Lead from Where You Are by Joe Sanfelippo

Lead from Where You Are by Joe Sanfelippo

School communities are full of people who have both the ability and desire to lead. Some lead without knowing it. Most lead without the recognition they deserve. Whether you lead in a classroom, department, building, or district, chances are you know how challenging it can be to identify and develop other strong leaders, and to grow the leadership capacity of your organization as a whole. But ensuring that the leaders around you know their worth, helping them cultivate connections, and growing their confidence can help your whole team move forward together, helping the organization and the people within it to thrive.

Lead from Where You Are offers a down-to-earth, implementable approach to rethinking how we build leadership and community in schools. Dr. Joe Sanfelippo, a veteran principal and superintendent, argues that our focus must be on growing leadership potential all across the community, from students to teachers to staff. We can do this by reflecting on how we build a sense of intention together, how we connect with each other, and how we direct those we lead with compassion and affirmation. Sanfelippo's frank discussion of the highs and lows of leadership will help new principals and superintendents feel prepared, while also providing useful methods and sound counsel.

The Superintendent of the Fall Creek School District in Fall Creek, Wisconsin is Dr. Joseph Sanfelippo. Joe graduated from St. John's University with a bachelor's degree in elementary and early childhood education. Norbert College, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a master's degree in educational psychology, a master's degree in educational leadership, and a doctorate in leadership, learning, and service from Cardinal Stritch University. Joe is also an adjunct lecturer at Viterbo University's Educational Leadership Department. Joe has experience teaching Kindergarten, Second Grade, and Fifth Grade.

Prior to becoming an elementary administrator in 2005, he worked as a school counselor and coach. Since 2011, he has served as the Superintendent of Fall Creek. Joe is the co-host of the Effective Schools Podcast and the co-author of The Power of Branding: Communicating Your School's Story and Principal Professional Development: Leading Learning in a Digital Age. In 2014, he was named one of 117 Future Ready Superintendents by the US Department of Education, and he attended a White House summit.

Joe has spoken on topics such as Expanding the Use of Social Media in Education Districts, Building a Culture of Yes, Professional Development for Staff, and Organizational and Systems Transformation in a variety of states. Crickets, go!