Rosalie Nataki Pettigrew was recently hired to serve as Hamilton Southeastern Schools’ Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer. She has been an educator since 1997, working in multiple teaching positions, serving as the founding principal of Carpe Diem Innovative School-Northwest, and later taking on roles in curriculum/instruction and student services. Today, she is passionate about training other educators in the areas of race, ethnicity, and poverty.
We asked her a few questions about her journey to her new role and who has helped her along the way.
What kinds of responsibilities do you have in your current role?
I am responsible for developing, cultivating, and sustaining the district's inclusion efforts. This includes the implementation of an equity and inclusion plan for our district's 24 schools. We will champion equity and inclusion on a granular, building-wide level as well as a district level.
I am responsible for increasing, recruiting, retaining and supporting a diverse staff as well as implementing a professional development program district-wide. This will include initiatives to provide training for our community stakeholders. Most importantly, I will continually ask the question: Who is experiencing the poorest outcomes in our district? And then providing additional training and policy modifications to address those outcomes. I am also the Title VI Coordinator and Title IX Coordinator.
I view my role as one of the heart. How do we ensure every student feels welcomed, appreciated, and supported in our schools? This is the work of the heart.
Why was it important to you to continue your education?
Both of my parents were educators. My father was a retired elementary administrator and my mother is a retired high school mathematics teacher. My parents always continued their education to learn as much as possible, and they instilled in their children the urgency of continued learning.
As an educator, I knew that my initial degree would not sustain me in this field. I could not continue to use strategies that I learned in 1996 with students of today. It's critical to learn new strategies to meet the needs of our ever-changing student learners. Being a forward thinker necessitates that we re-evaluate the way we educate our students. And moreover, I have a passion for learning.
IWU played an integral part in balancing my Christian faith and my professional knowledge. I really can't be a transformative leader without practicing the principles of the Bible, and IWU was an excellent choice to continue my education.
What advice or encouragement would you give to women aspiring to lead?
Philippians 4:13 states, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." As women, we face unnecessary barriers when trying to achieve goals, both personally and professionally. My parents always taught me that if I could believe it, achieving it would be a piece of cake! So I leaned into my faith and trusted God to cultivate my confidence and outward presence and disposition so that others would see me as God sees me: as a strong, intelligent, and fierce woman of caliber. I encourage all women to own their power to lead, maintain humility, and reach back to help those following in their footsteps.
Nataki Pettigrew earned her BA from DePauw University (major in English Literature) and her master’s in education from IWU. She also completed the Principal Licensure Program and her EdS in District Level Leadership at IWU. She is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Education (EdD) program at IWU as a doctoral candidate.
She is inspired by her parents and says her family is her biggest support, including her husband, children, parents and siblings. Her students also keep her going, she says, because she has learned so much from them.