Build Momentum for Education - K-12 Superintendent Series

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Kristina Ishmael. Kristina is an educator, learner, advocate, and agent of change. As the Deputy Director of the Office of Ed Tech, she executes the office mission of developing national edtech policy that enable everywhere, all-the-time learning and support digital equity and opportunity. Kristina is also listed in the 30 K-12 IT In...

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by JW Marshall, the director of learning solutions at Marketscale, and a fellow podcast host of the Voices of E-learning show. He is also the VP of Marketing at Summit K-12 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas Some Questions We Ask: How’s it been going since you were last here? (1:09) How did you become an industry podcast expert in education? (...

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by John Watson. John is the founder and CEO of the Evergreen Education Group, which runs the Digital Learning Annual Conference (DLAC) and the Digital Learning Collaborative.   Some Questions We Ask: Tell us about your background and how you got into this space. (1:04) What are your thoughts about partnership? (5:34) When reviewing hord...

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie are joined by Carl Hooker and Kevin Hogan. Carl is a speaker and consultant for HookerTech in Austin, Texas. He is also the co-founder of K12Leaders, a social network built for educators by educators, and a seasoned author whose latest work is “Ready, Set, FAIL! Using Failure & Risk-Taking to Unlock Creativity.” He hosts the UnDisrupted podcas...

In this episode of Build Momentum, Sarah and Katie will be diving into sending marketing emails and making phone calls to superintendents and district leaders and figuring out what strategies are working and what don't. Some Questions Sarah Asks: Katie, could you give us a glimpse into your daily life with emails? (2:48) What are some of the worst experiences you've ever had with regards...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Katie Lash. Katie is the Director of the East Central Education Service Center in Indiana. Katie is a former fourth-grade teacher, a special education teacher, and a former principal. She has also been an adjunct faculty member at Indiana University East since 2015. Katie will be joining as a co-host in this season of Build Momentum, and together...

Hello, Build Momentum listeners! We have some exciting news to kick off Season Three. Katie Lash, our good friend, and fellow education leader will be joining me as a co-host this season. I'm Sarah Williamson, the founder of SWPR Group, a public relations firm dedicated to providing thought leadership for education organizations, and the leaders who champion them, and Katie Lash is the execut...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Brett Roer. Brett is the high school strategic partner lead for Outlier, an organization that’s setting out to create the world's best for-credit, university-level online courses—and offer them at a fraction of the cost of a traditional college or university. Brett spent 16 years empowering public high school students as an educator in Brook...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Barbara Kurshan and Laura Smulian.  Dr. Barbara "Bobbi" Kurshan is the president of Educorp Consultants Corporation and senior fellow and innovation advisor of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former education industry entrepreneur who has more than 40 years of experience in education, includ...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Quintin Shepherd. Quintin has18 years’ experience as a superintendent and currently holds that leadership role at Victoria Independent School District in Victoria, Texas. He has a demonstrated history of improving school districts in both rural and urban areas in multiple states by being committed to transformational and collaborative leaders...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Tom Burton. Tom is the Superintendent of Princeton City Schools, located just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. Tom has been in education administration for 27 years and in the Princeton district for 7 years. He is the author of the book “The Mark of Leadership: Strategies for Leading with Purpose, Plans, and Passion,” and he has also written articles...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Amy Enright. Amy worked at the epicenter of global health advocacy, directing media relations internationally for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She led a high-performing team of professionals in the U.S. and collaborated with colleagues in offices around the world to craft media strategies to support over a dozen major resource mobilizat...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Jim McVety. Jim is the managing partner of First Step Advisors, a consulting company that builds the capacity of companies that serve education, whether they are nonprofit or for-profit providers, and improves their vision of growth while aligning that vision through strategic planning. Jim is also an experienced sales and marketing communication...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Juan Ciapessoni, a globally awarded visionary inventor and serial entrepreneur focused on creativity and innovation using applied technology. He's a pioneer in the development of the internet in his native country, Uruguay, where he created one of the country's first ISPs. He co-founded and leads The Electric Factory, a global leader in...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Shomari Jones. Shomari currently serves as the Director of Equity and Strategic Engagement for the Bellevue School District in Washington state. During his nearly eight-year tenure at Bellevue, Shomari has developed a multitude of initiatives aimed at closing achievement gaps, such as empowering students to advise district leaders on bias in the...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Jeff Patterson,  the founder, and CEO of Gaggle, a company that has been supporting student safety and well-being for more than 20 years. Gaggle is also the pioneer in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology—which has helped hundreds of districts avoid tragedies and saves lives.  On Dec. 15, 2021, Gaggle was nam...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by J. Michael Hall, M.Ed. Mike is the founder of Strong Fathers-Strong Families LLC, an organization that focuses on family engagement programs. Mike has worked with over 200,000 fathers and professionals in 45 states and a couple of languages. Using his vast experience as an educator, speaker, and thought leader, he provides targeted trainings for...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Doug Roberts, founder, and CEO of Institute for Education Innovation (IEI), as well as Alexa Escobedo, IEI’s marketing coordinator and project manager for the first-ever Supe’s Choice Awards. Some Questions I Ask: Give us a quick overview of IEI. (2:10) How did you conceptualize this new awards program?  (3:20) What do you recommend companies or...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Carolyn Durkee. Carolyn is the marketing director at Edison Learning, an education management organization that provides courses and instructional services in public schools. Some Questions I Ask: What is your role at Edison Learning? (2:12) What is your advice for ensuring an event is a success? (4:11) What is your recommendation for paying for...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dennis Welch. He was a former full-time musician and songwriter. Dennis has also worked at Gallup, a global analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. In January 2012, Dennis started Articulate, a company specializing in PR and communications for the book industry. He is currently the president and CEO. Some Questions I Ask: How did...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Sonny Thadani. He is a dedicated dad of 3 and has a passion for education and mental health. Sonny has worked with Sandy Hook Promise, an organization dedicated to improving the lives and mental health of students across the U.S. at his new company, Robin, Sonny is determined to solve the mental health challenges in education, having witnessed th...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Deborah Delisle. Deborah is the president and CEO of the Alliance for Excellent Education (All4Ed), a Washington, D.C.-based national policy practice and advocacy organization that promotes high school transformation to make it possible for every child to graduate prepared for postsecondary learning and success in life. Some Questions I Ask: What...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Johnny Quinn, a presentologist who currently lives in New Zealand.  Johnny established Audience Alive, which specializes in using the latest presentation technologies to help presenters, speakers, and organizations communicate their message better and to put an end to “Death by PowerPoint” in public speaking. Some Questions I Ask: I want to learn...

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Marcus Soutra. Marcus is an educator and is also the president of Eye to Eye, a national mentoring nonprofit organization that empowers young people with learning differences.  Marcus is a champion for those who learn differently.  Some Questions I Ask: What led you to this life's work and mission? (1:33) How did you decide to put together E...

In this episode of Build Momentum, We are joined by Jean Sharp. Jean has dedicated her career to supporting great teaching and learning both in the classroom and online. For the past 10 years, she served as the apex learning vice president of content development and the chief academic officer. With more than 30 years of working in educational technology.  Jean is embracing the rhythm of a new seas...