NCAE News Bulletin
10
New NCAE Staff Matt Howard is the new manager of the Business Office and Membership Department. He replaces Margo Francis. Prior to joining the NCAE family, Howard worked in public education for 25 years as a school business manager in Pennsylvania. He wanted to work for the Association to continue his support for educators, staff, and students in North Carolina, with the ultimate goal of improving the educational outcomes for learners. “My vision as manager is to continue the organization’s support of public education in North Carolina, advocating for its members, and providing support to move the state’s education system forward so that students have the best learning opportunities.” Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Howard and his four siblings are products of public education. He attended Saint Vincent College, where he earned a degree in accounting. Shortly after, he earned his CPA professional certification. Howard is married and has four adult children. When not working, he spends time with family and friends, hikes, fishes, plays basketball, and cheers on the great sporting teams of Pittsburgh. Bethany Watkins is the new network systems programmer and IT network administrator. She replaces Ut Le, who retired last year. Prior to coming to NCAE, Watkins was a systems administrator for the North Carolina offices of Fidelity National Title and Commonwealth Land Title. She also worked for title insurance companies and was an admissions counselor for North Carolina Wesleyan University and N.C. State University. Watkins’ vision for meeting NCAE’s IT needs is simple, she says. “My goal is to leverage technology to make NCAE more efficient and secure so that staff can focus on doing great things for education in North Carolina. There will be lots of IT changes coming to the Association in the near future!” Watkins is a native of North Carolina (seventh generation) and a product of public schools. She attended N.C. State University where she earned a BA in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice. She also graduated from the Paralegal Certificate Program at Meredith College with a focus on real estate. She is married to her high school sweetheart and the couple has two school-aged sons, very important reasons she was interested in working for NCAE. “I want North Carolina to be the best it can possibly be and that includes making sure each child has access to a great education. We are all better when we are stronger together!” When not working, Watkins enjoys reading, traveling, and watching college football, something she attests to doing way too much of…Go Pack!
A Lesson Learned During the Pandemic Educators have worked fast to meet the demands of this unprecedented moment in history. Over the summer, some got the chance to slow down and reflect. During that time, lessons became clear, like the primacy of relationships. For Mindy Speice, a teacher at Davis Drive Elementary School in Wake County, the summer break was challenging, but from it came a big realization. “First, to assume I received a chance to slow down is a stretch! The sense of anxiety and worry that I have for my students and colleagues made it nearly impossible to rest and reflect. I feel teachers are battling our school boards, our administrators, and in some cases family and friends over the right path to August and beyond. The lesson I learned is that it’s time to step up as a union member and get involved. It’s time to take the lead in my building and put in the time to make this a better place to teach for me and my students. I participated in the NCAE Summer Leadership Conference and now have some tools in my arsenal that will help. This COVID-19 mess is like the elephant in the room. We’re all learning and building but no one is talking about it looming over us. It’s time for all of us to come together and get rolling!”
