ABOUT VELA EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANTS
Led by Dr. Melissa Sadorf
Vela Educational Consultants is led by Dr. Melissa Sadorf, a seasoned educator, executive leader, and consultant with nearly 35 years in public education. Melissa has served as a teacher, principal, superintendent, professor, and executive director, and she brings that full range of experience to every coaching, ethics, and strategic planning engagement.
Across her career, she has led schools and districts through complex change, rebuilt trust in hard moments, and helped leaders grow into the roles they were meant to hold. Her work now focuses on four core areas: leadership coaching and mentoring, educator ethics and boundaries training (Blurred Lines), strategic planning through her Compass process, and supporting women in educational and executive leadership through Lead WEL.
Melissa is known for her relational, story-driven approach and her ability to make complex issues practical and human from the stage. As a keynote speaker and facilitator, she doesn’t arrive with a canned program; she listens, learns your context, and then co-designs support that fits your people, your data, and your reality. Whether she is coaching a superintendent through a sensitive personnel issue, guiding a district team through strategic planning, or helping a staff navigate the gray areas of professional ethics, her goal is the same: to help leaders act with clarity, integrity, and courage—without feeling like they’re doing it alone.
Beyond Vela, Melissa serves in national and state-level roles that keep her close to the policy and practice issues leaders are navigating every day. She is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Educational Leadership at Northern Arizona University, author of The Resilient Rural Leader: Rising to the Challenges of Rural Education, and host of The Rural Scoop and co-host of Unlearning Out Loud. She also chairs the Arizona State Board of Education’s Professional Practices Advisory Committee, where she sees firsthand how clear ethics, boundaries, and systems protect both students and educators—a perspective that deeply informs her Blurred Lines training.
35+
Years of Experience in Education
20+
Years as a Public School Leader
500+
Presentations at National and International Events
15+
Years in Consulting and Coaching
12+
Years as a Superintendent
8+
Years as a Principal
Selected Roles and Credentials
- Executive Director, National Rural Education Association
- Assistant Teaching Professor, Educational Leadership, Northern Arizona University
- National keynote speaker on many topics including leadership, educator ethics, and rural education
- Director, NAU Rural Resource Center
- Founder, Vela Educational Consultants
- Chair, Professional Practices Advisory Committee, Arizona State Board of Education
- Co-founder, Lead WEL: Women in Educational/Executive Leadership
- Creator, Blurred Lines educator ethics training
- Author, The Resilient Rural Leader: Rising to the Challenges of Rural Education
- Host, The Rural Scoop podcast; Co-host, Unlearning Out Loud podcast
- Former Executive Director, Arizona Rural Schools Association and Arizona ASCD
- Former public school superintendent and principal
My Approach
At every level of my career, one thing has stayed constant: the work is about people first. The best plans, policies, and initiatives don’t go anywhere without trust, clarity, and follow-through.
When I work with a district, organization, or individual leader, I bring three commitments:
- Relationships first. I take time to learn your context, your history, and your non-negotiables. I’m not here to judge your system; I’m here to help you move it.
- Ethics at the center. Whether we’re talking about coaching, strategic planning, or onboarding, clear boundaries and professional ethics are part of the conversation—not an afterthought.
- Action over abstraction. You don’t need more binders or slogans. You need next steps, checkpoints, and support so the work actually moves. Everything we design together is meant to be used on Monday morning.
That throughline shows up in coaching, Blurred Lines, Compass, and Lead WEL—and it’s why so many leaders stay connected long after a contract ends.
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Ready to connect?
If you see your reality in any part of my story, I’d love to hear what you’re navigating. Share a bit about your role and what you’re looking for—whether it’s coaching, ethics training, strategic planning, or support for women leaders—and we’ll see how Vela can help.