The Synergy Experience for Exemplary Leaders is an executive-level leadership experience created by the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents (KASS) in partnership with the Kentucky Center for Leadership. Designed exclusively for experienced Kentucky superintendents, Synergy blends advanced leadership development with intentional engagement alongside business and industry leaders across the Commonwealth.
Synergy is not a conference. It was created to provide experienced superintendents with high-level peer learning, executive reflection, and a cross-sector perspective aligned to the increasing complexity of the role. A central component of the experience is leadership learning grounded in The Multiplier Effect, a research-based framework focused on leadership behaviors that expand others' capacity, judgment, and effectiveness.
Through this work, Synergy is designed to strengthen superintendent leadership while building cross-sector relationships that support student opportunity and community growth statewide.
WHAT IS THE MULTIPLIER EFFECT?
The Synergy Experience is grounded in the Multiplier Effect, a research-based leadership framework that focuses on behaviors leaders use to expand the intelligence, judgement, and effectiveness of others. Rather than leading through instruction alone, multiplier leaders create environments where every participant’s capability and impact grows. Through this approach, Synergy not only strengthens individual superintendent practice but amplifies leadership capacity across districts, systems, and community partnerships, multiplying results far beyond the sessions themselves..
Key Points:
- A Multiplier leader unlocks others’ intelligence rather than being the sole source of answers.
- The framework emphasizes asking powerful questions, creating psychological safety, and developing others as decision-makers.
- Synergy applies these principles, so superintendents leave with tools they can immediately use in their districts, increasing local impact.
SYNERGY SESSION DESIGN
Synergy is offered as two, two-day leadership experiences, hosted twice during the year to provide flexibility for superintendent schedules. Each Synergy experience includes one day of cross-sector executive collaboration followed by one day of targeted professional learning designed specifically for Kentucky superintendents.
List of Services
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April Synergy ExperienceList Item 1
Day 1 – April 16
Cross-Pollination
Host: TBA
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: TBA
Day 2 – April 17
The Multiplier Effect
Presented by Franklin Covey Education
Time: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: TBA
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June Synergy ExperienceList Item 2
Day 1 – June 16
Cross-Pollination
Location: Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH
Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Includes Reds vs. Mets (7:10 p.m.) and Ballpark Buffet in the Triple Crown Suite
Day 2 – June 17
The Multiplier Effect, Part II (Final Segment)
Location: NKCES, 5516 E. Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Day 1: Cross-Pollination
Each Synergy experience begins with Cross-Pollination, a facilitated leadership exchange between Kentucky superintendents and senior business and industry executives.
CEOs and superintendents operate in different contexts, but their core leadership responsibilities are strikingly similar. Both are responsible for setting vision, allocating resources, navigating complex stakeholder environments, and delivering measurable results while managing daily operational challenges.
Day 1 is intentionally designed to allow cross-pollination between education and business leaders through structured dialogue, shared problem-solving, and executive-level conversation. Facilitated by KASS Consultant and leadership trainer Greg Coker, these sessions focus on the shared challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities of executive leadership and the power of collaboration to strengthen communities, workforce readiness, and student outcomes.
Day 2: The Multiplier Effect
The second day of each Synergy experience delivers targeted professional learning exclusively for Kentucky superintendents, grounded in Liz Wiseman’s nationally recognized work, Multipliers.
These sessions, titled “The Multiplier Effect: Tapping the Genius Inside Our Schools,” are facilitated by Gary McGuey, Senior Lead Consultant with Franklin Covey Education. The training is designed specifically for experienced superintendents and focuses on leadership behaviors that amplify the intelligence, judgment, and effectiveness of teams and systems.
Gary brings extensive experience across public and private sectors, including work with Fortune 500 organizations and six months as an Executive Coach at the White House during the Bush administration. His work centers on leadership, culture, trust, and mission-driven performance.
The Multiplier Effect series represents the highest level of professional learning on the KASS Leadership Development Continuum, designed to deepen leadership impact, strengthen organizational culture, and extend superintendent influence beyond individual roles.
WHO SHOULD REGISTER?
Synergy is open exclusively to KASS member school superintendents.
Synergy is designed for experienced KASS member superintendents who are in their second or subsequent contract with the same school board, ensuring a cohort of seasoned district leaders.
Space is limited.
With a cohort capped at 30, we encourage eligible superintendents to register early.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Synergy represents the highest level of leadership development offered by KASS. Delivered in partnership with the Kentucky Center for Leadership, the experience is designed for experienced superintendents and intentionally blends executive-level leadership learning with structured engagement alongside Kentucky’s business and industry leaders.
The emphasis throughout Synergy is on executive-level leadership practice. Sessions are designed to foster candid discussion, shared problem-solving, and cross-sector perspectives through direct interaction with CEO-level executives from Kentucky-based business and industry.
Throughout Synergy, participants can expect:
- Cohort-based learning designed for high-engagement discussion, reflection, and application
- Direct interaction with senior business and industry leaders from across Kentucky
- Practical executive leadership practices grounded in real-world district and organizational challenges
- Intentional geographic diversity in session locations to support statewide participation
Cost: $1,000 total (travel not included)
Registration closes one week prior to April 16.
Registration covers participation in both Synergy sessions, including all facilitated leadership learning, materials, and structured cross-sector engagement. Travel and lodging are not included.
Synergy is intentionally limited to support meaningful dialogue and peer learning.
WE'LL SEE YOU THERE!
Space is limited to support meaningful dialogue and cohort learning.
For more information contact:
owens.saylor@gmail.com
859-684-0190
Mail checks for registration to:
P.O. Box 761
Franklin, KY 42135
