“I was truly amazed by the honor, and I feel so lucky to be a part of this group,” said Dr. Zaccara. 

Each year, the Association congregates for an annual meeting, in which there is a different theme that covers vital topics not only about academia but our broader cultural landscape as well. Past themes include 2023’s “The Fabric of Democracy”, 2022’s “Who We Were, Are, and Will Be: A Cultural Accounting” and 2016’s “Disruption: The Future of Higher Education”.

This year, during the 131st Annual Meeting, the theme was “Educational Opportunities in a Complex World”. Speakers included Shabana Basij-Rasikh, the founder of the Sola Foundation which supports the education of Afghani girls, John Palfrey, the head of the John D. MacArthur Foundation, and Nita Farahany, a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies as the Founding Director of Duke Science & Society.

The HAPA members also got to work in groups to form discussions around what the speakers presented. “I chose to focus my small group discussion work on Artificial Intelligence, and I emerged with a strategy for giving students exposure to its possibilities in medical fields and many other industries as well as education about how to retain our humanism in the face of its power,” said Dr. Zaccara. “I hope to share the information on Artificial Intelligence that I gained with my small group and from Nita Farahany's talk, and then also see if we can implement some best practices and skill training for students next year.”

Members of the Head and Principals Association say that being a part of the organization provides great networking opportunities, serves as a sounding board, and essentially serves as a Head of School think tank, among other things. Dr. Zaccara echoes those sentiments, saying, 

“I want our students to be leaders in this new world, to have courage, and to be able to embrace positivity about change. I am already in continued conversations after the meeting with some of the school leaders I met, and that camaraderie and trust are worth so much.” 

“In the end, it gave us all a deep sense of being understood -- we are all mission-driven leaders and both realists and idealists at the same time. You can hear that in the dialogues the members have with each other during the annual meeting and in the memorial testaments of those who passed away that highlighted what we all hold dear as values around education, service, and students.”