LM Sept. 2018

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a superintendent in addition to the fact that females are a
minority in superintendent ranks.
“Our planning committee came together with big ideas and
said, ‘let’s do something about this’ and move forward to
create spaces of support for female superintendents. We
discussed some of the potential reasons why we are seeing
such an underrepresentation of female superintendents.
Overall, we want to examine some potential things we
can do to grow those numbers,” said Dr. Orzel, co-chair
of the Women in Leadership Planning Committee. “From
our discussions, we’ve scheduled several official meetings
throughout the year for female superintendents to gather to
network and explore unique challenges and opportunities.
We want to hear from female superintendents in the state on
what their needs are, how IASA can serve them better and at
the same time we want to celebrate the work that they do.”
As part of the kick-off annual conference meeting, individuals
in attendance will be given an opportunity to participate in a
book study later in the year at the Joint Annual Conference
in November in Chicago. The Joint Annual Conference
Workshop will be held on Friday, November 16th from 9
a.m.–noon. Dr. Blair will lead a three-hour workshop for
female superintendents and host a book study.
The various meetings throughout the year will examine
ways female superintendents can grow their ranks and
encourage more women to enter leadership roles in the field
of education.
Special thanks to the IASA Women in Leadership
Planning Committee:
Dr. Kim Boryszewski, Schiller Park SD #81
Dr. Alicia Geddis, Danville CCSD #118
Dr. Lindsey Hall, Mahomet-Seymour CUSD #3
Carrie Hruby, O’Fallon CCSD #90
Dr. Crystal Johnson, Rossville-Alvin CUSD #7
Julie Kraemer, Hutsonville CUSD #1
Dr. Kimako Patterson, Prairie-Hills ESD #144
Dr. Bhavna Sharma-Lewis, Diamond Lake SD #76
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The IASA “Celebrating Women in Leadership” series will
officially kick-off at the IASA Annual Conference this month.
On Wednesday Sept. 26th, female superintendents will
gather for the first annual meeting of “Celebrating Women
in Leadership” as part of the IASA Annual Conference. Dr.
Nancy Blair, Professor Emerita of Leadership Studies at
Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, WI will lead the
kick-off session discussing opportunities, challenges and
successes that females face in the role of superintendency.
And in October, IASA will host Super-Region luncheon
meetings in three locations across the state:
and
The luncheons are a free event for all female
superintendents in Illinois. Registrations are required the
Friday before the event. Individuals can register
Planning for the year-long launch of “Celebrating Women
in Leadership” started in February when IASA appointed
a special planning committee co-chaired by Dr. Courtney
Orzel, superintendent of Lemont-Bromberek CSD #113A and
Sara Boucek, IASA Associate Director/Legal Counsel. The
planning committee met in February to begin the scheduling
of several networking meetings around the state throughout
the year to build supports for female superintendents as they
share stories of leadership.
“Recognizing the unique needs and challenges faced
by our female superintendents is the first step in taking
action to bringing programs, professional development and
support for their work in leading school districts,” said IASA
Executive Director Brent Clark. “IASA remains committed to
creating opportunities that help support this segment of our
membership.”
The planning committee’s objective was to examine how
to bring women superintendents together for leadership,
encouragement and networking opportunities.
Many superintendents find the top job can be lonely and
seeking out avenues for networking and support can be a
challenge. The planning group discussed some of the unique
barriers and challenges that females face in the role of being
IASA to Kick Off “Celebrating Women in
Leadership” Series at Annual Conference
#IASASuperWomen
By Mary Schaefer
IASA Director of Communications & Marketing