Our guest, Dr. Marianne Lucas Lescher, is a lifelong educator, as a teacher, district curriculum director, and school principal for total of 43 years. In her 26 years as a K-5 and K-8 principal,she led her school to a National Blue-Ribbon recognition, the highest award a school can receive. Her schools receivedArizona's highest school recognition, the A+ School of Excellence honor 5 times. Dr. Lescher received her Ph.D.from Boston College, in Educational Research. Her M. Ed. is in Educational Administration, and her undergraduate degree is in Elementary and Special Education. Most recently, Dr. Lescher was chosen as National Distinguished Principal for 2025 from the National Association of Elementary Principals and is in the Inaugural Class of Inductees into the Arizona Educator Hall of Fame for 2026.

Sponsor NAESP. National School Leaders Conference–Powered by NAESP is designed for Pre-K–12 principals andassistant principals, featuring high-impact learning tracks, networking, and the newly added "Camp Lead-A-Lot" retreat. Held July 13-15, 2026, Orlando, FL, learn more and register at naespconferenence.org.

Host: Jacob Easley II, PhD., PMP

Connections:

Northern Arizona University

Resources:

EDUP The Experience

EDUP Xcelerated Excellence

Greeting: Tiffani Jaseph

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY #XEListeningTour #Principal

Our Guest, James Wilson, is a public policy professional, education advocate, and graduate student at Georgia StateUniversity’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, where he is pursuing a Master of Public Administration. A recent cum laude graduate of Georgia State with a degree in Public Policy, a minor in Urban Education, and a certificate in Social Science and Data Analytics, James has focused much of his academic and professional work on improving educational opportunity, student success, and public systems.

James has served as Student Government Association President at Georgia State University, representing one of the largest and most diverse student bodies in the country. His experience spans education policy, legislative affairs, student advocacy, data analysis, and community engagement, including work with the State Charter Schools Commission of Georgia, the University System of Georgia, the National Education Association, and the Southern Education Foundation.

Rooted in a deep commitment to Georgia students and families, James brings both lived experience and policy experience to conversations about education. His work centers on how schools, colleges, governments, and communities can bettersupport students from cradle to career.

Your Host: ⁠⁠Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP⁠⁠

Resources:

EDUP The Experience

21st Century Leaders

National Partnership for Educational Access

Intercultural Development Research Association

Greeting: Tiffani Jaseph

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY #YouthLeaders#XEListeningTour

Our guest, Dr. Daniella Molle, is a qualitative researcher who conducts inquiries related to equitable education for historically underserved students. She has a background in the teaching and learning of English as an additional language. For a decade, her work focused on expanding educators’ capacity to meet the needs of multilingual students through job-embedded professional learning. Since 2021, Daniella has been the research director of a large grant-funded project focused on equity-centered school leadership, CALL-ECL.

Sponsor NAESP. National School Leaders Conference–Powered by NAESP is designed for Pre-K–12 principals andassistant principals, featuring high-impact learning tracks, networking, and the newly added "Camp Lead-A-Lot" retreat. Held July 13-15, 2026, Orlando, FL, learn more and register at naespconferenence.org.

Connections:

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Resources:

The Wallace Foundation

Promising Practices for the Design and Implementation of Equity-Centered Leader Pathways

Greeting: Dr. Larry J. Walker

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY #XEListeningTour

Our guest, ⁠Mohammed Elmeski, PhD⁠, is a university professor, senior education advisor, researcher, and international development professional with nearly three decades of experience spanning education policy, higher education, school improvement, and system reform. His career has bridged academia, government, research, and international development, with leadership and advisory roles in Morocco, the United States, Africa, the Middle East, and other international contexts.

He has served as a university faculty member, senior researcher,program director, Chief of Party of a USAID-funded higher education partnership, and senior advisor to the Head of Government of Morocco. His research and professional interests include educational leadership, teacher development, social and emotional learning, lifelong learning, belonging, andthe implementation of large-scale education reform. Having worked across diverse educational and development contexts, his work is particularly concerned with how research, policy, and practice can come together to expand educational opportunity, strengthen belonging and equity, and help education systems respond to social change.

Connections:

⁠University of Minnesota⁠

⁠Mohammed V University⁠

Resources:

• ⁠African Voices Dialogue⁠
• ⁠Educational Policy, Reforms, and Change in the Middle East and North Africa⁠ (Book)
• ⁠Tibu Africa⁠
• ⁠International Congress of School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI)⁠

Greeting: ⁠Dr. Larry J. Walker⁠

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY#XEListeningTour

Our guest, Eric Scheninger, is founder and CEO of Aspire Change EDU. He works with schools worldwide, helping educators meet and exceed their potential to improve learner outcomes. Aspire Change EDU, a collaborative consultancy, provides personalized support to educational systems. Prior, Eric was a teacher and the award-winning Principal at New Milford High School. Under his leadership, his school became a globally recognized model for innovative practices. Eric oversaw the successful implementation of several sustainable change initiatives that radically transformed the learning culture at his school while increasing achievement.

His work focuses on innovative and practical ways educators can transform teaching, learning, and leadership. Through his work with thousands of schools, Eric has emerged as an innovative leader, best-selling author, and sought-after speaker. His focus is on using research, evidence-based practices, and artificial intelligence (AI) to empower learners and educators.

Sponsor NAESP. National School Leaders Conference–Powered by NAESP is designed for Pre-K–12 principals and assistant principals, featuring high-impact learning tracks, networking, and the newly added "Camp Lead-A-Lot" retreat. Held July 13-15, 2026, Orlando, FL, learn more and register at naespconferenence.org.

Connections:

East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania

Resources:

Ericsheninger.com

Greeting: Dr. Larry J. Walker

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY #XEListeningTour

Our guest, Dr. Scott McLeod, J.D., is a Professor of Educational Leadership. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on P-12 school leadership, deeper learning, technology, and innovation. He is on a mission to make students’ day-to-day learning less boring and more meaningful and relevant. Scott is the Founding Director of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), the only university center in the U.S. dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators, and is the co-creator of both the wildly popular video series, Did You Know? (Shift Happens), and the 4 Shifts Protocol for lesson and unitredesign.

Scott has worked with hundreds of schools, districts, universities, and other organizations and has received numerous awards, including the 2016 global Award for Outstanding Leadership from the International Society forTechnology in Education (ISTE). Scott blogs about leadership and innovation at Dangerously Irrelevant and is a frequent keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at state, national, and international conferences. Scott also hosts three occasional podcasts, LeaderTalk, Redesigning for Deeper Learning, andCASTLE Conversations.

Scott currently serves as a Distinguished Educator Fellow for PDK International, a Fellow for the NAESP Center for Innovative Leadership, and an ISTE+ASCD Community Leader. He also recently served as a Senior Fellow for Getting Smart. Scott has written or edited 4 books and 170 articles and other publications, and is one of the most visible education professors in the United States. In 2025, he received the 2025 Excellence in Teaching Award for the entire University of Colorado Denver campus.

Your Host: ⁠⁠Jacob Easley II, PhD, PMP⁠⁠

Sponsor NAESP. National School Leaders Conference–Powered by NAESP is designed for Pre-K–12 principals and assistant principals, featuring high-impact learning tracks, networking, and the newly added "Camp Lead-A-Lot" retreat. Held July 13-15, 2026, Orlando, FL, learn more and register at naespconferenence.org.

Resources:

• University Council for Educational Administration
• LeaderTalk (Podcast) https://leadertalk.org/
• Redesigning for Deeper Learning (Podcast) https://redesigningfordeeperlearning.org/
• CASTLE Conversations (Podcast) https://castleconversations.transistor.fm/
• Dr. Marvin Lynn—Leading Educator Preparation andJustice through Collaboration and Engagement (EDUP Xcelerated Excellence Episode) https://www.edupxe.com/dr-marvin-lynn-leading-educator-preparation-and-justice-through-collaboration-engagement/

Greeting: Michelle Maslowski

#EDUPXE #EDUCATIONALEXCELLENCE #EDUCATIONALEQUITY #DeepLearning #XEListeningTour