Summer Picha is a Minneapolis / Twin Cities-based early childhood development and leadership expert, best selling author, and speaker who helps early childhood programs, schools and facilities become the best-in-class choice for their clients and customers and be an integrated part of raising good humans. She’s the creator of the Conscious Classroom Certification Model: the leading framework that helps owners and administrators retain staff, recruit families, reduce risk by staying compliant without complication, and protect school revenue while running a fast-paced facility in ever-changing times. Leveraging Summer’s 22+ years in the industry and her role as co-founder of a group of award-winning and highly-referred Montessori schools in the Twin Cities, Summer knows specifically what it takes to lead a mission-driven team and create a culture where schools and families feel like they belong. Summer is known for her quirky yet tough approach to solve the challenges in the industry. She understands this deeply because she co-founded a multi-campus early education company that she ultimately sold for $4.3M, and now has dedicated her next season to help founders like her to be able to get the most out of their facilities and vision. She is also the founder of Grit and Grace Lifestyle, wife to Eric and mother of three children.