ATPE is proud to bring you this series of posts from your board members. The ATPE Board of Directors is made up of 20 regional members, who are elected by their constituents; four state officers, who are elected annually by the entire House of Delegates at the ATPE Summit; and the most recent state past president. Board members were sent questions via email, and their responses will be posted to the ATPE Blog in the order they were received. Today’s post is from Region 10 director Jackie Davis.

How and why did you get involved in a leadership role at ATPE?

I had been a member of ATPE in Irving prior to getting married and moving to Garland. I had attended conventions for a couple of years and was excited about ATPE. When I moved to Garland, I called the state office to find out who my campus rep was so that I could renew my membership in my new district, and they asked me if I would like to volunteer. I got involved in Garland ATPE as the president when we were struggling to get officers. Kitty Cardona, formerly at the state office in membership, was a tremendous help explaining my responsibilities and telling me what to do as we began to grow and build the Garland local unit. From there, I got involved in region activities and helped set up the region convention for a couple of years. As my learning progressed, I served on several region committees, and then I was asked to be the chairperson of the Region 10 ATPE Bylaws Committee. This gave me a chance to learn about the bylaws of both the region and the state. One of my most incredible experiences was being on state committees, and then being the chairperson of the state Services and Discounts Committee. Presenting our recommendations at a board meeting was my first look into that new world, and I loved it. It was such a fabulous day! In meeting other members and building a family of incredible leaders around the state, it was suggested that I run for region office. Now, as a part of the Board of Directors, I am continuing to learn about our spectacular organization.

What is your favorite part of serving on the ATPE board?

I have learned so much about our amazing organization and how each and every person makes ATPE great! But my favorite thing about serving on the board is making the incredible connections to such unbelievable dedicated, professional people. I truly admire each and every one of the board members for their collaboration and discussions, but mostly for their FRIENDSHIP.

How has being on the board helped your region?

Our region is such a diverse group of people from some of the smallest local units in the state to the largest. Being on the board has allowed me to view the local units from all perspectives and recognize the needs at all levels as we discuss our plans and growth for the future. This has helped our region as we continue to grow and support each other in many ways.

What advice would you give to others who might be interested in serving on the board?

I would say learn all you can at your region and local unit meetings about the bylaws and serve on as many committees as you can. Being on the board is a splendid experience and an awesome responsibility. You need to read and study the board materials so that you are ready to share the information and recommendations from your region, but you also need to take into consideration that you are making decisions that will impact the entire 100,000 members statewide.

Can you share something fun about yourself that our members might not know?

Parasailing is something that I would like to do again and again because, just like being on the board, you get to see things from a different perspective, and things look quite different when you look at the big picture. My sister says that all that ballet and toe that I did as a child must have worked because I landed perfectly with toes pointed!