Executive Viewpoint

GRATEFUL REFLECTIONS: A FAREWELL AFTER FIVE REMARKABLE YEARS OF SERVICE

Dr. Mike Hernandez, AAEA Executive Director

After five extraordinary years serving as Executive Director of AAEA, the time has come for me to turn the page and begin a new chapter. As I reflect on this journey, I do so with immense gratitude, pride, and deep respect for the community of learning and advocacy we have continued together in support of students, educators, and school administrators across the state of Arkansas. We have risen out of the challenges of COVID-19 stronger than ever with more knowledge on how to “pivot” and navigate new ideas and policies.

When I first stepped into this role, I was inspired by a simple yet powerful mission: to empower educational leaders so they can, in turn, create the best possible outcomes for students. Today, I can confidently say that we have made incredible strides in fulfilling that mission—together.

Over the past five years, we have grown our impact in tangible and meaningful ways:

• While we continued to enhance previous professional development opportunities, we launched a comprehensive suite of workshops, webinars, and leadership programs tailored to the evolving needs of school administrators. These programs addressed compliance and instructional leadership and emphasized human capital strategy, literacy leadership, and new opportunities in technology professional development. Below are a few examples of the work that I am proud to be a part of:

◦ We have had 10 completers in the new Human Capital Leader Certification program by ArkASPA. This three-year program included courses in all aspects of Human Capital Management Strategy. This fall will be a continuation of this program.

◦ AAEA and AASA made strides to ensure that literacy was a top priority over the last few years by creating two programs to bring awareness of the Science of Reading to districtlevel leaders. One program was the District-Level Science of Reading Workshops and the Leaders of Literacy program, an 18-month in-depth study of the implementation of the SoR from the district leader’s perspective.

◦ AAEA partnered with a new constituent group, TEL-AR, to host our first-ever Privacy and Security forum that brought cybersecurity solutions to the forefront for school leaders.

◦ AAEA hosted our first-ever Women in Leadership conference to showcase some of our best and brightest female leaders in Arkansas.

◦ In partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education and Solution Tree, AAEA extended opportunities to school districts in Arkansas by creating the PLC Regional Networks to support schools in becoming PLCS through professional development and partnerships with Arkansas practitioners.

◦ NIET, the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group, and AAEA partnered to create the Arkansas Rural Educational Network (AREN). AREN was established to build instructional leadership, strengthen virtual instruction, and advance implementation of high-quality curriculum in rural schools during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Even through administration changes and a tougher political environment, our voice became a respected presence at the table in discussions with state policymakers and education agencies. Together, we advocated in a collaborative, compromising, and respectful manner for legislation and funding that directly supports school leaders and ensures they are equipped to serve their students effectively. We never expected to get every policy decision to go our way, but we took what was expected and strived to make it functional and better for students. Our members were extremely active in our year-long legislative committee collaborations and were willing to work overtime during the 2021, 2023, and 2025 Legislative Sessions. This work was a testament to how much the work means to all of us. We are also thankful to our policymakers for all the work they put in while balancing the demands of their constituents.

• Perhaps most importantly, we fostered a culture of collaboration by increasing our constituent groups, like Tel-AR, and collaborative conferences between groups like AASSP, AAESP, AAMLA, and AACIA, to focus on curriculum. One big factor in building our community is the number of online workshops and meetings we have held over the last five years. What started with regular COVID-19 updates has now blossomed into regular Superintendent Zooms, AACIA Zooms, AAFC/ AASBO Zooms, etc. This has helped our members be informed and connected better than ever before. We have increased our membership over the last five years by approximately 34%. Hopefully, this is a testament to the value you see in being a member of this organization. One integral part of AAEA’s ability to support our leadership community has been through our Corporate Sponsorship program. These collaborative partners are always there to support our leadership activities through personnel, tools, or financial means. Our work to reimagine our program has led to an increase in financial support of over 30%. All efforts have been made to build our community to help you support your students.

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without the dedication and talent of the exceptional staff at AAEA. I am blown away by the efforts and continued willingness to step up to any challenge of the AAEA Team. Their passion for serving educators, professionalism, and unwavering belief in the power of leadership have been the heartbeat of this organization. You excited and inspired me daily to lead this work.

To our partners in the private sector, districts, and other education-related organizations: thank you for trusting us and working with us to better the education system in Arkansas. Your feedback, challenges, and insights helped us grow. You reminded me that leadership is both a privilege and a responsibility. And to the thousands of school administrators we’ve served: you are the heroes behind every student success story. It has been an honor to walk alongside you, champion your work, and watch you rise to meet every challenge with courage and creativity.

While I will no longer be serving in the director role, I will forever carry with me the lessons learned and the relationships formed during these five years. I leave confident in the continued strength and direction of AAEA, knowing it is in the capable hands of Dr. Megan Duncan and well-positioned to thrive in its next chapter.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of such important and meaningful work. The journey has been nothing short of extraordinary.

With deepest appreciation, Dr. Mike Hernandez