The second annual Women in School Leadership Forum is fast approaching, and education leaders are encouraged to participate in this top-notch national learning event.
Sponsored by ACSA and the American Association of School Administrators, the forum will be held Sept. 27-28 in Newport Beach. It is the premier networking and learning experience to engage, enlighten and empower women educational leaders from across the country.
The event features national keynoters, business and education experts and practicing school system leaders. Sessions will focus on timely topics designed to sharpen leadership skills, while networking events allow leaders to share success stories.
One highlight is the general session “Media that Moves Mountains – and Communities,” presented by Jennifer Lawson from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Amy Shaw of the Nine Network of Public Media, also known as KETC/Channel 9 in St. Louis. They will highlight American Graduate and Women and Girls Lead, two landmark national initiatives that coalesce educators, community organizations and citizens and empower them to play an active role in strengthening communities.
Other highlights include a breakout session on the politics of the job, featuring El Dorado County Superintendent Vicki Barber, Solano Beach SD Superintendent Nancy Lynch and Gold Oak Union SD Superintendent Wendy LaDue. Another features a discussion on building a professional network with ACSA Past President Alice Petrossian, Vice President for Legislative Action Lisa Gonzales, an AASA 2012 Women in School Leadership Award recipient, and CALSA President Ofelia Lariviere. In addition, Marilyn Shepherd, superintendent of Monterey Peninsula USD, ACSA’s 2011 Marcus Foster Memorial Award recipient and an AASA 2012 Women in School Leadership award winner, will lead a session on navigating leadership challenges.
One breakout session is designed to help women educational leaders plan the next steps in their careers, and features former superintendents Gwen Gross, Peggy Lynch, Rene Townsend and Gloria Johnston, co-authors of the book “Eight at the Top: A View Inside Public Education.” This panel of experienced superintendents will share the essential qualities of successful leadership and offer advice about advancing the career ladder.
Gross said she and her co-presenters believe attending the Women’s Forum is extremely informative because, while leadership styles in different states and districts may differ, the challenges and opportunities of educational leaders are similar.
“We all believe the most important thing is to really network and learn of the opportunities, challenges and action plans that people, especially women, are putting together across the country in each of their unique school districts,” she said.
Gross said the professional networking opportunities the event allows cannot be understated; sharing success stories and providing ideas to colleagues and friends is beneficial to any professional.
“One of the strengths of the forum is women leaders participating in the abundance of information about leadership and how they can be more effective in their roles in their school districts,” she said.
Gross said the importance of sharing best practices is something she and her colleagues are proud to give back by presenting at the Women’s Forum.
“We’ve always been very excited about sharing our approach to work, to life, to careers, to community involvement and to keeping our priorities in balance while maintaining our personal good health,” she said. “We are very excited to be presenting and we feel a huge obligation to pass forward all the knowledge we’ve gained over the last several years to our colleagues who attend this conference.”
For more information on the upcoming forum, visit www.acsa.org/WLN.