From a Warehouse to CTO of Texas's 4th Largest School District | Kris Trejo

How do you lead technology for 100,000+ students across 127 campuses, without becoming the bottleneck, the bureaucrat, or the burnout?This week, host James Symons sits down with Kris Trejo, Assistant Superintendent for Technology Services (CTO) at Northside Independent School District, the 4th largest school district in Texas.From a textbook warehouse to the C-suite over 27 years and 8 promotions, Kris shares the leadership philosophy that's carried him to the top of one of the country's largest K-12 tech organisations. He opens up about building a "work toward a yes" culture, why he believes it's his job to make himself replaceable, and how he leads with steadiness in the most challenging political and budgetary climate public education has faced in decades.In this episode:What an Assistant Superintendent really doesHow to avoid bureaucracy in a leadership group of 30+The "work toward a yes" philosophy that flips traditional IT cultureHiring for growth potential, not pedigreeLeading through pressure: "Public education is under assault"Why emotional intelligence matters more than ever at scale"Real life starts at 5:00", protecting the humanity of your teamA masterclass in leading at scale without losing the human in the work.