Joanne Salvatore, M.Ed.

I attribute my success to a combination of lifelong learning, meaningful mentorship, resilience, and a willingness to continually step outside of my comfort zone. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to learn from people who challenged me, believed in me, opened doors, and helped me recognize possibilities I may not have seen for myself. Those relationships taught me an important lesson: we are not meant to grow alone.

At the same time, I have always been someone who believes there is more to learn, more to experience, and another level of growth to pursue. Whether through earning advanced degrees, pursuing my doctorate, attending and presenting at professional conferences, seeking new leadership opportunities, building businesses, launching a podcast, or simply surrounding myself with people who inspire me, I intentionally put myself in spaces that challenge me to evolve.

I also attribute my success to being willing to say yes before I have every detail figured out. Some of the most meaningful opportunities in my life have come from taking a chance, trusting myself, and being willing to learn along the way. I have learned that growth rarely happens when we remain completely comfortable.

As I have progressed in my career, mentorship has also become something I feel responsible for giving back. Through my work in education, Joanne Bernadette Coaching, Be Elite, and my broader professional network, I now have the privilege of encouraging and mentoring others as they navigate their own careers, goals, and reinventions. I believe success becomes even more meaningful when you can use what you have learned to help someone else move forward.

Ultimately, I attribute my success to remaining curious, staying open to reinvention, building genuine relationships, working hard, and refusing to believe that I have reached the final version of who I am capable of becoming.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is: Don’t wait until you feel completely ready—growth happens when you are willing to step into the opportunity and become ready along the way.

For a long time, I believed that the next opportunity required another credential, more experience, or the perfect timing. Over the years, I’ve learned that some of the greatest moments in my career have come from saying yes to something that stretched me.

I’ve also learned not to allow a job title to define the limits of my potential. Your career can evolve as you evolve. You can be an educator and an entrepreneur, a leader and a learner, a mentor and someone who still seeks mentorship. You are allowed to pivot, reinvent yourself, and pursue new opportunities without diminishing everything you have already accomplished.

Today, that is advice I pass along to others: take the opportunity, trust what you bring to the table, stay willing to learn, and don’t be afraid to create a path that doesn’t look like everyone else’s.

My advice to young women entering education and leadership is to find your voice early and trust that it belongs in the room. You do not have to wait for a certain title, number of years of experience, or someone else's permission to contribute ideas, advocate for change, or lead.

Be willing to learn from everyone around you, and intentionally seek out mentors—especially women who will challenge you, champion you, and tell you the truth. At the same time, never underestimate the importance of becoming that woman for someone else as you grow.

I would also encourage young women not to put themselves into one professional box. Your first role does not have to be your final destination. Education has given me opportunities to be a teacher, administrator, advocate, coach, speaker, entrepreneur, mentor, and lifelong learner. Allow your career to evolve as you do.

Most importantly, don't shrink yourself to make other people comfortable. Ask questions. Share your ideas. Apply for the position even when you don't meet every qualification. Take the seat at the table—and when you get there, look around and see who else you can invite in.

Your success is not only about how far you go; it is also about how many doors you help open along the way.

One of the greatest challenges—and greatest opportunities—in education right now is learning how to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse and rapidly changing student population while also supporting the educators responsible for serving them. In multilingual education specifically, we cannot view language development as the responsibility of one ESL teacher or department. Every educator who teaches a multilingual learner plays a role in that student's success.

We are also navigating significant changes in technology, particularly artificial intelligence. I see tremendous opportunity in using AI and other innovative tools to make instruction more accessible, personalize learning, reduce administrative burdens, and help educators work more strategically. At the same time, we have a responsibility to use these tools thoughtfully and ensure that technology strengthens—not replaces—the relationships and human connection at the heart of education.

Another challenge is educator burnout and retention. We ask educators to carry an enormous amount of responsibility, and if we want stronger outcomes for students, we have to invest just as intentionally in the adults serving them. That means meaningful professional development, effective coaching, supportive leadership, and cultures where educators feel valued and equipped to grow.

Ultimately, I believe this is an exciting moment for education because we have an opportunity to rethink systems that may no longer serve today's students and teachers. The question is no longer simply, "How do we help students fit into the system?" It is, "How do we build systems that are responsive enough to help every student thrive?" That is the work I am most passionate about being part of.

The values that guide me most are integrity, authenticity, growth, connection, service, and courage. I believe who you are when no one is watching should align with the person you present to the world, and I try to lead with that same authenticity in both my professional and personal life.

Growth is especially important to me. I never want to become so comfortable with what I know or what I have accomplished that I stop learning. I believe we are always capable of evolving, which is why reinvention has become such an important theme in my life and work.

I also deeply value connection and service. Whether I am working with students and educators, mentoring someone, coaching a client, building a professional relationship, or simply showing up for the people in my life, I want people to feel seen, valued, and supported. To me, leadership is ultimately about people.

Finally, I value courage—the courage to advocate for what is right, to have difficult conversations, to take a chance on yourself, and to change direction when you know you are being called toward something more.

At this stage of my life, I think often about legacy. I want the work I do and the life I build to matter beyond my own accomplishments. If I can use my experiences, voice, and opportunities to help someone else believe bigger, grow stronger, or open a door they once thought was closed, that is the kind of success and impact I want to leave behind.