MPS board member Vincent honored by state
MONROE — Mary Vincent, school board secretary for Monroe Public Schools, earned several awards recently from the Michigan Association of School Boards.
The awards recognized "efforts to improve her leadership skills, demonstrating her commitment to student achievement and her own continuous improvement," MPS said in a news release. "Awards for individuals are earned for classes completed in MASB’s leadership training program as well as for conference attendance, years of service and leadership activities."
Vincent earned the MASB Certified Board Award, Data Skills Specialty Certification and an Award of Merit. She will complete the Advocacy Skills Specialty Certification in early December.
"MASB training and professional development help board members keep pace with the fast-moving and complex changes in public education. Last year, more than 1,800 school board members statewide participated in MASB’s professional development program for elected school leaders. The hours devoted to this training are above and beyond the time members spend attending their local meetings and events, as well as reviewing policies and board packets," MPS said in the news release.
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In addition to the awards, Vincent has been appointed to the state-level MASB Resolutions and Bylaws Committee. This committee focuses on developing and articulating MASB positions on legislative, legal and administrative issues of statewide significance.
Vincent also represented the Monroe Public Schools Board of Education at the MASB Annual Leadership Conference, held Nov. 9-12.
“I served as our district’s voting delegate, attended my first Resolutions and Bylaws Committeemeeting and learned an incredible amount from the conference presenters and fellow board members from around the state,” Vincent said.
MPS Superintendent Andrew Shaw said he appreciates Vincent's service as a board member.
“Mary Vincent is an MPS parent as well as a former MPS teacher, and she has been able to provide both history and insight into issues impacting education in the state and specific concerns within the district,” Shaw said. “Her ability to clearly articulate these perspectives for other board members has been especially valuable during discussions at work sessions, as the board reviews policies and digs deeper into the how and why of the decisions they are considering.”
For the last two years, Vincent has served as an admissions coordinator for graduate degree programs at the University of Michigan. Her career in education spans 17 years, including almost a decade in MPS, teaching encore subjects, including general music, choir, beginning strings, career exploration, technology, and entrepreneurship. In Monroe, Mrs. Vincent taught at Monroe Middle School, Orchard Center High School and several elementary schools, Raisinville, Arborwood, Holy Ghost Lutheran, and St. John. Before MPS, she was an encore teacher for Jefferson Schools.
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“The MPS Board of Education appointed Mary on Nov. 17, 2022, to fill a vacancy on our board after interviewing nine outstanding candidates,” Larry Zimmerman, MPS board president, said. “Her extensive knowledge and years of experience in education helped her to emerge as our top choice to join the board at that time, and over the past year, she has actively pursued additional training. Her commitment and effort are to be commended.”
“I’ve worked with school boards and public schools for more than 25 years and am always in awe of the commitment of so many members,” said MASB executive director Don Wotruba, CAE. “Schools are under exceptional pressure to be innovative and reinvent the way they deliver education. Training equips them with the tools necessary to make the best decisions for Michigan’s school children. The time they spend being servant leaders and honing their skills is second to none."
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: MPS board member Vincent honored by state
