Alexa Bernard-Conday, Ed.S.
Alexa Bernard-Conday, Ed.S., is an accomplished educator, leadership consultant, and founder of The Bernard Perspective, an initiative dedicated to elevating women—particularly Black women—in leadership through purpose, power, and poise. A native of New York who later relocated to Louisiana, she has built a dynamic career in education spanning more than a decade. She began as an English teacher in Washington, D.C., where she fostered rich, meaningful discussions with students and developed a passion for connecting literature to real-world experiences. Her academic foundation includes degrees in education from Howard University, as well as an Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership.
Throughout her career, Alexa has demonstrated a strong commitment to transforming school communities and advancing educational equity. As a junior high school principal in Louisiana, she led a remarkable school turnaround, improving campus culture, reducing disciplinary issues, and raising the school’s performance rating from an F to a C within a short period. Her leadership emphasized the belief that safe, empowering environments are essential for student success. She later transitioned to a district-level role as Coordinator of Federal Programs and Homeless Services, where she oversees funding initiatives, ensures compliance, and develops programs that support vulnerable student populations.
In addition to her work in public education, Alexa is a thought leader and advocate for women in leadership. Through The Bernard Perspective, she provides consulting, coaching, and professional development grounded in research and lived experience. Her work centers on addressing systemic challenges faced by Black women in leadership, including the “glass cliff” phenomenon, and fostering confidence, authenticity, and reflective practice. Continuing her commitment to growth and impact, Alexa has been accepted into a doctoral program at Johns Hopkins University, where her research will further explore and advance support systems for women in educational leadership.
• Persuasive Communiation: Critical Thinking to Enhance your Message
• Achieving Excellence: Leadership Development for Principals
• School Leaders of Color: Organizational Development and Collaborative Leadership
• Certified ScrumMaster
• Leadership in Administration
• Secondary Education, 7-12 English/Language Arts
• Howard University- M.Ed.
• Howard University- Bachelor's
• Northwestern State University
• Johns Hopkins University School of Education- Ed.D.
• Natchitoches 4 Under 40 Professionals
• Mission Award
• Natchitoches Young Professionals - Executive Board
• Natchitoches Chamber of Commerce
• Leadership Natchitoches
• Natchitoches Voters and Civic League Foundation
• NATCHITOCHES COALITION ON HOMELESSNESS
• ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR OF DC
• National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Metropolitan Washington, DC Chapter
• Girls on the Run International
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• Tour de Cure Washington D.C.
• Natchitoches Parish School Board
• Natchitoches Planning and Zone Committee
What do you attribute your success to?
Being persistent has definitely been a key to my success. Having a strong community - my friends and my family - they support me through it all. It's not easy doing the work that I do, and so on those hard days, I definitely have my friends and my family that I can lean on and have my moments before I go back out on stage and perform the way that I need to. They have been just fundamental for me these past couple of years. And I'm also going to say Beyonce - Beyonce's albums have gotten me through. I will give credit where credit is due.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Trust yourself. Trust your gut. You have thoughts, you know what you're thinking, double-check your work, but do not question yourself to where you count yourself out. Do not count yourself out. You are a winner, and no one else can tell you otherwise. Take the time to do the work, take the time to do the research, take the time to grow, be graceful. Listen, and being graceful doesn't mean being polite and being quiet and letting people just take advantage, but poise. Poise definitely helps. Having poise definitely helps. To be a little bit informal, some people are waiting for someone to crash out. They're waiting for a reaction. We're not gonna give them that. We're gonna give them facts, and we're going to give them results.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I feel that confidence is something that we need to overcome - the doubts of what we're able to accomplish. We're in a society where we see the men on the cover of things, we see women too, but let's just be real about it. When we're in spaces, sometimes we are supposed to show up but be quiet, be seen and not heard, and that still exists today. I've had meetings with some of my peers, some educational leaders who are a level or so above me, who have literally held up a finger and said 'shh' when we're speaking. I was surprised that that's something that happens today. So I think for us, it's definitely pushing through, being confident, being firm in who we are, and blocking out that noise, whether it's from the outside or from the inside, and just being focused. That's how I navigate it. It's not always easy. Sometimes we are our worst critics, but we have to push that noise to the side, and shake it out, and move forward, and just be conquerors.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Poise is important to me because it's how I show up in the world, and I'm crediting Beyonce again. Definitely poise. Being confident is something that I value as well. And being reflective - definitely being reflective. There is nothing wrong with taking a beat and going over some information, going over some things, going over a game plan, and adjusting. There's nothing wrong with that. We don't have to be strong and wrong. We could take a step back sometimes and fix some things and pivot.