The summit will focus on innovative strategies to enhance student engagement, prioritize well-being, support teacher development, and lead with belonging and empathy.
Audience: K-12 school and district leaders, including administrators and superintendents
Date: Thursday, June 12 from 8:15 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Courtyard Marriott University Heights (901 Melrose Ave, Iowa City, IA 52246)
Cost: $75 (includes lunch and snacks) | Register Now
Goals
Empower leaders to drive change by embracing new models for student engagement and well-being.
Provide actionable strategies to support teacher development, student mental health, and positive school culture.
Build a community of educators dedicated to leading with empathy, and a vision for a brighter future in K-12 education.
Schedule
8:15-8:30 a.m. | Welcome: Rooted in Purpose: A Promise to Iowa’s Schools (Presenter: Kari Vogelgesang, PhD, Clinical Professor; Director, Baker Teacher Leader Center; Director, Professional Development, Scanlan Center for School Mental Health)
What happens when a state makes a bold commitment to the mental health of its students and educators? In this conference kick-off, Dr. Kari Vogelgesang shares the story of the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health—why it was created, the heart behind its mission, and the hope it brings to schools across Iowa. Through real stories and a clear vision, this 15-minute session will remind us what’s possible when we invest in people, listen deeply, and work together to build a future where every student and educator feels supported, understood, and empowered.
8:30 - 9:15 a.m. | Keynote: Leadership Under Pressure - Making Meaning in a BANI Reality (Presenter: Steve Murley, MSEdAd, EdS, Clinical Instructor, University of Iowa College of Education in the Educational Policy and Leadership Studies Department)
Participants will be introduced to the BANI framework—Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible—and its relevance to today’s leadership challenges. Drawing on the insights of Jamais Cascio and other thought leaders, this session unpacks the emotional and organizational toll of leading in a BANI world. Participants will engage in interactive table discussions that help them identify how these conditions are showing up in their own systems, revealing how brittleness, anxiety, unpredictability, and complexity influence their teams, decisions, and personal leadership presence. This segment also explores the human cost of BANI and the shift from descriptive models like VUCA to more emotionally attuned frameworks. Leaders will reflect on how cascading crises and systemic fragility impact workplace culture, burnout, and performance. Through real-world school-based examples and structured dialogue, the session lays a compelling foundation for why resilient leadership is more than a skill, it is a necessity for fostering sustainable performance and well-being in educational systems.
9:30-10:30 a.m. | Becoming a More Resilient Leader (Presenter: Steve Murley, MSEdAd, EdS)
This session focuses on building practical, actionable resilience using the Resilience at Work (R@W) model. Participants will explore the seven dimensions of personal and professional resilience—Living Authentically, Finding Your Calling, Maintaining Perspective, Mastering Stress, Interacting Cooperatively, Staying Healthy, and Building Networks. Each dimension is paired with realistic workplace challenges and evidence-based strategies to help leaders assess and strengthen their individual and organizational resilience capacities. Table talks, reflective questions, and behavior-change prompts guide participants in identifying where their own resilience is strong and where support systems may be lacking. This segment empowers leaders to develop more intentional self-care routines, build psychological safety within teams, and realign their work with personal purpose and values. By session’s end, participants will leave with a clearer sense of how to not only survive adversity but also to grow through it, creating a resilient culture that starts at the top.
10:45-11:45 a.m. | CATCHLIFE30: Helping School Administrators Find and Sustain Their Proper Leadership-Life Fit (Presenter: Rick Schubach, Founder CATCHLIFE30)
In this energizing and practical session, former 33-year Iowa educator and CATCHLIFE founder Rick Schupbach introduces the CATCHLIFE30 Challenge, a wellness experience designed by an educator, for educators. Built around five essential self-care areas—hydration, physical activity, nutrition, social-emotional health, and sleep—this 30-day journey offers a simple, sustainable way for leaders to build better habits in just five minutes a day. Participants will explore how intentional investment in personal well-being is not just a luxury, but a necessity for effective, sustained leadership. Through stories, insights, and actionable strategies, Schupbach will help leaders reconnect with their own health, purpose, and energy. The session highlights how CATCHLIFE30 empowers school administrators to manage stress, boost performance, and model balance for those they lead. As a bonus, all participants will receive complimentary access to the CATCHLIFE30 Challenge, making this more than a presentation—it’s an invitation to catch your life back, one healthy habit at a time.
11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. | Lunch
12:45-1:45 p.m. | Classroom Belonging Audits: Augmenting the Spectrum of Belonging in Schools (Presenter: Jeff Walls, PhD, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Iowa)
A widespread sense of belonging at school is essential for a healthy school culture, academic success, and healthy peer and adult relationships for students. The gateways of belonging exist along a spectrum from inflexible to highly flexible. Research has shown that school leaders play an essential role in promoting belonging in schools through their influence on teacher beliefs and efficacy, and through setting a cultural vision for the expansiveness (and limits) of school belonging. The purpose of this session is to grant leaders access to schools and understandings that will facilitate the creation of welcoming schools. This session has two components. First, participants will be introduced to the affordances of a spectrum-based understanding of belonging, and the ways that improving the flexibility of belonging can enhance school climate. Second, participants will explore the components of a Classroom Belonging Audit tool featuring a Ghost Walk Protocol, Photo Elicitation Data Gathering, and a classroom walkthrough exercise.
2:00-3:00 p.m. | Panel – Resilience in Real Time: A Conversation with School Leaders (Facilitator: John Speer, Chief Administrator, Grant Wood Area Education Agency)
Panelist: Caleb Bonjour, Superintendent, Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District
Panelist: Jason Wester, Superintendent, West Burlington Independent School District
In this engaging and candid follow-up session, a panel of experienced school and district administrators will share personal stories that illuminate the themes explored in the presentation. Each panelist will offer their own reflections on navigating their leadership journeys, connecting the BANI and R@W frameworks to lived experiences. Through storytelling, participants will hear how resilience was built, challenged, and redefined in the face of real adversity. The session will include audience Q&A, allowing participants to explore deeper questions about how resilient leadership takes shape in different contexts. Whether it’s managing public crises, rebuilding fractured teams, or maintaining a sense of calling in difficult seasons, panelists will offer practical wisdom and emotional insight. This discussion brings the learning full circle, modeling the vulnerability, authenticity, and adaptability that resilient leadership requires.
3:15 – 4:00 p.m. | Closing & Commitments (Presenter: Mark Hopkins, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies)
Special thanks to our event sponsors! EdWeb and CatchLife30
This event is hosted by the University of Iowa’s Educational Policy and Leadership Studies Program, Baker Teacher Leader Center, and Scanlan Center for School Mental Health.