Board of Directors

President's Welcome

August 2008

Dear WESTOP Members,

Thank you for visiting the WESTOP website! As you know, WESTOP is “the leading regional association representing the concerns and needs of educational equity programs” and we hope that this website helps us in getting important information out to you in a timely and efficient manner.

As we embark on the 2008-209 year, there are some challenges our association is facing and the Board of Directors has pledged to work hard to make sure we do what we can to help this association move forward. We started our work at our first meeting in Las Vegas, August 15-16th.

This first meeting included the Board of Directors as well as the Service Council Chairs. In addition to the introduction and training of all Board members and Service Council Chairs, we discussed the changes our association has seen the last few years and what we need to do to continue to support our members and provide quality services.

One of our top priorities this year is the financial stability of the association. In order for us to be able to reach out to potential donors and partners, we have to gather information about our association. This information includes more than the basic information already out there, such as number of programs, etc. With this in mind, we are in the process of finalizing a survey which will be distributed to Chapter Presidents as well as via e-mail to all members. Your participation and response to this survey will help us better understand the population being served in our region and the services being provided. We hope to be able to get a great number of responses so that the information gathered can truly be representative of our diverse association.

Another top priority is the professional and leadership development of our members. I’ve asked our Professional Development Chair, Ms. Lydia Perez, and her committee, to work on developing a leadership development program. This year, the committee will be researching successful programs and developing a strong curriculum and we will begin with a pilot program for the 2009-2010 year. We will also work with the membership to provide useful and valuable information during professional development events.

As I mentioned before, the Board of Directors has pledged to work hard to make this year a success and we will not be able to make it happen without you. We welcome your participation, ideas and feedback. I encourage you to continue to use this website as an information tool and I will be providing updates after every WESTOP and COE Board meeting or as important developments arise.

Thank you for your time and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

Tomasa Mauricio,
2008-2009 President

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