Better Learning Podcast

Innovative Leadership in Education with Dr. Sarah Stone

Jeff Kubiak sits down with Dr. Sara Stone, Superintendent of Albany Unified School District in California’s East Bay, to discuss what it takes to lead meaningful change while building trust with a school community. With 32 years in education, Sara reflects on her journey from classroom teacher to superintendent and the lessons she has learned about leadership, collaboration, and putting students first. The conversation explores Albany Unified’s $63.8 million Measure L bond, which passed with 72% voter approval, and how the district is approaching facility upgrades, wildfire resilience,...

The Role of Community Engagement in School Redesign with Dr. Robert Hunt

Better Learning Podcast

Matt Rogers sits down with Dr. Robert Hunt, Superintendent of Upper Arlington Schools, to explore his experience leading major school facility projects and the district’s current $273 million bond initiative for two new middle schools and an early childhood building. Dr. Hunt shares lessons from 16 years as a superintendent, including renovating a 100-year-old historic building in Chagrin Falls, navigating a major facilities referendum in Illinois, and now leading Upper Arlington through a process built around extensive community engagement. The conversation dives into how the district...

What Community Members Get Wrong About School Construction with Dr. George Hummer

Better Learning Podcast

Kevin Stoller sits down with Dr. George Hummer, Superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools, to explore his journey from special education aide to school district leader, and the district's ongoing effort to build its fourth high school. Dr. Hummer shares how his mother's career as a special education teacher and his own experience working with students with disabilities shaped his empathy-driven leadership style. The conversation dives deep into the mechanics of planning new school construction — including the critical difference between "design capacity" and "program capacity," how...

Leading Districts with Emotional Intelligence with Dr. Adam Swinyard

Better Learning Podcast

Dr. Adam Swinyard, Superintendent of Spokane Public Schools and 2023 Washington Superintendent of the Year, joins the Jeff Kubiak to discuss leading one of Washington's largest districts through a rapidly shifting information and mental health landscape. Adam shares how Spokane centers everything on relationships, why transparency and "doors and windows" communication have replaced the old top-down model, and how the district's Engage in Real Life initiative and revised cell phone policy are tackling the youth mental health crisis. He also reflects candidly on lessons learned since becoming...

Reshaping How We View School Campuses with Dr. Sharon Bradley

Better Learning Podcast

Dr. Sharon Bradley, founder of Bradley Site Design and a landscape architect with four decades of experience, joins Matt Rogers to explore how school campuses can become powerful teaching tools rather than just backdrops. Sharon shares how her childhood in the English countryside shaped her belief in "environment as teacher," and explains her curriculum integration model — mapping specific lesson units directly onto campus features like whisper walls, bioretention gardens, and stormwater "raindrop journeys." She also discusses how early collaboration between landscape architects, building...

Making Career Education Visible with Mark Shephard

Better Learning Podcast

Mark Shepard, K-12 Advisor at BVH Architecture, joins Carla Cummins to share his unusual path from industrial tech teacher to school superintendent to architectural firm advisor. Drawing on his experience leading a transformative CTE center project in Fremont, Nebraska, Mark discusses how listening to local industry and students — not just assumptions from educators — reshaped a district's approach to career and technical education. He dives into the design choices that put CTE on display rather than hidden away, the partnerships with local businesses that created real jobs for students,...

Facilities Leadership in a Fast-Growing District with Matt Wark

Better Learning Podcast

Matt Wark, Chief Facilities Officer for Forsyth County Schools, joins Katie Jubenville to share his unconventional path from a struggling student written off by his own guidance counselor to leading facilities for one of Georgia's fastest-growing, top-performing school districts. Matt discusses how his personal journey through teaching, administration, and district leadership shapes his "houses, not buildings" philosophy of facilities management, and dives into how Forsyth balances explosive growth with maintenance, community trust, and cost. He also shares his perspective as president of the...

Making Every Dollar Count with Jennifer Gibb

Better Learning Podcast

In this episode, Jeff Kubiak talks with Jennifer Gibb, Vice President of Business Development at Van Pelt Construction Services, about turning school bond measures into real buildings. With 20+ years spanning district facilities leadership, bond program management, and consulting, Jen shares how districts navigate tight budgets, layered funding sources, and community skepticism to deliver modern learning environments. The conversation dives into strategic bond planning, the real story behind fast-tracked construction after a razor-thin bond vote, balancing capital projects against general fund...

Turning Campuses into Learning Tools with Orin Williams

Better Learning Podcast

Jeff Kubiak sits down with Orin Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Facilities, Planning, and Development at Riverside Unified School District, to unpack a 33-year career in school facilities planning. Orin traces his path from architecture school at Cal Poly Pomona through private practice into public education facilities, sharing how his design background shapes his advocacy for thoughtful, human-centered school environments. The conversation covers turning aging campuses into cohesive learning spaces, building community trust around bond projects, balancing tight budgets against big...

Inside Rock Hill's $336M Vision for Safer, Smarter Schools with Andrew Jones

Better Learning Podcast

In this episode, Matt Rogers sits down with Andrew Jones, Executive Director for Safety and Emergency Management at Rock Hill School District (South Carolina), to explore how safety and design intersect in modern school construction. Andrew shares his winding path from youth ministry to law enforcement, teaching, and school administration before landing in his current role. The conversation dives deep into the district's new Sunset Park Elementary School project — a $336 million, 10-year facilities initiative — covering CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design), hardwired...

More Episodes

In this episode, Matt Rogers sits down with Candice Leinneweber, Director of Design at MA+ Architecture and 2025 EdMarket NextGen Award winner, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it takes to design schools that truly serve students. Candice shares her winding path — from a family bakery in San Diego, to an accounting class that sent her running toward architecture, to teaching college courses for seven years before becoming a licensed architect. The conversation digs into how her dual training in architecture and interior design shapes her approach to K-12 spaces, what it really means to design for security without creating a prison-like atmosphere, and the exciting Oklahoma Aviation Academy project currently under construction in Norman. Candice also shares her work chairing an AIA committee building a framework to expose K-12 students to careers in architecture and design.

Takeaways:

Design with the "why" first. Candice's core approach — whether working with a client, a contractor, or a student — is to keep asking why until you understand the real goal. That clarity is what separates a decision that holds up 20 years from one that just looks good on day one.
Security and joy aren't opposites. A recurring challenge in K-12 design today is creating spaces that feel open, welcoming, and engaging while also meeting rigorous safety requirements. Candice describes threading that needle on the Oklahoma Aviation Academy by designing for visibility, hiding places in emergencies, and an inviting open atmosphere simultaneously.
Meet students where they are. Whether through student surveys, post-occupancy research, or thoughtful space programming, truly student-centered design means designing for the full spectrum of learners — the quiet kid, the kinesthetic learner, the future engineer, and everyone in between.
Flexibility is the best hedge against an uncertain future. Rather than betting on what education will look like in 30 years, Candice designs spaces that can be rearranged, reprogrammed, and adapted — so a learning stair can be a tour stop, a study group, and a pickup class depending on the day.
Exposure is everything. Candice's AIA committee work is rooted in her own experience: she didn't discover architecture until late in college because she simply didn't know it was attainable. Creating pathways for students to shadow architects, visit job sites, and see what the field actually looks like can change the trajectory of a career.

About Candice Leinneweber:

Candice Leinneweber serves as Director of Design, integrating mentorship and leadership into the firm’s design culture while guiding innovative K–12 education projects. She champions collaborative engagement with school stakeholders to deliver thoughtful, user-centered environments that support learning and community impact. Candice also chairs a K–12 architecture awareness initiative with The American Institute of Architects, partnering with local school districts to expand access to architecture and engineering careers through tours, site visits, and curriculum integration.

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Episode 333 of the Better Learning Podcast

For more information on our partners:

Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/

Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/

Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/