Building Bridges – Build Your Leadership Lens on Knowing Yourself and Others Session

Room: E143-144

Audience: Architects, Engineers, Specialized Consultants, Facilities Personnel, Educators, School Administrators, Educational Policymakers, Community Stakeholders

Call to Action: Consider how you can apply newfound knowledge about yourself and others in your leadership role. Identify specific areas where you can enhance your emotional intelligence and foster more effective collaboration within your team or organization. Identify at least one actionable step you can implement immediately to strengthen your leadership skills. Whether it’s practicing active listening, providing constructive feedback, or fostering a culture of inclusivity, commit to taking tangible steps towards becoming the leader others aspire to work with.

Abstract: Join us for “Building Bridges: Build Your Leadership Lens on Knowing Yourself and Others,” a dynamic workshop designed to empower leaders to become the person people want to work for and with. Through this workshop, gain insights into understanding the people you work with, harnessing emotional intelligence, and fostering effective collaboration.

Learning Objectives:

Building Circumstantial Grit: Discover practical strategies to maintain momentum and resilience amidst challenges. Develop short-term self-care practices for sustained productivity.
Embrace Adaptive Leadership: Master critical decisions and personal growth for resilience in dynamic environments.
Mastering Workplace Dynamics: Identify common patterns of behavior in professional settings and develop skills to shift from feeling powerless to taking charge, promoting a culture of accountability and leadership.

Sandi Massey

Chief of Leadership and Professional Development, Houston ISD

Sandi, Chief of Leadership and Development at HISD (Houston Independent School District), brings 30 years of experience in education, spanning public, private, and charter schools. She has led school improvement initiatives and earned recognition for her contributions to educational leadership. Sandi’s career includes roles as an educator, principal, executive director, Deputy Chief, and School District reformer where she transformed schools and received numerous accolades for her dedication to student success.

Rachel Harrah

Founder, Harrah LLC

Rachel, the founder of Harrah LLC, stands as a steadfast advocate for equitable access to spaces that align with student learning outcomes. Formerly the Director of Theatre and Dance at Dallas ISD, she earned accolades including 2015 Dallas ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year and the 2020 Theatre Administrator of the Year. Drawing upon her recognized expertise in educational leadership and real-world experience, she passionately champions the creation of inclusive learning environments.

Core Competency

Educational Visioning
Exhibits an understanding of best and next practices related to educational leadership, programming, teaching, learning, planning and facility design. Establishes credibility with educators, community members and design professionals while conceiving and leading a community-based visioning process. Demonstrates the ability to articulate the impact of learning environments on teaching and learning and uses that ability to facilitate a dialogue that uncovers the unique needs and long-range goals of an educational institution and its stakeholders – translating that into an actionable written/graphic program of requirements for the design practitioner.