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Her Story of service
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Sheila is a mother, educator, speaker, design-thinker and systems innovator. Her work locally and nationally to create more human-centered health, government and education systems, has been a labor of love born out of tragedy.

In 2018, Sheila lost her 17-year-old son, John, when he was shot 13-times in a police involved shooting. She found herself feeling helpless due to state laws, and powerless from the legal system. The community rallied behind Sheila, fighting alongside her for government transparency. Together, with other parents whose children have struggled with mental health issues, she is also fighting for a more effective and efficient mental health continuum of care. An expert in design thinking,

Sheila has always fought for innovation to create a better future for children, parents and her community. As a former middle school Principal, she led the charge to redesign middle school education. Sheila hopes to show how applying continuous design thinking can innovate systems and allow communities to thrive.

CAREER & HIGHLIGHTS

Sheila served as a public school educator for 25 years. Her commitment and love for her students began in the St. Louis area as a high school social studies teacher, coach, and sponsor of numerous clubs. Sheila’s tenure in education includes the following:

Principal, Harmony Middle School Blue Valley School District (13+ years)
Leona Korol Award Winner: Professional Promise - Maryville University
High school Assistant Principal & Teacher (10+ years)
Blue Valley Design Camp: Started and introduced design thinking across the entire school district
Middle School Learning Redesign: Collaborated with 8 other Blue Valley principals in the complete redesign of the Blue Valley middle school program to reflect a more student centered and future ready approach to learning