Dr. Ray Lauk is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Eastern Kentucky University. He is a former suburban Chicago school administrator and previously was the Education Solutions Manager with GE Security (a General Electric business).  Dr. Lauk holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration, an MBA, and a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education—all from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  His Bachelor’s Degree in Education is from the University of Colorado at Boulder. 

Lauk’s 26 year career in education includes experience in urban, rural, suburban, and international schools.  He retired from his position as the Business Manager at the Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89.  Previously, he was the Superintendent of the Cook County School District 130 in Blue Island, IL, the Lyons (IL) Elementary School District, the Sheldon (IL) School District, the American School of Brasilia (Brazil), and the Cerro Gordo (IL) Community Unit School District.   Dr. Lauk is also an adjunct professor of School Finance at The College of New Jersey’s international master’s degree program in Bangkok, Thailand, each summer.  In 1978, Lauk was elected as one of the first 18 year old school board members in Illinois.

Dr. Lauk has been a speaker and presenter for GE, McGraw-Hill Publishers, Western Avenue School in Flossmoor, IL, AT&T-Brasil, HSBC Bank, National School Boards Association, Illinois State University, Illinois Association of School Boards, American Association of School Administrators, Illinois Association of School Administrators, Association of American Schools in South America, state school boards associations in Indiana, Kentucky, and Minnesota, and other business and educational groups.  He has taught and spoken to groups in the United States, Brazil, and Spain.  Fast Company Magazine named Ray to the 2005 Fast 50 Award for working with his community to re-invent education in the Lyons Elementary School District 103. 

Ray has studied Improv Comedy, Acting, and Writing at the Second City Theater in Chicago.  He wrote, produced and performed in “NonTextual Relations,” a sketch comedy show at Donny’s Skybox Theater at Second City.  Ray also studied stand-up comedy at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago, and he has performed at “Open Mics” in Chicago, Washington, DC, Tampa and Rio de Janeiro.  Bilingual in Portuguese, Ray is a regular guest who performs stand up comedy with Brazil’s premier comedy company, Comedia em Pe, in Rio de Janeiro.  Lauk is the founder and CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) of Laugh Out Loud Learning, a comedy based professional development company in Chicago.

Lauk is the author of FUEL for Learning, a book about creating results-driven organizational cultures.  FUEL for Learning is available at amazon.com.