Session 2
Discovering Individual Vocation and Leading Change with Character and Faith
Lance Forman, Assistant Dean, Education Specialties, Lipscomb University
The idea of “purpose” in K-12 education has evolved in recent years to almost singularly focus on achievement and “college and career ready”. While achievement and preparation for post-secondary opportunities are certainly important, is there, though, a deeper purpose for us as educators and the students we serve? Is there deeper meaning to the idea of vocation and, if so, what is the role that character and faith plays in the discovery of vocation? In this session we will explore the intersection of character and faith that can be adopted and applied in any educational setting.
Dr. Lance Forman is the Assistant Dean for Education Specialties and an Associate Professor of Education in the College of Education at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. As Assistant Dean, he oversees all graduate education programs in the College including Certificate, M.Ed., Ed.S., Ed.D., and Ph.D. programs. He previously served as the Director of Educational Leadership at Lipscomb University, leading the program to partner with over 40 school districts and charter schools across the state to build leadership pipelines for school leadership development. While his official capacities involve working with graduate school candidates across multiple programs, he serves the College of Education in a number of ways in including training current school leaders in partner districts across the state and providing educational content and resources for the Ayers Institute for Learning and Innovation. Forman is the co-founder of Novastone Learning, an organization focused on promoting character development and decision-making skills through cinematic-quality educational dilemma films.
Forman previously served as a teacher, assistant principal, and executive principal in the Metropolitan Nashville Public School district for 13 years prior to joining the College of Education in 2017. He earned his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Ed.D. in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca Nazarene University. Forman is passionate about developing great school leaders of great character and helping districts build an internal pipeline of leadership talent. His areas of professional expertise include school leadership, culture development, talent acquisition, development, and retention.