Laura Henderson is a successful technology executive who made her mark in the industry as the General Manager of TEKLYNX Americas, Inc., the leading global provider of barcode and label software. As a strategic, results-oriented leader with a keen ability to create high-performing operating cultures, Laura has consistently achieved double-digit top and bottom-line growth at TEKLYNX Americas, Inc.
After nearly two decades of success leveraging technological advancements for the betterment of businesses across a variety of industries, her marriage to a special education teacher, and being the mother of five children, Laura began to recognize a need for technological advancements in an entirely different area of the economy – education.
With firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing the education system, the gap between education and 21st century skills became painfully obvious to Laura. Leveraging both her professional and personal background, Laura set out to close the gap with the creation of a personalized learning software application. Countless hours of research, programming and devotion resulted in the 2014 launch of Epiphany Learning.
Laura holds a Management of Computer Services degree from Ottawa University. She is involved in her community and serves as the stewardship director for her parish. She actively participates in CEO roundtable groups. In 2012, she was awarded the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Women of Influence Award, and in 2016 she received the Inspirational Leadership Rising Star Award from The Executive Committee (TEC). Laura has been written up in numerous business articles, was featured as a panelist speaker for the Milwaukee Future 50 award ceremony, and recently spoke at the Educational Technology Leadership Development Seminar for the Education Industry Symposium (EIS).
What you’ll learn about in this episode:
- Laura’s background
- Learning Relationship Management (LRM): getting to the heart of the learner before getting to the head of the learner
- The major challenges teens are facing today
- Why the teens that rebel against the school system could be the ones that break down barriers
- Why it’s okay for people to take a year or two off to find themselves before going into college
- Why we need to change what we’re measuring in terms of success in education
- Why today’s kids know more than their teachers and what this means
- The downside of the education system’s obsession with academic performance
- Getting kids to understand their strengths
- What Laura’s ideal curriculum would look like
- What Laura learned from Shawn Achor’s The Happiness Advantage
- Why parents and educators need to stop focusing on what they want kids to be
- Suggested reading
Resources:
- Shawn Achor – The Happiness Advantage: www.goodthinkinc.com
- Ted Dintersmith – Most Likely to Succeed: www.mltsfilm.org