ASCD's Regional Directors Offer New Services

Educational Leadership Staff

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Beginning this month, five regional field directors will expand ASCD's services to educators in North America. The regional directors will spend half their time at ASCD headquarters in Alexandria, Va., and half their time in the field. One of their prime functions will be to build stronger relationships with ASCD's various constituencies.

This new "outreach program" offers more direct support for educators than ASCD has been able to provide in the past, and will give the Association "a higher profile in states and provinces," says Susan Nicklas, ASCD's director of field services. By soliciting input from educators in the field, the regional directors will also help ASCD reorient itself "to a more outward-looking view of what our members want and need," she adds.

"The regional directors will make ASCD's resources—from consultation to products—more accessible to our members," says Mikki Terry, ASCD's director of professional development. "And the focused attention to regions over time will ensure that ASCD's resources match our members' needs more closely."

"This is the first of many new activities we are developing that will enable ASCD to respond to members' needs more quickly, as well as increase the value of information ASCD can provide to our constituents," says Frank Betts, ASCD's director on special assignment.

help local educators use ASCD's products and services effectively. For example, the regional directors will offer support to current subscribers to the ASCD Curriculum Handbook. Similarly, they will provide training in how to make the most of ASCD programs, such as Dimensions of Learning and video-based staff development.
provide an array of consultative services, relating to both education issues and ASCD governance. For example, they will offer training to ASCD affiliate boards in skills such as consensus building and strategic planning.
advocate good education by supporting local "influence initiatives" that are compatible with ASCD's goals and values. They will also develop collaborative relationships with influential education groups in their regions to pursue shared goals.
support instructional design and delivery. For example, they will organize or present workshops and Professional Development Institutes that deal with curriculum and instruction, on topics of interest to local educators.
gather information about the needs and concerns of educators in their regions, through focus groups and field research. This data gathering will enable ASCD to better meet the needs of its constituents.

When traveling, the regional directors will be in constant communication with ASCD headquarters, Nicklas says. They will be "modeling the most effective uses of technology for the transfer of information" from the field to ASCD, and vice versa.

By sending regional directors around the continent, ASCD will forge closer ties with its many constituencies and provide educators "increased opportunity to take advantage of what we offer," Nicklas says. At the same time, the regional directors will serve as "advocates for the organization as a whole and what we stand for, showing who we are and what we represent, beyond our products and programs."

Meet the Regional Directors

ASCD's new regional field directors are experienced educators with extensive knowledge of ASCD and its resources. They will tailor ASCD services to meet the needs of educators in their regions, be they in Alaska, Rhode Island, or Ontario. The regional directors can be reached by telephone at (703) 549-9110, at the extensions given below.

Barry Amis will lead the Southwest Region, which comprises the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. Telephone extension 739. E-mail address: bamis@ascd.org.

Educators in the Northwest Region, which includes Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Manitoba, Montana, North Dakota, Northwest Territories, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington State, and Wyoming, can call on Vicki Hancock. Telephone extension 740. E-mail address: vhancock@ascd.org.

Frank Masters will lead the Northeast Region, which comprises the states and provinces of Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Telephone extension 738. E-mail address: fmasters@ascd.org.

Educators in the Central Region, which includes Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin, can call on Margaret Murphy. Telephone extension 737. E-mail address: mmurphy@ascd.org.

Judy Seltz will lead the Southeast Region, which comprises the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Telephone extension 736. E-mail address: jseltz@ascd.org.

Susan Nicklas, who oversees ASCD's field services activities, will serve as regional liaison for the Caribbean and Far East Region (Curaçao, Japan, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the European Region (Germany, Netherlands/Flanders, Spain, and the United Kingdom).

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