Abstract
Greetings from your DEC Executive Board! The Executive Board has spent part of this year strengthening our ownership linkages. We created several new board liaison roles to improve the relationships between the Executive Board, the Executive Office, and our various member volunteer groups. The board liaison role was developed to support the work of the Executive Office while seeking multiple perspectives, identifying missing voices, and gathering values from DEC members. Furthermore, these liaison roles enhance the board accountability by providing information and sharing effectiveness and organizational outcomes with our members. In sum, these liaison roles allow for reciprocal communication between the Board, the Executive Office, and our member groups.
I highlight most of these linkages below:
Rashida Banerjee is the board liaison to our Special Interest Groups (SIG). Rashida participates in the SIG leadership meetings and gives the board regular updates regarding their efforts and accomplishments.
Angel Fettig, Donna Miller, and Mark Smith are the board liaisons to our Policy Council. This council is working very hard to be responsive to the policy and advocacy needs of field. The Policy Council, specifically Sharon Walsh and Ashley Lyons, is working with Ben Rogers to develop an efficient communication system within and across DEC to mobilize our members and be responsive to policy and advocacy needs as they arise.
Jen Newton and Tricia Catalino identify individual ownership linkages across all board members and identify areas of strength and needs. For example, we have several board members who are members of individual SIGs; they keep the board updated on individual SIG activities (e.g., sponsoring learning decks, blogs, new partnerships). Jen and Tricia summarize and report our linkages each month.
David Lindeman is the board liaison to our subdivisions. David participates on national subdivision chair conference calls. He provides the board with regular updates on subdivision activities.
Donna Miller, Angel Fettig, and Juliann Woods are the liaisons to the Evaluation Council. Donna Miller is the lead liaison on this council. They are collaborating with Susan Maude and Rob Corso to plan and implement a system-wide evaluation of DEC.
Eva Horn is the board liaison to the Personnel Preparation Council. This council, under the leadership of Vicki Stayton, has been incredibly busy this year developing a plan to validate the initial and advanced sets for Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education of the of Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Professional Preparation Standards and aligning our standards with National Association for the Education of Young Children. Eva keeps the board updated on their progress, which allows us to be responsive to their needs.
Juliann Woods is the liaison to the Past Presidents Council as the immediate Past President. Juliann provides regular updates to the past presidents. Also, the Board regularly relies on input and support from our past presidents, which Juliann coordinates. I will take on this role as the immediate Past President in July.
Juliann Woods also is the liaison to the Recommended Practices Commission. I also will take on this role as the immediate Past President in July. This connection has allowed the board and the commission to collaborate around a plan to disseminate the DEC Recommended Practices.
Diana LaRocco and Eva Horn are the liaisons to CEC’s Interdivisional Caucus (IDC). The IDC works on shared initiatives across CEC divisions and supports interdivision collaboration. Diana and Eva represent DEC and provide updates on successes, issues, and collaboration opportunities.
Diana LaRocco also is the chair of the DEC nominations committee. This member committee coordinates the nomination and election process for the DEC Executive Board.
I am the liaison to the newly formed Publications and Products Committee. This group is already engaged in multiple initiatives including updating our copyright agreement language across our products and coordinating learning decks.
These liaison roles provide ownership linkages that strengthen the communication between the board and our members, enhance the quality of the support we can provide, and accelerate the goals of each group. As board members’ terms end, these positions will remain in place with new board members.
As I enter my year as past president, I want to extend my sincerest appreciation for the leadership and friendship of Juliann Woods who started these liaison initiatives. I look forward to a year of working with the DEC Executive Office and continuing this positive trajectory of growth within DEC.
Sincerely,