Rydell Harrison: A Multifaceted Leader in Education
Rydell Harrison brings a wealth of diverse experiences to his role as a PEL program coordinator. His journey from the classroom to the stage and the pulpit to the superintendent’s office has shaped his approach to leadership, equity, and student voice. This unique mix of professional experiences has given Rydell an enduring belief in the arts, equity, and the power of student voice to drive change.
Rydell’s love for music began in high school, where his teacher, Mr. Krogstad, inspired him. “He had the right balance between loving music and loving kids,” Rydell recalls. This influence led him to study voice at Rutgers University and begin his career teaching both high school and elementary music.
His career took a pivotal turn when he accepted a teaching position in North Carolina. Although he loved teaching, he began to feel called to a different path and enrolled at Duke Divinity School with the goal of entering full-time ministry. “Duke is where I found my activism legs,” Rydell reflects. “I had a passion for music and the arts, but also a passion for people and a desire to see a more just world.” This growing commitment to social justice and equity became the foundation of his approach to educational leadership.
A defining moment occurred when a young man he mentored asked him, “Are you following your own dreams?” This question sparked deep reflection, ultimately leading Rydell to take a leap of faith into musical theater in New York City while continuing to teach to support himself. The experience reinforced his calling in education, ultimately leading him back to North Carolina to teach and explore leadership roles.
After several years in the classroom, Rydell was selected as a North Carolina Principal Fellow, earning his Master’s in School Administration at UNC Greensboro. “I approached leadership with an equity lens, not just focusing on raising test scores,” he explains. His leadership roles continued to expand, including work in Chapel Hill, where he helped develop Project Advance, an initiative centered on teacher leadership and compensation. Rydell went on to become Assistant Superintendent in Chapel Hill and later Superintendent in Watertown, Connecticut, and in Easton, Redding, Region 9 (ER9), consistently prioritizing student and educator engagement throughout his career.
Rydell continues to integrate his passions for education, equity, and the arts by serving on the boards of Hartford Stage and New Paradigm Theatre, organizations that use artistic expression to address issues of race and inclusion.
For Rydell, true 
educational equity isn’t just about policy—it’s about adults listening, validating, and acting on student needs. Last year, with PEL colleague Isobel Stevenson, he co-authored Equitable School Improvement: The Critical Need for the Human Side of Change, emphasizing the human factors in educational reform, including a chapter on the importance of centering the experiences of students.
Looking ahead, Rydell sees student voice as a critical pathway to equity and believes that truly listening to them offers a way forward without political polarization. “We need to listen to students because they are telling us what they need,” he says. “The external noise can be drowned out if we stay focused on truly listening to students and acting on their needs.”
You can reach Rydell at rharrison@partnersforel.org
