S05E04 - Galvanizing Community Around a Shared Vision | Dr. Sandy Husk, Superintendent Emeritus

Build Momentum for Education - K-12 Superintendent Series

In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Sandy Husk. During her remarkable 48-year career, she has served at every level, from classroom teacher and school counselor to superintendent to interim CEO and executive director for ACSD (the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, a nonprofit with more than 125,000 members in 128 countries). She is currently the advisor to the CEO for MindPrint Learning; a member of the board of directors at Wayfinder and at Abl; and a board member and advisor for Husk Consulting. As a district leader, she has helped prepare students for graduation all across the U.S., including Oregon, Tennessee, and Colorado, learning each state’s idiosyncrasies.
Some Questions We Ask:

• Tell us more about your career. (01:22)
• What have been the most rewarding aspects of your work in education? (02:47)
• Do you agree with the RAND research showing that superintendents have one of the most stressful jobs in America, and how did you cope with stress in your own career? (04:05)
• How has scrutiny of the superintendency changed over the years? (06:03)
• How did you unify communities to see your vision for the district–especially during times of budget cuts? (06:51)
• How did your experiences compare with other superintendents across the nation? (09:28)
• How are you able to rally people around storytelling and communications opportunities? (11:05)
• What advice can you give to superintendents having difficulties building relationships within a divisive community? (12:21)
• Why is it important for the community to see superintendents as real human beings? (14:53)
• What can community advocates do better in supporting K-12 leaders? (16:25)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• About Dr. Husk’s career (01:31)
• Rewarding aspects of her career serving districts in multiple states (03:01)
• Her perspective on stress and coping strategies (04:30)
• Changes in scrutiny of the superintendency (06:12)
• How to promote a unifying vision for a district (07:12)
• Her personal experiences as a superintendent as compared to others (09:45)
• Different ways of rallying a community (11:24)
• Advice for superintendents today (12:29)
• The importance of communities’ viewing superintendents as real human beings (15:03)
• Suggestions on advocating for K-12 leaders (16:46)

Quotes:
“Every employee and every connected leader needs to be working towards the same communications so that you can get that confidence and the belief up. I have said this many, many times: I can get up and make a speech, and a whole bunch of people aren't going to believe it—but if the teacher and the bus driver and the secretary are saying it, now you've got momentum.”
“One thing I learned over the many years is I had to get some rules for myself on work-life balance.”
“You have to keep focusing on the vision. We want to feel good about each other even when we're making really, really tough decisions.”
Stay in touch with Dr. Sandy Husk:
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Stay in touch with Sarah Williamson:
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Stay in touch with Chad Bolser:
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About "The Secret to Transformational Leadership," which Sarah co-authored with Dr. Quintin Shepherd:
Transformational Leadership Secret website
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