Voices at the Vanguard: Dr. Avis Williams Talks Transformational Leadership, Teacher Engagement, and Communication

An Imperfect Leader

Book Update!

Imperfect Leaders! My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available on Amazon.com. If there is no hyperlink to follow, please go to Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com. You can order it there.

Intro: Hello Imperfect Leaders! On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane with recorded wind speeds of 140 miles per hour devastated communities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. I remember being a teacher in Missouri, and hearing reports of families heading north to find refuge all along the Mississippi River.

Our school system welcomed families, and quickly learned of their very specific needs. The children had been through a great deal of trauma. What I didn’t know until now was that after Katrina, in 2014, the New Orleans Public Schools transitioned from a traditional school district to a 100% charter school district. The superintendent would be hired by a school board, and it would be their responsibility to oversee and authorize each charter school (working with each charter school’s own school boards). What a task!

My guest this week describes that important work. Dr. Avis Williams is the New Orleans superintendent. She reminds us that “When you’re bringing people together around an issue, there is a difference between buy in and commitment (you’ll hear her say, “if people can buy in, they can be bought out.”). Listen for it.

She also describes the creation of a Joyful Educator Collaborative where she convenes teachers to learn more about what is going well as well as areas for continued growth. Thanks for tuning in!

Bio: Dr. Avis Williams is the superintendent of schools for the NOLA Public Schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to her historic appointment to lead the Nola Public Schools, Dr. Williams served as superintendent of Historic Selma City Schools in Selma, AL for five years.

An award-winning educator and sought-after speaker, she is a native of Salisbury, NC. A product of poverty, Dr. Williams dreamed of being a teacher from an early age. As a first generation 4-year college student, she followed the path of her older siblings and joined the Army right after high school. While in the Army, she was stationed at Fort Jackson, SC, Yongsan, Korea, and Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL.

Further Info: Dr. Williams is a leader, a learner, and an author. She is the author of Welcome to Chase Shadows and of professional articles like Leading with Joy as a Prerequisite to Better Outcomes. Additionally, she has a professional book (co-authored with Bren Elliott) coming out soon.

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This episode is brought to you, in part, by the Waters Center for Systems Thinking. The Waters Center helps people understand what systems thinking is and how to incorporate the Habits, tools and concepts of systems thinking into their work and life to achieve desired results. To learn more, go to waterscenterst.org.

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An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at www.human-centeredleaders.com.

Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.

Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.

www.peterstiepleman.com