The 10 Leaders Transforming Education, 2026
Some careers follow a straight line. Others come full circle. The latter is true for the leader who now guides Bradley University.
Dr. Jacqui Spicer: Building Opportunity Through Higher Education
Higher education often shapes lives long before it shapes careers. For some, a college degree becomes the first step toward financial independence. For others, it changes how they see themselves and what they believe is possible. Leaders who have experienced
Dr. Shawn A. Smith: The Superintendent Who Believes Every Student Deserves to Be Seen
There is something quietly powerful about an educator who can trace their entire career back to a single, early conviction, one that arrives before the degrees and the titles. For Dr. Shawn A. Smith, Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District
Mona Hamawi: Building a School Where Every Child Belongs
The story begins, as so many great educators’ stories do, in a single classroom. In 1995, a young woman graduated from the University of Jordan with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education, and for the next seven years she stood
Dr. Ami L. Alderman: Where Structure Meets Belonging
On the eastern edge of Lake Erie, in a school that borrows its rhythms from the sea, a leader in uniform walks the halls with the bearing of someone who has spent a lifetime learning that structure and compassion are
John Armbrust’s Whole-Child Approach to Charter Education
Westlake High School sits in one of Austin’s most resourced pockets, the kind of place where beautiful facilities and strong teachers are simply part of everyday life. It was there that John Armbrust spent his teenage years, before heading east
Eric Baugher: Strengthening Systems That Support Student Success
Leadership in education rarely begins with a single defining moment. More often, it develops through experience, through listening, adapting, and staying committed to the work even when the path forward is not yet fully clear. For Eric Baugher, that path
Karinna M. Vernaza: Leadership Shaped by Engineering, Service, and Purpose
Modern universities ask more of their leaders than ever before. They must understand industry, care about students, manage complex organizations, and still see the human stories behind every decision. Engineering schools, in particular, need leaders who respect technical rigor while
Fr. Phillip J. Brown: A Journey of Faith, Education, and Purpose
Education often finds its truest form in the lives of those who never stop learning. Some people begin their journeys with clear direction, while others discover their purpose through exploration and change. Fr. Phillip J. Brown, President-Rector of St. Mary’s
Tommy Gregory: The Strategist Shaping State College of Florida’s Future
After a decorated career in the military and law, President Tommy Gregory has taken on his most complex and meaningful mission yet: leading the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. His approach is a unique blend of battlefield discipline, courtroom logic,