Jami Royal Berry

Jami Royal Berry is a clinical associate professor, a co-director of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Center for the International Study of Educational Leadership, and a proud first generation college student. She currently serves as the Educational Administration and Policy Program Coordinator working with school and district leaders seeking initial and advanced leadership degrees and certifications. She has served as a dissertation chairperson or committee member for over one hundred doctoral students, and her graduates include local school leaders, system level leaders, superintendents, and university faculty members throughout Georgia and the United States.

Berry has written and presented extensively on leadership in high needs schools in international contexts and was a founding member of the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN) where she continues to serve as a steering committee member. She has additionally conducted presentations on topics including leadership in high needs schools, leadership certification, the performance-based leadership model, principals’ perceptions, individualized education plans, and leadership internships at conferences including AACTE, AERA, BELMAS, COPIS, GAEL, ICPEL, NADE, NZEALS, and UCEA.

She has served three terms as President of the Georgia Educational Leadership Faculty Association (GELFA), as a member of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL) Board of Directors, and has worked with the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) on designing and implementing the Governance Team of the Year award. She was a co-principal investigator for a $13.5 million dollar NET-Q grant and has received several smaller grants to continue her work with professional learning communities and the study of leadership for high needs schools in international settings. Her work has been guided by a desire to understand educational structures through a broader lens and use that knowledge to drive the continuous improvement of her programs, the systems and leaders they serve, and above all, students.