For over 30 years, Denise Schira has dedicated her career to strengthening schools, leaders, and communities through equity, connection, and resilience. A transformational leader and Master Trainer, she has supported and trained more than 1,000 schools, 30 districts, and thousands of educators, students, and families across NYC as an Assistant Superintendent and Executive Director, District and School Leader, Instructional Coach and Bilingual Teacher. Today, Denise continues that mission nationally as a trainer, speaker, author, wellness leader, and founder, helping schools transform conflict into connection, going from chaos to calm, and helping leaders sustain their impact without sacrificing wellbeing.
Moreover, Ms. Schira serves as Trainer, Mentor, and Emotional Intelligence Coach for the Executive Leadership Institute. She additionally serves as Board Director on multiple renowned city, state, and national Executive Boards, including on the national Coalition of Schools Educating Mindfully, the New York Academy of Public Education, and the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) Retiree Chapter, for which she was elected by members to represent over 11,000 retired administrators across the country. For over a dozen years, Denise was elected to serve on the Executive Board of CSA to represent over 1,000 administrators across NYC, and for over a decade, she served on the Executive Boards of the Education Administrators Association, the Latino Caucus, and the NYS Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, which she co-founded and served as Vice President and NYC Regional Director, in addition to serving as NYS Summit Chair, founding NYS Linking Latina Leaders, and serving on the national Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents Professional Growth and Learning Committee, an organization for which she was the first ever lifetime member and remains a committed member and presenter for 15 years.
Denise has been recognized and honored by various organizations for her excellence in educational leadership and outstanding service, including the Organization for Women Empowerment, the New York League of Puerto Rican Women, the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Latino Caucus of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, and national POWER- Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized. Her diverse life experiences include being a published author (Latina Radiance: Love Letters to the Soul, Latinx Radiance: Leadership Recipes for Success, and Empire of Radiance: Unity and Legacy) and curriculum contributor (NYC Life Space Crisis Intervention and Wildlife Conservation Society Science Activities for Children), an actor (Yo Soy Latina) and flamenco dancer, and breast cancer survivor and recovery provider (Moving for Life Dance Exercise for Health). Ms.Schira graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University as a four-year Cornell Tradition Scholarship Fellow and later obtained a Master of Science in Educational Leadership at Bank Street College of Education with a focus on Early Childhood Leadership.
Denise's greatest inspirations are her two sons and three grandchildren, her soulmate of over four decades, and her family whose love and sacrifice made it possible for her to be a proud Bronx Puerto Rican whose life epitomizes resilience and "education saves lives".
