Authentic Leadership in Action: Marlon Styles Brags About What’s Right in Public Education
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Release Date: 06/24/2025
Dr. Richard Ramos: Let Students Lead the Way
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
I’m excited to share my conversation with , Superintendent of the Miami Unified School District in Miami, Arizona. Dr. Ramos brings such heart to his work - lifting student voice, building true community partnerships, and embracing the beautiful messiness of leadership. Here are the three big themes from our conversation: Student Agency & Community Collaboration: How a simple idea (a Business Partner Café) became a student-led space where young people host, present, and guide conversations with local business partners. Innovation & Project-Based Learning: A look inside Miami’s...
info_outline
Leading with Heart: Dr. Darren Kennedy on the Human Side of School Leadership
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
In this episode, we are joined by , the High School Instructional Supervisor for Sumner County Schools (just outside Nashville, Tennessee). Dr. Kennedy, author of , shares powerful insights on creating transformational change in school culture and academics. Leaders, here are three things you will learn from this episode: The power of focusing on Tier One Instruction over Intervention: Darren recounts his experience as a principal of a turnaround middle school where an initial heavy reliance on supplemental intervention programs resulted in only marginal progress. Why values must be a...
info_outline
Paul Freeman on Courage, Conversation, and Confident Leadership
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
How do we prepare students to become empathic individuals and global citizens in an increasingly complex world? Dr. , Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools and Connecticut’s Superintendent of the Year, joins An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast to discuss leading transformational change through confident vulnerability. Dr. Freeman shares how Guilford’s Portrait of a Graduate (POG) model guides instruction across all grade levels: developing students as adaptable learners, responsible collaborators, critical thinkers, effective communicators, empathic...
info_outline
From Reflection to Renewal: Dr. John Anzalone and the North Star of Student-Centered Leadership
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
In this week’s episode, we sit down with , Superintendent of the Camas School District (WA). Dr. Anzalone shares his powerful reflections on leadership and what it truly means to lead with humility. Here are 3 lessons on imperfect leadership and courageous strategy we learned from John: 🌟 1. Establish a Clear North Star: Every financial decision should point back to one thing: students. 💬 2. Lead with Courage and Vulnerability 🤝 3. Rebuild Trust from Within: 🎙️ Key Takeaway: Healthy systems are built on healthy relationships. Reflection, trust, and...
info_outline
Dr. Deborah Wortham: How Leaders Set the Atmosphere for Success
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with nationally recognized educator, author of the bestseller , and CEO of Wortham Educational Enterprises. Dr. Wortham shared powerful insights on how leaders move systems forward by focusing on culture, confidence, and consistency. If you’re leading a system and striving to create the conditions for lasting transformation, here are 3 key takeaways: ✨ 1. Setting the Atmosphere & Belief-Driven Leadership: Dr. Wortham grounds her leadership in creating a cultural field that gives people permission to grow, develop, and succeed. ...
info_outline
Seeing the Unseen Child: David K. Richards and the Vision for Micro Schools
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
We recently had a powerful conversation with , nationally recognized education leader, innovator, CEO of , and host of the . The episode delves into an innovative model for educational leaders to consider. Here are three key takeaways from our conversation: 1. Understanding the Micro School Model A microschool is defined by its intimacy. David envisions Changemaker MicroSchools as small learning environments, which can range anywhere from five to 150 students. 2. Navigating Change: Disruption with Love Introducing bold ideas often means navigating resistance and naysayers....
info_outline
What If AI Were Your Business Partner? A Conversation with Matt Leta
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
What If AI Were Your Business Partner? How can school leaders use AI as a thought partner and collaborator? The conversation around AI isn’t about the future anymore, it’s about now. This week’s episode is a thought-provoking one. I sit down with , founder and CEO of FutureWorks, a serial entrepreneur, and a forward-thinking voice on AI in leadership and education. Matt doesn’t just talk about AI. He lives it. In this conversation, he shares how he launched a company with AI as his business partner, what he learned from the experience, and how those lessons connect to...
info_outline
John Rogers: The Future of Education Depends on Democracy
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
What does it really mean to lead for democracy in our schools today? This week on An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, I sit down with of UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies for a powerful conversation on one of the biggest drains on schools today: culturally divisive conflict. Dr. Rogers makes a clear distinction between healthy political debate and the anti-democratic conflict fueled by violent rhetoric and misinformation. His : 💸 One midsize district spent $1M in staff time grappling with divisive conflicts. 🕰️ Another saw public records...
info_outline
From Skepticism to Trust: Dr. Jason Radford’s Journey
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Thrilled to welcome Dr. Jason Radford, recently-retired Superintendent of Oldham County Schools (KY), to An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast. His journey is a terrific example of trust, strategy, and servant leadership. Here are three big takeaways for all of us imperfect leaders: ✨ 1. Trust Through Transparency & Vulnerability: When trust was low and turnover high, Dr. Radford launched a “Rounding Roadshow” to connect with all 1,500 employees. In year one, he publicly shared the most critical feedback (including comments about himself). That honesty...
info_outline
Dr. Carl Cohn and Navigating the New Reality of Public School Leadership
An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast
Public schools are now the "frontline of America’s intensifying cultural and political conflicts," and many superintendents find themselves unprepared for this new level of engagement. In my conversation with Dr. Carl Cohn, former superintendent in Long Beach and San Diego, McGraw Prize winner, and elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, we explored how the very nature of educational leadership has fundamentally changed. Dr. Cohn’s work with the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) and the Hewlett Foundation underscores what today’s...
info_outline🎙️Join us on An Imperfect Leader with trailblazing Marlon Styles!🎙️
This week on An Imperfect Leader: The Superintendents and Leadership Podcast, we get to feature Marlon Styles, former Superintendent of Middletown City School District (OH) and current Partner at the Learner Center Collaborative. 🏫💼
🏆 Named K12 Dive’s Superintendent of the Year in 2020, Marlon is a fierce advocate for educational equity and a visionary leader in learner-centered education.
In this powerful conversation, Marlon shares lessons on leadership, innovation, and community engagement.
Here are 3️⃣ themes you won’t want to miss:
🚀 Embracing Imperfect Leadership & Chasing Progress, Not Perfection: Marlon reminds us that great leadership means owning mistakes, elevating others, and staying grounded in humility.
✨ Championing Learner-Centered Education & The Power of Bragging: At Learner Center Collaborative, Marlon envisions systems where every learner thrives. He encourages leaders to “drown out the negative” by bragging about the amazing work happening in schools. 📸📢
💡 Strategic Innovation Through Capacity Building & Advocacy: Under his leadership, Middletown earned the ISTE Distinguished District Award 🏅 by building staff capacity and embracing innovation:
- 🕶️ VR art courses
- 🎮 eSports teams
- 🚀 Digital Leader Bootcamps
Follow Guest Marlon Styles on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlonstylesjr/
Follow Host Peter Stiepleman on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-stiepleman-76004819a/
Website: https://imperfectleader.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animperfectleader/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@animperfectleader
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Imperfect Leader is sponsored by Yondr.
Schools around the world are seeing the damaging effects of phones on student engagement, social development, and mental health.
Yondr has developed a unique product and program to allow schools to become phone-free, from arrival to dismissal.
Learn why 1 Million Students use Yondr every day.
MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS. MAXIMIZE LEARNING POTENTIAL.
Go to https://www.overyondr.com/ to learn more.
------
------
An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is supported by ILAA, LLC, a firm dedicated to supporting aspiring, new, and established leaders. For more information, please find them at https://imperfectleader.com/
Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.
Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.
