Ronderings

From uncovering a hidden family history to empowering a new generation of AAPI leaders, Eddie Shiomi shares how reclaiming his past reshaped his purpose and deepened his approach to leadership, storytelling, and civic engagement.

In this heartfelt and historically rich conversation, Eddie joins host Ron to trace a remarkable lineage stretching from Okayama, Japan to the United States and beyond. He reflects on his great-gra...

From education reformer to grassroots organizer, Justin Cohen shares how his journey from privilege to protest shaped his mission of mobilizing fathers for social change.

Justin Cohen grew up in New Jersey surrounded by educators, with a teacher for a mother and a superintendent grandfather who exposed him early to the inequities baked into the school system. After building a successful career in education leadershi...

From immigrant to bestselling author and global keynote speaker, Sheena Yap Chan shares her journey of reclaiming identity, building confidence, and amplifying Asian women’s voices through media, leadership, and visibility.

Growing up Chinese-Filipino and moving to Toronto at just seven years old, Sheena faced cultural shame and a painful lack of representation in the media. For years she tried to conform to Western standa...

 True leadership is the ability to bridge gaps, translate perspectives, and foster respect, ensuring that every voice—from the visible to the unseen—is valued and heard.

William (Bill) Murphy is the Chief Operations Officer for Indianapolis Public Schools, where he drives operational excellence to support academic success in one of Indiana’s largest districts. He previously led Enroll Indy, served as Vice President of L...

 It’s not about perfection out of the box—it’s about learning to learn and growing through the process.

Dr. Donnell Butler is the Founder and President of Prelude, a nonprofit that partners with employers and schools to create work-based learning experiences, helping students from lower-income backgrounds gain professional skills, explore careers, and achieve economic freedom through paid internships. With over 20 years...

 Well-being isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

Lea Crusey is the co-founder and Head of U.S. Expansion for WOOF, a well-being tool for students and teachers. With a career in public policy, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement, she works to expand opportunities for marginalized communities. A former Teach For America corps member, Lea has focused on improving public education, founding Allies for Educational Equity, and des...

 Mohan Sivaloganathan is a founder of Harmonious Leadership, a keynote speaker, consultant, and coach. He is also known as the “Batman of Social Impact” and at night he is a hip-hop artist. Throughout his career, Mohan has supported local and national organizations in orchestrating sustainable transformation and systems change across corporate social responsibility, education, civic engagement, and philanthropy. He is pass...

Niloy Gangopadhyay, is a passionate educator, and leader who for over 20 years has been addressing inequities in public education as a systems, school, and nonprofit leader. He began his career as a 2002 Teach For America corps member in San Jose, California, and now serves as TFA’s Vice President for the 35th Anniversary Summit. Previously, he led state-level initiatives for at-risk students at the Texas Education Agency ...

 We need to create a high bar where the bar is to care about both people and performance. They are not dichotomies; they support each other.

De-Lea Deane-Allen is the founder and CEO of Higher Bar Leadership LLC, dedicated to helping organizations create transformational work environments where all people can thrive. With over 20 years of experience as a teacher, school leader, and C-level executive, she specializes in ...

True success isn’t just about individual achievement; it’s about the collective rise of our communities.

Analiza Quiroz Wolf, CEO of Women of Color Rise, coaches diverse leaders, including social entrepreneurs and C-suite executives. She recently published The Myths of Success: A Woman of Color's Guide to Leadership, drawing on research and stories from her podcast, Women of Color Rise. Analiza is a former non-profit CE...

Summary: 

Language has the power to connect people, to move hearts, and to do good in the world.

David Nungaray is a co-founder of Gente Empowerment Network but is actually a forever dual language teacher and principal at heart no matter what his current work title is. The children and families he worked with as an educator are one of his guiding forces in the work he continues to do in education. As a son of Mexican imm...

Raj Thakkar is the author, Founder & CEO of Charter School Business Management (CSBM) as well as FOREsight Financial Services for Good. He is an expert on nonprofit and charter school finance and has presented countless financial best practices workshops across the country. He poured all his knowledge into the book Fiscally Secure: Prepare, Protect & Propel Your CHARTER SCHOOL with Responsible Financial Management ...

We know who we are, but we get away from it.

Kendrick Harris is an NYU alumnus, retired Air Force officer, and former business leader with experience in real estate law, construction, and a former lawyer. He is a business owner of the Distinguished Chef and a top-notch chef.

Kendrick is sharing with us his powerful testament to resilience, self-discovery, and transformation. After time spent at NYU, where Kendrick wa...

Why are we resting on proficiency in education?

Tanji Reed Marshall CEO and Principal Consultant of Liaison Educational Partners. With more than 2 decades of experience in the classroom, district, and organization level, she has a lot of gems to share. The problem of educational inequities, and how certain groups of students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have historically been underserved and misinfo...

Jacquelyn Davis is a nonprofit leader and transformative advisor to philanthropies who dedicated her life to the education sector and social impact. Her life and career are led by constant learning and curiosity. She has launched many organizations and initiatives. EDVolution, a boutique consulting she founded has worked with many national foundations – including the Gates Foundation, the Overdeck Foundation, New Schools V...

Our belief systems are often perpetuated by the members of our community.

A 1991 Vassar graduate, Diane Robinson is a filmmaker and recognized education leader with over 25 years of experience working in the US and globally, helping start and grow social enterprises. Beginning her career through Teach for America, Diane holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, a Master of Arts in multicultural education fro...

Being able to step back and observe what is going on around us is often an undervalued skill!

Surabhi Lai is rooted in the belief that we can create a better future of work that is rooted in our humanity and collective belonging. Multi-passionate with a strong sense of curiosity, Surabhi uses empathy and strategy when she coaches job-seekers, entrepreneurs, and organizations to help them create a better work future. Surabhi...

Good leadership requires you to always be a student!

From humble beginnings in golf caddying to becoming New Mexico’s Deputy Secretary and Secretary of Education under Gov. Susana Martinez (R) from 2016-2019, Christopher Ruszkowski is a social studies teacher by trade, recently appointed Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution.

Having spent a year in South Africa, Christopher trained as a teacher, spending his ...

Sharing our stories and spending time with each other can prolong our lives!

Bryan Setser is a seasoned executive edupreneur with three decades of results in K-12, higher education, non-profit, and for-profit organizations. His expertise equips leaders, teams, and organizations with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be ready for any future. Having worked as a teacher, principal, and even as the inaugural Chief ...