Episode
From Substitute to Superintendent: Dr. Simone Griffin on Leading with Courage and Care
- Podcast
- Voices for Excellence
- Published
- Feb 9, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2605
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://pod.co/voices-for-excellence
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Summary
What does it take to lead a district through transformation while honoring the lived realities of students, educators, and community members? In this powerful episode of Voices for Excellence — part of our fourth annual Black Excellence series — Dr. Michael Conner sits down with Dr. Simone Griffin, Superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools in Michigan. Together, they explore the deep work of instructional leadership, community-centered change, and building the future of education in real time. Dr. Griffin brings a grounded, empathetic, and courageous approach to leadership informed by her journey from day-to-day substitute teacher to superintendent. She shares the bold ways she’s centering student voice, operationalizing equity through co-created curriculum committees, and addressing teacher burnout with wellness frameworks that treat educators as the human capital driving system-wide excellence. With characteristic vision and vulnerability, Dr. Conner and Dr. Griffin dive into what it means to prepare learners — and leaders — for a 22nd-century economy marked by volatility, complexity, and exponential change. From cultivating collective efficacy to embracing AI as a tool for innovation (not a threat), this conversation is a vivid blueprint for transformation rooted in grace, intellectual rigor, and community. What you’ll learn: Bold leadership means leading with empathy — not ego. Data doesn’t drive change — people do. Build relational trust first. AI is here. Educators must lean into discomfort to prepare students for the future. Co-design with stakeholders creates systems that serve, not sort. Stability during volatility requires vision, transparency, and adaptive strategy. Equity, innovation, and courage aren’t add-ons — they are the work. Through the lens of Dr…