In this episode, I had the honor of welcoming long-time education leader Dr. Ian Buchanan to the podcast to share his personal journey in education, his process for developing strong leaders through his company The Nia Education Group, his perspective on the current state of educational leadership during COVID-19, and so much more!  To learn more about Dr. Ian's work, you can visit his company's website at niaeducationgroup.org and/or follow him on Twitter (@docianbuchanan).  

BIO: Dr. Ian Buchanan, President/CEO of Nia Education Group, has committed almost three decades in service of students, organizations, families and communities. “Dr. Ian” has an impressively broad range of leadership, coaching, teaching and professional development experiences. His work has primarily been in the sectors below:  - Traditional Public School District Leadership (St. Louis Region) - Public (Portfolio) Charter District Leadership (Achievement School District-Tennessee) - Informal Science Education Leadership (National Science Foundation, St. Louis Science Center) - Education Nonprofit Leadership (Teach For America-St. Louis, Inspire STL) - Higher Education Administration (Harris-Stowe State University) - Adult Basic Education  (The School of University City – Adult Education Program) - Board Leadership (Jamaa Academy, IamESTL Foundation)  Capacity-building is a skill, passion and gift for Dr. Ian. This commitment to capacity-building is driven by two guiding principles. The first guiding principle is “To whom much is given, much is required.” Ian recognizes his level of access, opportunity and capital. He leverages that and decades of experience, technical skills and passion for change to help individuals and organizations reach their fullest potential.  The second principle that undergirds the work at Nia Education Group is the West African concept, ubuntu. Loosely translated, in means, “I am because we are.” Nia Education Group understands that we can only achieve transformative change if we embrace a commitment to a collective responsibility. We do our work with the belief that our commitment to our clients will translate into structural and systemic change.