Meet Our Head of School

Prior to coming to LCS, Anne-Marie was the Executive Director at the Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) for 11 years, an association of 95 schools that are passionate about learning and leading. She was responsible for strategies designed to support continuous school improvement, and lead a passionate team and hundreds of volunteers in support of research, PD and accreditation programs that reinforce the vision of CAIS, to shape the future of education.

Through her work at CAIS, Anne-Marie collaborated with leaders across Canada. A firm believer in research, she launched the National Tracking Project to understand young alumni success in university, co-authored the National Technology Project: A Report on Effective Practice, created the first National Parent Motivational Survey, wrote the CAIS Governance Guide, and supported a number of other research projects. She led the organization through reviews of the accreditation process; the first eventually led to recognition by the NAIS International Commission of Accreditation; the second, with over 140 contributors, established CAIS as a leader in accreditation standards and practices. Today’s National Standards challenge schools to examine all aspects of program and operations, including innovative learning, student engagement and wellness, governance, and risk. The process is data-driven and yet highly personalized such that members report the peer review process is meaningful, relevant, and a catalyst for change.

Anne-Marie has a passion for learning and leadership development. She oversaw the CAIS Leadership Institute, which trains over 175 leaders each year, and established several new modules including Women in Leadership, Coaching Leaders, Teaching and Learning, Faculty Culture, and Marketing. 

Following her arrival at Lakefield College School in 2017, Anne-Marie oversaw a broadly-consultative strategic research and planning process through to the launch and implementation of Vision. Direction. Focus. Strategic Direction for Lakefield College School 2019-24. She led a comprehensive approach to ensure full engagement from students, staff, parents, trustees, and board members, which resulted in a dynamic, student-centred strategy rooted in the school's mission and values and premised on four key tenets: Authentic Learning, Community First, Outdoors Every Day, and Strength and Permanence

Anne-Marie currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Enrolment Management Association and will be joining the National Business Officers Association as a board member in the fall of 2023. Previously, she has served on the Board of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), as President of the Independent Schools Association Network (ISAnet) and on the Executive of the NAIS International Commission on Accreditation. She is a Founding Board Member of the eLearning Consortium of Canada (ELCC).

Anne-Marie holds a BA, B.Ed. and an M.Ed. from Queen’s University, attended the Independent Schools Institute at Harvard in 2008, and obtained the Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation from The Directors College (a joint venture of McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada) in 2012. Her husband, Kevin, is the Dean of Arts at the University of Ottawa, and they have two children: Jacob and Kathleen.