4K: Leading Improvement: Building Data-Informed Cultures Through Competency-Based Leadership

Improvement doesn’t happen because of better dashboards; it happens because of better leaders. In this interactive session, participants will explore how leadership competencies can serve as levers for improvement and how data-informed performance management can be rooted in culture, not compliance. Drawing from the Communities In Schools of Memphis (CISM) experience, this session introduces the IMPACT Framework—a leadership model created by Jessica Pontoo to anchor organizational change through five dimensions: Inclusion & Culture, Measurement & Data, People & Relationships, Adaptability & Innovation, Communication & Clarity, and Talent & Capacity. Participants will see how this framework transformed performance management at CISM by embedding competencies into daily practice, coaching, and data reflection cycles—producing measurable gains in morale, collaboration, and retention.