About Us
Rich started LeadingSchools Forward with support from UNC-Chapel Hill, Duke University, K-12 authorities, and mentor People Ink to make access to great, enduring education cultures contingent only on the commitment of each community. In the words of longtime and international education authority Michael Fullan, “Culture is the hallmark of effective leadership.”
As a leader and partner to others, Rich has helped elementary, middle, and high school communities to create culture, and a medical center. He has also assisted district authorities in increasing their associated capacity, conducted parallel Ph.D. studies on cohesion, and done the same work at the classroom level with students to develop their authority and related performance. Before this, he led the turnaround of four schools, P-12 (student behavior, achievement, enrollment, and overall operations), and the refinement of a top international college preparatory program. Rich joined education due in particular to an early teacher’s transformative impact on his life; he is brought alive by relationships with similar youth and like-minded communities. When not working, he enjoys spending time exploring with Amy, who works in rural philanthropy, and their son Cole, a student at CU Boulder.
As a co-founder of People Ink, Rich’s mentor, Gayle, has helped create cultures across many professions, including patient-centered medicine and higher education. She has over 30 years of experience working in and partnering with numerous U.S. and global organizations. Before that, she was an experienced chief learning officer for a large organization where she was responsible for culture transformation, organizational and leadership development, and talent management. She is also a national leader for women entrepreneurs, having served as Board Chair for the National Association of Women Business Owners and as a board member for the Center for Women’s Business Research. Gayle lives in Bella Vista, Arkansas. She is an avid golfer along with her husband Grant. To learn more about Gayle, Ann, and the rest of their team, go to www.peopleink.com.