Bold By Choice Podcast

Labor Day is more than a long weekend. It is a reminder that work is deeply connected to dignity, contribution, opportunity, family stability, and civic life.
In this special Labor Day episode of Bold by Choice, Vashaunta Harris, Dr. Jim Goenner, Don Cooper, and Heather Wendling use the holiday as a doorway into a bigger question for education leaders: Are we preparing students merely to graduate, or are we preparing them to contribute, work, lead, create, adapt, and thrive in the world they are actually entering?
Don Cooper opens the conversation by connecting Labor Day, public education, and the broader American story. He reflects on the Progressive Era, industrialization, the labor movement, and the democratic purpose of public education—preparing people not only for work, but also for citizenship, community participation, and a fuller share in the American dream.
From there, Jim connects the conversation to chartering as a movement. Chartering was never meant simply to preserve institutions. It was designed to create the possibility for new and responsive approaches to education. As the nature of work changes, schools must remain focused on the North Star: preparing students for college, work, and life, while giving them the knowledge, skills, and agency to choose their own path.
Heather brings the discussion into the Future Ready work, explaining why readiness is about much more than career pathways, credentials, or CTE programs. Future Ready learning includes meaningful exposure to careers and industries, real-world application, strong partnerships, student agency, and durable skills such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and time management. The challenge is not simply to create another program—it is to design the student experience around the world young people will actually enter.
The episode closes with practical moves leaders can make right now: examine student schedules, ask students what feels relevant to their futures, strengthen community and employer partnerships, look for evidence of durable skills, confront emerging questions about AI, and pay attention to whether students and educators feel like they get to come to school—or simply have to.
Show Notes
In This Episode
The deeper meaning of Labor Day for education leaders
Work, dignity, democracy, and public education
Why schools prepare citizens as well as future workers
Chartering as a movement for responsiveness and innovation
Preparing students for college, work, and life
What “Future Ready” actually means
Durable skills such as communication, collaboration, and critical thinking
Career-connected and real-world learning
The role of employers and community partners
Student agency and meaningful career exposure
Preparing students to use AI responsibly
What boards should monitor beyond traditional academic measures
Why culture can either accelerate or undermine strategy
Leadership Question
Bring this question to your next board, leadership team, staff, or student conversation:
What are we doing this year to prepare students not only to graduate, but to contribute, work, lead, create, and thrive in the world they are actually entering?
Then ask:
What evidence would convince us that students are becoming future ready—not only course-ready, test-ready, or compliance-ready?
Key Takeaway
The future will not wait for schools to catch up. If work, technology, and communities are changing, education leaders have a responsibility to keep learning, adapting, and designing experiences that help every student discover their gifts and build a meaningful future.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

What happens when education changes faster than governance practices do?
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Kathy L. Smith, CEO and Founder of EdVision LLC Education Consulting and a board member of the National Charter Schools Institute, for a forward-looking conversation about what governance must become to remain responsive, student-centered, and worthy of public trust.
Kathy begins with the story of her first days as a high school English teacher, when she was assigned students who had too often been underestimated and given fewer opportunities to succeed. That experience shaped a belief she has carried across the classroom, philanthropy, policy, consulting, and the boardroom: adults have a responsibility to make sure the mission is more than words on paper.
From there, the conversation explores what strong board service really requires. Kathy reflects on the importance of intentionally building boards with diverse experiences and skill sets, supporting school leaders while also holding them accountable, and making difficult decisions through the lens of mission rather than convenience. She shares examples of boards choosing long-term community impact over easier solutions and explains why bold governance requires both courage and care.
The discussion then turns to the future. As schools navigate artificial intelligence, enrollment shifts, workforce expectations, student mental health, growing competition, and changing community needs, Kathy challenges boards to spend more time looking ahead. Rather than waiting for emerging issues to become crises, she encourages governing teams to study trends, anticipate change, and create space in board meetings for strategic conversations about the world students are preparing to enter.
At its heart, this episode is a call for boards to move beyond monitoring what has already happened and become active stewards of what comes next.
Show Notes
Hosts
Vashaunta Harris
Dr. Jim Goenner, President & CEO, National Charter Schools Institute
Guest
Kathy L. Smith, CEO & Founder, EdVision LLC Education Consulting
In This Episode
How Kathy’s classroom experience shaped her view of adult responsibility
The difference between an individual board member and the collective board
Why board composition and diverse perspectives matter
Balancing leadership support with accountability
Making courageous, mission-centered decisions
Why boards need to spend more time looking toward the future
Navigating innovation, competition, and organizational risk
Watching trends in enrollment, achievement, workforce needs, and community expectations
Why educator experience matters in board composition
Keeping governance connected to the communities schools serve
Artificial intelligence as an emerging governance responsibility
Preparing students for a rapidly changing future
Boardroom Moment
Before your next board meeting, identify one future reality your board may not be fully prepared to govern through yet.
It might be:
Artificial intelligence
Student mental health
Workforce readiness
Enrollment shifts
Public trust
Facilities
Leadership succession
Then ask:
What decision, discipline, or conversation needs to happen now so our school is not simply protecting what exists, but preparing students for the world ahead?
Key Takeaway
Great boards do not simply react to change. They anticipate it.
The future of governance will require discipline and stewardship, but also adaptability, curiosity, humility, and the courage to reconsider assumptions that may no longer serve students well.
The promise doesn’t prove itself. Someone has to decide.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

Renewal is not an event. It is a pattern.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined again by Heather Wendling, Vice President of Professional Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a conversation about what it means to govern with renewal readiness in mind long before renewal ever arrives.
Heather shares the story of a school that entered its renewal cycle feeling confident. Meetings were consistent, audits were clean, enrollment was strong, and no major crisis was looming. But as the board began preparing for renewal, it realized it had plenty of information without enough shared clarity. Dashboards were full, committees were active, and reports were being received—but much of the work was disconnected from the school’s strategic priorities and the authorizer’s accountability framework.
That realization became a turning point. Instead of treating renewal as a compliance exercise, the board began using it as a governance mirror. It sharpened its focus on mission, priorities, performance, and people; aligned meetings and dashboards to measurable goals; strengthened onboarding; and created clearer systems for understanding academic and financial data.
The conversation also explores the difference between receiving information and actually building governance understanding. Heather, Jim, and Vashaunta discuss why every board member—not just the treasurer, academic expert, or longest-serving trustee—needs enough knowledge to engage meaningfully with the data and decisions in front of them.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that strong renewal outcomes are not built in the renewal year. They are built through the habits, systems, questions, and decisions a board practices throughout the entire charter term.
Show Notes
In This Episode
Why renewal begins long before the renewal year
Using renewal as a governance mirror
The difference between information and understanding
Aligning dashboards with mission and strategic priorities
Monitoring academic and financial performance over time
Building board-wide knowledge and accountability
Strengthening onboarding and committee structures
Conducting annual board self-evaluations
Understanding authorizer expectations before renewal
Building governance systems that outlast individual personalities
Boardroom Moment
At your next board meeting, ask:
If renewal happened tomorrow, what evidence would clearly demonstrate our effectiveness as a governing board?
Not just compliance.Not just activity.But evidence of strategic clarity, disciplined oversight, organizational alignment, and long-term stewardship.
Key Takeaway
Renewal readiness is ultimately about stewardship. The strongest boards do not wait for renewal to prove the promise—they build the evidence every year through consistent, disciplined governance.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

Governance does not end when the meeting adjourns.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Alyson Murphy, Director of Partner Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a conversation about the part of governance that happens beyond policies, dashboards, budgets, and board meetings: building trust, relationships, credibility, and public belief.
Alyson shares the story of a board that appeared to be doing everything right internally. Meetings were organized, financials were clean, policies were current, and academic reports were reviewed. But outside the school walls, public trust was eroding. Families were unclear about the school’s mission, local leaders rarely heard from the board, misinformation was spreading, and the school leader was carrying nearly all external relationships alone.
A facility issue and potential school expansion eventually exposed the cost of that inward focus. The board realized it had governed the organization but neglected the ecosystem surrounding it. That realization changed how members understood stewardship. They began attending community meetings, building relationships with local leaders, engaging families more intentionally, learning to tell the school’s story, and becoming active advocates for students and the mission.
Vashaunta, Jim, and Alyson also unpack what authentic advocacy looks like for board members. It is not simply lobbying or public relations. It is showing up, listening, building bridges, elevating student and family voices, and developing relationships before they are urgently needed. They also explore how simple governance habits—such as opening meetings with a mission moment—can help boards keep people, purpose, and impact at the center.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that strong boards do more than oversee schools. They help create the conditions in which schools can flourish.
Show Notes
In This Episode
Why governance extends beyond the boardroom
The difference between governing an organization and stewarding a mission
Building public trust before it is needed
The board’s role in advocacy
Creating authentic community relationships
Telling the school’s story with clarity and credibility
Recruiting board members who can serve as community bridge-builders
Elevating student, family, and educator voices
Why visibility and presence matter
Using mission moments to strengthen board culture
Boardroom Moment
At your next board meeting, ask:
How are we actively building trust, visibility, and relationships beyond our board meetings?
Where are we showing up?Who hears our story?Who experiences us only from a distance?And what relationships might we need to strengthen in order to better serve students and families?
Key Takeaway
Strong governance is not only measured by what happens inside meetings. It is also reflected in how boards build trust, strengthen relationships, listen to communities, and advocate publicly for students and families.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

Strong organizations are not sustained by passion alone. They endure because governing boards make intentional decisions about strategy, leadership, finances, facilities, and mission alignment.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner welcome back Mary Bradley, Chief Operating Officer of the National Charter Schools Institute, for a conversation about strategic planning as a discipline of long-term stewardship.
Mary explains why strategic planning should never become a polished document that sits on a shelf. The real value comes from turning strategic thinking into a clear plan, moving that plan into action, and adjusting thoughtfully as conditions change.
Drawing from her work with boards and school organizations across the country, Mary shares how strong planning begins with honest reflection: celebrating what is working, naming where the organization has drifted, revisiting the mission, and defining the future state the school is trying to create. She also emphasizes the importance of including board members, school leaders, staff, students, and community voices so that the plan becomes a shared commitment rather than a board-only exercise.
The conversation explores how boards can align strategic direction with the promises made in their charter contract, clarify roles and responsibilities, structure committees around priorities, and monitor progress without drifting into day-to-day implementation. Vashaunta, Jim, and Mary also examine the importance of preparing for future student needs rather than simply preserving practices that worked in the past.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that the most important product of strategic planning may not be the plan itself. It is the shared clarity that helps boards and leaders navigate difficult decisions, align resources, and build an organization capable of lasting impact.
Show Notes
In This Episode
Strategic thinking versus strategic action
Why strategic plans should be living documents
Reflecting honestly on the organization’s current state
Revisiting mission, charter promises, and long-term direction
Defining a shared future state
Including student, staff, family, and community voices
Aligning budgets, facilities, leadership, and priorities
Clarifying board and school-leader responsibilities
Structuring committees around strategic goals
Turning planning into disciplined execution
Building long-term organizational sustainability
Boardroom Moment
At your next board meeting, ask:
Are we making decisions that simply solve immediate pressures, or decisions that strengthen long-term sustainability and mission alignment?
Strategic planning is not ultimately about creating a document. It is about building enough shared clarity to guide difficult decisions over time.
Key Takeaway
The strongest organizations are rarely sustained by passion alone. They last because boards choose disciplined stewardship, align around a shared direction, and turn bold ideas into thoughtful action.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

Crisis does not create governance culture. It reveals it.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Mark Weinberg of the National Charter Schools Institute for a practical conversation about how boards respond when pressure rises.
Enrollment declines, leadership transitions, financial strain, political tension, and public scrutiny can quickly expose whether a board has the discipline, trust, and systems needed to govern well. Mark explains why written policies, clear roles, succession planning, and strong communication routines matter most before a crisis ever begins.
The conversation includes the story of a board that transitioned away from a management organization while confronting declining academic performance. The board was able to navigate the change because it had a strong school leader and took time to clarify responsibilities, revise policies, and build internal capacity. But when that leader later departed, the organization’s lack of succession planning exposed a deeper vulnerability.
Vashaunta, Jim, and Mark also examine the board’s role in risk management, including risks involving people, property, programs, leadership, finances, and mission. They discuss how strong boards remain calm and strategic without drifting into operations—and why school leaders need clarity and support rather than several competing opinions during difficult seasons.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that governing through crisis is not about reacting perfectly. It is about remaining anchored in mission, values, policy, transparency, and student-centered decision-making when the path forward is uncertain.
Show Notes
In This Episode
Why crises reveal the true health of governance culture
Written policy as a guide during uncertainty
Leadership transitions and succession planning
Managing organizational change without losing strategic focus
The board’s role in risk management
Protecting people, property, and programs
Supporting school leaders without taking over operations
The connection between mission, budget, and priorities
Habits that help boards remain steady under pressure
Keeping decisions centered on students
Boardroom Moment
At your next board meeting, identify one governance risk your board may be underestimating:
Financial
Leadership
Strategic
Cultural
Reputational
Then ask:
Do we have the relationships, clarity, and systems necessary to navigate pressure well?
Because crisis does not create governance culture. It reveals it.
Key Takeaway
Strong governance during crisis is not about perfection. It is about steadiness. The best boards remain grounded in mission, relationships, transparency, and disciplined decision-making—even when the pressure is high.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

Healthy governance is not defined by the absence of tension. It is defined by a board’s ability to move through tension with clarity, trust, and shared commitment to the mission.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Heather Wendling, Vice President of Professional Services at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a candid conversation about governance maturity and the patterns that can quietly weaken a board over time.
Heather shares the story of a charter school board that began with a close-knit group of passionate founders. Their trust, loyalty, and willingness to do whatever it took helped launch the school successfully. But as the school grew, the board’s governance practices did not mature with it. Power became concentrated, new voices struggled to emerge, accountability felt personal, and important conversations were increasingly avoided.
The conversation explores how even strong relationships can become unhealthy when boards rely on personalities instead of structures. Heather, Jim, and Vashaunta discuss founder dependence, succession planning, board onboarding, communication routines, power-sharing, and the danger of treating constant contact with a school leader as a substitute for clear governance systems.
Listeners will also hear practical guidance for creating healthier board cultures, including strengthening bylaws and committees, defining communication expectations, mentoring new members, opening meetings to student and family voices, and making board meetings more strategic and forward-looking.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that trust and loyalty are valuable—but they are not enough. Sustainable governance requires the courage to ask difficult questions, share responsibility, welcome new perspectives, and build systems that can carry the mission forward beyond any one founder, board chair, or school leader.
Show Notes
In This Episode
How healthy boards can slowly develop unhealthy patterns
Founder dependence and concentrated decision-making
Why new board members sometimes struggle to contribute
The difference between loyalty and stewardship
Leadership transitions and succession planning
Building sustainable governance beyond founding personalities
Healthy communication routines between boards and school leaders
Board onboarding, mentoring, and power-sharing
Creating space for student, family, and educator voices
Moving from relationship-based governance to institutional strength
Boardroom Moment
At your next meeting, ask:
What structures, routines, or habits are we intentionally building to strengthen trust, clarity, and healthy governance over time?
Healthy board cultures do not emerge by accident. They are built by choice.
Key Takeaway
The strongest boards are not the ones that avoid tension. They are the ones that have the trust, discipline, and maturity to move through it together while staying focused on students, mission, and long-term sustainability.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

The quality of governance is often shaped by the quality of the questions a board asks.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Mary Bradley, Chief Operating Officer of the National Charter Schools Institute, for a practical conversation about how thoughtful questions can strengthen board culture, improve decision-making, and build trust between governing boards and school leaders.
Mary explains that wise questions are not designed to accuse, embarrass, or force quick answers. They invite reflection, uncover assumptions, reveal blind spots, and help boards and leaders think more deeply together. The conversation explores how this approach can transform discussions about budgets, enrollment, academic performance, strategic priorities, and organizational support.
Using real-world examples, the hosts examine the difference between asking, “What changed from last year?” and asking, “How does this align with our mission and goals?” They also discuss how boards can move beyond reviewing numbers to understanding the assumptions, trends, and student outcomes behind them.
The episode also highlights the importance of annual governance calendars, summer board planning, and proactive conversations that help boards stay focused on strategy rather than drifting into operations. Mary encourages board members to remain curious about changes in their communities, ask leaders what support they need, and create space for student, family, and staff voices.
At its heart, this episode is a reminder that strong boards do not need to have every answer. They need the discipline, humility, and curiosity to ask questions that lead to greater clarity, trust, and better decisions.
Show Notes
In This Episode
What makes a governance question “wise”
Moving from interrogation to curiosity
Connecting budgets to mission and strategic priorities
Examining assumptions behind enrollment and financial projections
Asking better questions about academic performance
Building trust between boards and school leaders
Using annual governance calendars to stay proactive
Making the most of summer board planning
Bringing student, family, and community voices into governance
Staying curious instead of protecting the status quo
Boardroom Moment
At your next board or committee meeting, pay attention not only to the answers being given, but to the questions shaping the conversation.
Are your questions creating curiosity or defensiveness?Clarity or confusion?Strategic thinking or operational drift?
Key Takeaway
Wise governance begins not with having all the answers, but with asking better questions. The strongest boards are often not the quickest to react—they are the most curious.
Powered by the National Charter Schools Institute.

How Great Boards Build Great Schools
Strong schools don't happen by chance—they're built through intentional leadership, disciplined governance, and a relentless focus on students.
In this episode of Bold by Choice, hosts Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner welcome Mark Weinberg, governance expert and Senior Vice President at the National Charter Schools Institute, for a practical conversation about what separates high-performing charter school boards from those that simply manage compliance.
Drawing from decades of experience as a school leader, authorizer, and board advisor, Mark shares why even passionate boards can drift into reactive, compliance-heavy habits—and how intentional meeting design, purposeful committee work, strong board development, and strategic leadership can transform governance culture. As Mark reminds us, every board member cares deeply about students, but effective governance requires more than good intentions—it requires preparation, clarity, and discipline.
The conversation explores the distinction between governance and management, the importance of "managing up" as a school leader, why silence in the boardroom is often a warning sign, and how the strongest boards stay focused on mission, academic performance, and long-term stewardship rather than simply checking compliance boxes.
The episode concludes with this week's Boardroom Moment, challenging every board to examine its agenda and ask a simple but powerful question: How much of our meeting is spent governing strategically versus simply receiving information? Because, as Vashaunta reminds us, the promise doesn't prove itself—someone has to decide.
Bold by Choice is hosted by Vashaunta Harris and Jim Goenner and is powered by the National Charter Schools Institute. Throughout Season 5, the podcast explores the leadership disciplines, governance practices, and courageous decisions that help charter school boards move from oversight to stewardship—and from good intentions to lasting impact.
Show Notes
Why passionate boards can still become reactive
Governance vs. management: understanding the difference
Warning signs of ineffective board culture
The importance of board orientation and continuous learning
Designing meetings that strengthen governance
Purpose-driven committees and strategic oversight
Building strong partnerships between boards and school leaders
Practical habits of high-performing charter school boards
This week's Boardroom Moment: Evaluate your agenda through a strategic governance lens

As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Bold by Choice takes a step back to reflect on the ideas that shaped our nation—and how those same principles continue to shape public education today.
Hosts Vashaunta Harris and Dr. Jim Goenner are joined by Don Cooper for a special Independence Day conversation exploring the Declaration of Independence, self-governance, human flourishing, and the enduring promise of educational freedom. Together, they examine how the charter school movement reflects America's founding belief that communities can come together to build something better for future generations.
The discussion connects the nation's founding ideals with the work of educators, school leaders, and governing boards today. The hosts explore why a charter is more than a legal document—it's a public promise—and why preparing students for lives of purpose, freedom, and contribution remains at the heart of the movement.
As the conversation concludes, each host shares a personal wish for America's next 250 years—from recommitting to shared values, to practicing courageous listening, to ensuring every student has the opportunity to discover their gifts and flourish.
Whether you're celebrating Independence Day with family, leading a school community, or simply reflecting on the future of education, this special episode offers a thoughtful reminder that freedom comes with responsibility—and that every generation has the opportunity to renew the promise.
Show Notes
Why the Declaration of Independence still matters 250 years later
Self-governance and the American experiment
The connection between charter schools and educational freedom
Human dignity, opportunity, and human flourishing
Why a charter is a promise—not just a legal document
The future of the charter school movement and the next generation of leaders
Reflections and wishes for America's next 250 years
Hosts: Vashaunta Harris & Dr. Jim GoennerSpecial Guest: Don CooperPowered by the National Charter Schools Institute.