Schlechty Center

Lennie Hay Senior Associate

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At a recent conference, a district—using the structured conversations, presentations, and readings provided by the Schlechty Center—"dove" into some very complex, painful issues that they had not talked about before. At the end of the conference, where I happened to be the lead, one of the participants said that the district would never be the same, because the conference helped the team open a door that would not otherwise have been opened.

My passion is to make connections between and among significant ideas (those fundamental to the work of the Schlechty Center) in ways that will help leaders in education understand those ideas with new depth and clarity on behalf of their schools, their staff, their students. Being a part of the design work at the Center has given me an opportunity to explore in new ways how to make ideas come alive for our customers. I think design work flourishes at the Center because bright, committed staff members understand that it is their job to work together to design experiences for our customers. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity.

LENNIE HAY is an experienced leader of change and skilled at developing leadership capabilities among many role groups. Throughout her career in education, Lennie has been recognized for her ability to achieve desired results. Always a teachers’ principal, she conveys her respect for the classroom through her actions and understanding of instructional processes and practices. Because of her broad knowledge base and her work at the Brown School, in Louisville,Kentucky, Lennie was named a Thomas Fellow with the Coalition of Essential Schools. Most recently, she served as the director of Professional Development and Innovations at Jefferson County (Kentucky) Public Schools Gheens Professional Development Academy.