure, and Belonging
- Educational Philosophy and Boys’ Schools
- Get the Job
Virtual module topics include:
- The Partnership: Healthy Governance and Board Relations
September 18, 2025, 4:00 PM ET - Understanding School Finances
October 28, 2025, 4:00 PM ET - Relationships with Parents and Parent Culture in a Boys’ Schools Environment
December 2, 2025, 4:00 PM ET - Enrollment Management, Development, and Fundraising
February 10, 2026, 4:00 PM ET - Strategic Planning, Organization, Structure, and Culture for Boys’ Schools
April 29, 2026, 4:00 PM ET
Each member of the cohort will produce a personal educational philosophy composed of school narrative, four strategic intents, and three implementation strategies for each intent to ensure delivery.
Who Should Attend?
Everyone considering senior leadership or their first headship in a boys’ school
Format
Available exclusively to IBSC members, the 10-month program includes:
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An online leadership inventory
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Four in-person modules on June 22, 2025, at Belmont Hill School immediately before the 2025 IBSC Annual Conference starts
- 2-hour online Zoom meetings at 4:00 PM ET on these dates:
- September 18, 2025
- October 28, 2025
- December 2, 2025
- February 10, 2026
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April 29, 2026
Application Process
Submit your application by March 1. IBSC will accept 15 individuals into the cohort. If a school submits more than one application, we ask the head of school to work with us to prioritize the applicants. Each application must include a completed Statement of Support from the head of school to be considered. The applicant must notify their head of school of their interest in this program and share the Statement of Support link. The link does NOT get emailed to heads of school automatically.
Cost
If accepted, the fee is US $2,500 per person. Also, cohort members must pay their registration fee for the 2025 IBSC Annual Conference and cover all travel expenses.
Questions?
Please contact Amy Ahart at ahart@theIBSC.org.
Facilitators
Tom Batty, executive director, IBSC
Chris Post, headmaster, The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland (United States)

Tom Batty
Educated in the United Kingdom and after a flirtation with financial services, Tom Batty headed south to start teaching in New Zealand at Thames High School. He commenced his career in boys’ education at St Patrick’s College, Wellington (New Zealand) before heading to Australia above the Bondi waves at Waverley College (Australia).
Returning to the UK, Batty taught mathematics and served as a house master at Eton College (United Kingdom) before his appointment as the ninth principal of Scotch College, Melbourne (Australia) in 2008.
While at Eton he was introduced to the work of IBSC through Roxbury Latin School (United States) former Headmaster Tony Jarvis. Batty attended his first IBSC Annual Conference at Lindisfarne College (New Zealand) in 2009, and Scotch College hosted the 2012 IBSC Annual Conference. After the conference Batty joined the IBSC Board of Trustees, serving as chair from 2018-21.
Of his 35 years in education, he has spent 32 in boys’ schools. Across New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, as teacher and most recently principal, and through courses, conferences, trips, tours, and friendships in the United States, South Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, Batty has observed different cultural and systemic approaches to the common thread of growing good men.
He believes that by connecting boys’ schools and their teachers to all it has to offer, IBSC connects schools, teachers, and boys to each other, advancing the cause of boys’ schools and those they serve.
Batty is interested in the relationship between the micro and the macro, the judgement that rests between awareness and action, the interface between social and economic enterprise and parallels to mathematical pattern in the social world. He is married to Lee and they have two daughters, Poppy and Anna, both of whom, to differing degree, share his lifelong passion for Brentford Football Club.
Batty started his tenure as IBSC executive director in 2022.
Chris Post
Beginning his tenure in 2008, Chris is the 14th headmaster of the Boys' Latin School of Maryland, a K – 12 day and boarding school for boys in Baltimore, Maryland. Over his career, Chris has taught in and led boys' schools for 30 years.
Chris' relationship with Boys' Latin began in his final year of undergraduate studies, when he served as an intern in the middle school. Watching master teachers engage boys in meaningful work helped Chris envision how relational teaching can transform the life of a young man. To this day, that remains central to the work of Boys' Latin – forging enduring personal relationships which empower each boy to strive for academic and personal excellence. Chris has reflected that returning to Boys’ Latin as headmaster has been the privilege and honor of a lifetime and that his experience with IBSC has been a bedrock for him and for his School.
Chris’ experience with IBSC began as a delegate to the 1997 Annual Conference held at the Landon School (United States), exploring ‘The Wonder of Boys.’ In a room full of educators from around the world who were passionate about boys and boys’ school, Chris experienced ‘…the hospitality, curiosity, and collaboration that are hallmarks of IBSC. It drew me in, put me at ease and encouraged my participation. Through this, it helped me find my home in boys’ schools.’
Chris first presented a workshop on the lessons of leadership at the 2002 Annual Conference hosted by the Collegiate School (NYC), and he has subsequently presented or facilitated workshops and programs for the Coalition over the past 20 years. These efforts culminated in organizing and hosting the 2017 Annual Conference ‘Beyond Innovation’ at Boys’ Latin in Baltimore.
Since 2015, Chris has served as a trustee of IBSC. During his tenure, he served as secretary of the Board, led two strategic planning efforts, and, in his three years as Chairman of the Board, led the search to name a new executive director.
From 2003 through 2008, Chris served as principal of Loyola Blakefield, an all-boys Jesuit school in Baltimore, and he chaired the New Principals Academy for the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (now the Jesuit Schools Network of North America). Chris has also served as secretary of the Board of Trustees for the Association of Independent Schools of Maryland and Washington, DC (AIMS), and he is a trustee and member of the executive committee of the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust (BEST).
Chris earned his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University and his graduate degree from Boston University. He and Amie, his wife, have three children and one young grandson, who has all the exuberance and energy of a model boys’ school student someday. Chris and Amie live in Baltimore with their beloved and faithful doodle-dog companions, Lucy and Zeke.