Sheila Crotty Kagan

I attribute my success to my family. They've always been really supportive of me throughout my career. I work long hours and have worked a lot of weekends over the years. My current job requires me to travel quite a bit, and through all of that, my family has been completely supportive of me. Their support has allowed me to pursue my passion for educational leadership and make the impact I want to make for students.

The best career advice I ever received came from one of my college professors, Howard Boltink, who was a retired superintendent of Sunset Ridge School District in Illinois. He told me that you'll always sleep well at night if you lead with integrity. That advice has stayed with me throughout my career and has become a guiding principle in how I approach my work and leadership. It's something I now share with others as well.

I would say learn from those who've come before you. We've made mistakes that maybe you don't have to make, and we've experienced success that we can share with you, so take advantage of every opportunity to learn from people who have been in the field longer. But also, be grounded in knowing who you are and what you believe in. You'll always sleep well at night if you know that you lead with integrity. That foundation of knowing yourself and your values will serve you well throughout your career.

Education is always changing, so keeping current is essential. One of the biggest challenges is finding a balance between traditional teaching methods that we know work for students and bridging the gap with technology, especially in the age of AI. I've been using AI a lot, but I still have mixed feelings about it. I think it has a lot of value, but there's still some caution needed. Another major challenge is that it's always hard to reach everybody and help everyone see how important the non-core areas are in education for all students. All students deserve a well-rounded education that includes physical education, the arts, and athletics. But with these challenges also comes opportunity - there's a lot of opportunity to educate and to help schools and communities grow in their understanding of the importance of comprehensive education.

Above everything else, I come into education with a mindset of fairness and equity. Making sure that all students have opportunities is really my primary guiding force. Fairness, integrity, equity, and safety are the keys of my own value system. These values guide everything I do, both in my professional work and in my personal life. They're the foundation of how I approach leadership and how I make decisions.