Introducing:  Dr. Susan Pecinovsky

We Welcome  Dr. Susan Pecinovsky as President of Iowa ASCD 2023-2024!

She is a leader of leaders whose experiences have prepared her for this position. She has served as a teacher, curriculum director, leadership consultant at AEA 267, associate superintendent, and Iowa ASCD board member/president and chair of advocacy and influence.  She now serves as an independent consultant for learning and leadership.

Over the last 20 years, she has been a member of Iowa ASCD and served on the Board since 2003.  As a leader in Iowa ASCD that supports the leadership necessary to facilitate the improvement of teaching and learning, she has been responsible in supporting the growth of our membership and influence across the state of Iowa.  With both the institutional history of the organization and the Board leadership experience, she is uniquely prepared to lead our organization by empowering the Board and Iowa ASCD’s membership to continue the development of educators across Iowa that promises to impact the learning of each and every student in Iowa!

Dr. Pecinovsky is a believer (and “actioner”) of quality learning and leading.  She is one who pushes when she can, pulls when she has to, and nudges all the time so that those involved with her are making decisions and taking action for what is best for kids!

Dr. Pecinovsky is the ideal example of the “reflective practitioner.”  She constantly learns – from what she experiences, from what she reads, and from what she observes in others.   Susan is very intelligent, a life-long learner who succeeds in taking her knowledge and skills to the next level of consistent behaviors – in herself and in others.

 Susan is a quality educator, administrator, and leader of leaders who builds the collective capacity of all educators under her direction to assure the success of each and every student and educator.  She achieves this as she . . .

• Articulates a shared vision for learning and the teaching and leading to achieve that learning for all students (e.g., vision development and stewardship in her past districts and in Iowa ASCD).
• Achieves a collaborative culture for learning for both the students and the adults in the organization, whether it is Iowa ASCD, Viterbo University, her past districts, or the AEA (e.g., collaborative learning, collaborative leading, organizational development, individual development).
• Works to mobilize the school community – whether in her own past districts or districts with whom she consults,  in the learning communities in her AEA, or in Iowa ASCD and ASCD – to increase the success for each student and educator  (e.g., works to assure equity in education of ELL, gifted, special needs, and all students; strong communication skills – both written and oral, always listening to learn and taking action to achieve).
• Demonstrates the qualities of an effective educator, leader, and also a person who is fair, ethical, and acts on decisions with integrity (e.g., effective practices in use of technology, teaching strategies, leadership strategies – all for acceleration of learning; leadership in Iowa ASCD and ASCD).
• Advocates at the local, state, and national levels for education – assuring that each child and educator, and each school and district have the resources, supports, and skills to assure the learning needed to be successful in the 21^st century (e.g., leader of advocacy and influence on Iowa ASCD board, training and modeling for members in advocacy, leading trips “to the hill” to advocate for education at both the state and national levels, individual and ongoing conversations sought out by legislators in Iowa and Washington, D.C.)
• Is learned, is learning, and is willing to share her wisdom with others so that they can be effective in their classroom, in their building, in the district, in life.

Welcome, Madame President!