From Substitute to Superintendent: Dr. Simone Griffin on Leading with Courage and Care

About this episode

Dr. Simone Griffin discusses her journey from substitute teacher to superintendent and the importance of empathetic leadership in education.

What does it take to lead a district through transformation while honoring the lived realities of students, educators, and community members? In this powerful episode of Voices for Excellence — part of our fourth annual Black Excellence series — Dr. Michael Conner sits down with Dr. Simone Griffin, Superintendent of Benton Harbor Area Schools in Michigan. Together, they explore the deep work of instructional leadership, community-centered change, and building the future of education in real time. Dr. Griffin brings a grounded, empathetic, and courageous approach to leadership informed by her journey from day-to-day substitute teacher to superintendent. She shares the bold ways she’s centering student voice, operationalizing equity through co-created curriculum committees, and addressing teacher burnout with wellness frameworks that treat educators as the human capital driving system-wide excellence. With characteristic vision and vulnerability, Dr. Conner and Dr. Griffin dive into what it means to prepare learners — and leaders — for a 22nd-century economy marked by volatility, complexity, and exponential change. From cultivating collective efficacy to embracing AI as a tool for…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Michael Conner

Guest: Dr. Simone Griffin

Topics covered

• educational leadership
• community-centered change
• student voice
• equity in education
• teacher wellness
• AI in education

Keywords

• leadership
• education transformation
• equity
• teacher burnout
• student engagement
• AI in education
• community involvement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Benton Harbor Area Schools

Places: Michigan

More episodes of Voices for Excellence

• Emotional Intelligence Isn't Soft, It's the Durable Skill Driving Academic Success | Dr Donna Housman · June 1, 2026 · 44 min
• The Circles of Genius We're Wasting: Why Lived Experience Matters More Than Motivation with Shokry Elady · May 18, 2026 · 54 min
• Keeping People at the Center of AI Integration with Matthew Berkshire · May 4, 2026 · 47 min
• When the Superintendent Becomes the Chief Advocate, Everything Shifts · April 20, 2026 · 51 min
• From Creative Minds to Future Ready Centers: Rob Dickson Reimagines K-12 · April 6, 2026 · 54 min
• National AI Literacy Day with Erin Mote: Why Doing Something Beats Doing Nothing · March 23, 2026 · 43 min