In this episode of The Superintendent Effect, Anne Brown meets with Dr. Ellen Perconti, Superintendent of Goldendale School District 404 in rural Washington state.

Dr. Perconti discusses her 7 year journey leading with a focus on well-being for both staff and students, honoring community traditions while preparing kids for the future, and redefining success through the whole child approach.

She shares practical insights on de-stigmatizing mental health conversations, balancing technology with human connection, and the importance of staying true to your authentic leadership style.

A thoughtful conversation about strong leadership, deep student knowing, and building resilient rural communities.

Guest: Dr. Ellen PercontiHost: Anne Brown

#SuperintendentEffect #RuralSchools #EducationLeadership #WellBeing #StudentSuccess #Washington #Glendale #SchoolDistrict

Dr. Brad Keating, Associate Superintendent for Community Partnerships and Government Relations at Clark County School District (nearly 300,000 students), joins Anne Brown on The Superintendent Effect.

From Capitol Hill to the classroom and now district leadership, Dr. Keating shares how CCSD creates a “small-town feel” in a massive district through innovative parent engagement, staff wellness initiatives, and genuine community partnerships.

Highlights include:

• The emotional Ceremony of Achievement that honors parents completing 50+ hours of training

• The Night of Excellence celebrating educators and support staff

• The fun yet meaningful Monster Dash 5K focused on mental health

• Why surveying employees quarterly and carving out time for family (like coaching his son’s soccer team) matters

A hopeful, practical conversation about what strong leadership and authentic connection look like in public education today.

Guest: Dr. Brad Keating

Host: Anne Brown, Cook Center for Human Connection

The Superintendent Effect – highlighting leaders building stronger communities, one school at a time.

Dr. Brad Keating, Associate Superintendent for Community Partnerships and Government Relations at Clark County School District (nearly 300,000 students), joins Anne Brown on The Superintendent Effect.

From Capitol Hill to the classroom and now district leadership, Dr. Keating shares how CCSD creates a “small-town feel” in a massive district through innovative parent engagement, staff wellness initiatives, and genuine community partnerships.

Highlights include:

• The emotional Ceremony of Achievement that honors parents completing 50+ hours of training

• The Night of Excellence celebrating educators and support staff

• The fun yet meaningful Monster Dash 5K focused on mental health

• Why surveying employees quarterly and carving out time for family (like coaching his son’s soccer team) matters

A hopeful, practical conversation about what strong leadership and authentic connection look like in public education today.

Guest: Dr. Brad Keating

Host: Anne Brown, CooK Center for Human Connection

The Superintendent Effect – highlighting leaders building stronger communities, one school at a time.

Dr. Brad Keating, Associate Superintendent for Community Partnerships and Government Relations at Clark County School District (nearly 300,000 students), joins Anne Brown on The Superintendent Effect.

From Capitol Hill to the classroom and now district leadership, Dr. Keating shares how CCSD creates a “small-town feel” in a massive district through innovative parent engagement, staff wellness initiatives, and genuine community partnerships.

Highlights include:

• The emotional Ceremony of Achievement that honors parents completing 50+ hours of training

• The Night of Excellence celebrating educators and support staff

• The fun yet meaningful Monster Dash 5K focused on mental health

• Why surveying employees quarterly and carving out time for family (like coaching his son’s soccer team) matters

A hopeful, practical conversation about what strong leadership and authentic connection look like in public education today.

Guest: Dr. Brad Keating

Host: Anne Brown, Cook Center for Human Connection

The Superintendent Effect – highlighting leaders building stronger communities, one school at a time.

Dr. Brad Keating, Associate Superintendent for Community Partnerships and Government Relations at Clark County School District (nearly 300,000 students), joins Anne Brown on The Superintendent Effect.

From Capitol Hill to the classroom and now district leadership, Dr. Keating shares how CCSD creates a “small-town feel” in a massive district through innovative parent engagement, staff wellness initiatives, and genuine community partnerships.

Highlights include:

• The emotional Ceremony of Achievement that honors parents completing 50+ hours of training

• The Night of Excellence celebrating educators and support staff

• The fun yet meaningful Monster Dash 5K focused on mental health

• Why surveying employees quarterly and carving out time for family (like coaching his son’s soccer team) matters

A hopeful, practical conversation about what strong leadership and authentic connection look like in public education today.

Guest: Dr. Brad Keating

Host: Anne Brown, Cook Center for Human Connection

The Superintendent Effect – highlighting leaders building stronger communities, one school at a time.

Dr. Brad Keating, Associate Superintendent for Community Partnerships and Government Relations at Clark County School District (nearly 300,000 students), joins Anne Brown on The Superintendent Effect.

From Capitol Hill to the classroom and now district leadership, Dr. Keating shares how CCSD creates a “small-town feel” in a massive district through innovative parent engagement, staff wellness initiatives, and genuine community partnerships.

Highlights include:

• The emotional Ceremony of Achievement that honors parents completing 50+ hours of training

• The Night of Excellence celebrating educators and support staff

• The fun yet meaningful Monster Dash 5K focused on mental health

• Why surveying employees quarterly and carving out time for family (like coaching his son’s soccer team) matters

A hopeful, practical conversation about what strong leadership and authentic connection look like in public education today.

Guest: Dr. Brad Keating

Host: Anne Brown, Cook Center for Human Connection

The Superintendent Effect – highlighting leaders building stronger communities, one school at a time.

In this episode of the The Superintendent Effect, Anne sits down with Glenn Robbins, Superintendent of Brigantine Public Schools in New Jersey, live from the AASA National Conference on Education in Nashville. 

Glenn shares his unique journey from being a fourth-generation water well driller to becoming a leading voice in educational leadership.

We dive into his "culture-first" philosophy, exploring how his district achieved a 95% happiness and engagement rating by focusing on human capacity and positive psychology. Glenn also discusses his new book, Unclench Your Fist, which offers a look at making hard leadership calls and thriving in the world of administration.

Highlights include:

• The Power of Happiness: Why culture is the most important work a leader can do.

  
  

• Navigating AI: How to bridge the digital gap in Artificial Intelligence.

  
  

• Raising Resilient Kids: The importance of allowing the next generation to face adversity and freely explore.

Terry Thoren spent decades producing legendary content like The Rugrats, The Simpsons, and The Wild Thornberrys. Now, as CEO of Wonder Media, he is using his expertise to tackle the youth mental health crisis.

In this episode, Anne Brown (Cook Center for Human Connection) and Terry discuss the creation of My Life is Worth Living, the first animated series designed specifically to support teen mental health and suicide prevention. Terry explains the rigorous process of working with psychologists to "model the language" for kids who feel they don't have a voice.

Key Highlights:

• Bridging the Gap: How animation creates a safe space for kids to see themselves and seek help.

• Character Studies: Lessons learned from Emily’s recovery, Dante’s search for identity, and Kyle’s struggle with cyberbullying.

• Parental Support: How My Life is Worth Living models conversations for parents to know how to have difficult conversations with their children.

• A 50-Year Career: Terry reflects on his journey from teaching his first animation class in 1975 to reaching billions of children today.

Listen in to discover how to use these free resources in your school or home. Visit MyLifeIsWorthLiving.org to watch the series.

"If you help a family when that first child is struggling, you might be helping the second, third, and fourth child as well."

Hardin Schools Superintendent Tobin Novasio joins us to break down the "waterfall effect" of school mental health. In this episode, we explore how Montana’s first Hope Squad adopter is integrating AI-powered student support and parent coaching to create a holistic safety net for rural communities.

Inside the Episode:

• The personal "why": Tobin shares his journey as a first-generation college student who navigated high school with undiagnosed depression.

• Innovation in the Reservation: Supporting Native American students on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations through authentic partnerships.

• Staff Well-being: Why "Staff Guidance" and professional development programs like Deloitte’s "Courageous Principals" are non-negotiable for leadership.

• AI vs. Burnout: How Eliza Chat provides 24/7 support so counselors don't have to be "on the clock" every second.

Blake Vargas, Superintendent of Caney Valley School District, joined The Superintendent Effect at the AASA National Conference on Education to explain how he has bucked the national trend with an 11-year tenure.

In this episode, Blake shares his "Pace of Grace" approach to educator mental health, a strategy designed to attract and retain professionals in a challenging landscape. We also explore how his southeast Kansas district empowers students through a unique partnership with local community colleges, allowing high schoolers to graduate with both a diploma and an associate degree.

Whether you are a rural educator or a district leader, Blake’s insights on "removing barriers" for teachers and students offer a roadmap for sustainable, high-impact leadership.

Key Topics:

• Solving the teacher and leader retention crisis.

• The impact of multi-generational education legacies.

• Connecting student passion to academic success.

• The role of music and the arts in leadership mental health.