Leadership Journeys

Robert Sepeda serves as Communications Manager, Data and Outreach for Families Empowered. Read more about Robert and his work. 1 | Where did you grow up and what was it like? I grew up in a rural farming town in California’s San Joaquin Valley. You can drive from one end to the other in 10 minutes or less! I spent much of my childhood on my grandfather’s dairy farm and adolescence as a paperboy and outlet mall employee. 2 | What do you like most about where you live now? I love the professional and financial growth opportunities that Houston has provided thanks to its tight-knit education...

From our very first job, managers are a constant presence. The good ones can often help chart our professional course. We look to them for guidance and structure, even empowerment. In fact, managers--and our relationships with them--can set the tone for our work lives in a major way and influence the managers we become ourselves. Good management is crucial in any sector. (Some argue that “ people leave managers, not companies .”) Education is no exception. How employees spend their time can directly affect students and teachers, or work on their behalf--high stakes work. Accountability,...

Paris Woods didn’t have a typical education. To let her tell it, “ I experienced an interesting series of events growing up ,” and that would be saying the least. The journey from kindergarten to high school graduation in St. Louis, Missouri was not a smooth one for Paris. But despite all of the struggles she had to overcome, Paris never let her dream waiver to succeed and to start a nonprofit focused on low-income students.

In this Q&A, EP Alumna Idrissa Simmonds-Nastili, Director of the Pahara Institute’s NextGen Network, talks about growing up with a global perspective that shaped her career trajectory, why diversity in the most senior levels of leadership in education is crucial for excellence and equity in education, and why all education leaders must have a “heart and mind for listening and learning.”

Today on the 12 th anniversary of our organization, EP celebrates our original Pioneer – Scott Morgan, Founder & CEO of Education Pioneers. In this Pioneer Profile, Scott talks about why he’s inspired by underdogs, how coaching basketball as a high school student helped shaped his purpose, and why his bookshelf is stacked with books about Abraham Lincoln.

EP Alumnus Rey Faustino (EP Fellow, 2011) a nominee for the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle’s Visionary of the Year award, talks with EP about seeing the possibility in the eyes of first-generation college students stepping onto a college campus for the first time, the Filipino leader he admires, and how his organization ( One Degree ) is revolutionizing the way low-income families find and access critical poverty-fighting resources.

In last week’s Q and A, Brigitte Marshall, Chief Talent Officer for Oakland Unified School District, raved about EP talent in general and Alumna Lisa Ahn (Graduate School Fellow, 2012) in particular. In this Pioneer Profile, we hear from Lisa herself about growing up in what felt like the center of the world, the books and teachings that have impacted her life, and why she’s committed to working on behalf of young people for the long haul.

In this Q&A, EP Alumna Julie Swerdlow Albino (Graduate School Fellow, 2010), Chief Redesign Officer for Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts, talks about moving from business consulting to education leadership, finding a job she loves, and working every day to keep the American Dream alive for all children.

In this Pioneer Profile, EP Alumnus Desmond Patton (Graduate School Fellow, 2006), Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan who recently had his research cited by the U.S. Supreme Court , talks about growing up in North Carolina, learning the importance of strong relationships to inspire students' love of learning, and imagining Black youth feeling empowered, loved, and inspired.

Vi Nguyen once thought that her success story was the norm. When she was nine years old, Vi and her family emigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam, and Vi enrolled in Des Moines Public Schools in Iowa as an English-as-a-Second-Language student. With help and guidance from teachers and counselors, Vi thrived and went on to earn a college degree from Yale University. Working as an analyst in the U.S. Congressional Budget Office and researching Pell Grants and Federal Student Loans, Vi realized that her success story was the exception.