Leading Districts with Emotional Intelligence with Dr. Adam Swinyard

Dr. Adam Swinyard, Superintendent of Spokane Public Schools and 2023 Washington Superintendent of the Year, joins the Jeff Kubiak to discuss leading one of Washington's largest districts through a rapidly shifting information and mental health landscape. Adam shares how Spokane centers everything on relationships, why transparency and "doors and windows" communication have replaced the old top-down model, and how the district's Engage in Real Life initiative and revised cell phone policy are tackling the youth mental health crisis. He also reflects candidly on lessons learned since becoming superintendent — from the power of emotional intelligence in hiring to rethinking public schools' role in a world where they no longer hold a monopoly on enrollment. Takeaways: Relationships over hierarchy — Spokane's culture is built on entering every interaction with love, kindness, and curiosity before power or authority. Transparency builds trust — Post-pandemic, families expect "doors and windows" into classrooms; hiding information only invites misinformation. Emotional intelligence trumps résumés — Adam prioritizes EQ over traditional credentials when hiring leaders, even for technical roles like HR. Engage in Real Life to fight the mental health crisis — Pairing a cell phone policy with real-world clubs, sports, and activities has driven major gains in attendance and behavior. Schools no longer have a monopoly — With school choice now widespread, districts must develop real marketing and branding strategies, like higher ed already does. About Dr. Adam Swinyard: The Spokane Public Schools board of directors named Dr. Adam Swinyard superintendent in the summer of 2020. In his role as superintendent for the state's largest school districts, Dr. Swinyard is tasked with implementing the district's vision, goals and policies. Dr. Swinyard previously served as the district's associate superintendent for teaching and learning and director of secondary schools. A native of Deer Park, Wash., Dr. Swinyard earned his B.A. in secondary education from Northwest University. He earned his M.Ed, Ed.D in executive leadership, and Washington State Principal and Superintendent credentials from Seattle Pacific University. In 2016, Dr. Swinyard received the Research on Superintendency Dissertation of the Year Award from the American Educational Research Association. Prior to working in district administration, Dr. Swinyard was the principal at Sacajawea Middle School in Spokane from 2013 – 2016. In that role, he was twice nominated for the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) Washington State Middle School Principal of the Year Award. He was an AWSP Regional Principal of the Year winner in 2015. Prior to his time leading Sacajawea, Dr. Swinyard was an assistant principal at Cheney High School in Cheney, Wash., and principal assistant at Garry Middle School in Spokane. Dr. Swinyard has teaching experience in health and fitness, language arts and social studies in western Washington school districts that include Glacier Peak High School in the Snohomish School District, and McAuliffe Elementary School in Redmond. Dr. Swinyard and his wife have three children. Episode 353 of the Better Learning Podcast For more information on our partners: Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/ Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/ Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/ EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/ Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/ Want to be a Guest Speaker? Request on our website