In this session, the presenter will share his experiences leading up to getting hired and through his first year serving as the Executive Director of Technology in the school district in which he works. The presenter will talk about the importance of building a successful technology team, the challenges associated with leading from the front, and the value of building communication and collaboration with all stakeholders. Throughout this session we will brainstorm and work together to crowd source other best practices employed by others in the room and share-out our findings with conference attendees.