Leander ISD Board Vice President Gloria Gonzales-Dholakia, Ph.D., joined 26 other school board members from across Texas Sept. 22–24 at the first session of the Leadership TASB Class of 2023.

Selected by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), the group is participating in a yearlong education leadership study program. Trustees are selected for demonstrated leadership in their local district and communities, and for their representation of the diversity of Texas school districts.

Leadership TASB’s mission is to inspire school board trustees to be proactive visionary leaders who promote educational excellence for all children in Texas public schools.

“It’s a valuable experience being able to talk about policy issues that are impacting school boards across the state and be able to share in that space,” Gonzales-Dholakia said. “Seeing the program’s mission and its overlap with my personal values and those outlined in the district’s guiding documents, I knew this was something I wanted to be involved in.”

Participants who complete all required elements of the study will graduate next year by earning Master Trustee status. This is the highest designation recognized by TASB.

Leadership TASB will take place across five sessions when nationally known speakers and experts in education and business will address themes such as teamwork, trusteeship, equity, diversity and visionary leadership.

TASB is a voluntary, nonprofit association established in 1949 to serve local Texas school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state with more than 7,000 across Texas. The districts they represent serve more than 5.4 million public school students.