Leadership Letter: IASB Presents Honorary Memberships
By Kimberly A. Small, J.D.
The Illinois Association of School Boards is pleased to announce the offering of Honorary Member status, in accordance with the IASB Constitution, in which Article II, Section 5 states,
“Any individual who has rendered distinguished service to public education in Illinois or to the Association shall be eligible for election by the Board of Directors as an Honorary Member without payment of dues.”
After last year’s Constitutional Review, the Association is taking this opportunity to implement a more formal, transparent process for honorary memberships and officially express gratitude to exemplary local school leaders, with deepest appreciation for exceptional leadership and guidance, outstanding dedication, and invaluable contributions to leadership in public education in Illinois.
This initial list of Honorary Members includes Past Presidents of the Association. Past Presidents who remain on their local boards will continue as Active Members and receive Honorary Membership upon the conclusion of their service on the local school board. As of this writing, this includes Immediate Past President Mark Harms (Flanagan-Cornell USD 74), Simon Kampwerth Jr. (Peru ESD 124), Karen Fisher (Ottawa THSD 140), and Joe Alesandrini (Pekin CHSD 303).
The role of the President of the Board of Directors is outlined in the IASB Constitution.
Article VI. Officers, Section 4, President states that “The President shall be the principal elective officer, shall preside at meetings of the Association, Board of Directors, and Executive Committee, and shall be a member ex officio, with right to vote, of all committees except the Nominating Committee. The President shall also, at the meetings of the Delegate Assembly and at such other times as the President shall deem proper, communicate to the Association or to the Board such matters and make such suggestions as may in his/her opinion tend to promote the welfare and increase the usefulness of the Association, and shall perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the office of President or as may be prescribed by the Board. The President is not charged with executive or administrative responsibilities in the management and continuing conduct of the Association’s affairs.”
This is a lot, but anyone who has had the privilege of working with the Past Presidents knows there is much more they do, much of it behind the scenes and all of it on their own time. All of these individuals have served on their local boards of education and taken the additional step of assuming regional and then statewide leadership.
A nominating process, established by the Association and its Board of Directors, will seek future Honorary Membership nominations annually, with any current or former Illinois school board member eligible. Nominations will be due to IASB Division leadership by February 1 of each year; with recommendations made to the Board of Directors by Division Leadership and final approvals determined by the Board of Directors in June. We will share details on the nominating process in the fall.
By establishing individuals as Honorary Members, IASB expresses its gratitude for the time, effort, wisdom, and leadership they have shared to make the Association thrive in support of its members through both good times and challenging times. Each brings a unique leadership style and leads with enthusiasm, grace, determination, teamwork, and commitment to the Association’s vision statement: “The vision of the Illinois Association of School Boards is excellence in local school board governance supporting quality public education.”
Kimberly A. Small, J.D., is the Executive Director of the Illinois Association of School Boards.
Honorary Memberships
With deepest appreciation for exceptional leadership and guidance, outstanding dedication, and invaluable contributions to the Illinois Association of School Boards.
- Jonathon Howe
- Barbara Wheeler
- Nancy Elson
- Jay Tovian
- E. Gerald Eiffert
- Dennis McConville
- Christy Coleman
- Marie Slater
- Mark Metzger
- Carolyne Brooks
- Phil Pritzker
- Joanne Osmond
- Tom Neeley
Past Presidents of the Association’s Board of Directors.