Justin Baeder, PhD, is director of the Principal Center, where he helps school and district administrators build capacity for instructional leadership. Driven by the belief that leaders belong in classrooms, he created the Instructional Leadership Association to help school leaders confidently get into classrooms every day, have feedback conversations that change teachers’ practice, and discover their best opportunities for school improvement. The Instructional Leadership Association now has thousands of members in more than forty countries. Prior to starting the Principal Center, Justin served as a teacher, head teacher, and principal in Seattle Public Schools, finishing his ten-year career in Seattle as principal of Olympic View Elementary.
He has contributed to School Administrator, Principal, Principal News, Principal Navigator, and Education Week. Justin presents regularly at state and national conferences, including ASCD, Learning Forward, and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, and has spoken at numerous in-person professional learning events in the United States, Canada, and El Salvador, as well as at countless virtual events.
Justin holds a PhD in educational leadership and policy from the University of Washington, where he is a graduate of the Danforth Educational Leadership Program. He holds a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction from Seattle University and a bachelor’s degree in science education from Harding University. He resides in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with his wife, Amy, and two daughters, Vivienne and Genevieve.
To learn more about Justin’s work, or to contact Justin, visit PrincipalCenter.com or follow @eduleadership on X.

Keith Fickel is a retired middle school and high school principal in the southwest Houston, Texas, area. His focus during his decade as principal was to ensure that high levels of student learning, achievement, and personal development occurred in every classroom, every day. He accomplished these aims through the intentional empowerment of teachers and staff to effectively lead not only their classrooms but the school as a whole. Keith prioritized building and maintaining a strong bond with the school community through trust during his principalship. He began his career in education in 1991, serving first as a classroom teacher and a band director for seventeen years, then as an assistant principal, associate principal, and campus principal during the second half of his career. His entire educational career was at the secondary level in both private and public school settings.
Keith has facilitated or cofacilitated professional learning sessions at the district, regional, and state levels on a variety of topics. He is a member of the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and ASCD. In 2008, he was a campus Teacher of the Year, as well as a finalist for the Fort Bend ISD Secondary Teacher of the Year. In 2022, he was named the Fort Bend ISD Secondary Principal of the Year, and he had the honor of serving as the founding principal of the district’s newest high school in 2023, prior to his retirement.
Keith earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in music education from Texas Tech University, and he completed his principal certification through the University of Houston. He resides in Sugar Land, Texas, with his wife, Anne, who was also a music teacher. Together, they have an adult daughter who is also in education.