Describe your utopian Austin; what would be different than today?
Every student in Central Texas would meet his or her optimal academic and social potential. If we achieved this, our region would have by far the highest economic prosperity of any region in the world.
What was the "aha" moment that got you started in your current line of work?
I left the private sector when I realized that we couldn't expect to reach our economic potential without changing the *system* of education from cradle to career. We can't wait for the state or the country to do this for us, but we can come together as a region and create a platform for real systemic change that cuts across institutions and providers. It's the ultimate leadership challenge: being a catalyst for massive systemic change with no structural authority to do so!
What are the key things you'd counsel someone coming into the workforce?
Build relationships of trust quickly and deliver on what you say you will do. This makes it much easier to be successful in your own work and to bring others together to create much greater outcomes.
What do you most hate to do?
I can do it just fine - I went to business school after all - but I hate working with money. I love working with people and systems and big ideas; I hate budgeting, tracking expenses, accounting, ANYTHING to do with money. I still have an uncashed $250 graduation check from my grandparents in my bedside table and they both died well over a decade ago. I don't think it's getting cashed…
If you were trapped on a desert island, what would be in your survival kit?
A good pocket knife, an iPad with a solar battery, a pack of beef jerky, and a case of good wine. How big is my kit? Could I fit my husband and kids?
