The Principal Renewal Project
The Principal Renewal Project
Brian Vance is an experienced educational leader with more than 20 years of experience as a high school principal and advocate for school leadership development. He currently serves as Principal of West Seattle High School and has led multiple schools focused on improving student outcomes, school culture, and organizational performance. Brian has held leadership roles with the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) and the Principals Association of Seattle Schools (PASS), where he has championed professional growth and support for school leaders. As Program Lead for the Principal Renewal Project, Brian brings deep expertise, strong statewide partnerships, and a commitment to sustaining and developing effective school leadership.
Brian is proud to lead the Principal Renewal Project because he has seen firsthand the extraordinary demands placed on school leaders and the impact leadership stability has on students, staff, and school communities. Throughout his career as a principal and educational leader, he has advocated for stronger systems of support, professional growth, and sustainability for school leaders. He believes principals need intentional opportunities to step back, reflect, learn, and renew in order to lead effectively over the long term.
Brian is especially passionate about the program’s dual focus on renewing experienced leaders while simultaneously developing future principals through meaningful, real-world internship experiences that strengthen leadership pipelines and schools alike.
Susan Gates is an experienced program strategist and entrepreneur with a strong background in developing and managing high-impact training, leadership, and economic development initiatives. Susan has led national and international programs supporting small business owners, women entrepreneurs, and underserved communities through partnerships with corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Her expertise includes program design, operations, partnership development, and stakeholder engagement. As Program Manager for the Principal Renewal Project, Susan brings a collaborative, systems-focused approach to building a sustainable and impactful fellowship experience that strengthens school leadership, supports principal retention, and develops the next generation of educational leaders.
Susan supports the Principal Renewal Project because her experience in building businesses has given her first-hand experience in seeing the impact of strong leadership. Throughout her career developing and managing programs that support entrepreneurs, business owners, and community leaders, she has seen firsthand how burnout, isolation, and lack of meaningful professional support can impact long-term success and sustainability.
Mandy LeBlanc is a wellness strategist, educator, and program leader with more than 25 years of experience leading wellness initiatives across school districts, healthcare systems, corporations, and community organizations. She previously served as Wellness Manager for Seattle Public Schools, where she led district-wide wellness strategy, burnout prevention efforts, and CDC-funded health initiatives supporting both staff and students. Mandy has also led national trainings through the School-Based Health Alliance and Kaiser Permanente. She brings a systems-thinking, equity-centered approach focused on building healthier, more sustainable school communities where educators, leaders, and students can thrive.
Mandy supports the Principal Renewal Project because of its deep commitment to the well-being, sustainability, and long-term growth of school leaders. Her work has focused on helping educators and leadership teams build resilience, prevent burnout, and create healthier, more sustainable school environments.
She believes that strong, supported principals are essential to thriving schools. The program’s emphasis on renewal, reflection, mentorship, and leadership pipeline development closely aligns with her belief that investing in leaders ultimately strengthens entire school communities.
Drawing on her experience in wellness strategy, systems thinking, adult learning, and leadership development, Mandy is passionate about helping design the structures, supports, and learning experiences that allow both school leaders and the communities they serve to flourish.
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After an extensive instructional background, Spencer became an administrator at Bellevue High School, and then the Principal of Sammamish High School in Bellevue. Following his principalship, Spencer was the Executive Director of Human Resources for the Bellevue School District, a project director at the Center for Educational Leadership, and the Interim Director of the Danforth Program. For the past fourteen years, Spencer has been an educational leadership consultant.
The principalship has always been both a challenging and a highly rewarding role. However, in the past twenty-five years, a multitude of national and local reform initiatives, significant changes in political and social norms, and an increase in public scrutiny have all increased the demands of the job to a level few could have imagined, sometimes resulting in leaders only being able to keep up with immediate day-to-day tasks. The Renewal program offers experienced principals an opportunity to focus on an important inquiry that can be truly transformative for their school while offering emerging leaders an in-depth experience that prepares them for the work ahead.
Partners and Advisors
The Principal Renewal Project is supported by a strong network of experienced advisors and strategic partners committed to strengthening school leadership through meaningful fellowship and internship experiences. Together, these partnerships help ensure the program delivers lasting impact for school leaders, emerging principals, schools, districts, and principal preparation programs.