Podcast Episodes

Episode 80: LaKeisha McGowen [Positive Team Culture – Part Four]

by Rachel Caldwell

What does it look like to have a healthy and thriving team? Throughout the month of November, we are bringing you a mini-series focused on developing and cultivating a Positive Team Culture! The context of this series is dance team culture, but the content is applicable to all teams and relationships.

Today’s episode is part four of this series. I’m so thankful for our guest today, the incredible LaKeisha McGowen! LaKeisha is one of those people who brings the energy with her wherever she goes! Her background includes experience as an educator, dance team director, administrator, and as the Executive Director of Contests for Crowd Pleasers Dance. She’s worked across multiple schools & districts in a variety of settings and brings great perspective to this conversation. We talk about topics such as leadership, signs of a healthy versus unhealthy team culture, accountability, celebrating as a team, conflict resolution, and relationship building.

Lakeisha currently serves as an Assistant Director of Fine Arts in Katy ISD. Prior to rejoining Katy ISD in 2021, she was the Executive Director of Contests for Crowd Pleasers Dance for over 5 years. She spent several years as the Director of Fine Arts in Alvin Independent School District. She is active in the dance community as a CEDFA Fine Arts Summit Cadre Member, TDEA DEAL committee member, a DEAL adjudicator and she also makes time to travel throughout the state presenting workshops, providing professional learning, judging, choreographing and directing dance events.

You can listen to the show HERE, and you can be sure not to miss a Creative Impact conversation by subscribing through your favorite podcast app (ie. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher).  We are so grateful to have you as a part of the Creative Impact community and would love it if you would share the show with your friends!

About LaKeisha:

LaKeisha McGowen currently serves as an Assistant Director of Fine Arts in Katy ISD. Prior to rejoining Katy ISD in 2021, she was the Executive Director of Contests for Crowd Pleasers Dance for over 5 years. She spent several years as the Director of Fine Arts in Alvin Independent School District. She is active in the dance community as a CEDFA Fine Arts Summit Cadre Member, TDEA DEAL committee member, a DEAL adjudicator and she also makes time to travel throughout the state presenting workshops, providing professional learning, judging, choreographing and directing dance events.

LaKeisha received her B.S. degree in Dance from Stephen F. Austin State University where she was a member of the SFA Repertory Dance Company. She earned a Masters of Educational Administration from Prairie View A&M University. LaKeisha began her career as a Dance Teacher/Dance Team director at Hightower High School in Fort Bend ISD. In 2005, she became the founder of the Seven Lakes High School Dance Department and Sapphires Dance Team in Katy ISD. The Sapphires rapidly became one of the top dance teams in the state of Texas due to her outstanding leadership. Pursuing a new passion, LaKeisha began her role as an administrator at Seven Lakes in 2008. These new experiences led her to a new home in Alvin ISD in 2012 as the Fine Arts Director. LaKeisha focused her daily work on enriching the lives of students by providing support and resources for superior education in the arts. She developed and implemented a multitude of new fine arts programs in Alvin ISD. Most notable, in the Fall 2015, Alvin ISD welcomed Junior High dance into its curriculum serving three of its six Junior High campuses. Keeping with her vision, Alvin ISD incorporated dance education unanimously within the Junior High campuses beginning 2016.

LaKeisha has had the opportunity to serve on various committees and participate in many professional organizations including: Texas Dance Educators Association Executive Board as Treasurer, 1st Vice President, President-Elect and President, The State Board of Education Framework review and standards rewriting committee, Houston Arts Partners, TMEA, TMAC, TETA and TAEA. In the summer of 2016, she became a Cadre Member for CEDFA and served as a presenter at the 2017 CEDFA Fine Arts Summit. Although her passion is infused into her work her most essential joy is her family. LaKeisha’s husband Tracy, son Bradford and daughter Briley flood her life with love and laughter.

Connect with LaKeisha:

On Instagram

On Twitter

Katy ISD Fine Arts