Session Title: Cultivating a Culture of Connection
Description: In this session, school leaders will gain practical ideas on building a culture of connection as they prepare to welcome their staff back to school this fall. Hear first-hand how you can begin to establish meaningful relationships with members of the school community starting in July and carry that momentum into the school year. Join Joe Sanfelippo and Jimmy Casas as they draw from their years of experience as campus leaders and share what it takes to make a positive impact on the culture of a school and create an environment where all students and staff can be a part of something great!
Moderator:
Jennifer Womble
Jennifer Womble’s vision for transforming education includes creating high-quality professional development for education in the technology space. She develops innovative events and hands-on experiences to engage audiences, promote interactive experiences, and implement modern pedagogy infused with technological tools. Conference Chair for the Future of Education Technology Conference (#FETC), the largest independent edtech conference in North America. Jennifer specializes in developing innovative edtech events and hands-on experiences to engage leadership audiences and promote learning experiences. She demonstrates daily the value of community involvement, the pursuit of learning science, and the role of innovative leadership. Whether leading, teaching or volunteering, she spreads her energetic spirit and inspires others to invest in our future—our children!
Speakers:
Joe Sanfelippo
Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is the Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, WI…home of the Fall Creek Crickets. The Fall Creek School District was named an Innovative District in 2016 and 2017 by the International Center for Leadership in Education. Joe has authored multiple books including the best-selling Hacking Leadership: 10 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Learning That Teachers, Students, and Parents Love and his latest Lead From Where You Are: Building Intention, Connection, and Direction in our schools. 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 their National Superintendent of the Year in 2019.
Jimmy Casas
Jimmy Casas has been an educator for over 30 years, serving twenty-two years as a school leader, including fourteen years as Principal at Bettendorf High School. Under his leadership, Bettendorf was named one of the Best High Schools in the country three times by Newsweek and US News & World Report. Jimmy was named the 2012 Iowa Secondary Principal of the Year and was selected as runner-up NASSP 2013 National Secondary Principal of the Year. In 2014, Jimmy was invited to the White House to speak on the Future Ready Schools pledge. Jimmy is also the author of nine books, including the best-selling books Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes, Live Your Excellence: Bring Your Best Self to School Every Day, and Handle with Care: Managing Difficult Situations in Schools with Dignity and Respect. Jimmy’s newest release, Recalibrate the Culture, is already a top-selling book on Amazon. Jimmy is the owner and CEO of J Casas & Associates, where he serves as a professional leadership coach for school leaders across the country. In January 2020, Jimmy launched ConnectEDD, a publishing company aimed at giving back to the profession by supporting educators to become published authors.
