Stephen Murley

Steve Murley is a lifelong educator, leadership coach, and former superintendent with more than 30 years of experience helping school districts nationwide build stronger leaders, cohesive teams, and smarter systems. As Managing Partner of sfm consulting group, he supports superintendents, district administrators, and school boards through leadership development, strategic planning, and executive search. A retired superintendent of three metropolitan districts and former university faculty member, Steve blends practical experience with research-based insight to help organizations thrive. His work, spanning coaching, strategic planning, and resilience-based systems design, is grounded in trust, alignment, and forward momentum. Based in Iowa City, he continues to serve as a national facilitator and advisor for leadership development initiatives across PK–12 education.