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President and CEO
LEAD 616
4766 Chalet Lane S.W.
Wyoming, MI  49519
(616) 706-9534

Teresa Weatherall Neal serves as the President and CEO of LEAD 616, a leadership development company. She provides professional development, leadership coaching, group facilitation, strategic planning, organization audits, and community networking sessions. She serves as an instructor and coach for the Michigan Superintendent’s Leadership Academy. Teresa Weatherall Neal recently retired as the Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent (January 2012 – June 30, 2019). Teresa served the GRPS district for 43 years, in a variety of positions. Prior to becoming the Superintendent of GRPS, she served as a member of the Superintendent’s Cabinet for 12 years. She is dedicated to enhancing and empowering members of the educational communities and its stakeholders.

Teresa has received two Honorary Doctoral Degrees for her leadership in education, one from Grand Valley State University and one from Ferris State University. In addition, she holds a Master of Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University, a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration from Grand Valley State University, and an Associate Degree from Grand Rapids Community College. She has a certification in Superintendent’s Leadership Academy, extensive course work and educational sessions with Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, Adaptive Leadership with Cambridge Leadership Development, and Institute for Learning through the University of Pittsburg. Her professional training includes 20 years of grant and compliance development with state and federal programs, community and family engagement training, organization analysis, strategic planning, and leadership development.

Teresa is very active in her community and has been instrumental in establishing the Grand Rapids Promise Zone Authority, serving as the chairperson for two years. She is currently a very active member of the GRPZA and serves on numerous additional boards, including Helen Children DeVos Hospital, President Gerald R. Ford Foundation (national), KConnect Community Board of Trustees, Kent Count Opportunity for All, and the Van Andel Education Institute. Formally, she has served on the State of Michigan Governor’s Educational Committee. She has received recognition and awards by local, state, and national organizations for her leadership accomplishments.

Prior to retirement, Teresa served as the Superintendent of the Grand Rapids Public Schools for over seven years. She specializes in organizational growth, leadership development, and system-wide transformational change. During her tenure, Grand Rapids Public Schools served 18,000 public, private, and charter students and managed over 3,000 employees and an annual budget of over 300 million dollars. During her tenure she:

  • advanced private/public partnerships
  • stabilized and grew an urban school system
  • decreased chronic absenteeism
  • increased community engagement and involvement
  • increased academic achievement
  • instituted a district wide school uniform policy for students
  • increased dual enrollment
  • increased the graduation rate,
  • opened new schools
  • passed a $175 million dollar bond, A+ bond rating
  • was instrumental in creating the Grand Rapids Promise Zone

In addition to overhauling GRPS’ performance metrics, Teresa and her team worked to change the culture of the district. Her leadership style focused on the system and all of its stakeholders—staff, community, family, and children.