About Us

Effective leaders can and do have a significant influence on ensuring that meaningful changes occur in schools, so much so that they can leverage the most significant and intractable challenges facing schools today – increasing levels of achievement for Black and Brown children.  As two White women, our moral imperative is to work to ensure school and district leaders have the skills and racial consciousness to lead with courage and confidence.

melissa

Melissa Krull, Ph.D.

Melissa Krull, Ph.D., has an extensive background serving in leadership capacities at a 10,000-student school district for 20 years, 10 of which were spent as superintendent. Her recent work includes leadership teaching and research toward the elimination of racial achievement disparities. She has served as a keynote speaker, panelist, and presenter for various organizations and universities, including Georgetown Law Center and the White House. Dr. Krull is the co-author of a chapter in More Courageous Conversations: From Theory to Practice (2012). She currently teaches graduate courses in the administrative licensure graduate program and advises doctoral students through the Department of Educational Leadership at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Twin Cities. She is the co-founder and facilitator of the Institute for Courageous Principal Leadership.

Candace

Candace Raskin, Ed.D.

Co-author of the Principal Leadership for Racial Equity: A Field Guide for Developing Race Consciousness, Candace works nationally with school and district leaders, positioning them to transform schools and districts mired in outdated, biased practices into learning environments that glow with high expectations for every student, with special focus on Black and Brown learners. Candace served as an educational leader in Minnesota public schools for 18 years as a superintendent; director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; middle school and elementary principal; and high-potential coordinator. Her research on developing racially conscious leadership has been recognized nationally and is published in numerous scholarly journals. She is a Professor Emeritus at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Twin Cities, where she served 13 years teaching in the administrative licensure graduate program. Candace also served as the Department Chair for eight years and taught and advised at the doctoral level as a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership. She is a co-founder and facilitator of the Institute for Courageous Principal Leadership.