1:00 pm - 1:50 pm (Room TBD)

Facilitator: Rhonda Henderson
Organization: The Dap Project
Role: Creative Entrepreneur

Session Description:
Have you facilitated a meeting, and the surveys said: "That was a really creative session. I loved the approach!" What if creativity is as vital to leadership as a clear vision, SMART goals, and regular follow up?

In this very hands-on workshop, participants will consider brief case studies and prompts to reflect on their own creative talents, and experiment with infusing creativity into a current leadership project or priority. 

This session is ideal for leaders who want to learn in public, and understand how their inner creative can accelerate their leadership.  

Session Objectives/Outcomes:

• Recognize the connection between creativity and educational leadership.
• Identify creative practices to apply to current leadership initiatives.
• Develop strategies to integrate creativity into leadership to deepen team investment in goals.

Professional Biography:
Rhonda Henderson is a writer, educator, and creative who resides in DC. She began her career in education teaching US History to high school students, and, over two decades, has continued to advocate for educational equity through leadership roles in schools and non-profit organizations. Rhonda has presented dynamic sessions to a diversity of audiences, including leaders in school operations, parents pursuing secondary education, and incarcerated citizens. She co-founded the Dap Project in 2019 as a platform to tell stories about us by us, and curated the multi-media exhibit, "Dap is a Love Language." Rhonda recently gave herself permission to live a creative life, and is inspired to help educators leverage their inner creativity to accelerate their outer leadership. 

Lawyer. Educator.  Advocate.  Entrepreneur.  Nonprofit Leader.  These are some of the hats that Kansas City native, Catina K. Taylor, wears.  Some may think that a Jack of all Trades cannot be a master of any, however, that is not the case with Catina.  She moves seamlessly from one to the other, often intertwining them together for the most effective impact on clients, students, families, and community.  She often explains that the skills in each of these areas uniquely prepared her to do the work she does today.

Catina began her teaching career in July 2000 after receiving her law degree.  Instead of entering the legal profession, she responded to the call to fill the teacher shortage that was occurring in Kansas City Public Schools. Working in traditional public, independent, and charter schools for 18 years while parenting at the same time, Catina developed a clear lens into education.  She has been actively engaged with students, parents, teachers, administrators, and district level leaders in both suburban and urban educational landscapes.  She is also a constant advocate and resource for parents, colleagues, educational institutions and the entrepreneurial community.

Miss Taylor has a vast knowledge of the educational ecosystem. She has served in many capacities within it allowing her to build a vast network to aid in disrupting a challenging system.  Specifically, Miss Taylor has served in the following capacities…

· Kansas City Public Schools Strategic Planning Team

· Show Me KC Schools Programming and Outreach Committee

· Urban Neighborhood Initiative Education Committee

· St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School Benefits Committee

· St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School Diversity Committee

· Founding Principal hiring team for the Kansas City Neighborhood Academy Charter School

· Founding Principal hiring team for the Citizens of the World Charter School

· Founding Principal hiring team for the Kansas City Girl’s Preparatory Academy

· Author of the MO State Education Agenda for the Human Dignity & Economic Justice Coalition

· iMatter Experience Student and Parent workshop facilitator

· Young Achievers Workshop Facilitator

· Presenter – MO Chapter National Multicultural Education Association

· Co-Founder of Elements of Education KC

· Founder of DREAMS KC, an educational nonprofit

Catina has tutored, facilitated Sunday School classes, organized Vacation Bible School, conducted youth leadership workshops, facilitated parent workshops, piloted summer programs, executed community fundraisers, served on various boards, volunteered for charities, spoke on various educational and small business panels and many other activities. Catina began work on developing a new school model in 2014.  She completed The Lean Lab Fellowship in summer 2015.  Catina was then accepted into the 4.0 Tiny Schools Fellowship where she was able to build out and pilot her new school model.  Summer 2017, Catina partnered with the New Schools Venture Fund Pilot Pathways program as 1 of 3 in the country to further develop innovative school models being designed to meet the needs of 21st century learners. In addition to being tied into the education ecosystem, Catina is also entrenched in the business startup community of Kansas City.  She launched her legal, education and business consulting business, DREAMS Consulting in 2015.  During the pandemic, Catina served families who found themselves suddenly thrust into education by supplying digital content so that they could effectively structure their learning days, design lessons in the home, and curate engaging curriculum for their children.  In 2022, Catina launched her Reading the Phonics Way Curriculum. Through her nonprofit, DREAMS KC, she empowers parents with the tools they need to teach foundational literacy skills to their Pre-K through 12th grade students in the comfort of their own homes, building confident and competent readers. Catina has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Paralegal Certificate from Avila University. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas School of Law. Catina also has her Missouri Teacher Certificate in Secondary Social Studies. She taught first grade for seven years, middle school for three years and high school for five years. She is now enrolled in LETRS Training with educators from across the state of Missouri and recently completed a 6-month Social Enterprise training program.