Donna Orem was named President of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) in November 2016 after serving as the organization’s Interim President for one year. NAIS empowers independent schools and the students they serve, representing more than 1,800 schools and associations of schools in the United States and abroad, including 1,500 nonprofit, private K-12 schools in the U.S.

A graduate of an independent school, Orem served as the Chief Operating Officer of NAIS for eleven years before becoming Interim President. In that capacity, she directed the organization’s strategic planning and provided vision and leadership in the identification and development of new initiatives, products, and services. She also oversaw NAIS human resources and talent management.   

Prior to joining NAIS, Orem served in leadership positions with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the American Association of University Women (AAUW) She offers keen insight into the vision and direction independent schools require of their leaders during changing times. Orem also strives to empower the independent school community to leverage individual and collective strengths to achieve key goals.

Tricia Edwards is the Head of Education for the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History. She develops the conceptual framework and leads evaluation efforts for the Center’s educational programs and activities, including the Draper Spark!Lab, a hands-on invention workspace for children and families at the Smithsonian.

She is also responsible for broadening Spark!Lab’s impact beyond Washington, DC. Tricia has overseen installations of Spark!Labs in cities across the U.S., including Detroit, Kansas City, and Anchorage, and has led international Spark!Lab projects in India, Ukraine, and London. Through this work, she and her team provide professional development for museum staff and area educators, and work to build capacity and create a community of practice around invention education, inquiry-based learning, and evaluation. Since its inception in 2008, Spark!Lab has reached more than 2.5 million children around the world.

In 2016, in collaboration with Faber-Castell’s Creativity for Kids, Tricia launched the Spark!Lab Inventive Creativity™ consumer product line and is pursuing other opportunities to extend Spark!Lab’s unique approach to hands on learning to homes everywhere. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences such as SXSWedu, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Association of Children’s Museums, sharing research and best practices for fostering inventive creativity in children.