In this episode I interview Tom Shelton, PhD, an established expert, leader, teacher, professor at Johns Hopkins University, and a true lifelong learner.  Tom is an expert in the United States educational system having served as a District School Superintendent, and subsequently the Executive Director of the Kentucky State of Superintendents Association responsible for several school districts across Kentucky , before transitioning into his role as the Director of the National Center of Education and Economy. His forward thinking approach to education promises to make a difference in our next generation which today regards educational "content as a commodity" readily available in our digital times. I met him two years ago when we certified in the Leading Organizations and Change at the MIT Sloan Business School of Management, during which his personal and professional stories he had shared with me immediately left a strong mark on me.  Tom shares candid stories of success as well as setbacks, his tested insights and nuances on the current state of education in the United States as well as globally, his four points of leadership he uses to manage large groups of people, his perspectives on the need of the educational system to undergo a transformation in order to catch up with the business world that is evolving more rapidly, and his call for greater emphasis on the equity of education and experiential, apprenticeship based learning that can better prepare the next generation for the real world and improve our economy.