Education Associations Episodes

Our guests, Dr. Andy Jacks , is an award-winning principal, speaker, author, and leadership coach dedicated tohelping educators build thriving school communities full of energy, growth, and fun. A former Virginia Principal of the Year and National Distinguished Principal, he shares practical, research-based strategies on leadership, school improvement, student engagement, and creating lasting positive change. He is the author of Discipline Win and speaks nationally to inspire leaders to make the...

Our Guest, Dr. Terrance McNeil , is a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Practice and Leadership at Tennessee State University , where he serves as Program Coordinator of the Higher Education Leadership Ed.D. program. With over 20 years of experience in K-12 and higher education, his work centers on equitable educator preparation, leadership development, and expanding access for underrepresented groups. Dr. McNeil is a Faculty Innovation Fellow at StanfordUniversity and...

Our Guest, Dr. Gracie Branch , serves as the Associate Executive Director for Professional Learning at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and formerly served as the Executive Director for Elementary Principals at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA) . In her current position, Dr. Branch sustains and grows leadership opportunities by providing quality professional learning for administrators that encompasses national educational standard...

Our guest, Dr. Jacqueline Rodriguez , serves as the Chief Executive Officer at the National Center for Learning Disabilities , where she leads a team at the forefrontof the learning disabilities rights movement. Her unwavering passion for promoting learning accessibility and equitable assessments drives the center’s efforts in developing impactful strategies, forging partnerships, making policy recommendations, and conducting research to improve the lives of individuals with learning disabilitie...

Our guest, Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy , Ph.D., currently serves as the president and CEO of AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education). She joined AACTE in January 2025, after serving as a distinguished professor and dean of the Schoolof Education at American University (AU) in Washington, D.C., for over eight years. During her tenure at AU, Holcomb-McCoy implemented various programs that heightened the visibility of the school within the University and on a national stage. Notably...