Keynote Speaker

Dr. Jacqueline “Jacqui” Clay, Ed.D, Ed. S., M.Et

Superintendent of Schools
Cochise County

Connecting the Dots Through System Thinking

Why Should Educational Leaders Become Systems Thinkers?

A system consists of interrelated parts that impact one another in a process that usually produces outputs. ​An educational system consists of teachers and staff, students and their families, legislators, post-secondary institutions, community members, school boards, businesses, etc., working independently, but understanding their interdependence with each other.

Let’s talk about the skill of forming strong, lasting relationships within our schools and communities using systems thinking, thus producing a collaborative culture to Improve College and Career Readiness for our students.

Biography

Dr. Jacqueline “Jacqui” Clay is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major of 25 years, an educator for 16 years, serving as Teacher, Assistant Principal, and Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE). She currently serves as the Superintendent of Schools in Cochise County and Adjunct Professor at Grand Canyon University’s College of Education.

Dr. Clay was selected as Arizona’s Career and Technical Education Administrator (CTE) of the Year in 2016 and received the Policymaker Award by the Association for Career and Technical Education of Arizona (ACTEAZ) in 2020. She serves on various boards including the Arizona State Board of Education (AZSBE), Arizona Association of Counties (AACo), Arizona Business and Education Coalition (ABEC), and the Arizona Career and Technical Education (CTE) Quality Commission.

Dr. Clay has a B.S. in Information Technology/Business Management, a M.ET in Educational Technology, an ED. S in Educational Leadership, and Doctor of Education (ED.D) in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Organizational Development.

She has been married to J. Dale Clay for 34 years, has 7 children, 22 grandchildren, and 1 great-granddaughter.