Join author and CEO/professor James Rhee for a discussion of his book red helicopter—a parable for our times: lead change with kindness (plus a little math), in conversation with school librarian Jean Stehle. Jean and James will explore the themes and implications of James’ national bestselling book exploring the future of learning, leadership, and our society. James designed and led an unprecedented transformation centered on operationalizing kindness and math, and he teaches his operating system to students at Howard University and MIT Sloan School and to students of life across the globe.

Want to learn more about red helicopter? Check out James' TED Talk and his appearance on the podcast Dare to Lead with Brené Brown.

Copies of red helicopter will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of Newtonville Books.

About James Rhee: James is an acclaimed CEO, educator, investor, and founder. His national bestselling book, red helicopter, offers a future-forward operating system for holistic success that centers applied agency and bridges math with emotions in the business of life and the life of business. In recognition of his prescient and unlikely seven-year partnership with the women of Ashley Stewart, a business serving and employing predominantly Black women across America, Howard University named him the Johnson Chair of Entrepreneurship in 2021. He also holds appointments at MIT Sloan School of Management and Duke Law School. James’ transformational leadership has been recognized by the private and public sectors. He is an honoree of the EY Entrepreneurship of the Year program and the National Retail Federation for CEO excellence, while also earning the New York Urban League’s Frederick Douglass Award, the Council of Korean Americans’ Trailblazer Award, and the Girls Write Now Trailblazer Award. He lives in Newton with his family, and graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of Harvard Law Review.

About Jean Stehle: Jean Stehle (steel) is a school librarian, writer, and educational consultant. A graduate of Ithaca College and Columbia University, she works for Newton Public Schools as a middle school librarian. Jean takes pride in fostering an inclusive library where facts matter and all students are book lovers, even if they don’t know it yet. Jean has consulted for PBS Learning Media on various civics-based projects; she is also revising her coming-of-middle-age novel. Jean lives outside of Boston with her one husband, two children, and countless books.