Davin Harpe

Dr. Davin Harpe has served as principal of Sugar Grove Elementary School (SGES) for the last
four years. One SGES parent calls Harpe a “leader who creates a culture of collaboration that
enables parents, students, teachers, and community leaders to work together in ways that shape a
child’s future.” Harpe has built this culture through careful instructional leadership, supportive
professional development, and a deep commitment to PLCs, which he has established to great
effect in three schools in three different districts throughout his 12 years as a principal. At SGES,
his implementation of PCLs led to performance gains in the first year of his tenure, when the
school was awarded an “A” by the Indiana Department of Education after having previously
received “B” and “C” letter grades. The same year, the school ranked highest in the county for
math and literacy performance, and Harpe’s PLC model has since been implemented by all
schools in his district, leading to district-wide performance gains. While Dr. Harpe clearly
understands how to balance leadership and management responsibilities, he identifies as a leader
and strives to see every aspect of his job as an opportunity to lead by example. Dr. Harpe holds a
B.S. from Indiana University, an M.A. in Education from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. from
Purdue University, where he was honored with the Norbert Nelson Outstanding Dissertation
Award.