Rachel Larson's 25+ year career in education began as a high school social studies teacher. Her rich depth and breadth of experience also includes roles as a high school dean of students, high school assistant principal, middle school principal, elementary school principal, and district administrator. In her role at CESO, Rachel provides leadership consulting for school communities across administrative support, systems assessments, and development programs.

As an education veteran, she has seen firsthand the importance of CESO’s work and is honored to be part of a team to help districts design programs to retain high quality staff.

This year, she will finish her certification as an iPEC executive coach as well as her doctorate degree with a focus on human-centered leadership. She also enjoys time on the lakes and rivers, is an avid reader, and plays golf and tennis.

With a career spanning over 28 years in public education, Dr. Bob McDowell has held various pivotal roles including superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal, assistant principal, technology coordinator, teacher, and coach. He has honed his expertise in operations and systems development, Human-Centered Design, leadership development, continuous improvement, adaptive strategic planning, coaching, and school board relationships.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Technology Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, a master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of St. Thomas, a specialist degree in Educational Administration from Minnesota State University-Mankato, and a doctorate in Education from St. Mary's University.

Stephanie has been an advocate for educational equity for over 30 years. She was hired as the first African American school social worker for Robbinsdale Area Schools (MN) and went on to serve as the first Director of Diversity and Inclusion before retiring in 2020 as Executive Director of Human Resources. During her 25-year tenure in the district, she led the development of strategies for inclusion, diversity, and employee engagement to ensure positive learning environments for students and an integrated approach to building a diverse workforce.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Tuskegee University, a Master of Education in School Guidance and Counseling from Chicago State University, and a Master of Social Work degree from Augsburg University.

An experienced educator and professional learning leader, Laura Eiden began her career as a teacher before falling in love with professional and personal development work as a teacher innovation coach and student teacher supervisor. As the Vice President for CESO Human Resources, Laura now focuses on building authentic relationships with clients through thoughtful questioning and deep listening to help them think differently about systems and practices that impact the experience of each person within their organizations.

As a bilingual principal, Elizabeth has led the successful development of three Twin Cities Metro Spanish immersion schools while working with diverse staff and students in St. Louis Park, Eden Prairie, and Spring Lake Park. She has a passion for working with school and district leaders to build collaborative communities that attract and retain the most inspired educators, develop teacher leaders, improve academic achievement for students, and maximize home/school partnerships.

During her 35-year career, Elizabeth has served as a coach for intern teachers and principals including many international candidates. Fueled by her belief that there’s inherent greatness in every person she works with, her coaching combines high expectations, self-care, and humor as key levers of success.