To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven:…” -Ecclesiastes 3:1
Dear friends of OPEN,
As a friend, colleague and supporter of OPEN’s work over the years, I wanted to jot a personal note to let you know about my transition and what’s next. After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, I am branching out into new waters and leaving my post with the Orleans Public Education Network.
Over the past several months, I have supported its transition and will formally vacate my seat as its Executive Director at week’s end with the installation of my successor, Ms. Nahliah Webber.
It goes without saying that I am still deeply committed to OPEN’s mission and will continue to support the organization even as I move on. Nahliah and I will be working together in the next few weeks to support a seamless transition. I am very excited about her leadership and the next steps of OPEN’s journey.
Over the past six years, I am proud to have been a part of building a true platform for public engagement in discussions on public education resulting in the People’s Agenda, successfully advocating for fair and transparent charter processes, expanding our city’s understanding of early childhood development, shining the light on excellence in its various forms from OPEN Goes to School, to an amazing platform for telling the untold stories of educators, schools and public school alumni, to building a sustained base for authentic parent voice and power, and most recently bringing the Education Policy Fellowship Program to Louisiana.
We’ve learned a lot in our work at OPEN and even greater is coming as we move into a new direction with our completed strategic plan. Exciting things are on the horizon - stay tuned!
This serves as an appropriate time for my transition. Many of you have asked what’s next for me. In the immediate future I am excited to continue my commitment but in new ways and on new platforms:
- Writing a book - I’ll spend time amplifying the voices and reflections of parents, educators and young people and examining education reform via a racial equity lens.
- Building a platform - I will also be doing work to build a faith-based platform that will help support others in walking fully into their gifts and talents. Because faith and love in action, looks like justice and liberation.
- Supporting courageous leadership - As I am building these other bodies of work, I am eager to do projects and take on work both outside of and within education that is courageous and uncomfortable in its examination of racial equity as an essential tool in any journey toward justice.
To you I will say, sincerely: thank you for being my teacher, my mirror and a conduit for my learning. Keep me in your prayers as I take on this new journey. And if there is work to which my way of thinking, seeing and being in the world can be a contribution — please reach out.
On freedom’s journey,
Deirdre