Conversation Prep: Dr. Joe Gonzalez, Superintendent
November 20, 2025
Context
- Superintendent of a district with 5 campuses (4 in El Paso, 1 in San Antonio)
- Intro came through a contact who shared your consulting info
- District "has the money" and superintendent is interested in evolving the district
Before the Call
Research to do:
- Find the district name and look up recent news, initiatives, board meetings
- LinkedIn Dr. Joe Gonzalez to understand his background and priorities
- Check if district has any existing technology or AI initiatives mentioned publicly
- Understand district size (students, staff, budget if available)
Goals for Initial Conversation
- Listen first. Understand his vision for "evolving the district"
- Identify 1-2 concrete pain points that Applied AI could address quickly
- Establish trust as someone who understands education, not just tech
- Propose a small pilot if there's fit—not a massive engagement
Discovery Questions
Opening (Vision):
- "What does 'evolving the district' mean to you? What's the biggest change you'd like to see in the next 1-2 years?"
- "What's working well right now that you want to protect or build on?"
Pain Points (Operations):
- "Where does your administrative staff spend time on repetitive work that feels like it should be easier?"
- "What's the most frustrating bottleneck in your district's day-to-day operations?"
- "Are there communication challenges between campuses, with parents, or with staff?"
Technology Context:
- "Has the district explored AI tools before? What's been the experience?"
- "What's your biggest concern about bringing AI into schools?"
Decision Making:
- "If we found something that could save staff 10 hours a week, what would the process look like to pilot it?"
- "Who else would need to be involved in a decision like this?"
Common School District Pain Points (Applied AI Opportunities)
| Pain Point | Potential AI Solution |
|---|---|
| Parent communication overload | AI-assisted response drafting, FAQ bots |
| Substitute teacher scheduling | Automated scheduling and notification systems |
| Student record requests | Document processing and retrieval automation |
| Board meeting prep | Meeting summary and agenda automation |
| HR/onboarding paperwork | Document processing and workflow automation |
| Multi-campus coordination | Centralized communication and reporting tools |
| Grant writing and reporting | AI-assisted drafting and compliance checking |
| IEP documentation | Streamlined documentation workflows |
Your Credibility Points (Use Sparingly)
- Former Google Cloud engineer (4 years)
- Co-founded digital education nonprofit that trained 2,000+ young people across 70+ countries
- Named Forbes 30 Under 30 for civic education work
- Top graduate from AI engineering program
- Launching Applied AI Society with Travis Oliphant (creator of NumPy)
Frame it as: "I've spent my career at the intersection of technology and education. I understand both sides."
What NOT to Do
- Don't pitch a big engagement upfront
- Don't lead with technical jargon
- Don't promise transformation before understanding the problems
- Don't talk more than you listen
Ideal Outcome
Walk away with:
- Clear understanding of 1-2 specific pain points
- Permission to propose a small pilot project
- Understanding of decision-making process and timeline
- Next meeting scheduled (or clear next step)
Pilot Offer Framework
"If there's a specific operational challenge we identify, I'd be happy to scope out a small pilot—something we could test at one campus, measure the results, and decide from there whether it makes sense to expand. Low risk, high learning."
Follow-Up
After the call:
- Send thank you note within 24 hours
- Summarize what you heard as their priorities (shows you listened)
- Propose specific next step with timeline
- If relevant, share one relevant case study or resource