Amy Berio has taken on multiple roles during her career with the Ohio Army National Guard, from soldier to platoon sergeant.
But when she looked at all of her experiences, she realized that she was missing a deeper purpose in life. She started exploring other fields when she stumbled onto the Bright New Leaders for Ohio Schools program.
“If I wanted to make an impact, this is the best possible route,” Berio said.
A joint effort among the Ohio Business Roundtable, Ohio Department of Education and Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, Bright trains future principals to work in Ohio’s most challenging schools. No education experience is required.
In the first year of the program, about 850 people applied. But only 200 moved on after a review of application essays and resumes. Candidates had to be admitted to Fisher College, where, as part of the program, they will work toward a master’s of business administration.
Bright organizers conducted background checks and interviews. One screening had prospective fellows responding to simulated school scenarios while superintendents and educators observed. The process, which ran from March to May, yielded the 35 fellows who will be dispatched to high-poverty schools through the state this fall, including Columbus, Reynoldsburg, South-Western and KIPP Columbus. Berio is one of them.
Two-thirds of the fellows don’t have an education background. They come from law offices, nonprofit groups, the military and the corporate sector. One was an executive at Chase Bank.
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