518-180 From Well-Being to Instructional Excellence: Positive Leadership
Description
Schedule:
In-Person
- September 17, 2026: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
- September 18, 2026: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
- April 23, 2027: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Virtual
- November 13, 2026: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
- February 12, 2027: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Location: In-Person & Virtual Days
In-Person Location:CESA 2 - Innovation Center
1221 Innovation Dr
Whitewater, WI 53190
Price:
Early Bird before May 30: $499 per participant
After May 30: $525 per participant
Group of 5: $480 per participant
If registering more than five participants, please reach out to events@cesa2.org
Content Questions: Beth Clarke (beth.clarke@cesa2.org)
Registration Questions: events@cesa2.org
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About this event: This year long series will launch with a 2-day, in-person workshop designed for principals and district leaders, followed up by virtual sessions and a final face to face 1/2 day in the spring. The workshop integrates the University of Pennsylvania PERMA model from Positive Psychology to provide school and district leaders with a coherent, strengths-oriented, research-based approach to strengthen skills, build a shared leadership language, and offer practical strategies that leaders can use immediately.
The training is aligned with the WI DPI Pillars of Innovative Education, Educator Recruitment and Retention, Learner and Educator Mental Health, and the overarching goal of elevating instructional leadership and teacher growth. Additionally, this training will be aligned with principles from Educator Effectiveness (both EE and EP) as well as New Teacher Center frameworks.
LEARNING GOALS: BY THE END OF THE WORKSHOP, PARTICIPANTS WILL:
• Understand the PERMA model and apply it to K–12 leadership and educator wellbeing.
• Strengthen their ability to build purpose-driven, strengths- based teams aligned with teacher growth.
• Learn concrete techniques to elevate feedback conversations, and classroom climate by using appreciative inquiry.
• Apply strategies to reduce burnout and enhance teacher wellness and staff resilience.
• Leave with a set of ready-to-use tools to strengthen school culture and support instructional excellence.
FORMAT FOR WORKSHOP
• Two full in-person days for the initial learning; One half-day cohort presentations, celebrations, certifications at the end
• Two virtual interim sessions where leaders share their application of the concepts in their schools, reinforcing accountability and sustained impact.
• Certification: For all participants upon completion, from the United Nations established UPEACE Centre for Executive Education.
• Approach: interactive learning, case discussions, peer coaching, and real-world applications.
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About the Presenters:
Mohit Mukherjee is the Founding Director of the UPEACE Centre for Executive Education, established by the United Nations. He is a passionate educator who has been designing and delivering impactful learning experiences to audiences from around the world in the areas of Social Entrepreneurship, Positive Leadership, and Organizational Happiness – to name a few. The topics have evolved over time, but his purpose remains to ‘facilitate transformational experiences that enable positive action’.
Mohit’s professional background includes management consulting, teaching high school, working with a global non-profit, being VP of Programs a university focusing on social entrepreneurs, managing a private-public partnership at Florida International University, and teaching Masters level students at UPEACE, Costa Rica. Mohit finds that leaders who create the conditions for well-being in their teams enjoy the journey more and also get better results.
Mohit has a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and did his Master’s at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was born in Greece and currently lives with his wife and two teenage daughters in Florida.
Beth Clarke is an innovative educator with over 25 years of experience who is an advocate to ignite the learning experience. Her passion lies in learner-centered pedagogy while partnering with educators to leverage digital tools and resources. Currently, Beth’s role is the Senior Director of the Digital Leadership and Learning Center at CESA 2 where she has the opportunity to support educators across southern WI. Also, Beth facilitates the integration of Universal Design for Learning to promote conditions for inclusive education, the New Teacher Mentor program to support educator induction and sustainability, as well as the ISTE Educator Certification program which builds modern educators world-wide. Most importantly, equity is a priority in every facet of her work.
Valerie Schmitz, PhD, EdD is the Senior Director of Continuous Improvement & Data Analysis at CESA 2, where she leads regional efforts in educator development including the New Teacher Center, data analysis, and school and district improvement planning. In this role, Valerie supports districts with the implementation of the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness System, continuous improvement frameworks, and the use of data for equity-focused decision-making. She brings deep expertise in instructional design, systems analysis, and educational leadership, guiding schools and districts through meaningful, sustainable improvement processes.
Valerie holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning, an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, and dual M.Ed. degrees in Technology Education and Educational Leadership. Her work is grounded in a commitment to data-informed practice and instructional innovation that supports both educator growth and student success.
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