Strategic Syncing

What keeps an entire industry moving when literally no one is in charge? No single boss. No central conductor. Thousands of strangers, across different countries and languages, and somehow, every single day, it works. Todd Chapman spent 30 years inside aviation, leading over 1,000 people across 39 airports at Jetstar and running operations at Qantas through COVID. Now, as founder of Leading Edge c...

On his first day as Director of Technology Innovation and Integration at Arlington ISD, Steve Simpson made a decision most leaders wouldn't: he moved out of his closed-door office and into a cubicle with the rest of his team. James Symons sits down with Steve to unpack the leadership philosophy behind that move, and what it's taught him about leading instructional technology across 54,000...

How do you lead technology for 100,000+ students across 127 campuses, without becoming the bottleneck, the bureaucrat, or the burnout? This week, host James Symons sits down with Kris Trejo , Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services (CTO) at Northside Independent School District, the 4th largest school district in Texas. From a textbook warehouse to the C-suite over 27 years and 8 promotio...

Dustin Harden runs technology for Clear Creek ISD, a Texas district where NASA engineers sit on the school board, students earn National Merit honors, and 12-year-olds team up on Discord to outsmart the district's filters. In this episode, Dustin joins James for a candid conversation about leadership, ego, and growing up inside the CTO role. He landed his first director job at 26, beating a ca...

What does it really mean to lead technology in a district of 33,000 students across 35 campuses? Cara Carter is the CTO of Northwest ISD in Texas, one of the fastest growing districts in the DFW Metroplex. She started as a classroom teacher and has spent 20 years building something remarkable: a technology culture that is deeply human. In this episode, Cara unpacks what it actually takes to lead a...

What does it really mean to lead technology in a district of 33,000 students across 35 campuses? Cara Carter is the CTO of Northwest ISD in Texas, one of the fastest growing districts in the DFW Metroplex. She started as a classroom teacher and has spent 20 years building something remarkable: a technology culture that is deeply human. In this episode, Cara unpacks what it actually takes to lead a...

What does real IT leadership actually look like? In this episode of Strategic Syncing, James sits down with Dr. David Benjamin Weems, a former petroleum engineer turned CTO, who transformed one of the most remote school districts in West Texas. From rebuilding infrastructure and connectivity to solving real-world challenges in education, this conversation goes beyond technology, into leadership, p...

What does real IT leadership actually look like? In this episode of Strategic Syncing, James sits down with Dr. David Benjamin Weems — a former petroleum engineer turned CTO — who transformed one of the most remote school districts in West Texas. From rebuilding infrastructure and connectivity to solving real-world challenges in education, this conversation goes beyond technology, into leadership,...

In this episode of Strategic Syncing, we speak with Dr. Chad Jones , Executive Director of Technology at Lamar Consolidated ISD. Managing technology for nearly 50,000 students and 70,000+ devices , Chad shares what it really takes to make IT work in high-growth environments. We talk about: • Why consistency beats quick fixes• Leading through pressure when systems fail• Building a team culture base...

In this episode of Strategic Syncing, we speak with Dr. Chad Jones , Executive Director of Technology at Lamar Consolidated ISD. Managing technology for nearly 50,000 students and 70,000+ devices , Chad shares what it really takes to make IT work in high-growth environments. We talk about: • Why consistency beats quick fixes• Leading through pressure when systems fail• Building a team culture base...

Most IT challenges don’t start with technology. They start with people, workflows, and unclear ownership . In this first episode of the Strategic Syncing Podcast , James sits down with Aaron Alonzo , Executive Director of Technology at San Antonio Independent School District, the same district where he grew up and began his career. Aaron’s journey into technology leadership didn’t start in IT. It...

Most IT challenges don’t start with technology. They start with people, workflows, and unclear ownership . In this first episode of the Strategic Syncing Podcast , James sits down with Aaron Alonzo , Executive Director of Technology at San Antonio Independent School District, the same district where he grew up and began his career. Aaron’s journey into technology leadership didn’t start in IT. It...