Statement of Commitment – Judy Hoskens

  • What special qualities, skills and understandings do you bring to the position you would hold during the three-year commitment as Regional Representative to the International Board of Directors?
  1. Long-standing member of CEFPI having held multiple leadership positions regionally and internationally
  • Internationally: I have served as International President and as Board member At-Large for one year prior to assuming my role as President-Elect. I also facilitated CEFPI’s last Strategic Plan. I have served on numerous juries and committees over the years including the MacConnell and Planner of the Year.
  • Regionally: My roles have included President, Governor, Secretary and most recently planner of this past spring’s successful Regional UnConference in Minneapolis.

This broad combination of regional and international leadership roles uniquely positions me to be able to most effectively work with the rest of the board to represent our region in support of CEFPI’s mission and vision.

  1. Understanding the role of a Board member: As stated in The Board Team Handbook, the Board Member’s Guide to Visionary Leadership, governing the organization and teamwork are the two most important responsibilities of board members. To that end, I bring the following skills:
  • A good listener
  • Articulate communicator
  • Honesty knowing how to both agree and disagree respectfully while getting my point across
  • Respect for fellow board members understanding and acknowledging the unique contribution each member makes

Good board practice is also a balance of leading and delegating, and my extensive past experience helps me understand when to do each.

  1. Ability to articulate a Vision –Board members are responsible for theplanning for the future of the organization and as such must be the visionaries of the organization. Having led CEFPI’s past Strategic Plan, I understand the significance of working collaboratively to articulate a shared Vision. It’s what drives the organization and guides our goals, strategies and tactics for implementation.
  2. Conviction in the vision and mission of CEFPI and its role in creating learning experiences for ALL children with over 20+ years focusing on the planning and design of learning environments.
  3. Understanding of the significance that Disruptive Innovation plays in keeping organizations viable. As financial resources continue to shrink with increased competition between associations for our members’ participation, we must continually challenge ourselves to remain relevant and meaningful for our members. This commitment to innovation has impacted all my past roles within CEFPI and will continue to do so in the future.
  4. Passion: My commitment to creating learning experiences that enable all learners to succeed is at the heart of all I do. It would be a pleasure to continue to serve an organization whose purpose is so closely aligned with my core beliefs.
  • What goals and accomplishments would you like to achieve during your leadership on the International Board of Directors

It is critical for the success of an organization to have all of the board members aligned with its vision, mission and strategic plan. Our top goals as an organization are to: 1) Grow and develop an inclusive membership; 2) Enable global growth; and 3) Develop a new communication master plan to encourage and expand professional relationships and share knowledge. To that end, I am especially committed to:

  1. Growing our organization on all fronts: Grow our chapters; grow our regions; grow our international presence. We know that the success of our organization starts with a strong local presence. The momentum that we can build from the ground up for our advocacy, our programs and our impact upon learners and learning will lead to greater participation and success nationally and internationally.
  2. Growing the diversity of our membership: Grow the participation of our younger members – they are our future and will help to sustain our organization; grow our educational sector’s participation – their voice is pivotal to these conversations around learning; grow the participation of those representing Early Education and Higher Education – we need to look at learning holistically to be most effective and to create the kinds of learning experiences desired; and finally, we need to include representatives from all the major stakeholder groups: the corporate voice, parents and educational policy leaders. Only by growing and magnifying our collective voice around learning will we have the capacity to implement the necessary change.
  3. Growing our partnerships with like-minded organizations: We have made significant progress recently teaming with superintendents’ organizations, parents’ associations and school board associations. We have also begun a relationship with regional public television to broaden the reach of our messages surrounding learning and learning environments. We have an incredible opportunity to nurture and expand these relationships beyond our region and take them to the national level in order to most effectively advocate on behalf of all learners.
  4. Growing our means of communication: We do indeed function in a Global Economy. Our methods of sharing knowledge and information must continue to expand to leverage social media in addition to the more traditional methods in order to maximize our reach.
  5. Expanding our Innovative practices: We know how critical innovation is to remaining relevant and meaningful, both for those we serve and for our members. Our association is committed to providing learning experiences that inspire creativity and innovation. We too must continue to challenge and seek new ways to model these attributes in order to deliver on our mission and vision as an organization.
  • Why is CEFPI important to you?

I truly believe that CEFPIis THE leading organization that supports providingquality learning experiences for ALL learners. This organization has provided me with opportunities to grow and stretch professionally and personally. Now I would like to give back to the organization that has given me so much. Serving on the international board would provide me with just that chance to apply the experience I’ve gained over the years and to combine it with my quest for continuous innovation in order to best position CEFPI to live out our mission to the fullest extent possible.

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