Chris
Cochran

I currently help lead a school and hang out with medium-sized humans every day.

I drink a lot of coffee.

I turn chaos into opportunity.

I believe leadership is fundamentally about moving people from knowledge to action, from nouns to verbs. As an educational leader, I see myself as a "Ruthless Optimist" – someone who acknowledges reality's hard edges while maintaining unwavering belief in possibility. I view leadership not as a position but as a practice of creating constellations – connecting talented individuals within organizations to navigate through chaos and uncertainty. I strive to inspire leaders to embrace their imperfections as sources of strength, to face hard conversations with hope, and to prioritize human connection over metrics. My ultimate goal is to remind fellow educators that beneath all our professional responsibilities are people – "actual living, breathing, emotional, unique, hardworking, well-meaning humans" – and that leadership is, at its core, about serving these people with intention, courage, and purpose.

"When we stop telling people how to act and start reminding them of who they are, the culture will begin to take care of itself."

– Chris Cochran