Debra Wilson, President, NAIS
In August 2023, Debra P. Wilson began her tenure as the ninth president of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
From 2019 until 2023, Wilson served as president of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), where she led the organization through a period of growth and supported school leaders in her region through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her SAIS role followed 19 years at NAIS, first as assistant director of regulatory affairs and later as general counsel. In that capacity, she oversaw regulatory and advocacy work for the organization, supported schools in crises, advanced best practices in governance, and created dozens of legal advisories along with other informational resources. Before joining the NAIS staff, Debra was a tax litigator at the Department of Justice.
In addition to serving on the boards of several schools, Debra’s board service includes The Enrollment Management Association (EMA), the Council for American Private Education (CAPE), International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA), and serving on the advisory board of National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP), a division of Close Up.
David Hillson, The Risk Doctor Partnership
Dr David Hillson is The Risk Doctor. He is recognized internationally as a leading thinker and expert practitioner in risk management. He writes and speaks widely on the topic, with fifteen major books and many papers on risk, and his presentations are available at the RiskDoctorVideo YouTube channel.
David has received multiple awards for his work in developing risk management over many years, including being recognized as the inaugural “Risk Personality of the Year” (2010-11) by the Institute of Risk Management (IRM). He has received honorary fellowships from the Project Management Institute (PMI®) and the UK Association for Project Management (APM), and he has been elected as a Fellow of the IRM, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
Lorri Hamilton Durbin, Head of School, Town School for Boys
Prior to coming to Town School for Boys in July 2017, Lorri Hamilton Durbin served as Middle School Director at The Dalton School in New York City, where she oversaw curriculum and program for 500 students in grades 4 through 8. Lorri served as the Associate Director at The Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Teachers College, Columbia University; Head of the Middle School at The Nueva School in Hillsborough, California; Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at San Francisco University High School among other school leadership positions.
Along with her distinguished career in education, Lorri has worked at Cambridge Associates, L.L.C. and Goldman, Sachs & Co. She has a B.A. in Government from Pomona College, a Master’s in Educational Administration from Stanford University and a Master’s of Business Administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Mark Orchison, Founder and CEO, 9ine
Mark Orchison is the CEO of 9ine, a leading provider of technology, cyber and privacy
services to schools. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mark is a highly
respected thought leader in the field of technology, cyber, privacy and safeguarding in
K-12 education. He has a proven track record of helping organizations of all sizes to
navigate the rapidly changing digital and regulatory landscape and capitalise on new
opportunities. Mark’s vision has shaped the development of a revolutionary low cost
consultancy-as-a-service software platform enabling schools to gain easy access to
expertise in technology, cyber, privacy and safeguarding. Mark is also a regular speaker
at industry events and an expert contributor to accreditation commissions on
accreditation standards relating to privacy and cyber security.
Ron Wanglin, Chairman, IMA Financial Group
As Chairman of IMA Financial Group, Ron is is responsible for setting and overseeing the company’s strategic growth and expansion. He has more than 35 years of industry experience, specializing in risks associated with education, aviation, health care, manufacturing, real estate and technology. Ron has served on agency advisory councils for ACE, AIG, Berkshire Hathaway, Hanover, Hartford, Royal/Sunalliance, St. Paul/Travelers and United Educators Insurance Company.
He has been a frequent speaker on a variety of insurance topics including enterprise risk management (ERM) for educational institutions, intellectual property insurance, employee benefits and retirement plans and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Organizations presented to include the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools (HAIS), and the National Business Officers Association (NBOA), among others. Ron served as a Director on the Board of NBOA for six years and chaired the Governance Committee and served on the Executive Committee. In 2020, Ron received the NBOA Sarah Daignault Outstanding Support of Independent Schools Award. Ron currently serves on ISCA’s Board of Directors since 2021.