Partners Matter Newsletter
Partners Matter is a digital newsletter created by Partners for Educational Leadership to examine and address barriers, challenges and opportunities school districts and their leadership teams face daily. Articles include team profiles, news and events, case studies and a variety of resources we hope will be useful and informative in our community members’ day-to-day lives.
Leading Forward: Women in Educational Leadership
In recognition of Women's History Month, women leaders at PEL share reflections PEL Staff & Associates (from left to right): Amber Ortiz, Bridget Nahabedian, Patrice Nelson, Tisha Markette, Kathryn Serino, Kerry Lord, Betty Feser, Kelly Lyman Each March, Women's History Month invites us to celebrate the impact of
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Meet the Team: Tom Nobili
Tom presenting at PEL's Next Level Instructional Leadership Workshop in Providence, RI - March 2025 PEL Staff Associate Tom Nobili didn’t set out to become an educator. Growing up in Trumbull, Connecticut, his father was a CPA, his mother a legal assistant for the Stratford town attorney, and Tom—sandwiched
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Building Thinking Classrooms: A Movement Partners Is Proud to Support
Peter Liljedahl working with participants at workshop in CT - Fall 2025 On a gray Connecticut morning in September at Manchester High School, about 60 educators filed into a large professional development room, defined by small tables, large windows, and walls adorned with dry-erase boards. Within minutes, they were
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Coaching as a Way of Being
Kerry Lord (right) and Isobel Stevenson (left) model a coaching conversation for participants. At Partners for Educational Leadership, coaching isn’t a standalone service—it’s a way of being. Whether the focus is instructional leadership, system improvement, or equity-centered design, a “coaching stance” underpins every interaction. Richard Lemons, Executive Director at
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Andrew Volkert: Clearing the Fog to See What’s Possible
Andrew Volkert (center) with colleague Rydell Harrison (left) and Tom Nobili (right) Andrew Volkert grew up high on a hill in San Bruno—the foggiest corner of the San Francisco Bay. He spent his childhood watching thick gray fog gather and release, sometimes hiding the entire landscape and sometimes parting
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The January Reset: Setting the Tone for a Strong Second Half of the Year
As you look ahead to January, it is worth pausing to consider the message–and the challenge–you want to bring as educators return from winter break. This is not just any pause in the year. Winter break is a culturally embedded moment when people refuel, reconnect with family and community, and deliberately
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