I also led multiple years of our national Budget forums for delegates to review and gain knowledge about the budget similar to the role of our IEA Vice President. I did similar work on the IEA Budget Committee for the 2 years as a member. I was part of the team that drafted our first Strategic Plan and Budget for IEA. As secretary treasurer, I lead the Strategic Financial Planning Committee and we are currently in the process of a two year region funding review which I initiated.

Training leaders and others in how to be effective fiduciaries is work that I have done both in and out of the union. While managing various departments in corporate I trained team members into leadership positions and supported their ongoing development into management positions. One of my greatest memories is of one of my staff who was not sure she was “leadership material”. I spent many weeks showing her all of the attributes of leadership she already possessed and finally she agreed to be a manager in training. She went on to lead other areas of the organization. I’ve been fortunate to support multiple member leaders in this same way.

As an IEA Executive Committee member I worked closely with regions as they developed their annual budgets. Sometimes meeting multiple times to ensure that they not only understood the process but that their budget reflected the values of our organization and included opportunities for members to attend trainings and supported the recruitment of educators of color into leadership. As local leader in various roles I have worked to train local members on how to manage the finances of the local as well. With a high commitment to transparency and ensuring member voice our local budget is a true reflection of our work. As your secretary treasurerI I have offered trainings in all of the region offices and to locals who requested those trainings as well.

Other areas in the association where I have served include the IEA Strategic Financial Planning Committee and as a Professional Staff 401k Trustee since 2017. As a trustee we are responsible for the monitoring of the staff 401K investments. We have made decisions over the year on the direction, which options are most viable and will produce the longest term benefit as well as shifts in the investments overall.

Having been in management for 25 years I have a deep understanding of how to move an organization forward through organized efforts. As a school board member, I have learned the ins and outs of school finance taking my experience into the district that I serve. But also learning from the experience of reviewing our district budget and expenses on a monthly basis as well as the oversight of our major construction projects we have been working on for all four of my years. Being on the school board has also given me insight into how budgets work in schools which will lend itself well to supporting locals as they look at their own districts finances.

Experience matters in our current climate and I am a leader who has led in multiple areas. All that I have done and learned over my years will be put to service for our members and our students.