Dr. Jill Urich, CPC, ELI-MP
Dr. Jill Urich, CPC, ELI-MP, is an experienced educational leader, executive coach, and consultant dedicated to helping individuals and organizations grow through purpose-driven leadership and meaningful connection. With more than three decades of service in education, she has held senior leadership roles including principal, assistant superintendent, director of college and career readiness, and chief academic officer. Her work is centered on strengthening systems, developing leaders, and building cultures where people can thrive through clarity of mission, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Dr. Urich holds a Ph.D. in Leadership from Iowa State University along with multiple graduate degrees in Educational Administration and School Counseling from Drake University, and a teaching degree from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a Certified Professional Coach (CPC) and Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP) through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), and has completed extensive training in cognitive coaching, adult learning, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness. Across her career, she has led system-wide initiatives in strategic planning, performance management, career-connected learning, workforce alignment, and leadership development, consistently guiding teams through growth, change, and transformation.
Through her coaching and consulting practice, LJUrich Consulting, she continues her mission of helping people and organizations reach their highest potential. She believes deeply that leadership is fundamentally about working with people and bringing out the best in them—helping individuals recognize their unique gifts while aligning their strengths to a shared mission. She is especially energized by opportunities to enter complex or challenging environments, build trust, and foster collaboration where it may not yet exist. Over the course of her journey, she has found the greatest fulfillment in those “goosebump moments” when individuals grow into who they aspire to be. Colleagues consistently describe her as someone who develops people and strengthens teams, a reflection of her enduring commitment to growing others, inspiring leadership, and creating lasting impact in every space she serves.
• Professional coaching certification through IPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching)
• Certified Professional Coach, Professional Coaching
• Energy Leadership™ Index Master Practitioner (ELI-MP)
• Coaching Fundamentals Certificate
• University of Northern Iowa - Bachelor's degree, Music Education PK-12
• Drake University - 2 Masters Degrees, (Ed Leadership/Administration; School Counseling)
• Ankeny Chamber
• Association career technical education
• International Coaching Federation
• Greater Des Moines Partnership
What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to surrounding myself with people, with amazing people. And I would say even people who are smarter than me. I just love working with amazing people. And then I would also not want to discount my faith in all of this, too. I think just, you know, having faith to lean into that reminds me of who I am and how I'm supposed to serve, that's made a big difference, too.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received is to just be curious. Like, I'm never gonna have all the answers. And by being curious, that means I'm continuously learning, but it also means I'm continuously leaning into the people around me. It's that concept of 1 plus 1 equals 3. Like, if I work with other people on anything, we will come up with something better than we would have come up with by ourselves. It's just all about being curious in every aspect of your life.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her it's that whole concept of we versus me, right? Like, I would tell her it's finding that sweet spot about being strong and confident on who you are, and knowing you are entering a field where it's an expectation that you're going to be collaborative and interdependent in your work. I think there's a challenge of helping women be strong and confident on who they are, and you can do both - you can be successful at work and you can be a mom. It was having the confidence to say, you know what, I can do both, and I'm modeling for my own kids, my own daughter at home. I can do this and be a successful woman, and I can be a mom and show you how to be a successful woman. It's a challenge, but when you embrace it as an opportunity, like I have an opportunity here to impact my own kid at home just as much as I'm impacting the kids I'm serving every day in education.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
For young women entering education, I think there's an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of kids and adults. When you're placed in a school building, you have an opportunity every day to impact everybody around you, so outside of the formal instruction that takes place, you have an opportunity to impact the culture, families of students, families and colleagues and kids, just by the way you live your life on a day-to-day basis. Just that opportunity to learn how to serve, but it starts with you on the inside, right? Like, how is your head and your heart aligning, so that you can live your day impacting everyone around you. It's a huge opportunity to make an impact on the future by working with kids. As far as challenges, there's this internal tug of I'm supposed to be the best at work, and I'm supposed to be the best at home, and how do I make those two things come together? So I think just the challenge of helping women be strong and confident on who they are, and you can do both.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My most important values in both my professional and personal life are faith, family, teamwork, innovation, service, and continuous learning. My faith grounds my purpose and guides how I show up in the world, while my family keeps me centered and reminds me of what matters most. I deeply value teamwork and believe meaningful progress happens when people come together around a shared mission, contributing their unique strengths toward a common goal. I am also energized by innovation and creation finding new and better ways to solve problems, improve systems, and support growth. At the core of everything I do is service, and I strive to use my skills and leadership to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I also value lifelong learning, staying curious and open so I can continue to grow, adapt, and better serve those I work with.