# From Substitute to Superintendent: Dr. Simone Griffin on Leading with Courage and Care

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/voices-for-excellence-6300546/from-substitute-to-superintendent-dr-simone-griffin-on-leading-with-courage-and-care
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/voices-for-excellence-6300546/from-substitute-to-superintendent-dr-simone-griffin-on-leading-with-courage-and-care.md
Podcast: [Voices for Excellence](https://stenobird.com/podcast/voices-for-excellence-6300546)
Published: 2026-02-09T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://pod.co/voices-for-excellence
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/d3745b20-341b-4957-b88e-48e96bf59f04.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/voices-for-excellence-6300546/episodes/from-substitute-to-superintendent-dr-simone-griffin-on-leading-with-courage-and-care
Duration seconds: 2605

## Resource

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…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/voices-for-excellence-6300546/episodes/from-substitute-to-superintendent-dr-simone-griffin-on-leading-with-courage-and-care/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/voices-for-excellence-6300546/from-substitute-to-superintendent-dr-simone-griffin-on-leading-with-courage-and-care.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.