Society, civilization, and culture have been broad subjects with concrete strategies for success that—not only shaped Dr. Fannie Lovelady-Spain of Rockdale, TX—but in her many decades of teaching, advocating, and reforming her community, she has shaped those subjects deeply herself. As an African-American woman born in Texas in the 1930s, Fannie’s ascension to the heights of education was no easy path, but the perseverance she leaned on to achieve her goals is perhaps the quality most due credit for how she paid it all forward, over and over again.

A 40-year veteran in education, Fannie has made a habit of doing things not done before. After decades of forging her expertise as a “school turnaround expert,” Fannie not only learned a lot about creating positive change within school systems and their surrounding communities, but she proactively shared her learnings with others—specifically, Fannie authored a book entitled No Principal Left Behind and developed a trademarked process called the School Principal Change Model™.

Later in life, she moved into the Navajo Nation and proved her method by turning around not just one underachieving school, but two! “That was by far my best experience,” Fannie says. “There was something that kept drawing me back to the reservation. By the time I left after 8 years, I was initiated into the tribe as an honorary Navajo.”

Fannie’s school transformation process is built on one principle that we can all lean on—the entire community must come together to affect change. She went on to affect more change after her career wound down, serving on her city council in Rockdale fighting for better roads and basic services, then with the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature involving Senior citizens directly in the state’s legislative process.

Now 86, Fannie’s impact on so many communities can still be felt to this day by thousands of students, teachers, and principals across Texas and beyond.