FOUNDER TO THE PROFILE
CEO, Triad Consulting
“I attribute my success to the unwavering support of my wife, Cara, and my parents, Jerry and Carol Collum, whose encouragement and guidance have played an important role in my journey. I am also grateful for the outstanding people and mentors who have surrounded me throughout my career, offering valuable advice, sharing their knowledge, and inspiring me to continue growing both personally and professionally. Their influence has helped shape my perspective, strengthen my values, and motivate me to pursue my goals with dedication and purpose.”
IN HIS OWN WORDS
I attribute my success to the unwavering support of my wife, Cara, and my parents, Jerry and Carol Collum, whose encouragement and guidance have played an important role in my journey. I am also grateful for the outstanding people and mentors who have surrounded me throughout my career, offering valuable advice, sharing their knowledge, and inspiring me to continue growing both personally and professionally. Their influence has helped shape my perspective, strengthen my values, and motivate me to pursue my goals with dedication and purpose.
The best career advice I have ever received is to staff my weaknesses and trust my team. I believe effective leadership means recognizing that I cannot do everything on my own and surrounding myself with talented people whose strengths complement my own. I have learned not to be afraid to hire people who are smarter than me in their areas of expertise, because empowering capable individuals and trusting their judgment ultimately makes the entire team stronger and more successful.
My advice to young men entering my industry is to develop a strong understanding of your field and identify what you genuinely want to do. Take the time to assess your strengths, determine where you can excel, and continuously build the skills and knowledge needed to succeed. Most importantly, understand your purpose and discover what truly motivates you. When you have a clear sense of your why and a genuine passion for your work, that passion will sustain you through challenges, keep you focused on your goals, and inspire you to continue growing throughout your career.
The biggest challenges in education today include the rapid pace of technological change, ongoing teacher shortages, and the impact of school choice vouchers on public school funding. Educators and school leaders must continually adapt to new technologies while ensuring teachers have the resources and support they need to be effective. At the same time, changes in school choice policies create financial challenges for public schools as they work to maintain high-quality educational programs and meet the diverse needs of their students. These challenges also present opportunities to innovate, strengthen teacher recruitment and retention, and find sustainable ways to support student success.
The values most important to me in both my professional and personal life are integrity, trust, and hard work. I believe in doing what is right, being honest and accountable in my actions, and building relationships grounded in mutual respect. Trust is essential to effective leadership and teamwork, while hard work reflects my commitment to following through on responsibilities and achieving meaningful results. These values guide my decisions, shape how I lead and collaborate with others, and serve as the foundation for both personal growth and professional success.
PERSPECTIVES
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