Dr. Kirton has spent more than three decades leading in public education,
the military, and community service. As CEO of DNA Educational
Solutions, he helps school systems, districts, and communities
improve school culture, attendance, and achievement through evidence-based
leadership practices that actually translate in real classrooms. His
career reads like a masterclass in educational leadership across every
level: Chief Educational Officer, Area Superintendent, Director of
Career and Technology Education, Principal, Coach, and Teacher. He
currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in Educational Leadership,
and he is a U.S. Navy veteran.
Dr. Kirton earned his doctorate in education and has presented at major
national conferences, including the National Title I Conference, on how
to improve school culture and climate while simultaneously raising
attendance, attitude, and achievement. He has been recognized with the
FBI Director’s Award for Community Leadership and Development —
one of the highest honors given to civilians. His chapter is grounded
in something most books on this topic lack: actual decades of walking
into classrooms, cafeterias, and gymnasiums where trust had been broken,
and rebuilding it, on purpose, with the people still in the room.