Spotlight: Susan Gilley

Susan Gilley, Executive Director of Federal Programs and Instructional Technology at Harrison School District, says her motto is “It’s not what you know, but what you share!”

Susan Gilley is one in a long line of teachers in her family. She says, “From the time I was in elementary school, I always wanted to be a teacher. There are several generations of teachers in my family. I also just think that I have that personality that wants to help others and share things that can make their lives easier.”

Susan’s career in education started as a business education teacher at Magazine School District in Magazine, but she left Magazine in the middle of the year to move closer to home and family, working for 9 months for the postal service in Harrison. She then taught 10 years at St. Joe School District serving as a business educator, adding technology tasks toward the end of her tenure there. From St. Joe, she moved on to Bergman School District as a business educator, finishing her 14 years at Bergman as the technology coordinator. After Bergman, she joined the Harrison School District, beginning as the Technology Coordinator and Instructional Technologist and later transitioning from that position to her current position as Executive Director of Federal Programs and Instructional Technology.

In addition to teaching at schools, Susan has also led numerous workshops and presentations across the state and the nation. She was a part of the Arkansas TIE (Technology Infused Education) and TICAL (Technology Information Center For Administrative Leadership) Cadre’s, as well as part of the HSTI (Hot Springs Technology Institute) and SWOW (Schools Without Walls) teams. She has presented at AAIM (Arkansas Association of Instructional Media), AACIA (Arkansas Association of Curriculum and Instruction Administrators), AAFC (Arkansas Association of Federal Coordinator), AAEA (Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators), Google Summits as a Google Certified Trainer in Arkansas and California, and many school districts across the state.

When people look back at your life, how do you want to be remembered? “I hope they remember that I was helpful to them in some way, that I cared about kids, and that I always did my best.”

Susan’s favorite thing about her job is feeling “like I get to make a difference in so many ways through federal programs that directly meet student and staff needs.” The biggest challenge to her is “getting staff to understand that administrators are not bad people and they truly are trying to do things that are the best things for the entire district as a whole.” She says co-workers would describe her as “a hard worker with a tremendous heart that probably overextends herself by wearing too many hats.” If she wasn’t in her current role, she says she would still be in the classroom in some capacity to assist educators and students. She is most proud of the fact that her district fed all children for free last year and will do so again this year, that her district found a way to pay for all school supplies for all students, that her district created a GOBSmobile during the pandemic to reach children, and that she is able to help others every day in a variety of capacities and ways. Her next two educational goals include “getting some kind of food truck created to help those that are not receiving adequate food, and reaching those students that no one has a connection with.” She says “I would not hesitate to recommend an educational career for anyone which includes anything from cook, bus driver, para, nurse, teacher, or administrator. Every position within education has a chance to impact children every single day.”

Susan says she’s seen many changes in education over the course of her career. “When I started in education, it was much more about the lecture style with the teacher being the keeper of all knowledge and sharing it with students each day. I believe education today is much more student focused and letting them lead the direction educationally while the teacher serves as a facilitator and keeps the students going in the right direction. Additionally, technology has had a tremendous impact within the education setting. When I started teaching business education, we were using typewriters and few classrooms were using any technology. Now, almost every student has access to some device to utilize for their education. However, this is where I would say things tend to cycle around. Just using technology so that you can use technology is not the correct usage of technology. Some things are still better with paper and pencil/pen. It’s all about balance and utilizing the tools and information wisely!”

What is the best advice you have ever received?

“Don’t take things personally.”

What do you enjoy doing during your time off?

“I enjoy playing with my grandsons, hand quilting, reading, and flea marketing.”

Tell us about any awards or recognition you have received.

“ARKSTE Technology Leader of the Year, AAIM Instructional Technology Leader of the Year, Arkansas Federal Coordinator of the Year, NAFEPA Arkansas Federal Coordinator Representative of the Year”

What’s something that amazes you?

“The resiliency of children and how much they can surprise us if we just take away our preconceived ceiling of their capabilities.”

What is one of the things on your “Bucket List?”

“Taking my husband on an Alaskan cruise because that is something he has always wanted to do”

What do you see as the biggest benefit of AAEA membership?

“The biggest benefit is the networking capacity of the membership to help each other every single day."