#ELB Education Leadership and Beyond

Meet Priscilla Mendez, special education teacher at East Lake Middle School in the Socorro School District in El Paso, Texas. Priscilla was the campus teacher of the year in 2026! She is a wife, mom of 3 boys, and the director of the HOPE worldwide SW Chapter — a nonprofit that serves the community. She loves to exercise, eat well, and is passionate about serving her students and the school commun...

Meet Matt Booth, the Director of Strength and Conditioning, Dean of Athletics, and Leadership Teacher at Canterbury School in Fort Myers, FL. Matt is a passionate leader who is looking to motivate and inspire others on his journey. Join us today, Tuesday, June 23rd, LIVE on the #ELB podcast at 4:15 EST.We'll discuss fatherhood, leadership, and his 1st book--coming out soon: Being Champions bef...

Meet April Knight, NAESP President & Principal at Avondale Elementary School in Columbus, OH. Mrs. Knight is just wrapping up her year as NAESP President, and she will join us LIVE today, Monday, 6/22/26, on the  #ELB  Podcast @  4:15  EST. We'll discuss all she has learned through this experience--the places she has traveled and the wonderful leaders she's met as NAESP President. She...

Meet Dr. Marcus Belin--Distinguished Principal of Hunley High School in Huntley, IL. Dr. Belin was the 2021 National Digital Principal of the Year and the 2025 Illinois Principal of the Year. Marcus serves on the NASSP Board and one day wants to be the Secretary of Education. Join us on the #ELB podcast LIVE, Saturday, June 13th, 2026, at 9 am EST, 8 am CT. He is a husband, father, podcaster, spea...

Meet the awesome Sam Demma, the top-selling author & keynote speaker. Sam speaks around the globe to students, educators, and more--sharing his message of hope, kindness, empathy--through powerful stories, backpacks, and tacos! Excited to meet him on the #ELB podcast--Today, Monday, June 1st @ 4:10 PM EST. We'll talk leadership, engaging others--and carrying his positive message to many! T...

Meet Dr. Jess Quinter, the Principal at Park Forest Elementary in PA. Jess is a PA native, has been a Principal for 16 years, 26 years in education and serves on the Board of Directors for Zone 2 for NAESP. Join us LIVE today, Tuesday, 5/26/26 at 5pm EST for the #ELB podcast--we'll talk leadership, learning being in the moment, and leading with heart and intention. #SurviveThrive This podcast...

Meet the super amazing Jim Stroker from NJ- a lifelong teacher and coach. Jim is an incredible speaker and presenter- and a life coach. He and his family have an incredible story together. We'll discuss his family's journey, his TED Talk, his book, his 36-year teaching career, and more...LIVE on the #ELB podcast, Wednesday, May 20 at 4:15 ESTJim's TED Talk is awesome. You can watch it...

Meet Dr. Rob Wottawa--educator, podcaster, leader--and one of the founders of the LIE: Long Island Educators Summit. He'll join me on the #ELB podcast tomorrow, Friday, May 14th, 2026 LIVE at 4:10 pm ESTWe'll talk leadership,family, his new book, mentorship, and life in Huntington as the Director of Fine and Performing Arts. We'll also talk about the upcoming 2nd annual LIE on May 29th...

Meet Jim Cameron, the Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources at West Islip Schools in Long Island, NY. Jim is a veteran NY education leader and also an executive committee member with SAANYS, NY's administrators' leadership group. He is an active husband and father, and one looking to make a positive impact on those he works with and within the NY leadership circles. He is running the...

Meet Brianna Lanoye, the Principal at Buff Sci 2 Elementary School in Buffalo, NY. Brianna is in her 6th year as Principal and is a lifelong Buffalo resident. She and her team have grown the school from 60 students to 400. In October 2025, Brianna made the national news when her school surprised her by throwing a wedding reception at the school--AND EVERYONE WAS INVITED, and the ceremony was offic...

Meet Erika Bare, the Superintendent at South Umpqua Schools in Myrtle Creek, OR. Erika is a proud educator for over 20 years, serving in many roles, now as the educator in S. Umpqua. She is also an author and presenter. She most recently co-authored with Tiffany Burns, Connecting Through Conversation: A Playbook for Talking with StudentsErika lives in Southern Oregon with her extremely supportive...

Excited to talk with Coach John Perry. Coach Perry runs the super awesome & amazing Never Stop Getting Better Podcast, that you can find here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... John is the HFC at Nixa HS in Nixa, MO, for years: https://nixaathletics.net/staff-direc... and won a State Championship at Pearl HS in MS in 2017. He is a speaker, presenter, and leadership coach, also https://n...

Take 2 with the NYS Principal and the National Principal of the year of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Pierre Orbe. We had some tech difficulties last week --and just like in school, when something doesn't go right, you do it again and make it work. We'll be LIVE together on the podcast today, Sunday, 4/12 at 1 pm EST. We'll talk leadership and learning,...

Meet authors & educators Dr. Bill Truesdale & Vinni M. Hall--authors of Question Power: How they can change and influence instruction practices. Both are lifelong educators serving in the Chicago area--Bill is a retired Principal and now a leadership coach and consultant--Vinni is an adjunct professor and instructional coach. Join us LIVE on the #ELB Podcast tomorrow, March 17th, 2026 at 4...

Meet authors & educators Dr. Bill Truesdale & Vinni M. Hall--authors of Question Power: How they can change and influence instruction practices. Both are lifelong educators serving in the Chicago area--Bill is a retired Principal and now a leadership coach and consultant--Vinni is an adjunct professor and instructional coach. Join us LIVE on the #ELB Podcast tomorrow, March 17th, 2026 at 4...

Join me LIVE on the #ELB podcast tonight as I check in during March Madness--and introduce concepts from my newest book--The Magic Acronyms, Formulas, and impactful Stories of leadership--ABRACADABRA! This podcast is sponsored by IXL Personalized Learning. IXL is used by more than 1 million teachers each day. It is also the most widely used online learning and teaching platform for K-12. Learn mor...

Meet Dr. Steve Miletto. Steve is the Executive Director of the North Georgia RESA. He is a former Teacher of the year, Principal of the year, and a finalist for National Principal of the year. He is very active on Youtube and an avid content creator. You can follow & subscribe here:    / @smiletto   https://www.stevenmiletto.com/ We'll talk leadership, life, family, books, podcasting, trum...

Meet John Spolski, the Assistant Superintendent of Okaloosa County Schools on the beautiful Emerald Coast, FL. John is a native Floridian and has been leading in Okaloosa for many years, MS Principal, HS Principal, and now Assistant Superintendent. Join us today at 4:45 EST/3:45 CT on the #ELB podcast--we'll talk leadership, learning, family, & Florida--and surviving & thriving along t...

Meet Kevin Mecchella--youth speaker, leader, and musician. Kevin, a native New Yorker, is a national youth motivational speaker who connects with young people through a unique blend of humor, storytelling, and music. Kevin will join me LIVE on the #ELB podcast tomorrow, Tuesday, 2/10/26 at 4:45 EST.You can learn more about Kevin's work here: https://kevinmecchella.com/about/ This podcast is sp...

A huge congratulations to the Superintendent of La Grande School District, George Mendoza. George has been named the 2026 Superintendent of the Year in Oregon! From the La Grande website: “George Mendoza is a leader for ALL - the students in his district, the staff that serve those students, and the community as a whole,” shared COSA Executive Director, Dr. Krista Parent. “George is a trusted and...

Meet Jared Stevenson, the longtime Principal of Wieland Elementary in Pflugerville, TX. Jared & I met last year at the TEPSA Conference in Round Rock and he stood out at the event — thoughtful, reflective, engaging, proactive, and more. He'll join me tomorrow on the #ELB podcast, Tueday February 3rd, 2026, at 7:30 EST. We'll talk leadership, mentorship, 2026, cooking, Philly, and more!...

Meet Dr. Mike Mortimer, SS teacher at Putnam County HS, GA. Mike is a history expert, a passionate teacher, and an author, and he showed great excitement about teaching, learning, students, and more at his school convocation in July, 2025. He also has family in Montague, NJ, Port Jervis's neighbor in NJ, and loves the area in and around my beloved Port Jervis. And here he is coming on the #ELB...

Meet Dr. Robbie Koerperich, the longtime Superintendent of Holbrook Schools, Home of the RoadRunners, in beautiful Holbrook, AZ. Dr. K has been the Superintendent in Holbrook for 17 years, and a school administrator for 25. WOW! They just had one of their highest-performing years ever! We'll discuss leadership, win-win, Be the One Roadrunner, hope, Native American culture in Holbrook, and more...

Meet Rae Hughart, the CEO & Founder of Teachers Deserve It. Rae is an educator, author, and a leader who is dedicated to empowering teachers and growing educators to be their best, in and out of the classrooms. She is active on social media @ RaeHughart and continue to write, speaker, and lead in many spaces and places. Learn more here: https://teachersdeserveit.com/ &   / rae-hughart   Ra...

Meet Will Parker, author, leader, speaker, and host of the Principal Matters podcast & blog. He was the Teacher of the Year in OK, AP Teacher of the Year, and served as Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Secondary School Principals for six years. Learn more at  https://williamdparker.com/ . and subscribe to the PMP & Monday Matters podcasts. His latest book was released in M...