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Leading with Authenticity | Dr. Adam Clark, Mt. Diablo Unified School District
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent of Mount Diablo Unified School District in California. He was named as a 2022 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. Previously, Dr. Clark served as Superintendent for Vallejo City Unified School District and Associate Superintendent at Antioch Unified School District. He has also been a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent of Mount Diablo Unified School District in California. He was named as a 2022 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. Previously, Dr. Clark served as Superintendent for Vallejo City Unified School District and Associate Superintendent at Antioch Unified School District. He has also been a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Some Questions We Ask:
- Tell us about your career in education and your current role at Mount Diablo. (01:30)
- What is the most rewarding aspect of your career? (02:27)
- How are you able to deal with stress? (04:45)
- How do you think the scrutiny of the superintendency has changed over the years? (07:12)
- How do you bring different communities together to see your vision? (11:05)
- To what extent do you believe your experiences are typical of superintendents in your state or nationally? (13:56)
- What advice can you give to other superintendents who are struggling to cultivate engagement within their communities? (17:53)
- What causes people to overlook the fact that superintendents are actual individuals, and how can we show that you are real people tackling difficult problems to enable K-12 kids to receive the best education possible? (20:38)
- What can you suggest to advocates, community members, and parents for supporting district leaders? (24:31)
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
- All about Dr. Adam Clark’s career (01:38)
- Rewarding aspect of his work in education (02:40)
- Strategies for coping and dealing with stress (04:52)
- Changes in scrutiny of the superintendency (07:21)
- Unifying communities around a vision (11:24)
- His personal experiences vs. other superintendents’ experiences (14:13)
- Dr. Clark’s advice to other superintendents (18:06)
- Seeing superintendents as individuals (20:54)
- Suggestions for advocates in the community (25:07)
Quotes:
“I remember how it was to be a young parent, and how maybe I didn't have all the information, and I just reacted to certain things. I also remember being a student myself—and that's one thing I try to remind people, to remember when you were a student, remember how your mind worked and the things that were important to you.”
“I want to show my true self and who I am. Yes, I do have to, at times, speak properly and correctly and use the right terminology and things like that. But at other times, I’ve got to show myself. I have to show excitement. I have to show disappointment. I have to talk about things that we won't stand for, we won't tolerate, and I need to be forceful when I say those things. But then I need to show true excitement and exuberance when good things are happening.”
Stay in touch with Dr. Adam Clark:
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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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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.
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Adam Clark, Superintendent of Mount Diablo Unified School District in California. He was named as a 2022 Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association. Previously, Dr. Clark served as Superintendent for Vallejo City Unified School District and Associate Superintendent at Antioch Unified School District. He has also been a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined Dr. Randy Mahlerwein, an Assistant Superintendent in Mesa Public Schools in Arizona. He has been a public educator and leader for the past 24 years and a key contributor for the past four years in his district’s implementation of the Next Education Workforce. He is also an influencer, researcher, and educator. Dr. Mahlerwein is hyper-motivated to change the conditions that influence the environments in which educators and students operate daily.
In this episode of Build Momentum, we are joined by Dr. Susan Enfield, the former superintendent of the Washoe County School District in Nevada. She also spent 10 years as the superintendent of Highline Public Schools in Burien, Washington. Prior to joining Highline in 2012, she had held the positions of Chief Academic Officer and Interim Superintendent at Seattle Public Schools.
