Executive Director of Technology
Minnetonka Public Schools
Stepping into the role of Technology Director, I knew it would be multifaceted and challenging. What I’ve come to appreciate is how this position demands equal parts technical fluency, educational leadership, relationship building, and contingency management, often all in the same day.
For superintendents and district leaders working with or hiring technology directors, understanding this reality is crucial. The most effective technology leaders aren’t just technical problem-solvers, they’re strategic partners who navigate complex stakeholder relationships while keeping student learning at the center.
The Balance: It’s 80% Leadership, 20% Technology
As a relationships-based leader, I stepped into this role knowing it would involve significant leadership. Experiencing it firsthand continues to reinforce how fundamentally this position is about people, not just systems. While working through infrastructure updates, multi-year classroom technology plans, and incident response protocols, the real work happens in the spaces between meetings. Success means translating technical complexity into clear communication for superintendents, school board members, district staff, teachers, parents, and community members who need to understand not just what we’re doing, but why it matters for student learning.
The “Classroom of the Future” initiative continues to teach me this most clearly. Presenting technology updates isn’t simply about sharing specs and timelines, it’s about helping educators envision how technology will transform their daily practice. The conversations are everything.
Building Trust Through Transparency
I continue to find that transparency is essential to every initiative. With our gradual, multi-year classroom technology transition, we could simply announce changes as deadlines approach. Instead, I work closely with the cabinet, principals, our teaching and learning team, and technology coaches, creating clear transition plans and gathering feedback at every step. This collaborative approach consistently turns potential resistance into partnership. Rather than making decisions in isolation, I engage with stakeholders to ensure I have the full picture. In a field where change happens at lightning speed, bringing people along is more important than being first to market.
The Weight of Security
I continue to find that security work demands far more mental energy than I initially anticipated. Implementing multi-factor authentication, auditing technology access, overhauling onboarding and offboarding procedures, and partnering with local CISA (cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency) means constant vigilance. The technical challenges are manageable; the ongoing responsibility of protecting student and staff data feels enormous.
What continues to help is actively building relationships with security professionals and creating systems for ongoing monitoring rather than trying to be the sole expert. This collaborative approach doesn’t just distribute the technical workload, it creates multiple layers of oversight that reduce overall district risk and ensure continuity when challenges arise.
Team Leadership: The Foundation
I continue to learn that everything rises and falls on team leadership. I invest significant time fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous growth within our technology team. This work influences every other priority.
The real work happens in daily interactions, listening to diverse perspectives, supporting individual development, and maintaining clear communication when systems inevitably break at the worst possible moments.
What This Means for District Leaders
For superintendents and cabinet members, supporting your technology director means recognizing that their success depends as much on relationship capital as technical knowledge. Provide opportunities for them to participate in leadership meetings, ideally as a sitting member of cabinet, connect with peer networks, and engage directly with teaching staff. When hiring, look beyond technical credentials to find candidates who can articulate how technology decisions impact student outcomes and demonstrate emotional intelligence to build trust across stakeholder groups.
Most importantly, understand that effective technology leadership requires both strategic patience for long-term planning and tactical agility for daily problem-solving. Your technology director’s ability to balance these demands directly impacts your district’s operational stability and educational innovation.
Final Thoughts
I continue to discover that the role of Technology Director is more complex and rewarding than I imagined. The technical challenges are manageable, the leadership opportunities are immense, and the chance to shape educational experiences for students makes every difficult day worthwhile.
