About Us
Grounded in real-world experience, we help school leaders build fulfilling, sustainable workplaces that address the root causes of educator burnout.
Vital was born out of a decades-long consulting practice where founder Nathan Eklund had been working closely with systems of education across the country and saw time and time again that schools desperately craved better data, frameworks, and supports to make schools great places to work.
He saw firsthand that the ever-growing challenges of educator burnout and attrition could be combatted and launched Vital Network to ensure that educator shortages do not need to be the norm in United States education.
Our Founder’s Story
Meet The Vital Leadership Team
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Nathan Eklund, M.Ed
Founder and CEO
Nathan Eklund, M.Ed, is a champion for educator well-being and retention, and he brings a national voice to the vital conversation on burnout and creating thriving environments for adults in schools. As Founder and CEO of Vital Network, Nathan collaborates closely with state leaders to develop systemic interventions that make schools not just functional but truly inspiring places to teach and lead.
A former high school English teacher, Nathan’s commitment to elevating the teaching profession began with his 12 years in the classroom. His journey has since led him to author How Was Your Day at School? Improving Dialogue about Teacher Job Satisfaction, and to serve as Head of Education at the Search Institute, where he advanced research on what makes school workplaces thrive. His insights are widely respected and shared, including his EdTalk, Beyond Test Scores: Schools as Vibrant Workplaces, and his article, Sustainable Workplaces, Retainable Teachers, which has become a key reference for education practitioners and researchers nationwide.🔗 LinkedIn
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Dr. Erin Lynn Raab
Chief Strategy and Impact Officer
Dr. Erin Lynn Raab is the Chief Strategy and Impact Officer for Vital Network, a role that allows her to work to actualize the vision of a more just and equitable world through education systems organized for human flourishing. Erin brings together practical experience with research with action, partnering with states, districts, and school leaders to create schools where educators can not only teach well but be well.
Before joining Vital, Erin co-founded REENVISIONED and brought her deep expertise and strategy skills to roles like Senior Research Scientist at Committee for Children, VP of Research and Evaluation at The Future Project, and Chief Strategy & Impact Officer at Choice-filled Lives Network. Early in her journey she spent five impactful years in South Africa, working with the National Department of Education and founding a community library and education center that has served over 50,000 students and educators. Erin holds a Ph.D. in Education and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship, both from Stanford, empowering her to lead innovative, grounded approaches to education.
🔗 LinkedIn
Meet the Vital Advisors
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Nancy Vague
Driven by a commitment to better outcomes for students, Nancy Vague has more than three decades of experience as a principal, district leader, and teacher, focusing on building supportive environments for learning and growth.
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Dr. Lori Wilcox
Dr. Wilcox has experience spanning roles from teacher to superintendent. Dr. Lori Wilcox brings a flexible, positive approach to her work with Vital Network. She believes in showing up fully, with openness and optimism.
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Brad Swanson
Brad Swanson has dedicated his career to education as a teacher, coach, and administrator. He believes – and has experienced firsthand – that supporting educators through trusting relationships is essential to a thriving school environment.
Vital Network is powered by a dedicated team of practitioners and domain experts, each bringing a unique focus:
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Drives Vital’s mission forward, expanding reach and deepening impact to create lasting change for educators.
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Supports partners at every step, ensuring improvements that last.
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Translates research into clear, actionable strategies centered on educator well-being.
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Crafts surveys that elevate educator voice to drive real change.
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Assesses Vital’s effectiveness to ensure strategies drive measurable progress for the systems and people we serve.
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Powers Vital’s partnerships with data and technology that build capacity and drive organizational growth.
Book A Vital Speaker
Staff at Vital are available to speak on a variety of topics, including creating hopeful schools, how to make schools great places to work, the latest in teacher and principal retention research, and even findings from our own aggregate data.
With decades of combined experience presenting with humor and data for groups of all sizes, the team offers thought-provoking presentations designed for district keynote sessions, conferences, and convenings. Our experienced speakers bring expertise in areas like educator well-being, organizational growth, and school culture transformation.
