Beginning Summer of 2016, Alan signed on as Senior Vice President of The Haberman Foundation as well as serving as a National Trainer. Educator, Motivator, Entrepreneur, Alan has served the field of Education for more than 25 years in various capacities from teacher, college administrator to human resource professional. His work at VSA includes developing programs that will foster success from the field of play to the classroom, boardroom and workplace. He also identifies and provide training to educational leaders to carry out the Academy’s mission. Alan is also the former Director of Employment for the third largest school district in the state of North Carolina where he spent 8 years recruiting and hiring the best teachers nationwide and abroad to achieve “zero” vacancies for the first day of school. Alan is also the president of Alan Hooker Consultants where he crafts presentations, coaching sessions and training seminars that are guaranteed to strengthen and intensify performance in life, family and work. In addition to serving as The Haberman Foundation’s Senior Vice President, he is also a certified trainer for the Haberman Foundation, where he utilizes these skills and experiences to help fellow educators identify star teachers and administrators. Alan received his undergraduate and masters at North Carolina A&T State University.
Throughout his 45 years in education Gus Jacob has had a relentless focus on school improvement focusing on quality instruction through professional development and strong leadership. He recently retired from teaching educational leadership at the University of Missouri Kansas City and works as a leadership consultant with schools, districts, and states. His work in the Kansas City area and in the Midwest includes providing leadership training and leadership mentoring to several school districts. He is former director of the Missouri Education Policy Fellows Program in collaboration with the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. Additionally, Gus has 16 years of experience as an elementary and middle school principal as well as serving in the role of Director of Professional Development for the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. He was selected principal of one of the 12 original Basic Schools in the nation working closely with Dr. Ernest Boyer. He is a certified trainer for the Haberman Educational Foundation focused on identifying “Star Teachers and Principals” for urban schools. Gus received his doctorate from the University of Kansas.
I have spent my career dedicated to serving children in urban areas through the identification and development of exemplary teachers for urban schools. I currently serve as the Associate Director of the Institute for Urban Education at the University of Missouri Kansas City. In this role I work collaboratively with Kansas City urban districts and the community to prepare educators who are committed to social justice and educational equity. I now serve as the Principal Investigator and primary author on an $8.36 Million Teacher Quality Partnership Grant from the US Department of Education designed to reform the ways in which universities and school districts prepare and develop new and existing teachers in urban schools. I teach courses in diversity, working with communities and families, effective instruction and teacher leadership. I also work as a leadership and instructional consultant with schools and districts. Nationally, I have presented my efforts around teacher preparation and educational equity in a variety of forums, including a session at the US Department of Education on preparing culturally competent teachers. I have administered the Haberman Teacher Selection and/or Administrator Selection Interview over 400 times, utilizing the instrument in my work with schools as well as in the selection of pre-service teachers. I am a certified National Trainer for the Haberman Educational Foundation, assisting school districts in identifying “Star Teachers and Principals” for urban schools. I received my interdisciplinary PhD from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
