Systems, Story, and Impact: Nicole Patterson’s Leadership at Ziegler Elementary

At William H. Ziegler Elementary School, Principal Nicole Patterson (2024 Neubauer Fellow, Cohort 8) is doing more than leading—she’s building a culture of trust, growth, and opportunity by embracing the Neubauer Fellowship’s Story of Self and Leadership Competencies in her own community. With over a decade at Ziegler, as a teacher, dean, assistant principal, and now principal, Patterson brings a deep understanding of her school community and a clear vision for what leadership can look like when it’s rooted in authenticity.

Nicole’s journey with the Neubauer Fellowship started with curiosity and a love of learning. “I’m a lifelong learner,” she says. “What drew me to PASL was hearing from other Fellows about how practical and powerful the experience was.” What’s kept her going is the sense of connection. “This cohort feels like a family. You’re surrounded by people who are walking the same path, and that support makes all the difference.”

That feeling of safety and belonging started with the Fellowship’s Summer Institute, where Fellows shared their “Story of Self.” For Nicole, it was a turning point. “I’ve done this exercise before, but Neubauer created a space where I could be truly honest.” Initially hesitant to share her true story, the cohort’s vulnerability sparked something powerful. “It built trust. And when you trust each other, you can do the hard work together.” Now heading in the second year of her Neubauer Fellowship, Nicole has embraced the foundation developed in her cohort to bring the Fellowship’s lessons back to the team at Ziegler.

Over the summer between her first and second year, Nicole led her team through a reflection process modeled after the Fellowship’s Summer Institute and Leadership Competencies. As a school principal, she knew the importance of clarity and focus; rather than introduce all seven competencies at once” “If I gave them everything at once, they’d feel like they had to do it all immediately,” she explains. “My job as a school leader is to develop them over time.” Instead, Nicole broke down the competencies and identified two that aligned most closely with Ziegler’s needs: continuous improvement and equity.

These two competencies allowed Nicole to build upon Ziegler’s impressive academic growth and support of a diverse student population. “I focused on continuous improvement, but because we’re a Comprehensive Support and Improvement school, equity is also critical. That means looking closely at certain student groups and making sure access is there for everyone, even if that requires some disruption.” Now that her team has adopted and applied these two competencies, Nicole plans to introduce the remaining competencies in alignment with Ziegler’s needs and her leadership priorities.

Ultimately, Nicole’s use of the Neubauer Fellowship’s Leadership Competencies—and the strength garnered by fully embracing her Story of Self—has allowed her to bring the lessons learned through the Fellowship back to her school team. “Everything I’ve learned through Neubauer, I’ve shared with my team. Every time I walk away from a session, I feel like I’ve gained valuable knowledge, and I want to bring that back to my instructional leadership team. I’ll say, ‘let me show you what I just learned — let’s see how it works here at Ziegler.’ So, in a way, everything that’s been Neubauer for me has also become Neubauer for Ziegler.”

Nicole’s work embracing the leadership competencies and story of self with the Ziegler team isn’t just about improving her current teachers and staff, it’s about building a foundation for Ziegler’s future. “My work is about building my team’s capacity, because my hope is that at some point, I’ll take a step forward—and someone else will be ready to step into my place.” And with her eye on the future, she’s already preparing the next generation of leaders to carry the work of the Neubauer Fellowship, the Story of Self, and the Leadership Competencies forward.