According to one of his colleagues, Principal Jason Gullickson “believes that relationships are paramount in building a culture of success.” As leader of Ely Elementary, a Pre-K-6 school in rural North Dakota, Gullickson has spent the last decade practicing this belief by investing in professional relationships that are driven by dialogue and shared learning. Most notably, Gullickson has been instrumental in leading a complete overhaul of his district’s professional learning culture by implementing weekly PLC blocks that are structured to balance autonomy and accountability, shoring up research and reflection as essential to professional growth while eschewing the notion that one size fits all. This model has enabled a robust focus on math and literacy instruction, the implementation and continuous improvement of Ely’s RTI system, as well as training in standards-based grading and assessment. The district received national recognition for the program in the national publication The Professional Learner. Gullickson has gone above and beyond the district model by facilitating summer professional bootcamps and establishing management systems to track and support individual teachers’ growth. Gullickson’s efforts are all for the sake of the success of his 364 students, all of whom he knows by first and last name. He holds a B.S. in Elementary Education with a minor in Physical Education from Dickinson State University and an M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Mary.