How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…
Welcome to TSBA, Your Education Source – a podcast produced by the Tennessee School Boards Association. Tune in to hear discussions and interviews about legislation, legal topics, policies, and other happenings that affect public education in Tennessee. If you have any feedback or suggestions on content, email podcast@tsba.net.
Welcome to TSBA, Your Education Source – a podcast produced by the Tennessee School Boards Association. Tune in to hear discussions and interviews about legislation, legal topics, policies, and other happenings that affect public education in Tennessee. If you have any feedback or suggestions on content, email podcast@tsba.net.
In this episode, we’re excited to discuss TSBA’s latest resource: the TSBA School Board Member Toolkit for Artificial Intelligence. Join us as we sit down with Nolan Combs, TSBA Director of Government Relations and one of the developers of this innovative toolkit, to explore how AI is shaping the future of K-12 education and why it’s essential for school board members to stay informed. Whether you’re an AI novice or already exploring its possibilities, this episode will provide valuable insights and practical guidance to navigate this rapidly evolving field. Tune in to discover how this resource empowers school board members to embrace the opportunities—and challenges—of artificial intelligence in education! Click here to access the TSBA AI Toolkit. Click here if you wish to read the transcript of today’s podcast episode.…
Due to the amount of recent new board members, we wanted to relaunch the following podcast to help navigate this time as a new board member. During this podcast episode, Candy Morgan, Former TSBA President (Maryville); Keys Fillauer, Former TSBA President (Oak Ridge); Dr. Dale Viox, Former TSBA President (Arlington); and Marty Burlison (Tipton County) welcome all new school board members and share words of advice when navigating the first few years of service on the Board. Click here if you wish to read the transcript of today’s podcast episode.…
In today’s episode, Mark Clark, Board Chairman, Fayetteville City, Eric Jones, Director of Schools, Fayetteville City, and Braila, a Senior at Fayetteville City Schools, discuss the role of student representatives on Boards of Education and their impact on shaping the future of our schools. Listen today to hear insights on why student voices are essential in board governance.…
In today’s episode, Jennifer White, TSBA Director of Policy Services & Staff Attorney, discusses the Student Congress on Policies in Education (SCOPE) conference. Annually, TSBA hosts this event which brings together 9th-12th grade students from across the state to discuss current topics in education. Tune in today and listen to how participants explore education issues and gain an understanding of how school boards operate. https://tsba.net/event/student-congress-on-policies-in-education-scope/…
In today’s episode, Nolan Combs, TSBA Director of Government Relations, discusses the importance of advocacy in public education and why it matters to be an effective advocate. Whether you are a board member or a Director of Schools, today’s episode contains helpful information when considering the legislative landscape for the school district.…
In today’s episode, Wright Cox, Collierville Board Chairman; Leigh Anne Rainey, Chief Academic Officer; and Jana Church, Intervention and Special Populations Supervisor, discuss their English Learners program and how they are using this program to empower students from diverse backgrounds to overcome language barriers and succeed academically. Listen today to hear insights on how they have structured this program as well as the resources they have adopted to support these students. Whether you are a board member, educator, parent, or community member, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the impact and future of English Learner programs across Tennessee.…
In today’s episode, David Lowrie, State Director, and Jake Davis, State President, discuss the TN Bass Nation High School and Youth Program and how this program has impacted students across the state of Tennessee. Listen today to learn how to get your school district involved. https://tbnhsy.com David Lowrie, TN State Director dlowrie@benlomand.net Jake Davis, TBN State President sctnbassnation@gmail.com 615-613-2382…
In today’s episode, Dr. Tammy Grissom, TSBA Executive Director, Ben Torres, TSBA Assistant Executive Director/General Counsel, and Nolan Combs, TSBA Director of Government Relations, discuss the importance of data and why it is such an important tool for school boards to utilize when making decisions for their school districts. Listen today to learn how to access the different types of data available to school boards across Tennessee. Show Notes Please see below the links to access the data mentioned during today’s podcast episode. TSBA District Data Dashboard (Tennessee School Boards Association) Provides district and regional labor market statistics, along with district demographics, academic, and financial data. Academic Supply for Occupational Demand Report (Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation) Provides districts with information on in-demand occupations and aligned academic programs in Tennessee. County Profiles (Tennessee Higher Education Commission) Provides an overview of higher education data by county, including college-going rate, socioeconomic profile, FAFSA filing rate, top colleges by attendance for high school graduates, etc. Tennessee Educator Survey (Tennessee Education Research Alliance, Tennessee Department of Education) Serves as the largest-scale data collection on Tennessee teacher perspectives on a range of topics, including school climate and leadership, instructional practice, teacher evaluation and instructional improvement, and standards and assessment. Includes district- and school-level data where the response rate is at least 45 percent. Tennessee State Report Card (Tennessee Department of Education) Features extensive information about the growth and achievement of Tennessee schools and districts. The report card also includes financial, enrollment, and demographic information. Data Downloads (Tennessee Department of Education) Serves as a landing page for multiple sources of raw data from the Tennessee Department of Education, including data on such topics as achievement, growth, discipline, chronic absenteeism. For the first time last year, the department released Educator Race and Ethnicity Data on this page. Tennessee Educator Preparation Report Card (Tennessee State Board of Education, Tennessee Department of Education) Provides data on the effectiveness of educator preparation providers.…
[Re-Air] In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Keys Fillauer, 2021 President-Elect and Board Chairman of the Oak Ridge Board of Education, as he discusses the top attributes needed to be an effective board chairman. The chairman carries a heavy responsibility, and certain skills and actions are required in order for the chairman to conduct his/her duties in an efficient manner.…
In today’s episode, Dr. Steve Barnett , Director of Schools for Johnson City Schools, Kathy Hall , Chair of the Johnson City Board of Education, and Dr. Greg Wallace , Supervisor of Safety and Mental Health discuss Johnson City Schools’ Heroes Program – a comprehensive set of services designed to meet a wide range of student mental health and safety needs – and how it has benefitted their students. Listen today to learn how to create a similar program in your school district. https://www.jcschools.org/school-safety…
In today’s episode, Brian Hutto, Director of Schools of Lebanon Special Schools, Mike Kurtz, Director of Operations, and Officer Dusty Burton share the importance of school safety and introduce Blaze, their newest resource to ensure that all students and district employees are safe while at school. Listen in as they explain why the Lebanon Special Board of Education felt this program was needed within the district as well as how to successfully replicate a similar program in your district. Shownotes Lebanon Special School District “Paws on Patrol” - https://www.lssd.org/apps/news/article/1795952 Global K9 - https://globalk9protectiongroup.com…
In today’s episode, the TSBA Staff Attorneys are back and answering the most asked legal questions received from board members across the state. This version of “Ask the Attorney” focuses solely on questions regarding the law around board policy. Questions from “what is the function of the policy committee” to “how can a board member propose a policy change” are tackled during today’s episode.…
In today’s episode, Dr. Cathy Beck, Director of Schools for Cheatham County Schools, and David Risner, Board Chairman of the Cheatham County Board of Education, share the importance of becoming the first school district in Tennessee to be named a Unified Champion District by the Special Olympics. Join us as they cover the steps the district took to achieve this designation as well as the importance of promoting social inclusion throughout the school district. https://www.cheathamcountyschools.net/apps/news/article/1810530 https://www.cheathamcountyschools.net/apps/news/article/1732327 https://youtu.be/3O2Fxc3pyFs https://www.cheathamcountyschools.net/apps/news/article/1644462…
The Tennessee School Boards Association maintains an awards program that, each year, recognizes school board members who have gone above and beyond for their school district. In today’s episode, Brittany Massey, Director of Finance and Member Services, and Sandy Jones, Board of Directors Services Coordinator, cover the different types of awards and recognitions available for school board members to achieve throughout the year. Visit www.tsba.net for additional award details and applications.…
In today’s episode, Nathan Abbott, Information Systems Manager with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury – Division of Local Government Audit, provides an in-depth overview of cybersecurity and speaks to why it is important for school districts to ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect their digital assets. Show Notes: Below are a few websites mentioned during today’s podcast that may be helpful to reference when learning more about cybersecurity: https://www.cisa.gov/ https://comptroller.tn.gov/office-functions/la/resources/cyberaware.html https://www.tn.gov/cybersecurity.html https://www.cisecurity.org/ms-isac…
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