Ryan Wamser — Director of School Improvement for ROE #40 and Director of the Illinois Area 5 SEL Hub
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Release Date: 05/08/2025
John McGowan — HUB Senior Account Executive, Education Specialty Practice
The High Performing Educator Podcast
John McGowan has joined HUB as Senior Account Executive, Education Specialty Practice. John’s 20 years of campus leadership experience will enhance HUB's industry-leading Education Specialty Practice to meet the evolving needs of campuses across Canada. As the General Manager of the McMaster Students’ Union, John played an integral role in four capital projects with a cumulative budget in excess of $95 million to support student life. In addition, he oversaw an annual budget of $13 million, was responsible for over 150 staff, supported 250+...
info_outline
Michael Lobuzzetta — Principal at Cleveland Hill High School
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Michael Lobuzzetta has been a dedicated leader and educator within the Cleveland Hill community for over thirteen years. He currently serves as Principal of Cleveland Hill High School, where he is committed to fostering academic excellence, personal growth, and social responsibility in students, while building a collaborative and engaging school culture for staff, families, and the wider community. Before becoming Principal, Michael served as Assistant Principal for four years and as a Special Education Teacher at the high school level. Throughout his career, he has contributed to numerous...
info_outline
Danny Viotto — Director of Senior School at The Country Day School
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Joining us this year, Danny Viotto brings a wealth of experience to the CDS community as the new Director of Senior School. Having led the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board as the Director of Education for the past several years, Danny also served as an Academic Superintendent, an Elementary Principal and a Senior School Principal with HSCDSB for almost 15 years. He believes strongly that as educators we are called to develop the full potential of every child. In between his roles at HSCDSB, Danny spent two years as School Principal at De La Salle College, an independent school in...
info_outline
Peter Cowan — Vice Principal at Ursuline College in Chatham
The High Performing Educator Podcast
With a strong background in mathematics education, Peter Cowan has dedicated his career to fostering confidence and perseverance in students. As the former Head of the Math Department at Ursuline College Chatham, he played a pivotal role in improving the school's EQAO scores by 24% over five years. However, beyond the numbers, Peter takes pride in the transformation within the classroom—witnessing students develop resilience and belief in their ability to tackle challenging problems. Now serving as Vice Principal, Peter continues to focus on supporting students who have struggled...
info_outline
Zoran Stojković — Mental Performance Specialist with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Zoran Stojković is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and has extensive experience helping athletes and high-performance professionals develop the psychological skills necessary to perform under pressure. He currently works as a Mental Performance Specialist with Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services as a Mental Performance Specialist supporting pilots in optimizing focus, confidence, and resilience in high-stakes environments. With over 15 years of experience coaching tennis and more than eight years as a Mental Performance Consultant with his company Kizo Performance,...
info_outline
Jeevan Dhami — Vice Principal of Queen Elizabeth Secondary School
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Jeevan Dhami is a the vice principal Queen Elizabeth Secondary School in British Columbia. He originally began his career as an Outreach Worker in 2014 at the same secondary school he would return to as a continuing teacher in 2019. With an extensive background in community work through various organizations, Jeevan consistently pursued academics while attending to further his education. He completed his Bachelor of Arts with a focus in History and Criminology, then a Bachelors of Education with a focus on Environmental Education and is currently working on completing his Masters in...
info_outline
Frank Cappadocia — Dean of Continuous Professional Learning at Humber Polytechnic
The High Performing Educator Podcast
A leader ‘of firsts’ Frank Cappadocia enjoys the thrill and challenges of new ventures. In his current position as Dean of Humber College’s Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) operations. Tasked with building Humber’s CPL activities, Frank works with all of Humber’s Senior Deans, Associate-Deans, and dozens of external partners to deliver the 400+ professional courses CPL offers each term. Known to be a solutions-focused, mission-driven leader, Frank’s spent the last 30 years trying to improve the quality of full-time, part-time, and continuing education student, staff, and...
info_outline
Cherie Sawaryn — Executive Director of the Students’ Association of NorQuest College and Founder of BeeKind Hive
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Cherie Sawaryn (@BeeKindHive) is the Founder of BeeKind Hive, and the Executive Director of the Students’ Association of NorQuest College. With over 20 years of experience in leadership, coaching, and the student community, Cherie has designed and delivered workshops across Canada, led large-scale events and conferences, and supported teams through transformative change. BeeKind Hive began as a spark of an idea: that leaders could do more, and lead better, by leaning into community and leading with heart—even in a culture that celebrates constant hustle. It has grown into a community...
info_outline
Mark Klaisner — Executive Director of West40 ISC #2
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Mark believes that every child’s success is a shared responsibility, and this conviction has guided his career as an educator and leader. Working at both local and statewide levels, he has consistently sought out innovative, outside-the-box solutions to help students grow, thrive, and ultimately become impactful members of their communities. His efforts have ranged from strengthening advocacy for legislative support, such as evidence-based funding, to building a remote school that served 38 districts during the height of the pandemic. Through these initiatives, Mark has helped open doors and...
info_outline
Adam Seaney — Director of the Galesburg Area Vocational Center
The High Performing Educator Podcast
Adam Seaney has spent the past 20 years in K-12 education serving students across multiple districts across the state of Illinois. He received his Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Physical Education and Health from Olivet Nazarene University in 2005 and began a career in education as a paraprofessional in the Mascoutah Community School District. After 2 years as a paraprofessional, he was hired for his first teaching job at Palestine High School in Palestine, Illinois. Mr. Seaney taught physical education & health, and also served as the head football coach and head boys track coach. In...
info_outlineRyan Wamser has taught middle school Physical Education, high school drivers education and health, been a high school Assistant Principal, an elementary principal, assistant Regional Superintendent, and a district Superintendent.
He is currently the Director of School Improvement for ROE #40 as well as the Director of the Illinois Area 5 SEL Hub. Ryan is passionate about helping to support teachers and administrators in any way possible. When not working, Ryan loves spending time with his wife Michelle and their four kids.
----------
Sam Demma is a best-selling author and one of the most in-demand keynote speakers in the Education and Association sectors. He co-founded the volunteer organization PickWaste, delivered two TEDx talks, and—as a result of his exceptional contributions to Canada—was awarded the prestigious Queens Platinum Jubilee Award.
His work is often featured on national news shows like Marilyn Dennis, Breakfast Television, and most notably, his mom’s Facebook profile. Sam delivers hundreds of programs across North America annually, and his entertaining presentations address the topics of Mental Health, Leadership and Kindness. www.samdemma.com
Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com