President's Message

My name is Candace Borger and I have the pleasure of serving as the 2022 President of the Pioneers Division.

2022 is off to a busy and productive year beginning with the convention in Orlando that was followed by a very successful virtual convention.

During the convention not only did we celebrate CEC’s 100th birthday celebration, we also had an opportunity to focus on our strategic planning process.

Thanks to so many of you who completed our survey earlier. Your ongoing feedback is critical in this process as we continue to create and refine our mission and set direction for the future. Stay tuned for further opportunities to provide feedback and share your ideas.  Completion of the plan will result in the development of a comprehensive action plan including the creation of clearly defined goals as we move forward together!

A name change also is being considered and a work group created to explore possibilities further.

Additional goals that have been identified for 2022 include the following:

• Outreach to general membership on a regular basis throughout the year
• Continue to collaborate with other divisions/organizations to address critical issues and to follow up from the State of the Profession Survey Report  
• Continue to provide professional learning opportunities and identify other opportunities to generate non dues revenue throughout the year.
• Focus on membership growth and target non-members and CEC members who are eligible for membership in the Pioneers
• Continue to focus on processes related to archives  
• Further information regarding the progress in these areas will be shared in more depth throughout the year.

Did you know?   Membership in the Pioneers Division is open to any person who has been a member of CEC for a period of at least fifteen (15) years or has served as an officer of a CEC Division or state/provincial unit or is a Past President of CEC.  If you are not a member to date, we welcome your participation.

Your participation in the activities of the Pioneers Division will allow you to continue to influence the profession as we use our collective voice, expertise, and scope of knowledge and history to advance the policies and practices that support high-quality inclusive education for children and youth with exceptionalities and the professionals who serve them.

If you have any questions about the Pioneers Division, please contact me at [email protected]