OCP 2024: A Revolutionary Gathering Amidst National Chaos

OCP 2024: A Revolutionary Gathering Amidst National Chaos

Our Collective Power (OCP) 2024 was more than just a conference; it was an electrifying vibe! The air was thick with the energy of dancing, learning, laughter, and even some tears. Amidst the chaos of our nation, the audacity of OCP attendees to come together, care for themselves, and gain the competencies needed to transform their school districts for the better is nothing short of revolutionary.

Adding to the significance, roughly 200 attendees came from 82 districts, representing 4.1 million students and responsible for $80 billion in public resources. Impressively, 82% of the attendees were people of color, highlighting our commitment to diversity, belonging, and inclusion.

The biggest and brightest moments of the conference were nothing short of spectacular:

1. Proclamation from San Antonio Dedicating SBP Day: We kicked off with an incredible proclamation from the city of San Antonio, commissioning July 12-14 as School Board Partners Day. This recognition was truly awesome.

2. Fire Side Chat with Quentin James resulting in SBP & The Collective PAC Partnership: My fireside chat with Quentin James was a standout. He expressed a willingness to partner and support our board members during re-election campaigns. This is exciting because it is work that we can’t explicitly do with our 501c3 status.

3. SBP Docuseries Premiere Showcasing Antonia Watts: We premiered the SBP docuseries focused on showcasing school board leadership post-COVID-19, highlighting Antonia Watts (Cohort 4 Fellow and Alumni, School Board Partners) in the first episode. Antonia had an emotional response to seeing herself on the big screen; she cried, and it resonated deeply with everyone in the room. Afterward, she received the Leadership and Impact Award to a standing ovation. The award was in recognition of her impactful policy contributions to the Howard County Board of Education as a District 2 representative and for the exemplary leadership she has demonstrated within the School Board Partners community.

4. High-Quality Sessions: The quality of sessions was exceptionally high, providing valuable insights, knowledge, and tangible takeaways.

5. The Zen Room Renewed Our Leaders: The Zen room was a sanctuary of calm. The Arise team absolutely nailed it. The number of leaders we saw taking full advantage of the massages and self-care stations was amazing.

6. Impactful & Inspiring Sponsors: Matt Hill with Waterford.org delivered a fantastic charge on improving student literacy and provided tangible supports that our leaders were excited to receive. We also had an incredible VIP dinner hosted by the amazingly talented Daiana Lambrecht, CEO of Futuro San Antonio.

Edward Williams, one of our newest board members, shared a visionary moment with me. He envisions this conference growing to include thousands of equity and impact-centered board members. This vision, which I share, reminds us that we have more work to do.

OCP 2024 was more than an event; it was a testament to the power of community, the importance of self-care, and the drive to create meaningful change in our school districts. Amidst national turmoil, our collective audacity shone brightly, proving that together, we can and will make a difference. We firmly believe that the impact of this conference will reverberate far beyond its conclusion, echoing in the boardrooms and classrooms of our schools for years to come.