ICGS Founders’ Leadership Award

Technology Students

The ICGS Founders’ Leadership Award is an annual honor recognizing an exceptional individual within the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) global community. It celebrates a leader who has made a lifetime of significant, transformative and lasting contributions to girls’ education, embodying the Coalition’s mission to elevate women’s leadership worldwide by educating and empowering students at girls’ schools to be ethical, globally minded changemakers.

Recipients of the Founder’s Leadership Award will have demonstrated exceptional service to a member school by enriching teaching practices, advancing girls’ leadership, fostering global collaborations, and elevating student learning experiences and outcomes.

Award recipients will receive a $1,000 USD honorarium, as well as complimentary registration to the ICGS Conference, held each June, where they will receive the award.

Criteria (nominees must meet two or more of the following achievements):

  • Advanced the cause of girls’ schools though contributions to our global community of girl school educators and advocates.
  • Demonstrated sustained advancements in girls’ learning experiences and outcomes within the classroom, school, and the broader community.
  • Exhibited collaborative leadership and resilience in the face of challenges.
  • Introduced innovations in leadership, teaching, and learning that positively impacted girls’ education.
  • Engaged with colleagues, schools, businesses, or community organizations to establish partnerships or initiatives benefiting students.

Historical Background

The Founders’ Leadership Award honors the legacies of visionary leaders who laid the foundation for the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools (ICGS) as a unified global community dedicated to advancing girls’ schools – Whitty Ransome, co-founder and co-executive director of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS), and Dr. Roslyn Otzen, founder and former president of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia (AGSA).

Selection Process:

A committee of the ICGS Board of Directors selects the Founders’ Leadership Award recipient.

Proposed Award Calendar:

  • June: Nominations open
  • October: Nominations close
  • Early November: Recipient notified
  • Mid-November: Recipient announced to ICGS community
  • June: Award presented to recipient in-person at the ICGS Conference (recipient must be present to receive the award)

Nomination Guidelines:

  • Please send nominations to info@girls’schools.org with the subject line “Founders’  Leadership Award Nomination.”
  • Submissions must be received by October 10, 2025.
  • Only email submissions will be accepted. A committee of the ICGS Board of Directors selects the Founders’ Leadership Award recipient. Nomination materials for nominees not selected will be held for one year to be considered in the following year’s review process.
  • Click here to download the Nomination Form.