“Are you able to examine the intended and unintended consequences of decisions you’re making? Are you able to separate your individual beliefs from your organizational beliefs and also understand the messiness that will come from it? And are you able to think about the leader you aspire to be versus the leader your community needs you to be in that moment?”
These were just a few of the questions posed by The Leadership Academy’s President & Lead Executive Officer Nancy Gutiérrez during “Tomorrow’s Principal,” a podcast recorded live on the stage of SXSW EDU 2025 this past spring. Gutiérrez was joined by Instruction Partners’ newly-appointed president Gene Pinkard, as well as special guests Heather Harding of Education Leaders of Color and Yetunde Z. Reeves, Ed.D. of Baltimore City Public Schools, to tackle some of the unprecedented issues education leaders are currently facing in today’s complex landscape.
“Leadership has always mattered, and we have an opportunity in this moment to step into leadership in a way we never have,” said Gutiérrez to an energetic audience of educators, administrators, industry leaders, and policy makers.
During the hour-long session, the four leaders unpacked how to navigate difficult moments while maintaining their core mission of supporting students and the robust support systems that principals need to manage ongoing challenges. They also discussed how principals must balance technical expertise with emotional intelligence and explored how supporting student and staff wellness goes beyond academic performance.
Click here to hear these insights and more on this live recording of “Tomorrow’s Principal.”