Jerilyn Olson Joins the Leadership Conversation at The National Symposium for Classical Education

Jerilyn Olson, the Chief People Officer of Great Hearts, will be a presenter at the upcoming 2025 National Symposium for Classical Education at the Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona, on February 19-21, 2025. As part of the Leadership Track, Olson’s workshop is titled “People Leadership: Leading with Influence,” where she will share how you can lead with influence, especially when you are given the task, but not the title.

“I am delighted to explore a topic near and dear to my heart,” shared Olson. “From the time I was a teacher, I was asked to take on projects that would require resources and team members over which I had no authority! It can be frustrating to want to make things better around you but to feel restricted in how much you can get done. While I think this session will be most helpful for a project leader who has to work across multiple schools, I am hopeful some of the ideas will be useful for anyone who thinks about trying to build a vision across a complex group of stakeholders.”

The Leadership Track at the Symposium is designed to empower educational leaders with practical strategies and insights to excel in their role as school leaders. Sessions will explore Great Hearts APEX courses, effective change management, leading with influence, and translating vision into operational excellence. Sessions will be led by various experts both from within and outside of Great Hearts.

“In preparing for the session, I’ve had several colleagues say, ‘Oh, I need to get better at this!’ The reality is that we all do. In fact, I would argue that someone who thinks you can lead by anything other than influence is not a true leader,” she explained.

Olsen added she will not be leading the session as someone with all the answers – just a fellow traveler who thinks about the complexities of this topic. “I am so excited to join in conversation with you about it,” she said.

Olson’s education began as a homeschooled student through the eighth grade, at which point she attended one of the first public charter schools in the nation with a classical curriculum. She then continued her education by attending Claremont McKenna College, a liberal arts college in Southern California, where she double-majored in Literature and Government. After helping found the second school in the Great Hearts network and teaching for six years, she began working to support the growing community of faculty. During her tenure, she has also completed a master’s degree in Humanities with a Classical Education Concentration through The University of Dallas. She and her husband live in the Phoenix area and enjoy watching their three children thrive in a classical education environment.

She shared one of her favorite quotes about friendship that comes from C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves.

“Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one.’ …It is when two such persons discover one another, when, whether with immense difficulties and semi-articulate fumblings or with what would seem to us amazing and elliptical speed, they share their vision—it is then that Friendship is born. And instantly they stand together in an immense solitude.”

Olson related this quote to her experiences at the National Symposium for Classical Education, where colleagues from across the nation have the opportunity to gather in solidarity around this important and difficult work. “We can articulate our fumblings and share in a common vision. We can engage in reflection and conversation together,” said Olson.

The National Symposium for Classical Education, set to take place at the Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona, February 19-21, 2025, promises to be an inspiring event for educators and enthusiasts of classical education. The Symposium is the annual flagship event of the Great Hearts Institute, which is dedicated to renewing the tradition of classical education by directly supporting educators, school leaders, and families.

REGISTER TODAY for the 2025 National Symposium for Classical Education to take advantage the special early bird pricing that expires soon.

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