Featured Courageous Leader:

Dr. Olivia Lynch

Don’t Miss This Event!

May 28, 2026, 12:00p – 1:00p PT

Presented and facilitated by Dr. Olivia Lynch, The Scholarship and Compassion of Teaching and Leading is a professional forum and conversation featuring the necessity, role and impact of scholarly and compassionate teacher/educator practice. As a forum the program invites the audience to join in sharing their experiences, scholarship and views about the premise put forth by the presenter.

Participants will learn about the systems, beliefs and practices that develop and sustain scholarly instructional and leadership practices. The discussion is nested in the centrality of teacher/professor scholarship and compassion, to the learning achievement of students. Compassion is defined as a curiosity about the students and a dedication to student advancement. In turn, that compassion deepens the scholarship of the teacher/professor/leader as he/she actively engages in connecting with the intellectual growth of the students.

Dr. Lynch will outline the hallmarks of this practice with both examples from the field and from literature. Participants will be able to chart the road (path) to the development of a teacher or leader’s intellectual and compassionate disposition and the results of that mind/heart-set on those being taught and led. While this practice serves all students it is vital to the achievement of diverse students. Along with their own cultural capital the recipients of this kind of teaching and leading can become achieving scholars generating products from their own learning.

Dr. Olivia Lynch is an experienced K – 12 and higher education educator. She has served as teacher, principal and superintendent in both New York and the California Bay Area, and as adjunct professor at various universities on both coasts. She was also Director of Professional Learning at The School Redesign Network at Stanford University. Her doctoral dissertation Generative Leadership was completed in 2009.

Dr. Lynch is 100% bi-lingual having begun life in Central America before her family immigrated to the United States when she was in elementary school.

Her latest writing is a chapter, Africa As The Conduit of Scholarship: Contemplative University Studies and Real World Learning Experiences, in the soon to be released book, Unveiling Insights: Faculty Perspectives on Immersive Research and Study Abroad in the African Diaspora.

.

UC Berkeley’s CCASN Courageous Leadership Series is a learning and leading network designed by leaders who are courageously committed to dismantling systemic inequities inherent in public school structures. Courageous Leaders radically embody and demonstrate the following values of Robert Greenleaf’s Tenets of Servant Leadership:

• Encouragement — Servant leaders inspire their teams by offering encouragement and support. They celebrate successes, acknowledge achievements, and motivate team members to reach their full potential
• Collaboration — A servant leader fosters a collaborative work environment by encouraging open communication, teamwork, and shared decision-making
• Stewardship — Servant leaders take responsibility for the well-being of their team members and the organization as a whole. They act ethically and responsibly in all aspects of their leadership role
• Adaptability — Servant leaders embrace change and are willing to adjust their approach as needed to meet new challenges or seize opportunities

As a UC Berkeley Professional Development Provider (UCBPDP), we work to steward authentic, trusting partnerships at the intersections of research, practice, policy, and participatory community engagement, through which we are committed to modeling the practice of Courageous Leadership.

UC Berkeley’s CCASN Courageous Leadership Series is a learning and leading network designed by leaders who are courageously committed to dismantling systemic inequities inherent in public school structures. Courageous Leaders radically embody and demonstrate the following values of Robert Greenleaf’s Tenets of Servant Leadership:

• Encouragement — Servant leaders inspire their teams by offering encouragement and support. They celebrate successes, acknowledge achievements, and motivate team members to reach their full potential
• Collaboration — A servant leader fosters a collaborative work environment by encouraging open communication, teamwork, and shared decision-making
• Stewardship — Servant leaders take responsibility for the well-being of their team members and the organization as a whole. They act ethically and responsibly in all aspects of their leadership role
• Adaptability — Servant leaders embrace change and are willing to adjust their approach as needed to meet new challenges or seize opportunities

As a UC Berkeley Professional Development Provider (UCBPDP), we work to steward authentic, trusting partnerships at the intersections of research, practice, policy, and participatory community engagement, through which we are committed to modeling the practice of Courageous Leadership.