From Participant to Mentor: A Journey of Impact

Discover how the Leading Schools Summit empowers administrators like SESC Executive Director John Hughes to turn inspiration into action.

This summer, UEN welcomed 53 school leaders from across Utah to the 2025 Leading Schools Summit. Held in partnership with Leading EDge and Think Do Thrive since 2018, the annual event provides valuable professional development for Utah principals, assistant principals and executive directors.

For longtime administrator John Hughes, the Summit is more than a conference–it’s a catalyst for professional growth. “It is one of the best conferences that I have ever attended,” he said.

Last year, the former principal stepped into a new role. As Executive Director of Utah’s Southeast Education Service Center, he supports four school districts and two charter schools. At the 2024 Summit, Hughes paired up with UEN trainer Dani Sloan as part of the event’s cornerstone Design Thinking activity. Together, they tackled a real-world problem that resulted in meaningful outcomes.

“As pairs sat down and started through the process of helping each other tackle a challenge, I began to think through some of the challenges I knew I would face in this new position,” Hughes said. “As we brainstormed how to support the LEAs in my region most effectively, [Dani] shared the idea of doing a ‘Big6’ for each LEA that would allow us to focus on very intentional and specific needs.”

That suggestion lit a clear path forward for Hughes. After the Summit, he met with each Information Technology director and superintendent in his region. He then developed plans to help the SESC meet the education technology needs of their teachers and students.

In addition to the collaboration of the Design Thinking Challenge, each Summit includes opportunities for participants to build peer communities that last beyond the event and explore thought-provoking topics. This year’s Summit, held June 24–26, included sessions on artificial intelligence, digital literacies and managing complex change. A keynote from experiential learning expert Diana Laufenberg invited participants to lead with curiosity and purpose.

More than 321 school leaders have engaged in the Leading Schools Summit since its launch in 2018, collectively impacting thousands of students and educators across Utah’s public schools. Participants consistently describe their experiences at the Summit as “empowering,” “renewing” and “the most impactful professional development” of their careers. Hughes, who joined the 2025 Summit as one of 10 mentors to coach new attendees, agrees.

“I’ve been attending for many years,” he reflected. “And I’ve gone from being a participant to helping others through mentorship. That’s the power of this Summit.”

Visit EdTech for School Leaders to learn more about UEN’s professional development for school administrators.

 

 

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