No, I’m not running a marathon. This has even been a slow week for the treadmill. I consider the third week of each month my “Board Meeting Marathon” week. But, that title probably wouldn’t create a lot of interest. (Sometimes, like this month, it extends into the fourth week of the month as well.)

Serving on community boards provides me different perspectives and the opportunity to work with some great people beyond the field of education.  It is also a way to give back to the community that has nurtured me for a life time. We always have some great project that lie ahead of us, and this month is no exception.

I’m starting my second year on the Leadership Siouxland Board. Our purpose is to train community-minded individuals from business, government, education and other sectors for leadership opportunities. One upcoming project is finalizing plans for our February session that happens to be our “Education” session. We are looking forward to showcasing the role of technology in our schools and how this integration is taking place around our area.

Another Leadership Siouxland project is hosting the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast Conference for a second year. This is an all day event, held on Friday, May 6, 2011. It is simulcast from Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s conference focuses on helping us find our “Voice of Change.” The conference is for all leaders at every level who aspire to articulate the power of change through positive leadership! I highly suggest you look to see if this conference is being brought to your area through this “Find a Site” link. You won’t be disappointed! If you live in the Siouxland area (Iowa) and are interested in attending, please let me know and I’ll get details out to you! (Ticket prices will be determined at this month’s board meeting. We are hoping to keep it at $50.00 or under.) Last year’s event was amazing (and my first real introduction to the power of a Twitter stream!) We are excited for this year’s list of speakers!

Voices of Influence:

• Seth Godin – Entrepreneur, Marketing Expert, & Best-Selling Author of 12 Books Including “Linchpin”
• John Maxwell – Leadership Expert & Best-Selling Author of The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Voices of Purpose:

• Mack Brown – Head Coach of the Texas Longhorns, 2009 Big 12 Coach of the Year
• Suzy Welch – Best-selling author, television commentator, and noted business journalist

Voices of Hope:

• Erin Gruwell – Founder & President of Freedom Writers Foundation
• Robin Roberts – Anchor of ABC’s Emmy-Award Winning Show, “Good Morning America”

Voices of Service:

• Muhtar Kent – Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company
• Dan Cathy – President & COO of Chick-fil-A, Inc.
• Dave Ramsey – Personal money-management expert, national radio personality, and best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover

Voices of Innovation:

• Frans Johansson – Best-selling author of The Medici Effect
• Sir Ken Robinson – Best-Selling Author & Leader in the Development of Creativity, Innovation & Human Resources

My second board meeting this week is for the Mary Elizabeth Child Care Center. This was one of the first day care centers in Iowa and has served the Siouxland Community for 94 years! It has been in its present location since 1926. The building was built specifically as the Child Care center and has remain there ever since. Each month, as I walk into the building I feel the sense of caring for children that has lived through the building for many years! One of our challenges continues to be in the form of fund-raising. We continue to search for new and unique ways to secure funding in order to provide quality, affordable child care to needy families in Siouxland. We are currently holding our Annual Campaign Appeal.

My last meeting is actually next week. As vice-chair of the Sioux City Community School District Advisory Committee I’m excited to work with such a wonderful group of members with the common interest of caring out the mission of the Sioux City Community School District: Believe, Achieve, Succeed! As a product of the Sioux City Schools, it gives me great pride to have the opportunity to give something back to the district that instilled in me the love of learning! We are currently working on way to increase parent involvement in our schools. I’d love to hear of ideas that are happening around the world!

I’m also pretty excited about the end of my week! I will be spending three-days at a technology workshop facilitated by Angela Maiers. I’m sure I’ll have tons to blog about next weekend! I’m attending with a teacher from one of my schools. That creates the added excitement of supporting this teachers new learning as well as her students!