In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Sandy Husk. During her remarkable 48-year career, she has served at every level, from classroom teacher and school counselor to superintendent to interim CEO and executive director for ACSD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a nonprofit with more than 125,000 members in 128 countries). She is currently the advisor to the CEO for MindPrint Learning; a member of the board of directors at Wayfinder and at Abl; and a board member and advisor for Husk Consulting. As a district leader, she has helped prepare students for graduation all across the U.S., including Oregon, Tennessee, and Colorado, learning each state’s idiosyncrasies.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us more about your career. (01:22)
• What have been the most rewarding aspects of your work in education? (02:47)
• Do you agree with the RAND research showing that superintendents have one of the most stressful jobs in America, and how did you cope with stress in your own career? (04:05)
• How has scrutiny of the superintendency changed over the years? (06:03)
• How did you unify communities to see your vision for the district–especially during times of budget cuts? (06:51)
• How did your experiences compare with other superintendents across the nation? (09:28)
• How are you able to rally people around storytelling and communications opportunities? (11:05)
• What advice can you give to superintendents having difficulties building relationships within a divisive community? (12:21)
• Why is it important for the community to see superintendents as real human beings? (14:53)
• What can community advocates do better in supporting K-12 leaders? (16:25)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. Husk’s career (01:31)
• Rewarding aspects of her career serving districts in multiple states (03:01)
• Her perspective on stress and coping strategies (04:30)
• Changes in scrutiny of the superintendency (06:12)
• How to promote a unifying vision for a district (07:12)
• Her personal experiences as a superintendent as compared to others (09:45)
• Different ways of rallying a community (11:24)
• Advice for superintendents today (12:29)
• The importance of communities’ viewing superintendents as real human beings (15:03)
• Suggestions on advocating for K-12 leaders (16:46)

Quotes:

“Every employee and every connected leader needs to be working towards the same communications so that you can get that confidence and the belief up. I have said this many, many times: I can get up and make a speech, and a whole bunch of people aren't going to believe it—but if the teacher and the bus driver and the secretary are saying it, now you've got momentum.”

“One thing I learned over the many years is I had to get some rules for myself on work-life balance.”

“You have to keep focusing on the vision. We want to feel good about each other even when we're making really, really tough decisions.”

“What I did with employees … was to try to get them to equate [the cuts] to something that they understand in their househ

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent of Mount Diablo Unified School District in California. He was named as a 2022 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. Previously, Dr. Clark served as Superintendent for Vallejo City Unified School District and Associate Superintendent at Antioch Unified School District. He has also been a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us about your career in education and your current role at Mount Diablo. (01:30)
• What is the most rewarding aspect of your career? (02:27)
• How are you able to deal with stress? (04:45)
• How do you think the scrutiny of the superintendency has changed over the years? (07:12)
• How do you bring different communities together to see your vision? (11:05)
• To what extent do you believe your experiences are typical of superintendents in your state or nationally? (13:56)
• What advice can you give to other superintendents who are struggling to cultivate engagement within their communities? (17:53)
• What causes people to overlook the fact that superintendents are actual individuals, and how can we show that you are real people tackling difficult problems to enable K-12 kids to receive the best education possible? (20:38)
• What can you suggest to advocates, community members, and parents for supporting district leaders? (24:31)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• All about Dr. Adam Clark’s career (01:38)
• Rewarding aspect of his work in education (02:40)
• Strategies for coping and dealing with stress (04:52)
• Changes in scrutiny of the superintendency (07:21)
• Unifying communities around a vision (11:24)
• His personal experiences vs. other superintendents’ experiences (14:13)
• Dr. Clark’s advice to other superintendents (18:06)
• Seeing superintendents as individuals (20:54)
• Suggestions for advocates in the community (25:07)

Quotes:

“I remember how it was to be a young parent, and how maybe I didn't have all the information, and I just reacted to certain things. I also remember being a student myself—and that's one thing I try to remind people, to remember when you were a student, remember how your mind worked and the things that were important to you.”

“I want to show my true self and who I am. Yes, I do have to, at times, speak properly and correctly and use the right terminology and things like that. But at other times, I’ve got to show myself. I have to show excitement. I have to show disappointment. I have to talk about things that we won't stand for, we won't tolerate, and I need to be forceful when I say those things. But then I need to show true excitement and exuberance when good things are happening.”

Stay in touch with Dr. Adam Clark:
LinkedIn
Mount Diablo Unified School District

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined Dr. Randy Mahlerwein, an Assistant Superintendent in Mesa Public Schools in Arizona. He has been a public educator and leader for the past 24 years and a key contributor for the past four years in his district’s implementation of the Next Education Workforce. He is also an influencer, researcher, and educator. Dr. Mahlerwein is hyper-motivated to change the conditions that influence the environments in which educators and students operate daily.

Some Questions We Ask:

• Please tell us about your career and your current role. (01:13)
• What are the most rewarding aspects of serving in school leadership? (02:29)
• How are you able to cope with the stress of your career? (06:47)
• How has scrutiny of your position changed in the last few years? (09:52)
• How are you able to communicate with diverse groups to support your district’s goals, help them come together constructively despite disagreements, and truly create a sense of community? (11:54)
• How do you think your experiences compare to those of school administrators in your state, locality, or country? (15:30)
• Can you tell us more about your leadership style in education trades? (20:49)
• Why do you think the community needs to perceive you as a genuine person tackling difficult problems and giving K-12 children the finest education possible? (23:06)
• What advice would you give advocates for supporting their district leaders? (25:45)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. Mahlerwein’s career in district leadership and his role in Mesa Public Schools (01:26)
• Aspects of serving in school leadership (02:36)
• Strategies for coping with stress (06:50)
• Changes in scrutiny of his position (10:05)
• Ways to bring the community together to support district goals (12:09)
• Similar experiences among school administrators(15:56)
• Dr. Mahlerwein’s leadership style in education trades (20:56)
• The importance of community acknowledgement of superintendents as real people (23:15)
• How advocates can support district leaders (25:57)

Quotes:

“I believe happy teachers and happy administrators produce happy students—and happy students learn.”

“We really started talking about the concept of earning your title every day. When you've been bestowed with an opportunity as a governing board [member] or superintendent, and you have to be the model. You have to work harder. As you move up through the ranks as leaders, the responsibility becomes greater.”

“Once you build a psychologically safe team, there's nothing they can't do, because they're going to talk about all the most difficult things together with respect and dignity.”

“If we want to be thought of as humans, it's our responsibility to communicate and lead in a way that people can see. You can't just expect to hand people a belief about you that you haven't worked hard to earn.”

Stay in touch with Randy Mahlerwein:
Email: rmahlerwein@mpsaz.org

Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
Free Case Study Guide
SWPR GROUP Website
LinkedIn

Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
LinkedIn

About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
Purchase the print or ebook