After The Bell Rings: Eric Arena - Part 2: Looking Back, and Looking Ahead!

Today’s episode is a continuation of our last episode: a discussion about leadership under pressure, service over time, and what it means to guide a community through both calm waters and storms. My guest is Eric Arena, who served as Putnam County School Superintendent for more than a decade, a period marked by rapid growth, economic uncertainty, and one of the most disruptive events in modern education history: COVID. During Eric’s tenure, Putnam County Schools navigated expansion, tough financial realities, evolving expectations, and a pandemic that forced leaders to make high-stakes decisions with incomplete information and no real playbook. Through it all, Eric remained steady, thoughtful, and deeply committed to students, teachers, and the broader community. Now retired from the superintendent’s role, though not from education, Eric has stepped into a new chapter as Executive Director of the Charter System Foundation, where he continues supporting innovation and opportunity in public education. This conversation is part reflection, part leadership lesson, and part looking forward, and it offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to lead, when everyone is watching… and when everyone has an opinion. Todays Guest: Eric Arena Charter School Foundation Phone: 770-354-7653 Website: https://charter-system.org/ Sponsors: Tim Broyles State Farm https://mydowntownagency.com/ Second Chance Boutique https://colinc.org/second-chance-boutique/ Lake Oconee Family Fitness & Fero Fit https://loffc.net/ https://www.facebook.com/ferofitoconee/