Academy Home – Speaker Bios – 2025 Academy Schedule – Registration
Your Options Explained: There is 1 strand option and the remaining options are workshops. The strand option will have the same group of participants meet through all three of the workshop breakouts. Selections made at the time of registration are for gauging interest levels for the frequency and size of rooms for each given option. Additionally, we intend to add at least one more workshop for a “just in time” highly time-relevant workshop as we get nearer to the event date.
Strand Option: Trust & Inspire: How Truly Great Leaders Unleash Greatness in Others with Kim Nelson of FranklinCovey
Trust & Inspire is the new style of leadership that is more accurate, complete, and relevant for our ever-changing world. Trust & Inspire leaders create the conditions where people flourish and perform. The focus is on releasing – rather than containing – the potential in each of us. Trust & Inspire leaders have an expansive view of people and leadership. They deeply understand and are guided by fundamental beliefs about human effectiveness. Unleash greatness in your school, district, and community with Trust & Inspire, the transformational leadership style for which the world is calling. Explore how this practical, actionable framework empowers those we lead and learn the tools and strategies to:
Workshop 1: Empowering Leaders to Adapt to the AI-Driven Future with Alana Winnick
In a world transformed by generative AI, school leaders must adapt their policies and curricular approaches to meet the demands of this new educational landscape. This session explores how generative AI reshapes learning, emphasizing academic integrity and fosters a culture of responsibility. Participants will discover strategies for AI-proofing assignments, creating meaningful learning experiences, and promoting creativity and critical thinking. Through practical examples and collaborative discussions, attendees will leave equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to lead AI-driven innovation in their schools, ensuring that students are prepared to thrive in The Generative Age.
Workshop 2: Principals on Purpose: Mastering the 7 Indestructible Principles to Build a Thriving School with KDWilson
What does it take to lead with unshakable resolve in the face of relentless challenges? The answer lies in the 7 Indestructible Principles of Leadership: purpose, vision, commitment, ownership, strategy, action, and results. These principles, drawn from the legendary battle of Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae, demonstrate how clear focus, strategic action, and relentless determination can overcome any obstacle. Based on K.D.’s groundbreaking book, Shield Over Spear: 7 Indestructible Principles of Success for Leadership at All Levels, this workshop challenges school leaders to adopt a Spartan mindset—courageous, strategic, intentional, character driven and transformative. Through interactive exercises and actionable strategies, you will confront what’s holding your leadership back, realign your focus, and step boldly into your role as the protector and builder of a thriving school culture. Sometimes all it takes is one big win to turn the tides of enjoyable excellence in your favor. This isn’t just theory—it’s a call to action. Are you ready to take up the shield, inspire your team, and lead with the precision and power of a Spartan? The time to transform your leadership is now.
Workshop 3: Turning Beliefs Into Action: The Rowland Cohort Model with Mike Martin and Jeanie Phillips of the Rowland Foundation
At a time when educators feel stretched too thin, how can we make adult learning meaningful? To start, we need to think of our meeting agendas as moral documents. The way we spend our professional learning time reveals what we value. When our communities of practice and professional learning group agendas are designed for connection, reflection, and different modes of learning, they strengthen our purpose and collective efficacy. We strive for this approach with the Rowland Foundation’s cohort model, which first brought together Rowland Fellows in 2009 and continues to evolve. In this workshop, participants will experience adult learning strategies and facilitation moves that center beliefs and scaffold meaningful collaboration. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in collaborative practices, then debrief, reflect on, and apply new learning after each activity–so they can adapt these practices for their own work in schools.
Participants will:
Workshop 4: Unlocking Your Potential: Creating Possibility Boards with Dr. Jacqueline Sanderlin
Are you ready to transform your dreams into tangible realities? Join Dr. J for an engaging and transformative workshop where you’ll learn how to craft your very own Possibility Board, a powerful tool for manifesting your goals and aspirations. By the end of this workshop, you’ll leave with a beautifully crafted Possibility Board and the knowledge and motivation to turn your school dreams into reality. Don’t miss this opportunity to ignite your potential and take the first step towards a brighter future. Join Dr. J and embark on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment. Note: Please bring any personal photos, images, or materials that inspire you, as well as your enthusiasm for personal growth and transformation.
Workshop 5: Recalibrate the Culture, Part II with Jimmy Casas (Wednesday AM breakout only) In this breakout session, participants will take a deeper dive into Recalibrate the Culture with a renewed understanding of the importance of effective processes, frameworks, and practical tools you can utilize immediately to cultivate a healthier culture for your school community. This is an extension of his morning keynote: Recalibrate the Culture: Do you leave work every night exhausted from putting out fires all day long? Are you frustrated because you find yourself dealing with the same issues time and time again? You are not alone. It is time to recalibrate. Recalibrate our why. Our work. Our values. Ourselves. Educators must explore their inner selves to understand the role we each play in how we can impact the climate and culture of an entire campus when we are strategic and aligned in our practices. The classroom, building, and district levels must see themselves as one and must be intentional in replicating their processes, protocols, and frameworks to recalibrate and bring about system-wide change and cultivate a healthier culture.
Boom Sessions: Thursday AM