The annual ACE conference was a great success and I am grateful for all who were able to attend. Our keynote speaker, Andres Ruzo of National Geographic, was phenomenal. His message about discovery and conservation was enlightening and motivating. I appreciate Cindy Le and National Geographic’s support of our conference and our professional development. Additionally, Chancellor Hall’s update provided an overview of the direction of workforce development in our state and set the charge for our way of working moving forward. The 80+ conference sessions were a dynamic indication of Adult Educators’ support of the workforce development expectations and ingenuity in working toward meeting those demands. These sessions were led by some of the best presenters, teachers, and leaders throughout the state who shared proven, resourceful, and innovative practices in adult education. I would be remiss if I did not share a special thank you to the ACE Office Staff, Conference Committee members and the ACE Board of Directors as this event would not be as successful without their support. It does take the entire team to provide a conference of this magnitude. Many thanks to each of them for their dedication to the cause and the mission of ACE of Florida.
As we all know, legislative season is well underway. Dave Barnes, Jeff Arnott, Julie Roberts, and I will be visiting legislators in Tallahassee to advocate for our programs. Our advocacy topics include increasing workforce funding, recognizing the high school equivalency diploma as of equal value to the standard high school diploma in the school grades calculation, and opposing the use of state dollars for private adult education companies. We are hopeful to move the needle forward on these proposals and we will work to keep you updated along the way.
Speaking of advocacy, planning is in the works for our winter administrators’ legislative professional development, which is scheduled for February 4th through 6th in Tallahassee. We are planning an informative and educational agenda, including visits to the Capitol and opportunities to meet with legislators. I hope you join us as we continue to advocate for the very important work we do to the benefit of our students and communities!
Best,
Melanie Stefanowicz
President, ACE of Florida, Inc.
Executive Director of Secondary and Postsecondary Education
The School District of Osceola County