The Leaders Behind the Work
Wise Leadership Consulting brings together a team of experienced educators, school leaders, and coaches who have dedicated their careers to transforming schools and developing leaders in communities that matter most. Every member of our team has led in high-need urban schools, coached principals through complex challenges, and built systems that center equity and student achievement.
Founder
Peggie Burnett-Wise, EdD
Founder, Leadership Coach & PD Facilitator
Dr. Peggie Burnett-Wise is an educational leadership scholar, executive coach, school founder, and advocate for equity in education. She holds an EdD from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a certificate in Leading Change from Harvard University. Her career spans more than 25 years as a classroom teacher, turnaround principal, university professor, and leadership coach.
As a principal, Dr. Burnett-Wise led her school to Chicago Public Schools’ highest quality rating (Level 1+) and established the district’s first West Side Regional Gifted Center. She currently serves as Professor and Program Director of the M.A. in Instructional Leadership with Principal Endorsement at Roosevelt University, where she prepares the next generation of equity-centered school leaders. She also founded Uhuru Shule, an independent school for gifted students in Chicago’s Bronzeville community, and coaches Chicago Public Schools principals through the Malott Fellowship in partnership with The Chicago Public Education Fund and UIC’s Center for Urban Education Leadership.
Dr. Burnett-Wise’s work is grounded in the critical pedagogy of Paulo Freire, the culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy of Gloria Ladson-Billings, and the adaptive leadership framework of Ronald Heifetz. She believes that leadership is not a title but a practice of liberation.
peggie@wiseleadershipconsulting.org
Director of Operations
Lisa Huddleston, LSW
Director of Operations
Lisa Huddleston is a Licensed Social Worker and Director of Operations at Wise Leadership Consulting. She holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MS in Public Service Management (MSP) from DePaul University. With over 25 years of experience as a business service administrator, Lisa brings deep operational expertise, organizational acumen, and a commitment to human-centered systems to the Wise Leadership team.
Lisa’s background in social work and public service management uniquely positions her to support the organizational infrastructure that makes transformative consulting possible. She ensures that the behind-the-scenes operations run seamlessly so that the coaching team can focus on what matters most: developing leaders who change schools and communities.
Our Consulting Team
Nia Abdullah, EdD
Leadership Coach & PD Facilitator
Dr. Nia Abdullah is a visionary leader committed to educational equity and research-based best practices for improving schools and organizations. She holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Howard University and an EdD in Urban Education Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. A proud product of Chicago Public Schools and the South Side of Chicago, Dr. Abdullah has served as a CPS principal, International Baccalaureate educator, and district leader.
As principal of Bowen High School, she spearheaded the creation of advanced manufacturing and pre-engineering labs, dramatically improved AP exam pass rates, increased on-track graduation rates, and strengthened school climate across attendance, punctuality, and safety metrics. She has served on the Illinois State Board of Education’s Remote Learning Recommendations Committee and is CEO of Inspire Impact Consulting Group. Dr. Abdullah brings deep expertise in strategic planning, data-driven continuous improvement, STEM programming, and capacity building for school teams.
Stephen McClain, EdD
Leadership Coach & PD Facilitator
Dr. Stephen McClain has devoted his entire career to improving educational outcomes in underserved communities. He holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from Michigan State University, an EdM from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an EdD in Urban School Leadership from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He currently serves as a Leadership Coach in the UIC EdD in Urban Education Leadership Program and as a CUEL Developer for Continuous Improvement and Leader Development at UIC’s Center for Urban Education Leadership.
Dr. McClain has served as a CPS Principal and Assistant Principal, elevating each school to Level 1 or Level 1+ with significant student academic growth. He has also served as Chief of Schools at a Chicago charter management organization overseeing fourteen campuses and 8,600 students, and as Partner of Education Equity Partnerships at The Management Center, where he trained and coached hundreds of executive leaders to build equitable management systems. He is a recipient of the Madeleine Maraldi Award for Leadership and Teaching Excellence and was named one of Chicago’s 35 Under 35 Young Leaders Making an Impact.
Valencia Koker, M.Ed
Leadership Coach & PD Facilitator
Valencia Koker is a transformational leader with nearly two decades of experience in education. She holds an M.S. in Administrative Leadership from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is a graduate of the nationally recognized New Leaders principal preparation program. She currently serves as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year Chicago, the largest AmeriCorps site in the national organization.
Valencia’s career includes serving as a founding principal of McNair School of Excellence in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, where she led a dramatic turnaround: after almost two decades of being categorized as one of the lowest performing schools in the district, McNair achieved Level 1+ and Level 1 status under her leadership. She has also served as a charter school executive director, a CPS principal, a New Principal mentor, and a Chicago Leadership Collaborative Mentor Resident Principal. Valencia is a United States Air Force Air National Guard veteran, a 2019-2020 Chicago Principals Fellow, a Chicago Urban League IMPACT Fellow, and Board Chair of GODDESS Mentoring.
Molly Watson, PhD
Leadership Coach & PD Facilitator
Dr. Molly Watson is a school leadership coach and education policy scholar. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from Creighton University and a PhD in Policy Studies in Urban Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the Founder and CEO of Thrive Leadership Consulting LLC and serves as a Consultant and School Leadership Coach at Learning Sciences International.
Dr. Watson brings experience from Chicago Public Schools, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the Accelerate Institute. Her expertise spans school leadership coaching, professional development design, strategic planning, curriculum development, and educational policy. She is committed to building the capacity of school leaders to create the conditions where every student can thrive.
Work With Our Team
Ready to bring Wise Leadership Consulting’s team to your school, district, or organization? Book a free consultation to discuss how we can support your leadership goals.
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