Jorge Valenzuela

Jorge Valenzuela, PhD, is a respected education and performance coach, author, and speaker at Lifelong Learning Defined. He began his career in both information technology and education and is known for his rare ability to blend science with soul—drawing from his backgrounds in computer science, classroom teaching, family life, and instructional leadership.

At Richmond City Public Schools in Virginia, Dr. Valenzuela worked in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) department, supervising the STEM career pathways program. He also helped advance districtwide instructional innovation that led all 50 schools to achieve full state accreditation by 2010—a systems-level success that continues to shape his approach today. A PhD graduate of Old Dominion University, his research focused on integrating computational thinking into K–12 instruction.

These experiences directly inform the frameworks he’s best known for: the Instructional Innovation+ model for district and school leaders, PBL+ with AI Literacy for teachers, and the Blueprint for Emotionally Intelligent Leadership for educators and executives.

As a faculty member with Old Dominion University, Corwin, Solution Tree, and ASCD, he supports students and schools in implementing high-impact teaching strategies that strengthen instruction and build leadership capacity.

He is also a published researcher and host of the Lifelong Learning Defined podcast, where he shares actionable insights to help educators teach effectively and lead with purpose.