EDUP Xcelerated Excellence

Our Guest, Dr. Brad Fuster, is Provost and Vice President, Academic and Student Affairs at San Francisco Bay University and Host of EdUp Innovation. Brad Fuster has extensive experience in higher education leadership. As a respected music professor and academic leader, Fuster brings deep expertise in academicaffairs, enrollment management, international program management, and technological innovation to SFBU. He has held key leade...

Our Guest, Prince Johnson, a 26-year veteran educator, is the 2026 New York State Teacher of the Year as well as the 2025 Gilder Lehrman New York History Teacher of the Year. A passionate advocate for career and technical education (CTE) and a leader in sustainability, he teaches social studies at Food and Finance High School in New York City and serves on the NYCPS Climate Education Leadership Team.

His drive as an educator was s...

Our Guest, Prince Johnson, a 26-year veteran educator, is the 2026 New York State Teacher of the Year as well as the 2025 Gilder Lehrman New York History Teacher of the Year. A passionate advocate for career and technical education (CTE) and a leader in sustainability, he teaches social studies at Food and Finance High School in New York City and serves on the NYCPS Climate Education Leadership Team.

His drive as an educator was s...

Our Guest, Dr. Jennifer Young Wallace, is a tenured Associate Professor/Coordinator of the. Doctoral Program-Educational Leadership for the College of Education at Jackson State University, a Tier II research university, where she presently serves as JSU Faculty Senate President.

Dr. Wallace served as national President 2025-2026 for the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), making history as the first president who is an ...

Our Guest, Dr. Jennifer Young Wallace, is a tenured Associate Professor/Coordinator of the. Doctoral Program-Educational Leadership for the College of Education at Jackson State University, a Tier II research university, where she presently serves as JSU Faculty Senate President.

Dr. Wallace served as national President 2025-2026 for the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), making history as the first president who is an alumnus...

Our Guest, Dr. Larry J. Walker, is an Associate Professor and Doctoral Program Coordinator at the University of Central Florida. Previously, he held faculty appointments at Howard University and Loyola University Maryland. His research focused on leadership, policy, and racism. In addition, he served as the Legislative Director for former Congressman Major R. Owens and selected as a Congressional Fellow with the Congressional Black...

Our Guest, Awad Ibrahim, is full professor, Vice-Provost, Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Excellence and holder of the Air Canada Professorship on Anti-Racism. He is a curriculum theorist with special interest in economy of hospitality (Derrida), cultural studies, Hip-Hop, youth and Black popular culture, social foundations (i.e., philosophy, history and sociology of education), social justice and community service learning, diaspo...

The Thesis (The Why):

Listening is more than hearing—it's the engine of transformation. When leaders truly listen, they unlock hidden insights and spark meaningful change. The power of listening turns quiet voices into catalysts for excellence and equity.

In education, it’s tempting to equate a lack of objections with unity. But real leaders know: Listening isn’t passive. It’s a proactive, essential skill—one that uncovers storie...

Our Guest, Alicia Harper, is a Superintendent at Achievement First. She is a turnaround strategist, and LinkedIn content creator known for her exceptional leadership in school transformation.

As a former principal, she led a turnaround school where math and reading proficiency rose from ~30% to over 90%, and staff favorability jumped from 47% to 95%, ranking #1 on Org Health Surveys during her tenure. More importantly, together wi...

Our Guest, Dr. Marvin Lynn, Dean of the School of Education & Human Development (SEHD) at the University of Colorado Denver, has enjoyed a robust career as a teacher, scholar, public university administrator, and artist. SEHD is a statewide and national leader for education quality and access across the education and human development lifespan. It is the largest graduate school of its kind in Colorado and is highly regarded for...

Listen!

Are you listening?

This is Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP, host of the EDUP Xcelerated Excellence podcast where we seek to advance educational excellence and equity.

What if the key to educational excellence isn't just what we teach, but how well we listen?

Listening isn't just about hearing words—it's about understanding perspectives, building trust, and creating spaces where every voice matters. When educators t...

Our Guest, Bryce Jhourdyn Thompson, is an educator, mentor, and emerging school leader committed to creating equitable, student-centered learning environments. He began my journey in education as a Future Teachers of Excellence Fellow (Cohort ’21), where he developed a strong foundation in culturally responsive teaching and a deep commitment to uplifting the communities he serves.

In 2025, he had the honor of speaking at the Black ...

Our Guest, Marlene Megos, is the founder and CEO of Equate Education, a data-driven platform supporting educator preparation programs with a focus on residency and apprenticeships. With over 30 years of experience from classroom to state level educational leadership, she developed and led one of Connecticut’s first residency and registered teacher apprenticeship programs, raising over $4.2 million dollars and serving over 120 new e...

Our Guest, Anna Young,  founder of Sunnyside Literacy Lab, started her career with Teach for America and has worked in education as a humanities teacher, special educator, and academic interventionist. She currently supervises graduate students at CUNY Hunter College.

She earned a B.A. in Political Science from McGill University and an M.S. in Adolescent Special Education from CUNY Hunter College. She is certified in the Orton-Gil...

Our Guest, Dr. Christopher Bonn, is President and CEO of BonFire Leadership Solutions. He is a celebrated educator, leadership coach, author, college professor, and musician. With over 35 years of experience, he has led institutional turnarounds, inspired educators worldwide, and createdculturally resonant music that spans languages and borders.

As a Tribal Adjudication Certified Professional, Dr. Bonn is a trusted advisor to Navaj...

Our Guest, Michelle Maslowski, MBA, CFRE, is Managing Director, Carter. With over 15 years of experience as a senior development leader in the nonprofit sector, Michelle, has a proven track record of developing and executing high-impactfundraising strategies that result in transformational gifts and long-term donor engagement.

As Managing Director at Carter, Michelle specializes in building and enhancing fundraising programs that ...

Our Guest, Kalebe Easley, is a youth sports performance coach, entrepreneur, and founder of Prime Evolution Fitness & Sports Performance, one of the fastest-rising athletic development programs in Southern California. Based in Orange County, Kalebe specializes in speed, agility, strength, and sport-specific performance for athletes across football, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and more.

A former collegiate athlete with over 24 y...