Cognia Leader Chat

Let’s face it, leading school systems is isolating work. The expectations are often unrealistic, and the conditions are clearly becoming more difficult over time. While leaders can’t often publicly state their state of mind or emotional state, take it from us- their lives, hearts and minds are strained. Something is different though about Mike Scott, superintendent of Hillsboro school district in the Portland metro area. Jeff has been so impressed with Mike over the years, especially his ability to stay grounded, calm and content. We believe leaders learn from other leaders. We all can take something away from listening to Mike’s open and honest perspective- truly a leader of integrity and strength.

Recognized as one of the nation’s premier Athletic Directors, Sandy Barbour enters her eighth year as the dynamic leader of the Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics program. With student success and comprehensive excellence as a steadfast focus, Barbour has helped Penn State to ascend and thrive as one of the nation’s most successful athletic departments.

Jeff and Andy discuss his book Five Paths of Student Engagement and Moving, A Memoir of Education and Social Mobility, and all the implications for educational leaders in today's world. This is a MUST listen.

This episode focuses on leadership, culture, and trust. Dr. Rose sits down with our CEO and President of Cognia, Dr. Mark Elgart. Mark has led our organization since 2002. Cognia now serves as the trusted partner with over 36,000 institutions in 85 countries to advance learning for 25 million students! Based on his vast experience, his insights on leadership and what are the most critical opportunities for school systems are insightful and clear.

Wait until you hear this Leader Chat. This conversation is as relevant as it gets for today’s educational leaders. This is the most polarizing time in our era and high conflict is seriously dominating our day-to-day narrative. Jeff is constantly looking for guests who can help with challenges the leaders we support are facing, and this podcast hits the nail on the head. Amanda’s Book, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out is exactly what we need to read, or in this case hear about.

Phil Lanoue is an experienced leader with impressive and thoughtful insights into leadership. Dr. Lanoue is the 2015 American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent of the Year, and the co-author of three books: Developing the Organizational Culture of the Central Office, The Emerging Work of Today’s Superintendent, and Navigating the Unknown in Education.

Overcoming life’s hurdles is relative. If you are challenged leading during these difficult times, this is the Leader Chat for you. Damon West, who once served a sentence in a maximum-security prison, now is a professor, best-selling author, and coveted speaker, joins us. His energy is infectious. Disclaimer: the audio issues at the beginning of the recording do get resolved a few minutes in.

In this inaugural Leader Chat, we are thrilled that the legend, Jon Gordon was able to join us. Dr. Jeff Rose talks with Jon about the challenge of leading with positivity during difficult times, Jon’s passion for supporting educators, and his upcoming visit to Atlanta. Jeff then goes on to describe the “why,” “what,” and ‘how” of our future Leader Chats.

We start this podcast with a big announcement. Exciting changes ahead! Then, best selling author and the master of motivation Jon Gordon talks with us about leading fueled by the power of positivity. 

Dr. Curtis Jones, Jr. 2019 National Superintendent of the Year! Dr. Jones, a passionate educator dedicated to developing students as scholars, leaders and good citizens, joined the Bibb County School District in April 2015. When he joined the district, Dr. Jones set one of his first long-term goals as raising the district’s graduation rate to 90 percent by 2025. The district has made great gains in improving its graduation rate, which was 58.9 per­cent in 2014 and rose to 76.1 percent in 2020. Under his leadership, the Bibb County School District has been cited for its work to advance the district and its students, simply too many to list!