Chris Moore ’25

Contemporary K-12 public school systems need leaders who are willing and able to responsibly disrupt the status quo with compassion, creativity, and applied wisdom. I came to SOM to learn from and with fellow hope-slingers and committed innovators who know we can and must do better for children. SOM’s program offers direct access to preeminent researchers, practitioners, and leaders who have a proven track record in accelerating transformative outcomes in K-12 education systems.

A couple of courses have already been helpful in my day-to-day role. The Everyday Leadership class, for example, has helped me better understand the nuanced impacts of my decisions on others. My decisions aren’t just about enhancing my own productivity. They’re about building capacity in my team members and our organization. I’ve fully embraced a more intuitive leadership framework and built the confidence to advance a truly human-centered strategy that emphasizes our holistic impact on students, families, staff, and the communities we serve.

The Managerial Decision Making course provided a conceptual framework that helped me address one immediate challenge related to school-based mental health services. I learned techniques in streamlining our operations to meet growing demand. The result has been increased efficiency and access to services for more students—all while using our existing resources.

I aspire to be a servant leader who embodies deep and abiding care for the essential mission of public education. I believe that there is no greater institutional lever for social justice and equitable human flourishing than the schools where we gather to learn, heal, celebrate, and dream. I choose this work because it invites us to create inclusive, sustainable, self-healing community spaces that foster a strong sense of belonging, spaces that point toward the possible while nurturing our interconnectedness and collective prosperity.