CAIS Team
Rick Branson
Executive Director
“I love schools,” Rick says. He has spent his entire career in them, public, charter, international, and independent alike. He has taught everything from fifth grade through university, including eight years as a professor, though most of his classroom time was in high school English (AP and IB) and social studies. Along the way he has coached sports, advised student publications and student government, and directed plays. He and his wife, Sarah, have followed their careers from Oregon to Michigan (twice), Brazil, Japan, Maryland, and now Connecticut. Home, they’ve found, is wherever they are together. Rick currently serves on the board of ICAISA and previously served on the board of NBOA. He is a certified executive coach and non-profit board consultant. Rick joined CAIS as Executive Director in 2019, still chasing the same curiosity that has shaped his whole career: “I embrace change, so I’m enamored with the curiosity that leads to innovation and, ultimately, how a school learns.”
Kristen Cowell
Business Manager
Kristen joined CAIS in 2024 as Business Manager, bringing extensive experience in finance, operations, and organizational management. A Babson College graduate, she began her career in public accounting before holding roles at The Hartford and Women’s Health. Kristen provides CAIS with thoughtful financial stewardship and a collaborative approach that supports the association’s daily operations and long-term success. She has a deep personal appreciation for independent schools; her husband has served in financial leadership roles within them for 15 years.
Outside of work, Kristen and her husband spend their time cheering on their two sports-loving teenagers. She has become an expert in highway miles, tournament weekends, and asking, “Did you pack your cleats?” When she’s not on the sidelines, Kristen enjoys planning gatherings with family and friends and traveling.
Nancy Dickson
Director of Professional Learning
Voted “most likely to return as a teacher” in twelfth grade, Nancy conceded to this likelihood with her first job when she became the second employee of The Bay School of San Francisco. Her career includes work at Bay, Berkeley Carroll School, and The Nightingale Bamford School in a range of roles including Director of Admissions, Dean of Students, middle and upper school English and humanities teacher, and most recently as Upper School Head at The Park School of Baltimore. Her association work began with a year as the Associate Director of Accreditation at AIMS, and when her family moved to Connecticut in 2020 so her husband could work at The Foote School, which her three children now attend, Nancy joined CAIS as Director of Professional Learning, a role and a job she enjoys and appreciates every day. A certified non-profit board consultant through Boardsource, she puts that to good work with CAIS and through service on the Hilltop Montessori School board of trustees.
Christina Dixcy
Director of Membership and Accreditation
Christina graduated from an independent school herself, but she didn’t find her way into education until she became a parent. Before that, her path began with art: a BFA in painting and printmaking, followed by an MFA in photography. Along the way, she also discovered an unexpected love for databases while working at a meeting and event planning company in her early twenties.When her youngest was almost ready for preschool, Christina landed a job at her children’s PreK–8th grade school, Housatonic Valley Waldorf School in Newtown, CT—and stayed nearly a decade, working in everything from operations and technology to marketing, COVID response, and accreditation.After years as an active CAIS member, Christina joined the team in 2022. She currently chairs the ICAISA Directors of Accreditation group, having served as Vice Chair for a year, and applies her meeting planning background to CAIS’s sponsor and exhibitor offerings. She’s also happy to answer questions about her family’s menagerie and the finer points of speedcubing.
Joan Edwards
Director of Equity and Professional Collaboration
A poet and a people person, Joan’s work in independent schools began in 1987 as a French teacher – a job she planned to do for only a few years. That short term plan, and her passion for and commitment to building stronger, more equitable school communities instead grew into an extensive career in independent schools, with administrative roles in admissions, student life, and equity work. Her commitment to the alignment of school mission statements with the lived experiences for educators, students and families paved the way for her to co-found CAIS’s Commission on Diversity in Independent Schools (CODIS) in 2000. Joan joined CAIS in 2021 and the association has been served by both her love of language, people, and social justice, as well as her certification as both a SEED and Points of You facilitator and regular invitation to collaborate on programs such as The Equity Exchange and the Multicultural Teaching Institute. When not collaborating with the CAIS team to create meaningful professional learning events, Joan can be found outside writing and reading poetry.
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