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Alicia Hughes
Founder & Leadership Consultant • Sparking Up Leadership, LLC
Charleston, SC
Bio: Alicia V. Hughes is a virtual leadership strategist, leadership coach, keynote speaker, author, and Founder of Sparking Up Leadership, LLC, where she helps leaders and organizations strengthen connection, communication, culture, and performance in an increasingly virtual and AI-enabled world. With more than 14 years of leadership experience in virtual K–12 education, Alicia has led organizations through growth, transformation, and complexity while building high-trust cultures where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to succeed. She previously served as Executive Director of South Carolina Connections Academy, leading a statewide virtual school serving more than 6,300 students and 260 staff members with responsibility for a $19 million-plus budget. Earlier, as a high school principal, she helped increase graduation rates from 35% to 90%, improved college and career readiness, and maintained staff satisfaction above 95% through intentional culture building and leadership support. Today, Alicia works as a leadership coach, consultant, professional development specialist, and AI education researcher and reviewer, helping leaders navigate remote work, organizational change, emerging technology, and the human side of leadership. She is the author of Sparking Up Leadership: Igniting Your Influence with Sparkle and Shine and a TEDx speaker whose talk, Building Relationships in a Virtual World, reflects her belief that meaningful relationships remain at the heart of effective leadership regardless of where or how people work. Known for her positive, engaging, and relationship-centered approach, Alicia helps leaders bring greater clarity, confidence, connection, and joy to the way they lead.
Areas of Expertise: Virtual & Remote Leadership • Leadership Coaching • Culture & Team Engagement • Change Management • Communication & Relationship Building • AI & Technology Integration • Professional Learning
Industries Served: Education & K–12 • EdTech & AI • Corporate & Professional Services • Leadership & Professional Development
Certifications: South Carolina Educator Certification – Principal & Secondary Social Studies • SC Certified Mentor & Evaluator • SC Gifted & Talented • SC Read to Succeed • Anthropic AI Fluency Framework & Foundations • AI Fluency for Educators
Education: M.Ed. in Education Administration, American Public University • M.A. in Historic Preservation, University of Georgia • B.A. in Social Studies Education, Winthrop University
Sample Keynote Topics: Building Relationships in a Virtual World • Building and Sustaining Culture in Virtual Spaces • Using Influence to Drive Performance
Facilitates: Professional
Website: sparkingupleadership.com
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