The Henton Headlines: May 18, 2023

THE HENTON HEADLINES
May 18, 2023
Here’s the scoop for the week

Leadership Matters!

The first headline this week is a shoutout to retired superintendent and MASA member Jerry Ness for providing me with the weekly leadership quotes for three years running! Jerry is a remarkable person who was also a highly regarded superintendent. He continues to mentor and support our colleagues. Thank you, Jerry, for the quote that follows and every other one you have provided!

“True leadership is not about imposing your will on others, but about inspiring and empowering others to bring out their best.” - @LollyDaskal

Another Shoutout!

Throughout the session, I would compliment MASA Lobbyist Valerie Dosland on her work at the capitol. Without fail she would respond with something to the effect that she was just doing her job, or that she loves her job. If you have had a chance to be with Valerie at the capitol you know she is masterful at lobbying and invigorated by representing MASA. 

I watch in amazement as Valerie speaks with legislators who stand in opposition to our MASA platform. She acknowledges their position and shares ours with respect and a firmness that is not offensive or off-putting, but make no mistake the legislators know where she stands, and most importantly, she is convincing. 

I can point to a number of pieces of legislation that improved because of Valerie’s persistent conversations with key opinion leaders in both houses. She has the timing of who to go see and when down pat. Valerie understands the value of being nonpartisan and how critical it is to our organization that she develop relationships with members of both parties.

Please join me in giving [email protected] a shoutout for her work during the session and all year round. The bill summary she wrote and I sent you is a handy reference for all of us to use instead of combing through the 331 page bill every time we have a question. Thank you, Valerie!

Detailed information may be found at
https://www.mnasa.org/whats-new.html and the MASA Calendar

May	Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Military Appreciation Month, National Mental Health Awareness Month
May 25	MASA Instructional Leadership Network | 9-10:30 am | Virtual
June 13	BIPOC Affinity Group Meeting | 7:30 - 8:30 am | Virtual
June 14	MASA Master Class: Understanding State Aid: Equalization, Ag2School and more | 10 - 11 am | Virtual | Registration coming soon!
June 20	MASA Instructional Leadership Network | 1 - 2:30 pm | Virtual
June 20	Professional Dialogue with Dr. Brenda Cassellius | Session 8 | 9 - 10 am | Virtual
June 27	MASA Master Class: Building a Team of Social Media Content Creators | 10 - 11 am | Virtual | Registration coming soon!
August 8	Save the date! MDE Back to School Conference | Minneapolis Marriott NW, Brooklyn Park
October 8-10	MASA Fall Conference | DECC, Duluth, MN