Dr. Peter L. Stiepleman was among the conference-goers I spoke to this fine Wednesday morning who hardly ever misses this annual conference. For Peter, it's a chance to connect with other AASA members who he doesn't know yet, as well as to reconnect with the many AASA members he has developed deep relationships with ever since he graduated from the AASA Superintendents Academy many years ago and started to attend this conference religiously.

Peter is a Renaissance Man. He is the author of one of my favorite books, An Imperfect Leader: Human-Centered Leadership in (After) Action, and the host of one of my favorite podcasts, the Imperfect Leader podcast. Peter was the 2021 Missouri Superintendent of the Year, having navigated his district and community through the pandemic. Check out his most recent pods: Facing the Crucible: Dr. Gary Yee's Lesson of Adversity and Healing; Their Parents FaceTime Them In Class? Diego Ochoa and Graham Dugoni Describe A Phone-Free Approach; Dr. Sheldon Berman Talks Integration, Division, and the Importance of Knowing Our History; Leading with Purpose with Dr. Meisha Porter; and Breaking Free from Educational Stagnation: Insights from Dr. Doug Reeves on Leading Schools and Embracing Growth. Outside of education he has many interests, including sports and 19th Century British Literature. So whether it's student expectations or Great Expectations, he's your man.

Back to the conference, he gains so much insight from reaching out to a variety of superintendents and in a variety of contexts. He says, “…the job doesn't have to be lonely.” In fact, he and I met when he reached out to me to talk about some of my recent publications in AASA, the magazine. According to Peter, among the many resources available at this conference that sets it apart from most any other education conference is the human resource. It's a unique opportunity to build a network of thought-partners that may likely become lifelong friends.