Who We Are, What We Do
The National Center provides high-quality advising, assistance, professional learning, construction management, and product development to agencies, board members, and executives. Established in 2008, the National Center has served hundreds of governing boards, school districts, cities, state agencies, non-profits, and county offices of education nationwide.
What People Are Saying
“Dr. Van Vleck and his team have supported multiple stalled facility projects and helped us move them into active progress. Their work has included coordination with the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) and the Division of the State Architect (DSA), support with financial and facility hardship applications, seismic mitigation planning for a gym project, and addressing unexpected issues such as mold remediation identified through environmental testing.
In addition, our district was awarded a Career Technical Education (CTE) facilities grant—an area where I initially had limited direction on how to proceed. Dr. Van Vleck’s prior experience successfully writing a CTE facilities grant and completing a CTE facility while serving as superintendent at Eureka City Schools has been invaluable. He is now guiding us through this major project, along with the construction of nine new classrooms at our elementary school. He excels at managing the full scope of construction-related work, particularly the complex coordination required before projects even reach the bid phase. He has effectively coordinated with architects, structural engineers, civil engineers, funding consultants, and district staff. His ability to align all parties and keep projects moving forward has been critical for our district.
Dr. Van Vleck and his team provide timely, clear, and proactive updates to me, district staff, and the board. He has presented to our board and community multiple times and has earned a high level of trust and confidence. He understands how to tailor communication appropriately for different audiences. I appreciate how he brings a rare, holistic understanding of school district operations. He understands the pressures of district leadership and provides thoughtful guidance that extends beyond facilities—supporting decision-making related to staffing, long-term planning, and organizational capacity. He has also developed a realistic deferred maintenance plan for our district, which has been invaluable.”
— Danielle Carmesin, Superintendent, Ferndale Unified School District
“On behalf of the Governing Board of the Fortuna Elementary School District, I wanted to offer my sincere thanks for the time taken to present the board governance workshop this past Saturday facilitated through the National Center for Executive Leadership and School Board Development. Every minute of the workshop was time well spent, and our entire board felt as though they learned a great deal about school governance and were delighted with creating their board protocols.”
— Jeff Northern, M.A., RET. District Superintendent, Fortuna Elementary School District,
“We take education seriously - and our time with Bridge the Gap was truly impactful. Even in the virtual environment, they made the material come alive by intentionally engaging us in a conversation and equipping us with ways to have better conversations internally and externally”
— Dr. Michael Marion, Jr., Director U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
“As a state-wide agency, the Office of Correctional Education of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation requires the alignment of numerous programs and services to our mission, vision, core beliefs, and values. The Strategic Planning process, facilitated by Dr. Hanline, is ensuring that our efforts are scalable and creating accountability.”
— Shannon Swain, RET. Superintendent - Office of Correctional Education, Division of Rehabilitative Programs, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
“Simultaneously revising the district Strategic Plan for Student Success and developing the Local Control & Accountability Plan was a monumental undertaking. Dr. Hanline facilitated our processes and brought stakeholders together in a collaborative way to create two well coordinated meaningful guiding documents. In addition, the team-building workshops with administrators have boosted leadership effectiveness in our district!”
— Don Davis, RET. Superintendent of Waterford Unified
