President’s Update: January 2023
Hello IACAC Members,
This past fall went by incredibly fast. I cannot believe it is already January (and that my holiday break is over)! In welcoming everyone to the New Year, I wanted to share some updates from the new work of IACAC leadership, Executive Board, Committee Chairs and volunteer members.
LDI/DEIB Work
My conference theme was “Be the Change You Want to See.” I challenged our members to not be afraid to make change in their own way and, in turn, IACAC leadership must do the same. I asked the conference keynote speaker, Lawrence Alexander, to lead a workshop for board members and committee chairs at our annual Leadership Development Institute this past August. The workshop focused on how our leadership can keep a Diversity, Equity, Inclusive, and Belonging mindset in all that we do from committee work to executive board to strategic planning. This is not an overnight fix. This work must be consistent, intentional, and engrained in all that we do. It will not be easy and uncomfortable conversations will need to be continued. But one quote from Lawrence that has stuck with a few people will be our compass:
Do you want to go fast or do you want to go far?
IACAC wants to and will go far. Additional updates on this progress will be shared later this Spring.
New Policies
We are in the process of creating a Code of Conduct as well as a Whistleblower Policy. These policies will provide guidance on how members should conduct themselves and will protect individuals who call attention to any violations. Our Executive Director has been working with our partner association firm, Chicago Association Management (CAM), regarding the language of these policies and they will be presented to the Executive Board during the January meeting. Members will be expected to acknowledge them yearly during member renewal.
NACAC Vote
By now, you should have seen that the NACAC Special Member Vote has been concluded. NACAC membership has voted to amend the bylaws, effectively eliminated the NACAC Assembly. What this means for IACAC is that the role of NACAC Delegate Director no longer exists. Our current delegates have been preparing for this situation and are working on the bylaw changes that will be required given this change. This has given us an opportunity to reimagine what leadership should look like within IACAC. We hope to have something finalized to share with membership following the January board meeting.
Board Votes
Elevate and SIGs
During the November Executive Board meeting, it was voted to move Elevate and Special Interest Groups from ad-hoc status to standing committees for 2023-2024. We are grateful for the work these groups did as ad-hoc committees and look forward to them growing and providing great professional development opportunities to our members.
District Map Reorganization
After thorough discussion with the District Seminars committee chairs and the Executive Board, it was decided to move the North Central District to Region 1 and rename it the Central District. Additionally, the Chicago and South Suburban areas have been split into two separate districts to align with how they have been hosting their seminars separately for the past several years.
The new District Map can be found here.
Membership – CPS Membership Structure
Since before the pandemic, IACAC has been working tirelessly to build a bridge between our organization and Chicago Public Schools. Since CPS is the largest district in our state, the board voted to discount their membership on a 3-year trial cycle and create an ad-hoc committee to work with CPS to build more productive opportunities for professional development and enhance how our organization can learn from them as well as support them.
As you can see, many of these new initiatives require substantial creativity, collaboration, and hard work. I owe my sincerest gratitude for this year’s Executive Board, Committee Chairs, and volunteers for the “extra” work they’re giving to IACAC; and there is still more to do. If you have any questions about any of these updates or anything else IACAC related, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2023!
Your IACAC President,
Brian Hodges
president@iacac.org
