Ep16 Dr. Michael Herrera: Systems That Develop New Leaders, From the Locker Room to the Boardroom: Leadership Development

HOST: Ovi Vasquez, Inspirational Leadership Keynote Speaker. Fatherless farm boy from rural Guatemala—Inspiring teams to peak performance. He challenges teams to embrace change and step into bold leadership. He grew up in a village off-the-grid, migrated to the U.S., learned English in two years, graduated from high school in three years, earned a B.A. in management, in two years. Ovi has worked for Apple, Tesla, Salesforce, and Uber. He is a TEDx speaker, author, and a social entrepreneur.

GUEST BIO: Dr. Michael Herrera is the Executive Director of Upper Bucks County Technical School and a nationally recognized leader in Career and Technical Education (CTE). He serves as Region 1 Vice President on the National Board of Directors for the Association of Career and Technical Education. As a thought leader, author, and advocate, he helps bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world career readiness through systems that connect purpose, credentials, and opportunity.

Find our guest at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-herrera-ed-d-70b554a
Find our host at: https://www.ovinspires.com

Keywords: systems thinking, CTE, workforce readiness, career development, mentorship, credentials, language access, leadership development, student success, purpose-driven leadership, career-connected learning, technical education, employability skills

Summary:
In this episode, Dr. Michael Herrera shares a powerful message for education leaders and impact-driven executives. With over 20 years of experience in technical education and leadership, Dr. Herrera explains how value-centered leadership, career-connected learning, and credentialing systems can change lives. From growing up in a working-class family to becoming a national thought leader, he reveals how clear systems, trust, and consistency drive student transformation. Listeners gain tools to reimagine leadership through equity, purpose, and scalable infrastructure.

Takeaways
✅ Great leaders create clarity, build trust, and remove barriers.
✅ Career-connected learning must be infrastructure, not enrichment.
✅ Hard work, purpose, and mentorship were critical in his leadership journey.
✅ Public libraries and LinkedIn Learning are underused educational assets.
✅ Universal design for learning ensures real access for all.
✅ Mentorship ecosystems are more effective than one-to-one hero models.

Titles
✅ Dr. Michael Herrera, Systems that Develop New Leaders, from the Locker Room to the Boardroom
✅ Building Pathways: How Career-Connected Learning Drives Student Leadership
✅ From Coaching to Credentialing: Dr. Herrera on Purpose-Driven Education

Sound Bites
🗣 “Leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about stewardship.”
🗣 “Credential your strengths. Don’t hide them.”
🗣 “Let’s stop asking students to fit into systems. Let’s build systems worthy of their potential.”

Chapters
00:00 – Meet Dr. Michael Herrera
02:00 – Career Journey and Leadership Beliefs
05:00 – Lessons from Athletics and Coaching
10:00 – Systems Thinking and Earning a Doctorate
14:00 – How to Develop More Leaders
18:00 – Global Workforce and Local Impact
20:00 – Confidence and Discovering Student Strengths
24:00 – Free Resources and Mentorship Access
27:00 – Personal Values, Favorite Books, Music, and Legacy

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#LeadershipMessengers
#leadership
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