Asking "What If?" with Suzan Brandt

Send us Fan Mail Suzan Brandt, CTO of Mountain Brook Schools, has lived her life with curiosity - and that's reflected in her teaching, her CTO-ing, her conference planning, and her TedEd organizing. Diane and Suzan sit down to talk about Suzan's journey to becoming CTO, taking up the mantle from former podcast guest Donna Williamson. And during the pandemic, nonetheless! They reminisce about their meeting through the "savvy sisters," and they connect over their love of employing a "meeting cadence" with their tech teams. They talk about rounding out their more technical knowledge and pairing it with their teaching backgrounds so they can view their work from multiple perspectives. Last, Suzan tells us a little more about her organizing the Engage Conference and TEDxYouth@MBJH, both venues that continue to support students and teachers in both their work and their lives. Overall, this conversation is filled with wonder and care, and we hope you can take that into your week after listening. This episode was recorded during the ISTELive 2026 conference in Orlando, Florida, on June 30. Keep up with Suzan here: LinkedIn: Suzan Brandt Website: Mountain Brook Schools Join BTW Slack Community: HERE Email us with any questions, comments, thoughts, or feedback: [email protected] Follow Beneath the Water on Instagram: @Beneaththewaterpod ------------------- Find Diane's latest adventures (podcasting, fishing, and beyond!): LinkedIn Follow Friends of Friends Recording: Instagram