Educator Leadership Academy A Huge Success

Concordia’s new Servant Leader Institute (SLI) offered its inaugural Educator Leadership Academy (ELA) in May, drawing educators from all over California, most of whom had no connection to Concordia before this event. Enrollment was capped at 60 participants.

“It was really very humbling to see how the Lord blessed this leadership academy,” says founding director and longtime Concordia education program leader, Kent Schlichtemeier. “I don’t know that we could have asked for more in our first year.”

The three-day weekend intensive was comprised of eight seminars on topics such as establishing a positive school culture, building trust as a leader, and lessons on leadership and character learned in the Marine Corps.

“The SLI was developed to help prepare servant-leaders for education,” says Schlichtemeier. “This leadership academy was one piece of that vision—a very big piece because we had the opportunity to reach out to practitioners in schools and offer support to them as they are leading. We felt it was a very great success because of the positive affirmations we received all weekend.”

Participants enjoyed a number of meals together in what Schlichtemeier calls “a fun, festive time where we developed relationships and new friendships.”

A number of participants told him they felt reenergized and recommitted to the education profession.

“That was an overarching goal of the academy, since many education leaders are leaving the profession due to intense pressures these past two years,” he says.

For participants, the experience continues as each has the opportunity to work with a leadership coach for 10 months beginning in August. Coaches will encourage, support, and mentor participants as they work to improve one aspect of their classroom and/or school setting. The coach will also help each develop a personal leadership plan with a mission, vision, curriculum vitae, and goals.

Part 2 of the ELA will take place in January 2023, when participants can return to campus for more seminars and an opportunity to debrief about progress made in their quests to become more exemplary servant leaders, Schlichtemeier says.

It was really very humbling to see how the Lord blessed this leadership academy.

Faculty and staff from Concordia’s School of Education and other partners within the University helped make the inaugural event a success, as did generous financial support from the Kern Family Foundation, which made the academy possible.