BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Welcome to Be A Baller, where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities, and the world! I'm your host, Coach Tim Brown, and I'm excited to for you join me on this journey.
On this show, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our own lives, but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come.
Our guests will be individuals who have built a legacy in various fields – ministry, business, sports, and community service. And what's unique about our guests is that they're committed to the Wisdom Pledge. That means they're not just sharing their own stories and experiences with us, but they're also paying forward and sharing wisdom to empower the next generation.
So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance, and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place!
So grab your earbuds, get comfortable, and let's dive in!
BE A BALLER -"Building a lifelong legacy"
Faith, Education, and Belief: Dr.Alesia Gillison's Journey
Send us a comment about the Be a Baller Podcast Episode. Thanks for support.
Dr. Alesia Gillison's powerful journey from track champion to educational leader demonstrates how authentic belief transforms lives and systems. Faith anchors Gillison's approach to both personal challenges and professional leadership. Her powerful statement – "You don't have to prove to me that you're worthy; you're worthy because God made you" – captures the unconditional belief that drives her work with students, especially those society has marginalized. As a former state record-holder who anchored relay teams at Dayton Dunbar High School, Dr. Gillison learned early that "no one can outwork me" – a philosophy that became foundational to her approach in education.
Her unconventional path included a broadcasting career as "the mixtress of melody" at WDAO before a substitute teaching assignment revealed her gift for connecting with students. Using her radio personality to motivate middle schoolers, she caught the attention of a principal who promised to hire her if she earned her teaching license. That pivotal moment redirected her life toward educational leadership that would impact thousands of students.
Throughout leadership positions at Columbus City Schools and now as Assistant Superintendent at Pickerington Local Schools, Gillison has consistently challenged the "belief gap" – the false assumption that urban students, English learners, or special education students cannot achieve at the same level as their suburban peers. At Pickerington, she's doubled diversity in College Credit Plus and Advanced Placement courses by removing barriers and actively inviting historically excluded students into rigorous academic opportunities. "If you believe in them, you're going to invite them in," she explains, demonstrating how intention creates access.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gillison orchestrated extraordinary community partnerships, securing laptops for students and establishing 122 learning sites through faith-based organizations where students could access Wi-Fi. This exemplifies her commitment to "braiding" support around students through interconnected home, school, and community relationships.
Listen to this inspiring conversation about representation, belief, and creating educational environments where all students recognize their inherent worth and potential. Subscribe now to hear more stories about building legacies that transform communities.
And my latest challenge, the total knee replacement, has been really, really tough, but I'm getting better and better every day, because I wake up praying, I go to bed praying and God walks with me and we are His children. Sometimes we lose our way and sometimes there's so much static out there, but we have to focus on our children and watch them grow up and be there for them and pour into them and believe in them. You don't have to prove to me that you're worthy. You're worthy because God made you.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Be A Baller where we're building a lifelong legacy for our families, communities and the world. Your host, coach Tim Brown, is excited for you to join him on this journey. On each episode, we'll be talking about how to be intentional about building a lasting legacy. We'll be exploring what it means to leave a mark that goes beyond just our lives but has a positive impact on those around us and even generations to come. So if you're looking for inspiration, guidance and practical tips on how to build a lasting legacy that makes a difference, then you're in the right place. So grab your earbuds, get comfortable and let's dive in. It's time to be a baller.
Speaker 3:Welcome to Be a Baller podcast. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown. On this podcast, we celebrate individuals who have made a lasting impact on their community. Today we're joined by Dr Lisa Gillison, the Chief Academic Officer and Assistant Superintendent for Pickerton Local School District in Ohio. Dr Gillison has been a champion for students, parents and community engagement for successful schools. Dr Gillison, welcome to Be A Baller podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you so much, coach Brown, and it's an honor. You know, I've looked at some of the folks that you had on this podcast and to think that I could actually be sitting in front of this microphone. I have to thank you as humbly as I can.
Speaker 3:You're a baller, and you were definitely a baller at Dayton Dunbar that's the word on the streets is that you just didn't run track, you were a track star.
Speaker 1:That is correct.
Speaker 3:Love it, I love it. The word is that you were the first female to compete in the state state finals in the 400, doing a little research, and you anchored that four by two and that four by four relay team. I have done your research. I ain't playing now, absolutely. I went to the archives and when I saw, when I say you anchored it, you anchored that too. I anchored it. Yes, but when you was, you were a junior then, weren't you?
Speaker 1:I was a junior in high school in 1981.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:And set the record in the 400-meter dash. And four by two when I got the baton, we were in last place. When we crossed the line, we were in second place when I crossed the line we were in second place. Come on now. I just needed a couple more steps.
Speaker 3:You got that. That's good. That's good. Now, at that time were they running in a horseshoe?
Speaker 1:Yes, we were in a horseshoe.
Speaker 3:Can you share that experience? I know that was something.
Speaker 1:Oh it was. Share that experience. I know that was something. Oh it was, you could go up under the horseshoe and that's where you kind of warmed up.
Speaker 1:And then you came out and it was just crowds of folks, and what's so funny is folks used to sit up there and they used to gamble like bet who was going to win, oh Lord. And it was my first time in a single event, and so everyone was betting against me. I had no idea any of this was going on, and so my mom was there. Mom says I'm going to bet on the little skinny girl right there, and so everybody is placing their bets and everything, because they'd never heard of me, right? And then I won and set the record. Mom won some money.
Speaker 3:Mom did all right Mom did all right. Well, I bet if it was NIL times you'd really been good. That's good stuff, you know. Can you share with the audience that experience and life lessons you learned from competing in athletics audience that?
Speaker 1:experience and life lessons you learned from competing in athletics. When you compete in athletics, track and field is a little different than basketball and football, lacrosse and those others, because there's an individual component, but nevertheless, you still have to operate as a team. Everybody has a job to do and just working as a team and believing in your team the one thing no team could say is that they outworked us. We worked really hard and we knew that when we stepped on the track. Each and every one of us, we know we deserve to be here and we could look to our left to lane four, look to my right in lanes two and one, and know that nobody has worked harder than I've worked.
Speaker 1:And I found that lesson. It translates to education and it translates to life.
Speaker 3:Work hard. That's good, you know. You're also a member of the Dane Dunbar Wall of Fame.
Speaker 1:That is correct, that was.
Speaker 3:Now you know, some schools have a Hall of Fame.
Speaker 1:You know, dunbar, y'all got a Wall of Fame. Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:So how was that honor?
Speaker 1:What does that honor mean to you? It was an amazing honor One. I was one of the first females to be inducted in the. Hall of Fame because I was the first to actually win a state championship and all of my coaches came. That I have not seen in years and, believe it or not, I graduated in 1982. The class of 1982 came out to celebrate with me and my family. It was beautiful.
Speaker 3:That's good stuff, you know from there. You attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, louisiana. How did a young lady from Dayton Ohio choose a school? I'm not talking about the South. Baton Rouge is deep south, deep south lsu country. You know how did you choose to attend school there?
Speaker 1:so, um, I always wanted to go to hbcu and back in the 80s southern university was the largest hbcu in the nation and the coach came up, visited family, showed me pictures of palm trees, told me about the weather. And it was a full scholarship books, lodging, everything A full four-year scholarship. So I had offers from LSU, but it wasn't an HBCU, other universities, osu. At the time Mamie Rollins was the coach there at OSU but I needed to get away from the snow.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And I wanted to be at an HBCU.
Speaker 3:Wow, how was that experience? How was that HBU experience in the 80s?
Speaker 1:Back in the 80s, just seeing so many people that looked just like you and having instructors who only accepted your best. I had a class and I turned in my final project and, professor Rochon, she looked at it and she said, you know, this is not your best. And I'm like, yeah, it's my best. And she was like, well, if it's your best, I'm going to take it, but if you think you could do better, I'm going to give it back to you and give you 24 hours to turn it in again. And if you think in ordinary classrooms they would have just accepted your work and I was a college student kind of feeling myself down there at Southern University and it was not my best. But she gave it back to me, I turned it in and it was the best and it's a promo that they were using to recruit other students to Southern. My bachelor's was in radio and television broadcasting so I had created a commercial that they turned into a promo. Nice, so she got her best out of me.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, yes, Now, speaking of that, you started out in radio television producer and a radio air personality. Absolutely. What was your name on the air? Give us something, spit out something for us now. Come on.
Speaker 1:At least you can see the mixtress of melody Right there. I worked at WDAO in Dayton Ohio, WDAO.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes, so you was a homegirl coming back home.
Speaker 1:Homegirl coming back home yeah. I had lots of fun with that as well, so you did.
Speaker 3:So I know you shipped education. You earned a teacher's license, master's degree in educational leadership. What led you to become an educator and a coach? I know you coached as well.
Speaker 1:Coached as well, and that is a very good question. So when I was in air personality, I loved it. So when I was an heir personality, I loved it. Dayton is a relatively small market and I was a single parent at the time and the insurance it was tough being a single parent. And so then I said, well, maybe I can work two jobs. And so then I started substitute teaching. And I started my substitute teaching at a middle school sixth, seventh and eighth grade and I was there. The teacher had broken her ankle, so I was there for about a week and then I was sent to another school. The teacher came back. When I went back to this particular school, the principal said the teacher really wants to meet you.
Speaker 1:He introduced us. She said I've never had a substitute that had the kids doing all of their work and it was quality work. And the caveat I had over the kids was, since I was an air personality, I would play their, tell them the tune and I'd play their song Come on now. Come on now. And the principal shared with me. He said if you go back to school to get your teaching, license he said, I will keep you here at.
Speaker 1:Fairview Middle School until you get your license, and then I will hire you. So that is exactly what I did.
Speaker 3:Wow, wow, that's a great story.
Speaker 1:So you was playing their request. Yes, I was playing their request, the request line this goes out to, and they loved it and they couldn't wait for me to come in the next day and they would have. So whoever was on their best behavior and turned in their best work.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's the hook girl. You found the hook, you found the hook, you found the hook. You know you've had an impressive career with numerous leadership roles in Columbus City Schools and now at Pickerton Local School.
Speaker 1:There was a time when I first met you was over at the.
Speaker 3:You were a part of small schools.
Speaker 1:That is correct. Yeah, it's part of small schools Project with small schools, and I came as a leadership trainee and I worked with Dr Talisa Dixon so she was to train me, teach me everything. Yeah, so did that for a while and then Talisa, or Dr Dixon, was promoted to be the principal and she was over a small school, had really worked hard on this small school. It was called the Leadership Institute and since I had worked closely with her, I knew the vision. Then I became the leader of the Leadership Institute.
Speaker 3:Then I became the leader of the Leadership Institute. Can you talk about some of the initiatives and how that experience helped you prepare you for being a principal?
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely With that, because you know that was funded by Bill and Melinda Gates. That was with the knowledge work. So I had a leadership coach and an instructional coach. On top of that I got to work very closely with Dr Dixon and the professional development that that afforded us and afforded me. I still lean on those learnings today.
Speaker 1:And the premise behind it was Brookhaven was one large campus with three small schools and with a smaller student body. I knew all of my kids, I knew all of their aspirations, I knew all of their parents and then I could be their cheerleader. So it was a very I hated to see it go away because I thought it went really well and when you look at the list of students that graduated and how they're doing today, that was an experiment that worked out really well.
Speaker 3:Yes, you know your first head principal position was at Eastmore Academy. You went there and I understand you work with two fellow Dayton Ohio teachers. Yes, george Lewis over there. You had Sean Taylor over there. George Lewis and Sean Taylor and the word is you were kind of their big sister over there.
Speaker 1:Yes, they took care of me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, they took care of you over there, but you created this. You know, at that time I think it was a staff vision statement that you came up with and that Eastmore motto was legendary. Oh, absolutely, I only know the beginning of it. I'll start.
Speaker 1:I can do it all. As a matter of fact, you could call up any young person, any parent.
Speaker 3:Yes, Give it to us.
Speaker 1:Eastmore Academy students are rigorously educated in a nurturing environment, prepared for a lifetime of learning, leadership and service, and empowered to be responsible citizens of the world Wow. Yeah, wow, and we started every assembly with it, every PTO meeting with the parents. Anytime we came together collectively and at the beginning of the year to get in football games, our kids didn't have their IDs.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:So they had to say the vicious statement.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 1:And we had some kids from Independence trying to get in.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:They had learned the first couple of lines and then I said, okay, you don't know. I said well, who's the principal? And they were like I don't know who that dude is. I don't know who that dude is. So I was like okay, back of the line.
Speaker 3:That's funny. That's funny. So what was your premise behind that? What was the meaning behind it? Were you trying to engrave that in the students, or what was the focus of them learning that?
Speaker 1:Well, our vision statement and I have to give our staff kudos. We went on a retreat in the beginning of the school year of my first year and then we talked about. I asked them does Eastmore have a vision?
Speaker 1:They all said, yeah, yeah, we have vision. So I put chart paper on the table. I said write the vision. They couldn't write it. Well, if you can't write the vision, you don't know the vision right. And the purpose of a vision is for you to see where you want to go. And with the staff's buy-in, the staff actually wrote it. Wow, we tweaked it a bit grammatically and it became the vision of what we wanted for every student, what we wanted for every staff member in our building.
Speaker 3:That's good you know. You transferred, transitioned down to district-wide leadership with Columbus City Schools and you were there in that position during COVID.
Speaker 1:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3:So can you talk about and you put a lot of initiatives, spearheading a lot of initiatives, so our students wouldn't get behind. Can you share some of that information and some of those things you spearheaded and why that was so important to you?
Speaker 1:COVID, that pandemic was devastating. And when you think about the isolation students can't come to school. And then many of our students we weren't a at that time. We weren't a one-to-one district, meaning every student had their own laptop.
Speaker 1:So I worked with several organizations I know I can several organizations I know I can Organization AEP and some other big donors so that we can make sure that every kid had a laptop at home. Now that we've tackled that, not every family had internet, and so I worked with our faith-based leaders. And so I worked with our faith-based leaders in the Columbus area to open up their churches during the day so that students could come in, connect to Wi-Fi to be able to connect with their teachers in class, and that's how the early learning centers were born.
Speaker 1:So I have to really give a shout out to the faith-based leaders, because we had over 122 learning sites for our kids and then I Know I Can would go out and kind of help man sites to be those extra hands on deck during that time. So we know that when you think about urban education and Columbus City Schools being the largest district in the state of Ohio and then you think about the challenges of an urban district, we could not afford to sit back and do nothing and the community rallied behind that. So Nationwide Children's Hospital we had plenty of organizations working with us to make sure our kids had what they needed. Nationwide Children's Hospital used to take their mobile vaccination center and we would share it with families so that they can go and get all of their shots before school and COVID vaccines and all of that.
Speaker 3:So yeah, it was a good time. As we talk about that time and the challenges during that time and I know you're a strong proponent of interconnectedness of home, school and community in a student's success you talk about why is that so important to you I know that's your hot button why is that so important to you.
Speaker 1:It is so important because it boils down to one word, and that word is belief. And at school we can pour into kids. We believe in you, but they got to hear it at home and they got to hear it in the community. And then they have to do more than hear it. We have to show them that we believe in them and to continue pouring into them. And it takes that. Some people call it a three-legged stool or a tripod. You know, I call it braiding it around the kid, because that reinforces everything that our kids need as they develop and grow. Are they going to make mistakes? Absolutely, but you learn from it. I believe in you, you can do this. But they can't just hear it at school. They've got to hear it at home and they've got to hear it in the community. And unfortunately, where we are right now with our current government administration the end of DEI, the end of really teaching those historical things we've got to do that. That's where community and parents come in. So we have to pick up that slack.
Speaker 3:That's great. I think I particularly love what you said about the community piece. You know how important it is for the community to believe in our children. It's also important for our community to be those models.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Because you can't be what you can't see.
Speaker 1:And that's representation. You said it, Coach Brown If they don't see it, they won't aspire to be it. And all we have to do is just give them a spark to be it, and all we have to do is just give them a spark. So it's our responsibility to be that representation for them to let them know who we are and how we got here, which goes back to my athletic days. No one can outwork me. No one can outwork me.
Speaker 3:And you got that from somewhere. Yes, you know, because you know we grew up we watched others, you know, absolutely. We watched how hard our parents worked, we watched people in the community, you know, and we had that school pride. This is Dunbar. I went to Shaw High School. We had some pride in Shaw, we Cardinals, you know. Yes, nobody might work the Cardinals now.
Speaker 1:And our parents worked hard. Oh, they did. And our grandparents worked hard and we saw it.
Speaker 3:Yes, we saw it. Yeah, we saw it. So it was not too—you know, I know you're also a strong woman of faith. Can you talk about the role faith has?
Speaker 1:played in your life, in your journey. I'm going to take it back to that word belief. Just like I believe that there is a God in heaven, I believe that he is not waiting on the other side for me, that he is walking with me and through all of the hills, the valleys and the challenges, those things that I can look back on now and say he brought me and he's here with me.
Speaker 1:My latest challenge, the total knee replacement, has been really, really tough, but I'm getting better and better every day, because I wake up praying, I go to bed praying and God walks with me and we are his children and sometimes we lose our way and sometimes there's so much static out there. But we have to focus on our children and watch them grow up and be there for them and pour into them and believe in them. You don't have to prove to me that you're worthy. You're worthy because God made you right, and that's what we have to tell our kids, and sometimes that's what I have to tell myself as well.
Speaker 3:Amen, totally honest. We have to remind ourselves, you know when we're going through, that we're just going through. You know we ain't staying there. You know we're just going through, passing through. Wow, that's great. You know you're currently working in the Pickerington local school district as assistant superintendent. Can you tell the audience about some of those current initiatives that you're working on? I know you're working on some.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes we are.
Speaker 3:We've got some stuff going.
Speaker 1:So you know, coming from Columbus City Schools and a lot of that was trial and error, but we know if, whatever we do, we have the best interests of the child and we really want our parents to and our community see our kids in a different light. When I first got to, it's been four years since I've been in Pickerington and there's a program called College Credits Plus College Credit Plus and that is where high school kids can take college courses at no cost to their parents.
Speaker 1:So I looked at the demographics of who are these kids that are taking these courses? Well, it wasn't very diverse, and so I challenged our building administrators, I challenged our counselors and had several meetings with parents, challenging them. Because Pickerington is a place where, for advanced coursework, you used to have to have a recommendation from another teacher. They did away with that, so now anyone can take advanced coursework. So I look at the advanced coursework list not diverse. And they were like well, we don't have barriers. And I said but you're not inviting them in. If you believe in them, you're going to invite them in. So invite them into the course, because you've you had that gate up there for so long. Now that it's gone, they're conditioned to just walk past the class. Now that it's gone, they're conditioned to just walk past the class.
Speaker 1:So I can say that we have doubled our diversity in our College Credit Plus and in our Advanced Courses, ap classes. So those are some of the things that I'm most proud of. So there are a plethora of initiatives. We do a big block party in the beginning of the year of initiatives. We do a big block party in the beginning of the year that's for the entire community to come out, see our kids food trucks, live bands, games for kids and just a really good time for the community to set the year off right.
Speaker 3:That's great. You're at that stage now. Someone on the podcast talked about it's good to have a mentor. It was Jordan Miller. It's good to have a mentor. But we need sponsors. Yes, and you're that now because you're the one in the room pounding the table Absolutely, and they're pounding. Give these kids a chance, you know. Expose them to it. They can do it, they can do it. Just give them that opportunity. You know, and the Lord has blessed you to be at that level now where you're that sponsor and I'm just so proud of you and all those things that you're doing. You know, this is a legacy podcast. What is the legacy of Dr Alicia Gillison? What is your legacy, dr Gillison?
Speaker 1:It goes back to. This is a two words. So I talked about belief, but there is a belief gap in society and that is the belief that inner city kids, urban students, special education students, english learners, can't achieve like their suburban counterparts. That's false. We have to close that gap. So, once we continue to close that gap and pour in and you see it, when you think about the kids from from Brookhaven's Lorraine Levels, who is now Dr Dr Lorraine Butler, kareem McCants, chris Johnson, you think about Seth Towns, you think about Leslie Turner I could go on and on Jaleesa Capers these are young people that we poured into and it has manifested in greatness and that's what we have to continue doing. Coach, you said something about representation. We've got to represent and, yes, we have some young people out there doing things we don't necessarily improve of, but you don't chastise them. You sit down and you talk about them and you talk to them and you tell them that you believe that there's greatness in them, because there is, because they are a child of God.
Speaker 3:Amen, what a legacy. Yes, well, this brings us to the end of today's episode with Dr Gillis. I want to thank you for sharing your story with us today. I love that DJ story.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:And also thank you for your commitment to education and the community is truly inspiring. Thank you for answering that call, educating our children, and your leadership at the district, district wide level. You are truly a role model, inspiration. Young educators See you in a position of education leadership. They know they can do it as well, absolutely so. I want to thank you for being on the show.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for having me. It's been an honor to audience.
Speaker 3:You can always make sure you subscribe to the podcast, where you can keep up to date on all our latest episodes. Once again, continue to build a lifelong legacy. I'm your host, coach Tim Brown. Thank you.
Speaker 2:If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with family and friends. The Be A Baller podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. This podcast was created by Coach Tim Brown and recorded and edited by the video production class of Worthington Christian High School. Be sure to come back next week as we continue to discuss on how to build a lifelong legacy. Until then, don't forget to be a baller.