Education Perspectives

PODCAST Season 6 EPISODE 11 Sheela Vanhoose Shareholder, The Southern Group Founder, TSG Advisors Introduction of Guest Bio Sheela Vanhoose is a Shareholder at The Southern Group, where she helps organizations navigate Florida’s political and policy landscape with a focus on strategy, relationships, and long-term positioning. Her work sits at the intersection of government, education, business, an...

Mark Sparvell Director Of Education, Microsoft Author: Good Brain Bad Brain Quotes of the Podcast: Schools are places where society is created and recreated, so, it follows, teachers are the architects of that preferred future. Introduction of Guest BIO –  Mark Sparvell is a global award wining educator and leader, currently a Director of Marketing at Microsoft, specializing in education. He leads...

PODCAST Season 6 EPISODE 9 Patty McGee Author, Educator, and Consultant  Quotes of the Podcast: That is a wildly difficult question for a literacy person. So, I have narrowed it down to my favorite quote from the last book I read. “And when you open your heart to rewilding a landscape, the truth is, you’re opening your heart to rewilding yourself.” Once We Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy Introd...

Amanda "Mandy" Ralston Founder of NonBinary Solutions  CEO of KidsChoice Therapy Quotes of the Podcast: “Wisdom is like frequent-flyer miles and scar tissue; if it does accumulate, that happens by accident while you're trying to do something else.” Barbara Kingsolver   Introduction of Guest BIO –  Amanda “Mandy” Ralston, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA, is a CEO, behavior analyst, and serial found...

David Cook Lead Strategist, Learning Ecosystems Design Consulting Quotes of the Podcast: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." — Alvin Toffler Introduction of Guest BIO –  With three decades working with schools, school systems, regional and state agencies and national education organizations Da...

Bradley Scheel  Imagination Project Quotes of the Podcast:  All failures of the future will be failures of the imagination.   Introduction of Guest BIO –  Wylde Scott is a Sultan, Matador, and Knight through and through, who has lived in Shanghai, Bangkok, and Timbuktu and still keeps a house on the bright side of the moon… When not living in his imagination, Wylde is an award-winning children’s a...

Michael Crawford VP of Strategic Initiatives, America Succeeds Quotes of the Podcast: "We know more than we can tell" - Michael Polanyi Introduction of Guest BIO –  Michael Crawford is the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at America Succeeds , where he leads efforts to advance durable skills. Prior to this role, Michael held positions in research, strategy, and partnerships at org...

Jessica Hiler, VP, Kentucky Education Association Quote of the Podcast:  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not" -The Lorax, Dr. Seuss Introduction of Guest BIO –  Taught Kindergarten at Deep Springs Elementary in Fayette County from 1999 - 2010. Served as the President of the Fayette County Education Association from 2010 - 2025....

Angelo Biasi Introduction of Guest BIO –  Angelo Biasi is a senior level business executive and transformational leader with a strong track record of developing high-growth, innovative, lifelong learning businesses, and initiatives. His proven ability to disrupt, create, and execute on successful GoTo Market - through to exit – strategies, plans and processes has involved operations, fundraising,...

Dr. Brian Creasman Superintendent and author, Flemming County Schools  Quotes of the Podcast:  “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” — Robert Frost. Introduction of Guest BIO –  Brian K. Creasman, Ed. D., currently serves as Superintendent of Fleming County Schools in Kentucky, a position he has held since 2014. As the recipi...

Dr. Beth Rabbitt and Virgil Hammonds Fullscale Learning  Quote of the Podcast:  If you come upon a wall, throw your hat over it and go get your hat.   Introduction of Guest BIO –  Virgel Hammonds Virgel Hammonds, a nationally recognized leader in education innovation, joined the Aurora Institute as CEO in 2024. He brings more than two decades of experience working with young people, educators, dis...

Tinsley Gaylean Author REFRAME & Co-Founder Curious Learning Quotes of the Podcast:  “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela   Introduction of Guest BIO –  TINSLEY GALYEAN, author of REFRAME, is a technologist, designer, and co-founder of Curious Learning, a global nonprofit dedicated to eradicating illiteracy. He holds a PhD f...

Yajaira Aich West VP Client and Community Relations Director, PNC Bank Quote of the Podcast:   “"It’s not so much what we have in this life that matters. It’s what we do with what we have." Fred Rogers Introduction of Guest BIO –  Yajaira Aich West is a Vice President at PNC Bank and serves as the Director of Client and Community Relations. In this role she manages the philanthropic inve...

Dr. Lisa Hammonds Founder, Dove Training & Innovations   Quote of the Podcast:  Your heart has to be able to handle the weight of your divine calling - bell hook Introduction of Guest BIO –  Dr. Lisa Hammonds is the founder of Dove Training & Innovations and a passionate, results-driven Learning Experience & Development Consultant with a proven track record of helping professionals rei...

Darcy Bakkegard Co-Founder & Change Consultant,  The Educators' Lab   Quotes of the Podcast:  “Think of what you want to be different and start from there.” Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering  “While individual curiosity can produce incredible feats, our collective curiosity is the motor behind humanity’s biggest innovations. Conversations feed our imagination, and collaboration enables u...

 Marj Atkinson CEO The Research Sage   Quotes of the Podcast:  Make yourself an example of good works with integrity, dignity and incorruptibility in your teaching. Titus 2:7 CSB  What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it feels about education. -Harold Howe. Introduction of Guest BIO –  Marj Atkinson received her Master of Library Science from Texas Woman's University in...

PODCAST Season 5 EPISODE 3  Dr. Cassidy Sugimoto School Chair, Tom and Marie Patton Chair, Professor Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy Georgia Institute of Technology Quote of the Podcast:  Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Introduction of Guest BIO –  Dr. Cassidy R. Sugimoto holds multiple roles at Georgia Tech. She is S...

PODCAST Season 5 EPISODE 2 Will Richardson Founder Future Serious School  Quote of the Podcast:  "The end of the world as we know it is not the end of the world, full stop." ~Dougald Hine Introduction of Guest BIO –  Will is a lifelong educator who, after 22 years in the classroom, has worked with educators in over 25 countries to push their thinking about the purpose and practice of sch...

PODCAST Season 5 EPISODE 1 Dr. Demetrus Liggins Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Quote of the Podcast:  "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" -Aristotle Introduction of Guest BIO –  Today’s guest is Dr. Demetrus Liggins, superintendent of Fayette County Public Schools since 2021. A former English and ESL teacher, Dr. Liggins has served i...

Sen Reggie Thomas KY State Senator   Introduction of Guest BIO –  Reggie Thomas graduated from Bryan Station High School in 1971. He earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College in 1975 and a Juris Doctor from Harvard University in 1978. His career experience includes working as an assistant professor at Kentucky State University. Interview Agents of Change: Leaders/Innovators  30,000 Ft...

Ayo Jones Educator| Author |Creator Quote of the Podcast:  “Forward ever, backward never.” – Kwame Nkrumah Introduction of Guest BIO –   Ayo Jones is an educator, instructional designer, and the author of Teaching with AI: The PEACE Framework. She’s all about helping teachers integrate AI into their classrooms to build the critical skills students need for the future. With years of experience work...

Will Powers Adult Policy Partner Kentucky Student Voice Team Quote of the Podcast:  “I believe in angels, something good in everything I see” Introduction of Guest BIO –  Will Powers is a graduate of Occidental College, where he studied diplomacy and world affairs and graduated as an Obama Scholar. He has worked for the Brookings Institution, Blue Haven Initiative, and the House Foreign Affairs Co...

Kalimah Fergus Ayele Head of Campus The Winchendon School  Quote of the Podcast:  "Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it."  --- Marian Wright Edelman, Former president and the Children's Defense Fund Introduction of Guest BIO –  Kalimah Fergus Ayele is the Head of NYC Campus for The Winchendon School, an oasi...

Adam Smith Founder and Lead Education Consultant  Smith Education Consultants Quote of the Podcast:  We all do better, when we all do better - Senator Paul Wellstone Introduction of Guest BIO –  Adam A. Smith is a first-generation college graduate who has dedicated his almost three-decade career to ensuring college access and success for all Americans. He served as the founding Director of the TRI...

Mariam Lee  Interventionist Specialist/MTSS Lead Quote of the Podcast:   Education is a passport to freedom and the means to unlock the globe.- Oprah Winfrey Introduction of Guest BIO –   Mariam Lee has been making an impact in education for the past 15 years. She has taught K-5 for 10 years in a title 1 school and made the switch during the 2020 pandemic into intervention. The past 5 years, her f...