: CEO Remarks at the 2008 PTA Convention |
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Thank you for that very warm welcome. I am humbled by the opportunity to serve you and consider myself blessed to stand before you today. You’ve welcomed me with open arms, and what better way to kick off my career with PTA than by attending my first national convention with each of you—coupled with inspiring messages from Drs. Maya Angelou and Sanjay Gupta and powerful presentations by our Reflections Award recipients. The board of directors has made a very robust and significant statement in naming me as the new CEO—a young, African American male who is not a biological father. As a former school administrator, community leader, and education advocate, I’ve always known PTA to be a bridge builder. Even as a child, while my mother attended PTA meetings, I recognized then what I certainly know now: PTA is an organization founded by legendary bridge builders. We stand on the shoulders of bridge builders—we travel upon the bridges built by Phoebe Apperson Hearst, built by Alice McClellan Birney, and built by Selena Sloan Butler. Even today we are guided by those who continue to build bridges for PTA, like Lois Jean White, Anna Weslak, and Jan Harp Domene. Bridges connect two points often divided. Bridges provide safe passage over rocky, turbulent rivers. Bridges provide cover from tumultuous storms and winds that blow. And bridges serve as architectural giants dotting landscapes from coast to coast. PTA serves as a bridge—connecting young with the wise. PTA serves as a bridge—connecting grassroots issues with national education agendas. PTA serves as a bridge—to ensure every child’s potential becomes a reality. There’s been much said about how PTA is changing with the times. One thing is constant—PTA will continue to be a bridge builder for centuries to come. I am deeply indebted, and extend my gratitude, to Warlene Gary, PTA’s first national CEO, for laying the foundation for me to build this bridge. Now is the time for us to build a bridge from the past to the present. Please know that as long as you have a foot in the past and a foot in the present, you are unable to step into the future. As an organization, PTA is one of the most compelling bridge builders throughout American history.
From California to New York and Washington to Texas, we have demonstrated tremendous successes. Tremendous opportunities lie ahead. I must also be the realist and share that we must continue to remain on the cutting edge for our children and the members we serve. Many of you are digital immigrants, while most of our children today are digital natives. They’ve never known life without Xbox, DVDs, iPods, and Zunes. Many of the young parents in society today have no concept of weekly meetings as they struggle to work two jobs, or work and go to school. Many of our potential student members are not concerned about process, but rather want to be engaged in progress. Many parents today are looking for new, relevant ways to get engaged in PTA. Whether it’s through podcasts or virtual PTAs, you must push the envelope and begin to think differently. If MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, or LinkedIn are foreign terms to you, you are disconnected. I did then as I knew then; now that I know better, I do better; and as I do better, I live better. Part of building the bridge from the past to the future is utilizing every means possible to engage millions more in our campaign for children. The legendary educator Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune sold sweet potato pies to found Bethune Cookman College in Florida. She offered this compelling thought: “We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends!” That was written in 1954, but is just as relevant today, in 2008. As Dr. Angelou said, “Courage is the greatest of all virtues because without courage you can do no others consistently.” I’m calling upon each of you to be bridge builders—agents of change, providing a voice for the youngest in our society who are voiceless. Being a man or woman is a matter of birth, but being a man or woman who makes a difference is a matter of choice. I, along with the national staff, will continue to seek your support and guidance as we continue to transcend barriers in this sea of pop culture and shifts in society. One of my favorite poets is R. L. Sharpe, who wrote Isn’t it strange that princes and kings, And clowns that caper in sawdust rings, And common people like you and me Are builders for eternity? Each is given a bag of tools, A shapeless mass, a book of rules. And each must make, e’re life is flown, A stumbling block or a stepping stone. In closing, I look forward to working with each of you in partnership as we move our agenda forward. |
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I take heed to the words Mordecai shared with his cousin, Queen Esther: “for such a time as this.” There’s an urgent wake up call in society today. The call is for the competent, courageous, and prepared. The call is for parents and advocates, teachers and administrators, preachers and politicians, businessmen and women, motivators, thinkers—people of substance. The call is for those who refuse to settle for less, which is not more. Those who refuse to accept someone else’s definition of who you are, where you are going, or how you will get there. The call is for those who will help us continue to build bridges, one brick at a time. In short, the wake up is for you.