Jeff is a leadership and career coach with over 3 decades of experience working in schools and non-profits. He is the founder of Empower Consulting, a leadership development company that focuses on developing leaders and growing non-profits who serve marginalized communities. Jeff also serves as the Director of Alumni Leadership with Teach For America Nashville-Chattanooga.
Jeff is a father of three amazing children, loves to host home-cooked dinners, and enjoys being present with the people he loves. He is a gifted coach, encourager, mentor, and gardener of people. Jeff is passionate about helping leaders increase and deepen their impact through serving the community.
My Story
My Childhood
I was born and raised in Kona, Hawaii. Specifically, I was raised in Holualoa, a small farming town on the slopes of Mount Hualalai. My maternal grandparents were farmers with coffee and macadamia nuts being their primary crops. Every weekend and every school vacation we were working in the farm. I learned to value hard work, working together, and the importance of family.
I attended Kona Nightingale Preschool, Holualoa Elementary, Kealakehe Intermediate, Konawaena High School (c/o '94), and earned my Bachelors in Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa to become a teacher. My dad always told me that education is something no one can take away from you. That importance of education led me to become a teacher.
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Teaching Years
I taught social studies at Kealakehe High School for 11 years. Being one of the few teachers from our town, I was able to connect and inspire students through humor, music, and academics - in that order. I have so many amazing memories of my students. I was fortunate to have improved every year I taught. I went from cussing out and clotheslining students to mentoring and empowering young leaders of our community. Kealakehe's graduating class of 2009 showed me the impact of empowering leaders - no matter their age, background, or any other excuses.
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Becoming a Leader
I got a school administration certification and a Masters of Education for Instruction and Supervision in 2010. I started as a vice principal, then worked for the district as the Academic Officer. My superintendent and mentor, Art Souza, was passionate about engaging community with education. I thrived under his leadership and guidance. As I grew in leadership skill and confidence, I began to coach teacher leaders, assistant principals, and principals in the theories and actions of leadership.
In 2019, I became the principal at Holualoa Elementary - the same school I attended as child. The same school my great grandmother, my grandparents, my mother and uncle, and 5 generations of my family attended. It was the dream leadership role - going back to the soil that raised me to nurture and guide the next generation of students and staff towards greatness.
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Coaching Leaders
I've studied leadership books since I was in college and found my first John Maxwell book, 21 Laws of Leadership. Since then, I've enjoyed mentoring and coaching teachers, school leaders, and community leaders. During the pandemic, I sought out coaching and support, but all I could find were people who wanted to tell me what I was should be doing. I wanted a coach who would guide me, support me, call me out on my bullshit, and coach me to find the greatness within me.
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I ended up burning out as a school principal. I left the school system to take on a role in a foundation that focused on supporting youth focused non-profits. Part of my job was coaching a variety of community leaders to build sustainable and successful systems of community impact. About 10 months later, I decided to move to Nashville to find freedom and opportunity for myself and my children.
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I began working at Teach For America's Nashville-Chattanooga region as the Director of Educator Leadership. I developed a leadership coaching program to help TFA alumni advance more quickly into leadership roles. Soon after, I began a career coaching program to help alumni find career opportunities that would further increase their impact on the community.
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Coming Full Circle
Growing up on a farm, it would always astound me that the seeds my grandma and I planted grew into plants and trees. Those plants and trees would bear flowers and produce that fed and provided for our family. Then more seeds would be created and the process would continue.
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Through my journey, I've discovered that the thing that makes me most joyful is helping leaders establish their legacy through positive community impact. Just like those seeds I planted in the farm years ago, my life's work is to plant seeds of leadership into our community leaders. As their leadership grows, our community will continue to be fed and provided for through their courageous leadership.
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When it comes time to leave this earth, I know that the legacy I will leave will be how I empowered people to lead and serve their community.