Complex problems require cross-sector solutions

My work as a c-suite leader and superintendent taught me that no organization exists in isolation; and education was woven into housing, transportation, social services, and economic development.

"This isn't about adding more initiatives to your plate. It's about finding simplexity - the smallest number of systems-level actions that actually move multiple needles at once."

Leading in education means managing notoriously complex systems - multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, limited resources, high public scrutiny. That complexity taught me to see patterns that apply far beyond schools. I make the complex simple through simplexity - finding the smallest number of systems-level actions that actually move multiple needles at once.

I spent 25 years in urban education systems, including time as a superintendent. Here's what that taught me: education never operates alone. School outcomes depend on housing stability, transportation access, family services, economic opportunity. I worked with city leaders, housing authorities, nonprofits, and state agencies because that was the only way to actually move the needle.

Now I bring that cross-sector fluency to leaders facing the same reality: your biggest challenges require partners outside your organization.

Ready to see your system differently?