Twenty Oklahoma educators have been selected for the inaugural class of the Emerging Leaders Academy, a new leadership development program for aspiring superintendents.
The academy, a joint effort of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration and the Oklahoma State School Boards Association, is designed to strengthen Oklahoma’s education leadership pipeline. Participants will attend multiple professional development sessions over the next year led by experienced education leaders, learning about leadership, team building, strategic communication, school finance, education law, advocacy and other important topics.
“Our inaugural academy class is an impressive group of up-and-coming leaders with varied experiences in rural, suburban and urban school districts from across the state,” said CCOSA Executive Director Pam Deering. “Not only will they learn from some of the state’s most experienced education leaders, they’ll learn and grow from their interaction with each other.”
Superintendents work with the local school board to set a vision for the school district and student achievement. Superintendents also often find themselves as key economic leaders in the communities they serve because school districts are often the community’s largest employer.
OSSBA Executive Director Shawn Hime said taking a proactive approach to building the leadership pipeline will help ensure school boards have a high-quality applicant pool when hiring a superintendent.
“School boards want and need district executives who are well prepared for a job that’s increasingly complex and demanding,” Hime said. “A strong school board-superintendent team is critical to ensure excellent education opportunities for all Oklahoma children.”
The participants are: