Meet Eric Syverson

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Eric Syverson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Eric , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I’ve always been attracted to professional services, but then over time I found that I was very intrigued by public service and people who were in a life of public service. My mom likes to tell the story about when I was in kindergarten for my first class picture I wanted to wear a suit and tie. We compromised and she let me wear a tie. So from a very early age I started to admire people who were in professional services.

Through high school and into college that took the form of being really passionate about social studies classes and debate and trying to figure out – What do I actually think about the world? What do I want the world to be like? Then ultimately, where do I find my place in it? From that point on I was always dedicated to knowing what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing, which is being in service to others.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I went to undergrad at the University of Kansas and got my history and political science degree and went to graduate school at the University of Colorado Denver and was exposed to what it means logistically to deal with public finance. I became very interested in what that means for states and localities.

After college I worked in Denver, Colorado primarily at two major nonpartisan nonprofit organizations that work in state legislative policy – the Education Commission of the States and the National Conference of State Legislators. I specialized in education issues and state fiscal policy related to education, plus other fiscal issues of tax expenditures at the state level.

Then I was presented with an opportunity to use my skills and my passions at Aligned, Their mission is to amplify the business voice and align our systems so that we’re providing better outcomes for students. There is a lot of unfilled and untapped potential for schools in Kansas and Missouri. I see Aligned as aptly named because it is at the nexus between both the businesses and the community. We’re finding the best place to create change is at the state level.

I’m now the Director of Policy and Research for the state of Kansas for Aligned. What is exciting about my work at Aligned is that people are starting to understand that the problems with education aren’t going away unless we address this. These systems are always in perpetual need of reform and renewal, and there is a chance for us to improve these systems over time.

Here are a few of Aligned’s upcoming events that I’m excited about:

– Cradle to Career Listening Tour: A four stop journey across Kansas to gather community insights and drive meaningful conversations around workforce, education, and opportunity.

– Education Policy Webinar Series: The webinar series brings together state and regional stakeholders to explore timely topics shaping education and workforce in Missouri and Kansas.

Aligned’s newsletter is a great resource for those interested in learning more about the organization, our upcoming events, and educational policy and issues at the federal level and in Kansas and Missouri.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Understanding historical context, having curiosity, and being able to provide context from a non-partisan perspective are the qualities that I’ve learned throughout my career and are important for others looking to take a similar path.

If you don’t have a sense of where you are in history on any given issue, then you’re going to be repeating mistakes of the past and overlooking some things that might have worked. It’s really important to understand that we’re all part of a giant continuum.

Curiosity is not just about history, but what others are thinking and saying about it. We are all getting caught up in our own bubbles of information of course, but you have to understand we’re involved with dynamic human systems. Understanding changes as they’re happening and trying to interpret what the consequences of those changes may be is vital to understanding how systems are changing, how legislation can advance, and how people are reacting.

In my writing, I try to make sure I’m describing problems accurately and laying everything out in a fair, non-partisan way. In my role, it’s important to deliver information to a wide audience in a way that they can digest, find relevance in, and that they know is not coming from a biased perspective.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

I think one of the biggest obstacles currently, especially in politics and policy in general, is that a lot of what we’re talking about and doing is for adults. To be honest with you, it’s a lot of adults at the table making decisions. And I often am finding myself thinking we need to understand, implement, and integrate a voice for students. It’s a huge obstacle because keeping students at the forefront is not just a rhetorical device, and that is what we are trying to help with at Aligned.

I think it’s important to understand that the wrong and right of many issues is not necessarily how the adults feel, but it’s how we’re actually impacting students. I’m trying to overcome this issue by outlining and relaying what I’m doing in my role as it relates to students. The goal is to actually improve the lives of students within the classroom and to provide better outcomes and opportunities for them over time, and that’s why I think it’s so important to keep them in the forefront.

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