Vital Leaders

10/15/2026

“The educator who changed my trajectory was…”

Some educators don't just teach a subject; they change the direction of a life.

Finish the sentence and tag the person who changed yours in the comments. (Not sure how to phrase it? “The educator I'll never forget is…” and “I am who I am because—(tag an educator)” work just as well.)

Don't know who to nominate? Help us recognize our honorees instead by making a donation today: https://www.gagives.org/organization/Georgia-Leadership-Institute-For-School-Improvement

Thank you to our sponsors KSU Bagwell College and Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. We couldn’t host this annual campaign without you and are grateful for your support.

10/13/2026

Nominations for the 2026 Hidden Heroes campaign are open through the end of the month, and we want every Georgia school system represented.

Is there someone in your life quietly making a difference in a classroom, a front office, or on a school bus every single day, the kind of person whose impact rarely gets named out loud?

It takes less than two minutes to nominate them. The feeling of being seen and appreciated? That can last a lifetime.

Together, we can celebrate the people who embody the best of education and the importance of public education for our communities now and in the future.

Submit your nominations here: https://hiddenheroes.glisi.org/2026

10/07/2026

“A great principal always…”

Great leadership in a school building looks like a hundred small things done consistently: knowing every kid's name, showing up to the game on a Friday night, making a hard call and standing behind it.

Tell us how you'd finish this sentence in the comments, and tag the principal who fits the bill.

Thank you to our sponsors KSU Bagwell College and Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. We couldn’t host this annual campaign without you and are grateful for your support.



Don't know who to nominate? Help us recognize our honorees instead by making a donation today: https://www.gagives.org/organization/Georgia-Leadership-Institute-For-School-Improvement

10/05/2026

“My Hidden Hero taught me…”

So many of us can name an educator who went the extra mile and whose impact stayed with us long after we left the classroom, school, or bus.

Fill in the blank in the comments and, if you can, tag your Hidden Hero. Let them know the difference they made.

However you finish it, it's a nomination waiting to happen.

Submit your nominations here: https://hiddenheroes.glisi.org/2026



Don't know who to nominate? Help us recognize our honorees instead by making a donation today: https://www.gagives.org/organization/Georgia-Leadership-Institute-For-School-Improvement

10/01/2026

Nominations are officially open for this year's Hidden Heroes campaign.

Every school system has people who show up early, stay late, and make a difference without ever asking for recognition: teachers, bus drivers, custodians, coaches, front office staff, and so many others whose names rarely make headlines. This campaign exists because those people deserve more than a passing thank you.

This year our goal is bold: a Hidden Hero nominee from every school system in Georgia.

They deserve to be seen by name, by their community, for the specific ways they've made a difference. Nominate the difference makers in your school community through October 30.

Submit your nominations here: https://hiddenheroes.glisi.org/2026

Thank you to our sponsors KSU Bagwell College and Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP. We couldn’t host this annual campaign without you and are grateful for your support.

09/30/2026

09/30/2026

The days are long but the years are short! This is not only true when rearing children. It is true of any long-term collective effort that leaves a legacy of impact.

25 years ago, then Governor Roy Barnes had a vision knowing that school leaders had outsized impact in communities, reaching thousands of young people and families every single year. Public schools offer a touchpoint like no other, where we gather together, grow together, learn together every day for 13 years in the life of a child and their family.

We are so proud of the impact we’ve had over our 25 years so far, and we have some big news about where we are headed. Stay tuned as we celebrate this milestone in growing leaders vital to the thriving of young people, schools and communities!

09/15/2026

Last chance to bring a team to this fall's Base Camp and Leadership Summit.

Here's what we hear most often from teams who've been through it: clarity on what actually needs to change. Processes that help translate the wish to change into do-able action. A team that finally sees eye to eye instead of talking past each other in meetings. The confidence that comes from realizing they're not the only ones carrying the weight of the work.

None of that happens by accident, and it rarely happens in a 30-minute staff meeting squeezed between everything else on the calendar. It happens when a team gets uninterrupted time to do the harder work of alignment.

Registration is open now for the next cohort in November. If your team is ready for that kind of investment, register your team’s spots now: https://glisi.org/base-camp-and-leadership-summit-2/