"I was fortunate enough to attend the XXII Superintendent Academy at Lamar University with 20 of the brightest superintendents in the State of Texas in 2014-2015 school year. To my surprise there were five amazing superintendents from districts outside the state.In our first intersession, I was placed in the same cohort as Gearl Loden who was the superintendent of Tupelo, Mississippi at the time.
It did not take long for me to realize what an exceptional leader Gearl was and what an amazing opportunity I had been presented. I was a young superintendent in a very small district, and was amazed with his organizational and leadership skills. I had set goals for myself in moving back into the superintendent role at a larger school district. After several conversations Gearl invited me to visit the Tupelo Public School System. They rolled the red carpet out for me and made sure that every aspect of their school district was accessible.Several areas stood out to me, one was every staff member in the district absolutely loved working for Dr. Loden.They were all very professional and every decision in the district was made with the student’s best interest at the forefront. They developed their own grow your own administrative pool. Staff members loved their jobs and looked forward to coming to work every single day. Dr. Loden hired intelligent people, gave them the resources to be successful, and was actively engaged in every aspect of every program. I attended a board meeting and visited with all five members of his board, local media, and several parents. They all loved Gearl and admired the positive culture he and his staff had created.
As the end of the year in our leadership academy neared, I asked Dr. Loden if he could assist me in the preparation for interviewing with larger districts. He shared with me two key tools that I will use daily with me for the remainder of my career.
The first was an organizational chart that included a district level five-year plan. From building maintenance, to technology, to transportation, to student population projections it covered everything. Obviously, each year you adjust your five-year plan, based off of priorities, legislative decisions, financial resources, but if you have a long-term plan, you will face very few surprises. This was how Dr. Loden was able to be as organized as any leader I had ever been associated with.
The next resource he shared with me was an was an entry plan for entering a new district. The plan includes a timeline that allows a new superintendent to evaluate the district while incorporating building a relationship with each team member in the community and the leaders that are currently on the administrative team. It combines both a short- term and long-term plan of success for the district. I have utilized this entry plan in every interview that I have been invited to. Time after time, I have board members tell me that I was the most prepared applicant for the position. There have been several times that I did not feel the district was the best fit for my family, or maybe that I was not the best fit for what the school board was looking for, but the entry plan got my foot in the door every time. It also allowed me to interview the school board and school system to determine if it was a district that would share my vision, or if my skillset could be successful there.
I consider Dr. Gearl Loden both a friend and mentor. I sincerely can not think of a leader that has helped me professionally more than Gearl has. He has a passion for academic success and he loves his students. He takes their success very personally. He makes sure that every student that graduates has the tools to be very successful as an adult."