Gaining Leadership Skills as an ACTE Fellow
I thoroughly enjoyed all my time at the National Policy Seminar (NPS) this past February. I truly believe that attending this conference as an ACTE Fellow was an invaluable learning experience. We were given an “inside look” into the leadership of ACTE. We were able to attend the second day of the ACTE Board Meeting which helped me put faces to names (thank goodness I had my Staff Roles & Responsibilities Directory which I referred to often). During this meeting, we not only sat and listened but we were individually introduced and then given an active role in the workings of the board by being able to participate in the Board visioning exercise. While we were not Board members, I greatly appreciate the support we were given as up-and-coming leaders in the organization with the opportunity to participate and network with other Board members. We were welcomed and valued by our colleagues who showed us how we should behave in our various leadership positions.
The Board has been tasked with making ACTE the most influential organization for the career and technical education (CTE) community. As the national association, they have a responsibility to many different stakeholder groups which they acknowledge and respect. This was made evident to me through my short time with the Board especially during the visioning exercise. We were able to break up into groups with a given topic to discuss and plan. During my group session, I was again able to meet and network with different Board members, but also be a part of the discussion on our topic which was centered around VISION and the workshop formats. We discussed the pros and cons of different ways to run the workshops with the goal of making the most of the participants’ time in the workshops. Through this process, I gained even more of a belief that they Board understands the important role that they hold for CTE throughout the country and are serious and conscientious with the decisions they are making.
As I stated earlier, I was very grateful to be included in the Board meeting as a Fellow and given the opportunity to participate. Being able to not only see, but also work with, the leaders of this organization made quite an impact on me and I believe the other Fellows as well.
By Lacee Manus the Region IV ACTE Fellow