DEC Welcomes Its New Executive Director, Dr. Leah Weiner

The DEC Executive Board is pleased to announce DEC’s new Executive Director, Leah Weiner, Ed.D. Leah brings a unique combination of experience, knowledge, and interests that position her well to lead DEC’s ongoing evolution into a vibrant, thriving membership organization.  She blends knowledge of and expertise in organizational leadership with a passion for children with disabilities and their families.

As Executive Director of a nonprofit recreational program for children with disabilities, she successfully recruited over 2000 volunteers.  Leah also brings fundraising experience as a Development Director for a nonprofit, developmental disability organization and for a major hospital.  She spearheaded an advocacy training program related to education and disability.   Leah has a strong commitment to equal access, particularly for children with disabilities living in poverty.

Leah holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership and Development and a Masters in Public Administration from Pepperdine University.   She also has academic teaching experience in the area of Nonprofit Management.  Leah has administered small and large organizational budgets, organized educational conferences, launched a national membership program, and created public relations and marketing campaigns.  She is well-versed in capitalizing on social media to meet organizational objectives and in generating revenue through a variety of fund raising mechanisms.

Leah’s education and experiences are well aligned with the unique needs of membership organizations such as DEC.  Leah brings great energy and a vision for moving DEC towards its mission of promoting policies and advancing evidence-based practices to support the optimal development of young children with special needs and their families.

Leah’s official start date is July 1, 2013.

DEC Executive Board Update on Executive Director Transition

Please note that the DEC President's Blog is now known as the DEC Executive Board's Blog. It is an opportunity to hear from any Board Member and for the Executive Board to speak as a whole to DEC members. Michael Barla, a DEC Member-at-Large, shared the following Member Alert via email and it is posted here...

Member Alert

December 14, 2012
 
On behalf of the DEC Executive Board, I would like to update you regarding transition planning for the Executive Director position in light of Sarah Mulligan’s upcoming resignation effective June 30, 2013.  Linking with DEC members/owners is one of the Executive Board’s most important roles.  After reading this message, we welcome your feedback via DEC’s Facebook page or DEC Executive Board’s Blog!

Data are now being collected to assist the Board in moving forward (e.g., we are collecting information regarding how like organizations operate, current executive director salaries/benefits packages, advantages and disadvantages of DEC being affiliated with other institutions, the pros and cons associated with hiring an interim director).  The initial phase of data collection and decision making should be completed early in January 2013.  We will do our best to keep DEC members/owners updated and create opportunities to be involved along the way.

Additional data have been provided by Sarah Mulligan including a prioritized list of projects undertaken by DEC along with her recommendations for timelines to ensure projects continue to move forward.   Further, a succession plan (as stated in our policies) will include delegation of DEC functions to current staff members and/or DEC members as volunteers during this period of transition. 

Questions have surfaced regarding the future location of DEC’s Executive Office space.  At this time, the Executive Board is focused on gathering data, developing the transition plan, and initiating the subsequent Executive Director search process.  Discussions regarding the physical location of the DEC Office will be ongoing.  As DEC members, you will be apprised of these discussions.

Lastly, Bruce Ramirez, Executive Director for the Council for Exceptional Children has shared his willingness to support the DEC Executive Board as a resource during this time.  The DEC Executive Board is very appreciative for the support and offering of CEC resources.

The DEC Executive Board is committed to open communication with members/owners throughout this process and will use social networking outlets, our “ForMembers” webpage, and Member Alerts to keep everyone informed.  As mentioned earlier, we welcome your feedback, questions, thoughts, and ideas.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Barla, Ed.D.

Member-at-Large

DEC Executive Board
barlamichael@rockwood.k12.mo.us

Updates of the DEC Executive Board

As we ready for this year's DEC Conference, a couple of updates to share:

New Web Page on Policy Governance.
If you've been following this blog and other board updates, you have been watching DEC's Executive Boars transition to Policy Governance. We now have a new web page devoted to Policy Governance, including what it means for DEC and its members. The most up to date policies that guide the work of DEC's Executive Office ans Executive Board are posted and will continue to be updated as the policies are revised.

New DEC Bylaws.
As shared in a member alert by Misty Goosen, DEC Executive Board Secretary, DEC members voted to approve the proposed revisions to the DEC bylaws, as well as the "merger" to move DEC's incorporation to Montana from Pennsylvania. For more information on these new Bylaws, and why they were proposed please go to the DEC webpage about these now-approved motions as well as the previous President's Blog.

And finally...

The 28th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families.
Soon, DEC members and nonmembers will be descending on Minneapolis, Minnesota to learn the most recent research, recommended practices, and policies related to all aspects of ensuring young children with disabilities and other special needs, and their families, participate as full members of families and communities and benefit from competent, informed, and connected professionals, families, and policy makers (DEC's Ends statement). The keynote will be especially inspiring. And, there are a few new formats for information presentation as well as discussion. As usual, there are also many formal opportunities to network and collaborate. Certainly while we're all in one place, you can take advantage of informal opportunities to get together as well. Looking forward to seeing both new and veteran conference attendees this year as we all work toward Realizing the Vision of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education!

Voting Comes Early This Year!

Mergers, articles of incorporation, constitution, bylaws! Do I as an early intervention/early childhood special education professional and/or family member need to worry about this? The answer is yes, as a DEC member, such actions and business matters to you! 

Basically, you are DEC's owners. And like any owners, you make decisions for the good of the organization. Therefore, it is up to the owners to make sure DEC works to be the most efficient and effective organization it can be. The board works on your behalf, yet you have the final say. There are two proposals currently seeking membership vote -- revising the bylaws and moving DEC's incorporation status to Montana -- which are your opportunity to voice your opinion.
Laws, Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Policies

The board has recently learned the relationship among these important documents to the functioning of the organization. Here's what we learned:

1. The laws are the laws, defined by the State in which DEC is incorporated, as well as the State in which DEC "works".

2. The Articles of Incorporation legally form DEC as a private nonprofit within a specific state. Currently, DEC is incorporated in Pennsylvania (where it was originally incorporated), while our Executive Office sits in Montana. This has created some difficulty as we need to make sure we  follow both Montana and Pennsylvania laws. Therefore, the board is asking DEC members to vote on moving DEC's incorporation to Montana.

3. Bylaws outline how DEC as a unique entity organizes to fulfill those laws. Bylaws further detail members' rights, who board members are and how they are elected, and how the organization will protect DEC as a whole, the board, and its members. DEC currently has a constitution and bylaws. We learned from our lawyer that private nonprofits like DEC do not usually have constitutions, only bylaws. This came up because we saw similar content in both the bylaws and the constitution and weren't sure what went into which document. Our lawyer suggested we merge the constitution and bylaws into one cohesive bylaws document. Other items from the constitution are in the articles of incorporation. We also updated the bylaws to reflect legal requirements, as well as how DEC currently operates. These bylaws should be infrequently revised and therefore should only include what needs to be there. Anything that might  be revised more frequently should be left for policies.

4. And finally, policies outline the everyday functioning of the  organization. DEC's "new" (it's been 5 months since we've adopted Policy Governance!) model of working -- Policy Governance -- delineates the  roles and responsibilities of the Executive Office and the Executive Board, based on the policies created by the Executive Board. One part of the policies, the Ends, are created by the board systematically collecting feedback from you, the owners, on the vision you would like to see DEC work towards for young children, families, and professionals. All Executive Board policies are changed as frequently as needed to help DEC be the effective and evolving organization it should be.

We encourage you to go to DEC's webpage where you can access resources to understand the two votes -- the proposed bylaws revision and moving DEC's incorporation to Montana. There are also two webinar opportunities (Monday, September 24 at 4:30pm ET/ 3:30pm CT/ 2:30pm MT/ 1:30pm PT and Thursday, October 4 at 11am ET/ 10am CT/ 9am MT/ 8am PT) to meet virtually with other DEC members to share your thoughts and questions. It will be an active discussion with only minimal "presentation."
So before we vote in November in our national election, cast your DEC member/owner vote regarding our revised bylaws and changes to incorporation from now until October 5. DEC needs its owners/you to weigh in!

DEC 2012-2013

It's a new year for DEC Governance, begun July 1, 2012. In transitioning to this new year, Kristie and Bonnie are jointly crafting this blog. With the new year, we have gained new board members, with fresh energy and ideas -- Juliann Woods, Vice President (Florida), Susan Connor, Treasurer (Illinois), Misty Goosen, Secretary (Kansas), and Michael Barla, Member-at-Large (Missouri). We also said goodbye to long-standing board members Amy Santos, Past President (Illinois), Rob Corso, Treasurer (Colorado), Lisa Backer, Secretary (Minnesota), and Diana Valle-Riestra, Member-at-Large (Florida). We thank them for their hard work over the last few years, and know that they will continue to serve DEC well in numerous ways.

Also with this new year comes DEC's full transition to policy governance. You will see some changes in the way DEC does its work -- both the board and the Executive Office. We hope that you will use this blog as an opportunity to comment and ask questions about any changes you see or wonderings on how DEC is specifically implementing policy governance. We'd love to get a conversation going!

Did you know that you can sign up to follow the blog with email alerts. See the right side of the page to sign up.

We encourage you to review the blog from May 2012 to get an overview of what policy governance means to DEC members.

  

DEC Conference
There will be multiple opportunities to engage with board members about policy governance, as well as provide your input on DEC Ends (or outcomes to be achieved) during DEC's 28th Annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families. This year's theme is Realizing the Vision. The conference is a great time for the early intervention/early childhood special education field to come together to learn, share, and discuss current and innovative ways to translate vision into action, and action into achievement. Our keynote, Sondra Samuels of Northside Achievement Zone is not to be missed. We also have some new formats for the conference to build interaction among presenters and attendees and tools to support implementation of recommended practices.

We are also looking to recognize deserving colleagues at the 2012 conference awards luncheon. To learn more about how to nominate someone you know for a DEC award - visit our website. If you have questions or concerns - please contact Kristie directly (kprettif@kent.edu). To learn more about the history of DEC awards check out the DEC YouTube channel.

Nominations to DEC Board
A key to the success of our organization is strong leadership on the DEC excutive board. Please consider nominating yourself, a student, or a colleague who is interested in taking on a leadership position - the deadline is AUGUST 15th!

DEC Seeks Members Who:

·       Have strong leadership skills and experiences, preferably at the DEC subdivision or special interest group level, or through national committee representation.

·       Support the goals and mission of DEC and are willing to develop expertise regarding Policy Governance.

·       Seek to make a lasting contribution to the longevity of the organization and its impact on the field

2012/2013 Vacancies:
   
             Vice President (Four 1 year terms as Vice President, President-Elect, President, and Past-
             President)

Governor (3-year term)

Member-at-Large (2 positions) (3-year term)

Who is Qualified:

• DEC members in good standing.
• Leaders with a passion for the work of our organization.
• Individuals who have the time to serve DEC. Executive Board members contribute more than 100 hours yearly to Board service in addition to time required for meeting preparation and attendance.

To Nominate:

To learn more about roles and responsibilities or to nominate a colleague (or yourself), send name, contact information, and brief description of qualifications to: Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, Chair, Nomination Committee, kprettif@kent.edu

The entire 2012-2013 DEC Board looks forward to an exciting year representing and collaborating with our members to continue to meet DEC's vision: that young children with disabilities and other special needs participate as full members of families and communities and benefit from competent, informed, and connected professionals, families, and policy makers.

Bonnie Keilty, DEC President 2012-2013
Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, DEC Past President 2012-2013

Frameworks for RtI in ECE

We are in need of your comments by July 12, 2012

A draft paper regarding frameworks for Response to Intervention (RtI) in Early Childhood, developed by  DEC, NAEYC, and NHSA is NOW available for your review.

Please click here to download the paper.

Once you get to the NAEYC webpage follow these simple insturctions:

1. Provide your name, e-mail address, organizational affiliation(s) in the fields provided immediately below. This information will be submittedly privately to NAEYC. It will not be displayed publicly.
2. Click the submit button.
3. When this page reloads, scroll down the page to add a new comment or reply to an existing comment.
4. Enter your name as you would like it to appear publicly with your comment. The e-mail address you enter here will also remain private. Complete the subject and comment fields and complete the CAPTCHA verification.
5. Click the preview button to review your comment.
6. On the preview page, click save to complete the process.

What policy governence means to me as a DEC member

For those who have been following the President's Blog for some time you know that the DEC board has been undergoing a transformation. We have been moving to a new model of governance that focuses on actual governance rather than the multiple roles the board has previously taken on (see below).

So why the transformation? What does it mean to be a governing board? What were we if not a governing board?

According to Wikipedia (the source of all reliable knowledge - ) - "governance relates to consistent management, cohesive policies, guidance, processes and decision-rights for a given area of responsibility..."

As a point of comparison - here are descriptions of five different types of boards:

Five Ways to Function (Taken from Galvin, J. C. (December - 2003). The Great board debate. Christian Management Report.)

• Working boards not only do the work of the board, but also do the work of the CEO and volunteers. You will see this way of functioning most clearly with very small organizations or new start-ups. For example, you probably know of a group of people that got together and said, "Somebody ought to do something about this." So they started an organization and formed a working committee or board to coordinate the effort. A working board may or may not have staff or a paid director. In their informal board meetings, they do the work of the organization as well as manage the work.

• Managing boards have staff with an executive director or CEO. They have formal board meetings and hear reports and actively manage the organization. They make all the big decisions, set the budget, take responsibility for fund raising, and step in whenever problems arise. They like to keep their hands on the wheel. You can find managing boards in organizations of all sizes.

• Governing boards hire an executive director or CEO and delegate responsibility to her. They make a sharp distinction between staff work and board work and spend all of their energies on board work. They use policies as a highly-leveraged tool to shape the organization and help it move forward. They try to stay away from operational decisions and do not micromanage the CEO. These boards follow the Carver model or have been highly influenced by it.

• Ratifying boards essentially follow the lead of the CEO. The CEO will usually establish the agenda, develop policies to be adopted, and even select future board members. The board essentially functions as a rubber stamp. At times they may disagree or have questions, but they are basically hearing reports and reacting to agenda items the CEO brings before them. Ratifying boards sometimes look like governing boards except that they are not truly leading the organization or providing real accountability.

• Failing boards are characterized by arguments, strife, disharmony, and lack of effectiveness. This is sometimes accompanied with financial turmoil. Often the world is changing and these boards don't know how to transition their organization or adapt their ministry. A ratifying board can slowly ease into failing mode over a period of years. A managing board can quickly turn into a failing board if their decisions and actions backfire.

Basically, the first two boards are involved in a lot of the “doing” of the organization; the last two are really not “doing” anything. Governing boards “do” the work of the board, not the work of the Executive Office.

So to me, when I first joined the board, I was disappointed to find myself on what I now understand to be a working board, maybe even a managing board. In other words, I found myself spending time approving budgets, creating and implementing strategic plans, and helping engage in a series of day to day activities (e.g., writing position papers, helping with webinars, hosting a conference).

Basically, the DEC board was operating under a more traditional model where boards "developed their relationships largely inside the organization—that is, with staff. Policy Governance demands that boards' primary relationships be outside the organization—that is, with owners."

- Carver, J., (2001). Carver’s Policy Governance Model in Non-profit Organizations. The Canadian Journal Gouvernance – Revue internationale, 2, 30-48.

Over time, we realized board members were spending considerable time micromanaging the day to day operations of DEC, which is the responsibility of the Executive Director (ED), and much less time developing a relationship with our members to create the vision of DEC through policies, in other words, to govern. 

Now, the main purpose of the DEC board is to govern - and specifically to govern in a manner that is a downward extension of membership rather than an upward extension of management.

The role of the transformed DEC board is to

• Provide Leadership: Direct and protect the vision of DEC on behalf of owners/members
• Serve as a Steward: Ensure long term sustainability, monitor and evaluate organizational performance
• Be Accountable: Transparency, proactive, responsive to owners/members

The job of the transformed DEC board is to:

1)      Link with owners/members to share information and learn from members. This is known as “Ownership Linkages”

2)      Develop and revise policies that identify:

a)      Ends, or what is expected to be achieved, which specifies the results, recipients, and costs of results intended

b)      Executive Limitations, the parameters that limit the Executive Director’s authority about methods, practices, situations, and conduct when achieving those Ends

c)      Board Processes, that prescribe how the board itself will operate

d)     Board-Staff Connections, which delineate the manner in which governance is linked to management.

3)      Assure effective operational performance by analyzing data provided by the Executive Director that evidence to what extent Ends have been achieved within the parameters set forth. This is known as “Monitoring.” 

Currently, the DEC board has created and are already revising policies, and are working on the monitoring. The next step is to begin the process of ownership linkages.

With the realization of these jobs within a governance model, this led to the question of who are DEC's owners?

The figure below illustrates how there are many who have a stake in DEC and benefit from the organization; however, we had to determine who the true owners were.

As noted in a February blog entry, we have come to see DEC's owners as our members and again, as the figure below illustrates, DEC's owners/members pay dues ($), hold an intangible value to being a member (©), and expect something in return from the organization. For many of us, prior to policy governance, we thought the DEC board would make those “somethings” a reality. Perhaps for others, it was believed that the executive office (under the leadership of the ED) would make the “somethings” happen and never were really sure what the board's role was.

Regardless of perspective, it was clear to everyone that a transformation of how the board governed was in order. In other words, how can we make a difference without knowing (a) why we exist as an organization, and (b) what our owners want from the organization? 

Many of us are coming to understand that DEC's exists so that young children with disabilities and other special needs participate as full members of families and communities and benefit from knowledgeable, competent, and informed professionals, families, and policy makers. This has become our main Ends policy that guides the work of the Executive Office. Our next major challenge is to truly understand what our members want from the organization through ownership linkages.

So What Does Policy Governance Mean to Me as a Member?

Members will have many opportunities to learn more about policy governance – through posts on Facebook, the President’s blog, YEC issues, and during the DEC conference. Overall, this transformation to policy governance means DEC members will:

·         Contribute to the vision of DEC and how that vision translates into specific Ends, or outcomes, for DEC to achieve. As stated above, understanding members’ perspectives is a main job of the board – ownership linkages. It is a reciprocal relationship where the board will share information as well as seek input from members. You may be asked for input depending the roles you play as a member of DEC – in subdivisions and/or SIGs, according to your professional perspectives, due to your relationship with other organizations – as well as being a member in general.

·         Continue to serve on various committees to achieve the Ends set forth in DEC policies. While the day to day work of DEC, and subsequently achieving the Ends, is the responsibility of the Executive Director, that does not mean the Executive Director, or the Executive Office, could or should do all the work. In fact, DEC’s new policies charge the Executive Director with “…seek[ing] out and utilize[ing] individuals…who have appropriate/needed expertise to match tasks to accomplish Ends” and “…utiliz[ing] members who have diverse perspectives to match task” (DEC Board Processes 2.12.2 and 2.12.3). DEC members’ knowledge and expertise is a strength of DEC that persists in policy governance in order to achieve its vision.

·         Not see the board members represented on SIGs and committees formed to achieve Ends as board liaisons. While board members can certainly participate on committees, and should be accessed according to individual expertise, the Board does not take on a leadership role within those committees. Board members participate as any other DEC member participates.

·         Respond to data collection requests of the Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for both ensuring that the Ends are achieved and achieved in a way that satisfies the Board and its owners, known as Executive Limitations. This includes responding to members’ concerns, considering members’ suggestions, and utilizing members’ compliments. The Executive Director demonstrates to the Board that she has indeed achieved the Ends within the Executive Limitations by providing specific data evidencing this, known as monitoring. Please take advantage of opportunities to share your concerns, compliments, and ideas with the Executive Director.

And finally, the DEC board is hoping this transformation to policy governance means that DEC members will see a more efficient and effective organization that provides a value added for members and focuses its resources on achieving the Ends our members want to see for young children with disabilities and other special needs, their families, and the professionals that support them.