Staff Spotlight: Tamara Harrington, Vice President of Programs

Q&A with Tamara

What do you do for Leadership ISD?

I develop and execute the LISD’s strategy for identifying, equipping, connecting, and supporting leaders who will make decisions that lead to better outcomes for students. I have been with Leadership ISD since 2016 and love having the opportunity to work with people from diverse backgrounds all working toward a common goal as well as creating experiences that open people to new perspectives. Simply put, I see my role as making sure that excellent things happen for ALL students on purpose.

What do you love about your job?

I always think about how leaders need friends, too. So many people are intimidated by trustees, don't know they exist, or don't see them as human. So, we at LISD try to invest in their lives and acknowledge the incredible sacrifice it takes to be in elected office. I’m really proud of how LISD has always been a place where we see and nurture leadership.

Another thing that I deeply love about this organization is there are so many people, primarily women and people of color, who never think of themselves as leaders. And we get to be in a position where somebody from our organization can say, “I think you should consider running for this position because I've seen the way that you move in the world. I've seen your value system. I've seen the competencies you have when you lead something and you would be a great representative on the school board.”

Why do trustees play an important role in our education system?

Trustees are citizen volunteers and they are essentially running multimillion and multibillion-dollar corporations. We don't like to talk about school boards or school systems as corporations, but they are. And, the results are kids' futures and lives and hopes and dreams. School boards are distributing resources, making decisions about policies, practices, and resource allocations, and ultimately governing that corporation.

Having current trustees and trustee candidates understand what excellence looks like and giving them access to information, tools, connections, and the consistent building of confidence is really important. So many times we have people run for office who are well-intentioned but don’t know what they are getting into. We just hope that good things will happen by accident and sometimes they do, but for the most part, good things need to happen on purpose.

Why are you passionate about educational equity? What motivates you?

It all comes down to worthiness. When we talk about racism or equity or the way that some people get things and some people don't, that is because somewhere, somebody has assigned a value to that person that says you are worthy of these things or you're not.

At the end of the day, I believe that everybody is worthy of being given what they need to create a life that's good and meaningful for them.

In my work with LISD, I’ve met countless students, many of whom did not have status in this country and English was not their first language. And, there is an incredible struggle that these very young people are having just trying to survive and education is what is supposed to make their lives better. We have to deliver on that. It's our job as adults to protect kids, especially our most vulnerable children.

What are some of your favorite things that happen in your work with LISD?

Being able to give a resource to somebody to lead or advocate better is the best feeling.

I love watching people who would have never met being in a space and getting to know each other as adults. I also love watching adults and students interact in a way that feels like a partnership and where kids are respected as experts. We can get comfortable in our bubbles and there are so few places where these things happen but we get to facilitate those experiences at Leadership ISD, and it's a gift and a privilege every day.

And then, the last piece is helping put people in places, whether they're running for trustee or simply speaking at a school board meeting, and seeing the moment when somebody becomes confident in their leadership.

What advice would you offer a current student?

Gravitate toward things that are fun, interesting, or pique your curiosity, and do the same with people–this will make learning, and life, interesting. Also, know that if you are brave enough to take on experiences that are hard, uncomfortable, or unfamiliar, something good will come from that. You have the power to change things, big and small, and that starts with knowing you are valuable and that it is okay to grow and change yourself along the way.