“What I realized was rural communities wanted the strategies and the practices to move outcomes for kids. What they needed was the investment. And they needed the models. And I did that for 27 years.
And then three years ago, through mentorship again, with folks like Jennifer Blatz, who leads Strive Together, Jim Shelton at Blue Meridian, and Geoff Canada, who is a mentor and leads Harlem Children’s Zone, I was inspired to, OK, I could go national. We can do this work nationally.”