South Cook Area Wide Institute Day 2026

John Hackett, Ed. D is a sought-after speaker, facilitator, and writer who provides services to equip and develop leaders with the practical, valuable skills to grow their leadership practice, address their “people puzzles,” and connect with and empower those they serve. Dr. Hackett is a repurposed high school and university administrator, professor, and the C.C.O. (Chief Connecting Officer) of Making Connections, a leadership consulting company affiliated with Maxwell Leadership, the Table group, the Center for Teacher Effectiveness, and The Purpose Factor. John is a Maxell Leadership executive leader, facilitator, coach, speaker, and DISC consultant. He is also licensed in The Purpose Factor and Six Working Genius. John is a consistent social media contributor with thousands of LinkedIn impressions. He posts a weekly video blog, Tuesday’s Point to Ponder, and is the author of the LinkedIn newsletter, Thursdays Leadership Insight, which has 360-plus articles and nearly 700  subscribers.