Navigating My First Year as a Technology Director: Understanding The Role's Full Reality

Amanda Fay, Executive Director of Technology, Minnetonka Public Schools

Amanda Fay is the Director of Technology at Minnetonka Public Schools and a passionate educational leader with a background in English teaching. A Google Certified Trainer and Apple Coach, she blends technical expertise with instructional insight to drive innovation, build trust, and keep student learning at the heart of technology decisions.

When I stepped into the role of Technology Director, I knew it would be multifaceted and challenging. I’ve come to appreciate how the position demands equal parts technical fluency, educational leadership, relationship-building, and contingency management, often all in the same day.

Understanding this reality is essential for superintendents and district leaders who work with and hire technology directors. The most effective technology leaders aren’t just technical problem-solvers; they are strategic partners who manage complex stakeholder relationships while keeping student learning at the center.

The Balance: 80 percent Leadership, 20 percent Technology

As a relationship-based leader, I expected this role to involve significant leadership. Living it firsthand has only reinforced how much it’s truly about people, not just systems. While managing infrastructure upgrades, multi-year classroom technology plans, and incident response protocols, the real work happens in the spaces between meetings. Success means translating technical complexity into clear, accessible communication for superintendents, board members, district staff, teachers, parents, and community members. They need to understand not just what we’re doing, but why it matters for student learning.

Our “Classroom of the Future” initiative illustrates this clearly. Presenting technology updates isn’t about specs and timelines; it’s about helping educators envision how technology can transform their daily practice. The conversations are everything.

Building Trust Through Transparency

Transparency continues to be essential to every initiative. With our gradual, multi-year classroom technology rollout, we could simply announce changes as deadlines approach. Instead, I work closely with the cabinet, principals, the teaching and learning team, and our technology coaches to create clear transition plans and gather feedback at every stage.

“The real work isn’t just in managing systems. It’s in building trust, translating complexity, and keeping student learning at the center of every decision”

This collaborative approach consistently turns potential resistance into a genuine partnership. Rather than making decisions in isolation, I engage with stakeholders to ensure I see the full picture. In a field where change moves fast, bringing people along is more important than being first.

The Weight of Security

Security work has required more mental energy than I anticipated. Implementing multi-factor authentication, auditing access protocols, overhauling onboarding and offboarding, and partnering with multiple cyber defense agencies all demand constant attention. The technical aspects are manageable, but the responsibility for protecting student and staff data is substantial.

Building relationships with security professionals and creating systems for continuous monitoring, rather than trying to be the sole expert, helps. This not only distributes the technical workload but also builds layers of oversight that reduce risk and ensure continuity when challenges arise.

Team Leadership: The Foundation

I’ve learned that everything rises and falls on team leadership. I invest significant time in fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and growth within our technology team. This foundation influences every other priority.

The real work shows up in day-to-day interactions, whether it is listening to diverse perspectives, supporting professional development, or maintaining clear communication when systems inevitably fail at the worst possible time.

What This Means for District Leaders

For superintendents and cabinet members, supporting your technology director means understanding that their success depends as much on relationship capital as on technical knowledge. Include them in leadership meetings, ideally as cabinet members, encourage them to engage with peer networks, and provide opportunities to connect directly with teaching staff.

When hiring, look beyond certifications. Prioritize candidates who can clearly explain how technology decisions impact student outcomes and who demonstrate the emotional intelligence to build trust across stakeholder groups.

Most importantly, recognize that effective technology leadership requires both strategic patience for long-term planning and tactical agility for daily problem-solving. Your technology director’s ability to balance these demands directly influences your district’s operational stability and educational innovation.

Final Thoughts

The role of Technology Director is more complex and rewarding than I imagined. The technical challenges are manageable, the leadership opportunities are vast, and the ability to shape educational experiences for students makes every difficult day worthwhile.