Principal Leadership Academy, Spring 2024
The District Administration Leadership Institute has developed
an academy for School District Principals to be refreshed and
challenged in leadership skills and knowledge by looking through
the lens of Systems, Culture, and Instruction as they continue
to grow as impactful leaders.
To meet ever changing needs in a digital age and continue to
provide equitable opportunities for all students, the Academy offers
school principals an opportunity to grow in their own professional
learning and to network with other leaders from across the country
for collective impact.
Cohort Dates
*Attendees must attend all days
February 28-March 1, 2024, LIVE Columbus, OH
Registration Fee (due upon acceptance):
DALI Members – 1st Attendee is FREE
Non-members – $1200 per Attendee
Who Should Participate?
The Principal Leadership Academy is designed for school leaders who are charged with setting the vision and leading implementation of instructional services, which may include teaching and learning, curriculum, accountability and/or technology.
Successful completion of this program will provide leaders with valuable, targeted professional learning to turn possibilities into probabilities for all students.
Sample Learning Objectives
Develop and engage in professional learning communities focused
on the essential role of school and district instructional leadership
in supporting equitable opportunities for all students.
Examine each leader’s current school and district goals, practices,
and instructional systems through the lens of leading Culture,
Systems, and Instruction.
Develop shared understanding of and commitment to mission, vision,
and core values within the school and the community.
Leaders will be empowered to address change, troubleshoot
challenges and barriers, and identify the drivers they need to explicitly
plan and lay a foundation for the conditions that will support equitable opportunities for all students.
Overview of Topics:
- Organizational Structure/Governance
- Accountability
- Culture and Climate
- Continuous Improvement
- Assessment and Data Analysis
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Leading instructional Change
- Effective Feedback Practices
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
Send us an email to [email protected] or call us at (561) 622-0352.
Speakers
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Amy DujonDirector, District Administration Leadership InstituteAmy Dujon brings over 20 years of leadership and instructional expertise to District Administration. Originally from Texas, Amy moved to south Florida for college and has lived there for the past 24 years. Previously, her leadership focus has been helping schools and districts throughout the United States to implement research-based systems to foster school improvement and increase student achievement. Amy spent the first 18 years of her career in the 10th largest public-school system where she served in a variety of instructional positions including Director of Leadership Development, Principal, and teacher. She is the author of “ The Gritty Truth of School Transformation: 8 phases to instructional rigor” and speaks nationally on the topics of leading instructional transformation, standards based planning and pedagogy, feedback to change practice, and effective instructional leadership.
Amy oversees content development for our DA Leadership Institute programing and serves as lead for CAO summits. When she is not at work she enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 children.
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Brad SaronSuperintendent, Sun Prarie Area School District -
Dr. Baron R. DavisFormer Superintendent, Richland School District TwoDr. Baron R. Davis is the founder and chief executive officer of the Noegenesis Group, a solution-focused and outcomes-driven educational think tank and consulting firm. Dr. Davis is the former Richland School District Two superintendent in Columbia, S.C., where he served as the first Black superintendent in the district’s 100-year history. He currently serves as Senior Advisor at Digital Promise, supporting the organization’s mission to shape the future of learning and advance equitable education systems by bringing together solutions across research, practice, and technology. In addition to his role at Digital Promise, Dr. Davis serves as the superintendent in residence for improving leadership preparation and development at the University of South Carolina for the college’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policies. As superintendent in residence, Dr. Davis teaches in the educational leadership and policies master’s, education specialist, and doctoral degree programs. He is the co-leader for the department’s principal and superintendent advisory programs, leads face-to-face leadership network sessions, and is the overall liaison to leadership networks throughout South Carolina and the United States.
Dr. Davis has been a successful school leader in rural, urban, and suburban school systems during his educational career. Since 2018, he has been named the 100 Black Men of Greater Columbia Educational Leader of the Year and earned the Francis Marion University Professional Industry Award for Education and Arts and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Cathy Novinger Trailblazer Award. AASA – The Superintendents Association awarded him the Dr. Effie H. Jones Humanitarian Award; Education Week named him a Leader to Learn From for Leadership in Equity; and K-12 Dive placed him on their Superintendent to Watch list for recruitment/retention of male minority teachers. K-12 Dive also named Richland Two the 2021 School District of the Year. He has received the Bob Grossman Leadership in School Communications Award from the National School Public Relations Association for implementing communications strategies to serve better parents, students, community partners, and employees. The South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association named him the 2022 Superintendent of the Year for Region 4A, Class 5A. The College Board selected him for their Superintendent’s Advisory Council in 2022. Dr. Davis is a 2023 graduate of the AASA National Superintendent Certification Program®.
Dr. Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Francis Marion University. From the University of South Carolina, he earned master’s degrees in school counseling and educational administration and Educational Specialist and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in educational counseling. He holds certifications for superintendent, school counseling, secondary principal, and secondary supervision.
Dr. Davis, a Columbia native, is a proud graduate of the historical C.A. Johnson High School (class of 1990). He and his wife, Pamela, are the proud parents of three amazingly accomplished and beautiful daughters. They are active members of the Brookland Baptist Church, a lifetime member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and The 100 Black Men of Greater Columbia.
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Dr. Courtney OrzelAssociate Director for Professional Development, Illinois Association of School AdministratorsDr. Courtney Orzel is the Associate Director for Professional Development for the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA) and has held positions as a superintendent, middle school principal, assistant principal, and teacher. Dr. Orzel has been honored with national recognition from AASA as a finalist for the Women in Leadership Award and leads the IASA SuperWomen initiative in Illinois. She was named IASA’s South Cook Superintendent of Distinction in 2020 and currently leads workshops, keynotes, and administrators’ academies reaching thousands of educators across the country and is the co-host of the popular education podcast, Unsupervised Leadership.
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Dr. Jill SilerDeputy Executive, Texas Association of AdministratorsJill served as Superintendent of Gunter ISD for nearly ten years and is now the Deputy Executive Director for Professional Learning for the Texas Association of School Administrators. Her book, Thrive Through The Five: Practical Truths to Powerfully Lead through Challenging Times, was a #1 Bestselling New Release for Education Administration.
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Dr. Joe SanfelippoSuperintendent, Fall Creek School DistrictDr. Joe Sanfelippo is the Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, Wisconsin. Joe holds a BA in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, an MS in Educational Psychology, an MS in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in Leadership, Learning, and Service. Joe co-authored multiple books, most recently Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love. He was selected as 1 of 117 Future Ready Superintendents in 2014 and 1 of 50 Superintendents as a Personalized Learning Leader by the US Department of Education in 2016. Education Dive named Joe 1 of 5 K-12 Administrators to watch in 2018 and their National Superintendent of the Year in 2019.
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Dr. Neil GuptaSuperintendent, Oakwood City SchoolsAfter graduating from Miami University (Ohio), Neil Gupta began his teaching career at Ashland High School, Ohio. While teaching math, he obtained a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction and then earned a doctoral degree from Educational Leadership from Ashland University. While in Ashland City Schools, Gupta worked as an Assistant Principal and the Director of Secondary Curriculum.
Neil continued his leadership journey as the Director of Teaching and Learning at New Albany School District and later the Director of Assessment and Programming.
Currently, Dr. Gupta serves as the Director of Secondary Education for Worthington Schools. He is fortunate to serve in a district with a vision and focus “to empower a community of learners who change the world”.
Neil has presented at the state, national, and international level in the areas of leadership, assessments, and coaching. Dr. Gupta has a passion for administrative leadership, coaching teams, and working with teams using effective strategies and tools, such as design thinking and organizational management for positive change. He is an Associate with Creative Leadership Solutions.
Dr. Gupta believes in giving back to his community and colleagues. Neil served on the Board of Directors for ASCD and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Ashland University and is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Worthington Resource Pantry. Gupta is a member of ASCD, National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators.
Neil resides in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and two boys. He enjoys reading, writing, playing Pickleball, and traveling.
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Zandra Jo GalvánSuperintendent, Greenfield Unified School District, CASuperintendent of Greenfield (Calif.) Union School District, Zandra is passionate in her belief that “All Means All.” Through the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan, she drives a mission to promote all students academically and socially-emotionally, and to ensure all students are fully prepared for postsecondary success.
