LM Summer2020_hi

Lessons Learned in the Sprint to the Finish

Dr. Richard J. Voltz

Education, and discovered we had a mutual interest in running. He invited me to be part of an eight-member relay team that was running the annual River to River 80-mile race across southern Illinois. Some other participants included Randy Dunn, at that time associate professor at SIU-C and later ISBE State Superintendent, and Brent Clark, at that time superintendent at Benton Community Consolidated School District. Supportingschool leaders Thus, our friendship began. Brent and I have become close friends as well as professional colleagues. He is a great speaker, understands the political atmosphere in Springfield and has extensive insights into what Illinois education needs today, tomorrow and in the future. Through Brent’s leadership, superintendents in the north, south, east and west all work together to solve Illinois’ educational issues. One vision of Brent’s was an advanced training for superintendents that included research, training and learning leadership methods that were designed to help better student achievement. This came to fruition in 2010 from a design team of approximately 10, including myself. I also participated in an advanced coach training and coached the first participants. As I reflect on that time, I developed a sense that superintendents from every sector of Illinois are more alike than they are different. This has become readily apparent within the success of the Illinois School of Advance Leadership (ISAL) program. Every two years, 20 to 30 superintendents from all over the state get together for this advanced training. Dr. Nancy Blair, a retired professor of leadership studies from Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, the main instructor of ISAL, does a tremendous job of bringing all these various superintendents into one cohesive group by mixing participants in activities. Not only do the superintendents learn from Dr. Blair, but also each other. They socialize together and become one team, often staying in touch with each other for years after the training is complete. I have heard many of these participants marvel at how alike they all are, no matter what part of the state they come from.

For many of you, the absence of phone calls or emails probably sounds blissful. However, I wasn’t ready for the silence in July 2007. I just started the transition from being an always busy and in-demand superintendent of approximately 4,500 students at Ball-Chatham CUSD #5 to my new role as IASA’s first full time Associate Director of Professional Development and Mentoring, and the constant phone calls and emails I was accustomed to now only came in at a drip. I couldn’t take it. That’s when I immersed myself into developing academies, searching for new educational ideas, creating weekly new superintendent updates, developing mentoring strategies and preparing for my first New Superintendents’ Conference. It hasn’t been quiet since. I’vebeeneverywhere... During my 13 years with IASA, I have traveled an estimated 400,000 miles and stayed in countless number of hotel rooms. I discovered that Illinois is very large—230 miles from Quincy to Danville and 434 miles from South Beloit to Cairo. I imagine I have been in every Illinois county and through most every city, town and village. I remember once conducting an all-day academy in Quincy and then driving to Barrington to run another all-day training the next day. There was just no direct route from Quincy to Barrington, and I was tired and hungry. At around 6 p.m., I called the IASA office and Cherry answered the phone. In jest, I told her, “I quit.” I am sure I shocked her with my declaration, and I was just releasing my frustration. Thankfully, I changed my mind. Speaking of Cherry, she has been the foundation of IASA for me and all the other IASA employees. She works untold number of hours and is key for the success of the organization. I am proud to have worked along with Dr. Brent Clark to develop IASA to be the best (in my opinion) superintendent organization in the country. I met Brent through a mutual acquaintance many years ago. Having served on an ISBE advisory committee in the late 90’s, I had become acquainted with Max McGee, at that time State Superintendent of

14 LM Summer 2020