Honoring a Chapter that Shaped Us: Massachusetts ASCD

[Press Release Linked Below]

With MASCD preparing to close its doors on June 30, 2026, I have found myself thinking back over the seventeen years I spent as part of this organization. MASCD was a professional home, a community, and a place where I grew into the leader I am today. This reflection is my way of honoring that chapter and the people who made it matter.

When the Massachusetts ASCD Board voted to sunset the organization, it did so with clarity, care, and a deep sense of responsibility. As our current President, Craig Aaron-Martin’s leadership throughout this process has been steady and thoughtful. He has carried the weight of this work with grace, and I am grateful for the clarity he brought to a difficult moment. His words captured what we have all lived in recent years. Engagement declined. Capacity shrank. The professional learning ecosystem evolved in ways that made our traditional structures less relevant. The model that once sustained MASCD no longer aligned with the needs of educators across the Commonwealth.

For me, this moment is also deeply personal.

I joined the MASCD Board of Directors in September 2009, recommended by my school principal, Donna Noonan, who remains one of my closest friends. I was forty, the youngest person at the table, and the only teacher on a board filled with educational leaders I admired. I was intimidated, inspired, and eager to learn. In those early years, I spent long car rides from Cape Cod to board meetings with Donna, talking about schools, leadership, and the future of education. Those conversations shaped me as much as any formal professional development ever could.

MASCD was in its strongest era then. We hosted bustling in person conferences that drew hundreds of attendees and featured national-caliper presenters. We mailed professional publications filled with voices from across Massachusetts. We gathered around large tables with a board full of people who rolled up their sleeves and made things happen. We were led by Mary Forte Hayes, a remarkable leader whose energy and work ethic set the tone for all of us.

For decades, MASCD served as one of the few statewide organizations that brought together educators across roles and levels. While many Massachusetts associations focus on specific positions, MASCD was always different. It created a professional home for teachers, district leaders, higher education faculty, instructional coaches, and educational partners who shared a commitment to curriculum, instruction, leadership, and the Whole Child. That cross-role community was rare, and it shaped the professional landscape of the Commonwealth in ways that are still felt today.

However… I also joined at the beginning of a shift none of us fully understood at the time. As the internet grew as a primary space for connection and learning, traditional membership organizations began to feel less essential. Districts sent fewer educators to conferences. Engagement dipped. Paid memberships seemed crazy in a world of so many free resources. The model that had sustained MASCD for decades was eroding.

Still, MASCD gave me opportunities I never expected. I found my footing on the Board by contributing what I knew about digital tools and social media. The opportunities started to appear…. I presented at national conferences. I gave keynotes. I met extraordinary leaders from across the country and beyond. I grew into a leader because MASCD made space for me to grow.

When I was asked to serve as President Elect in 2015, I was surprised and honored. I stepped into the role in support of Marty Geoghegan, who served as President for three years. Marty’s leadership was steady and grounded, and I learned so much from my work alongside him. I entered the role with ideas, energy, and hope. But the ground was shifting faster than any of us could stabilize it. The board was shrinking. The doers were dwindling. Members were, as I often say, un-membering. Effort no longer equaled impact.

I will never forget my first board meeting as President. I had spent hours (and hours) preparing data, plans, and ideas for a revitalized MASCD. But only a handful of people attended, and we did not have enough board members present to move any work forward. It was the first moment I felt the weight of this shift settle in.

Still, there were bright spots that reminded me why MASCD mattered.

One of my favorite memories is the last National ASCD conference held in Boston in 2018. The national planning group had not reached out to us, but as a Board we pushed ourselves into the process because we believed the local affiliate should have a presence. I created student-made Freedom Trail videos that welcomed attendees on big screens throughout the conference. We arranged buses for school visits, including an unforgettable day at Craig’s school in South Boston. We hosted an evening celebration to honor Isa Zimmerman, a Massachusetts education powerhouse whose mentorship and influence shaped so many of us. And we delivered a rapid fire series of 10 Ignite presentations as a board, standing together in a way that felt like the best of MASCD.

In the years that followed, I had the privilege of collaborating closely with Presidents Shaunna Harrington and Matthew Joseph. They brought new ideas, fresh energy, and a deep commitment to the work. Shaunna led MASCD through the Covid years, a challenge none of us could have imagined. Her focus on Equity in Education gave us a sense of direction and purpose at a time when the world felt unsteady. Their leadership strengthened MASCD in ways that deserve to be remembered.

The merger of ASCD and ISTE changed the affiliate landscape entirely. Our membership numbers dropped so low that we could no longer remain an official affiliate. We faced the reality that we would need to rebrand, rename, and rebuild without the mother ship. It was another sign that this chapter was coming to a close.

And yet, through all of this, MASCD remained a gift in my life.

When I had a stroke in 2019 during my presidency, my fellow board members supported me without hesitation. I stayed involved as much as I could, even when my capacity was limited. I remained committed to supporting the presidents who came after me, especially Craig, who has carried the burden of leadership with almost no board or staff to lean on.

MASCD shaped me professionally and personally. It expanded my world. It connected me to leaders I still learn from today. It gave me a platform, a voice, and a community. It made me a better educator and a better leader.

Seventeen years is a long time to love an organization. It is also long enough to know when it is time to let go.

As we close this chapter, my hope is that MASCD’s legacy endures not in name or structure, but in the educators it shaped, the conversations it sparked, and the belief it championed. Every child, in every classroom deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. That vision guided MASCD’s work for decades, and it remains as urgent as ever.

Massachusetts ASCD mattered because it helped us become the leaders our students needed.

And for that, I will always be grateful.