Latest news with #LeadershipAcademy
AU Financial Review
26-05-2025
- Sport
- AU Financial Review
Leadership training builds capacity in not-for-profit sector
The Sydney gathering heard from international cricketer and vice-captain of India's women's cricket team, Smriti Mandhana, about what it means to be a resilient change-maker. Mandhana started playing cricket at a time when very few women played the sport, rising quickly through the ranks from junior level to international stardom, which required immense fortitude. She emphasised how important it is as a leader to reconcile failures and successes. 'You have to understand what's working for you and what's not working for you,' Mandhana said. 'No matter if you score 100 or you score a duck, the next day, you still have to start playing again from zero. So, it doesn't really matter what's happened in the past. Failure is the time when you understand what you can do better.' Mandhana left the audience with a message about balancing the mental space you devote to analysing setbacks versus how you assess your successes. She told the group to avoid falling into rumination and fixation, and recommended meditation and breathing exercises to gain a level head during times of stress. Common Purpose's Sengupta said events like the American Express Leadership Academy are vital for NFP leaders to build their resilience and be inspired. 'At Common Purpose, our heart and soul is about giving people the skills, knowledge and networks so they can be a better version of themselves and solve the complex challenges of society for individuals, organisations and communities,' Sengupta said. 'The academy strengthens the sector and gives its leaders the chance to be inspired and better connected. It's about developing the knowledge to make two plus two into 11, not four, to accelerate their social impact.' American Express chief corporate affairs officer, Jennifer Skyler, said, 'one of the goals of the Leadership Academy is to build bridges between organisations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. This helps to ensure that everyone has access to the best tools, skills and networks to realise their potential and advance their mission, whether it be for a company, social enterprise or NGO.' 'Going into the leadership academy, I felt I was very consultative and had an understanding of organisational change and change management. But I had never admitted to myself I was a leader until I did the course,' said 2024 academy alumnus Craig Stevens, the CEO of LocalKind, which offers a drop-in support service for vulnerable people living in Sydney. Stevens was one of three alumni to receive $US25,000 as part of their involvement in Leadership Academy to go towards their nonprofits. The course gave him a deeper appreciation of how his backstory can help effect change. 'I learned as a result of this experience I have a story. And that story is linked to our mission and values, and can be used for the good of the organisation in terms of fundraising and raising awareness,' said Stevens. 'It helped me be able to advocate on issues such as domestic violence and trauma-informed care for people who have had complex childhoods and end up homeless or in the justice system.' Stevens said being part of the American Express Leadership Academy also supported his own career ascension to run a large not-for-profit organisation. 'I started my professional life as a support worker, moving into different roles before becoming a CEO,' he said. 'The academy challenged my thinking on how I can lead through change more kindly and using stories, understanding you're going to get better results if you bring people along the journey.'
CBS News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker discusses possible TEA takeover of Fort Worth ISD
Two weeks ago, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker won re-election to her third term with more than two out of every three votes. Eye on Politics reporter Jack Fink asked her about the troubles facing Fort Worth ISD in a conversation with the mayor. Fort Worth ISD academic performance The Texas Education Agency notified Fort Worth ISD recently that it may take over district operations or close the Leadership Academy at Forest campus. The 6th grade school received its fifth consecutive "unacceptable" academic rating for the 2022–2023 school year. Under Texas Education Code § 39A.111, five consecutive failing ratings trigger mandatory state intervention. The commissioner must either appoint a board of managers to oversee the district or order the closure of the campus. In a letter to the district earlier this month, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath cited broader academic struggles across the district. Based on 2023 preliminary ratings, Fort Worth ISD received an overall grade of D, with 77 campuses rated D or F. The district has 147 schools. Eight campuses have failed to meet minimum academic standards since at least 2018, though the letter did not name them. Mayor Parker discusses her concerns for the district When asked how concerned she was regarding the district's performance, Mayor Parker responded, "Well, I'm concerned, and here's why. This will be a very critical time period for that ISD over the next several months." "At the end of the day, the decision is Commissioner Morath's, and my allegiance is to the students and for the ISD, they deserve to have an A-rated campus across every single campus in the city of Fort Worth. We deserve to have one of the best school districts, not in just the state of Texas, but across the country. So, if Commissioner Morath decides that the only answer is to take over the district, I'll do whatever it takes to rally the support needed in this community to make that district successful. If his decision is actually to leave the ministration of the board in place, I'll do the exact same thing as I've said before." When asked if Mayor Parker wanted the TEA Commissioner to take over, she stated she thinks a takeover would be "disruptive". "But I want to be careful my words, because I do understand why someone in his position would feel the need to make that decision. I don't want anybody that's listening to this interview to mistake that. I also agree it's unacceptable. But I've also heard those same words and transparency from Doctor Karen Molinar, who has not been in the full-time leadership capacity of superintendent for that long, allowing her to lead the district forward." Managing a growing Fort Worth population Mayor Parker also spoke to Jack about the city of Fort Worth's surging population. "We're focused on the things that matter most to voters across the city of Fort Worth," said Parker. "It's about quality of life for every single resident across all 350 miles in the city of Fort Worth. It's public safety, it's infrastructure, it's parks, it's our library system. And really, being smart about what it looks like to be the fastest growing large city in the country and be prepared for future growth but also take care of the residents across our city today." Reports show that Fort Worth has already surpassed Austin as the fourth largest city in the state. When asked about balancing the quality of life with a surge in growth, Mayor Parker says understanding residents' current needs and experiences is important in preparing for the future. "Being incredibly fair and focused across distributing the need across the entire city and all our council districts, all ten council districts across the city of Fort Worth, and then also takes coordination between state and federal partners."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
If state wants to take over Fort Worth schools, it needs a better case than this
Fort Worth ISD needs reform. Admitting that is the easy part. But how the district pursues — or is allowed to pursue — reform is crucial to building schools that serve our kids faithfully. Mike Morath asserts that those choices, by a plain reading of the Texas Education Code, are already out of the elected school board's hands. The Texas Education Agency commissioner pointed to a Fort Worth campus that failed state benchmarks in five consecutive years, which he says forces his hand and may compel the state to take over the entire district. Morath wrote that he 'will be evaluating the operations and leadership of Fort Worth ISD more closely in the coming months and, if forced to make a decision under [state law], will do so after ratings become final.' Whether state law gives Morath an option or a mandate is up for debate. The statute as written, also gives the state the ability to close the school down. Complicating the discourse is that the school no longer exists. FWISD closed the struggling Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade before the 2023 data was released, merging it with Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Middle School. (If you're asking yourself 'Wait, we're just getting 2023, as in two years ago?' and wondering why an old date should determine the fate of roughly 75,000 students – we urge you not to think too hard about it all. You may start making too much sense, more than our state can handle.) The district acted, arguably proactively, in closing the low-performing school before the state law could be triggered. Problem solved? Well, not as Morath articulates it. With that option gone, he believes the law demands TEA intervention. 'Since the campus earned its fifth consecutive unacceptable academic rating in that year, the school's subsequent closure has no bearing on, and does not abrogate, the compulsory action the statute requires the commissioner to take,' Morath wrote in a letter to the school board and superintendent. Perhaps Morath will take an aggressive stance because of the district's ongoing academic struggles. Maybe he sees the Leadership Academy case as an opening to address years' worth of district failures to adequately teach children, especially in basic reading and math. It's been about two years since the TEA seized control of the Houston school district, citing poor performance at one high school and allegations of misconduct among school board members. The district has improved on state and national tests, but Morath's pick for superintendent, former Dallas schools chief Mike Miles, has been criticized for transforming school libraries into detention centers and blamed for an eruption of teacher and principal turnover. For Fort Worth, the takeover would be premature. We've consistently decried the mess in Fort Worth ISD and the achingly slow response from the school board. But since Mayor Mattie Parker and a coalition of city leaders highlighted the issue last year, the district has changed leadership, executed crisis plans and restructured to get more educators helping kids. Superintendent Karen Molinar and the elected board — to which, like it or not, voters just reelected three members — deserve a chance to see the plan through. Unfortunately, we don't know the answer to what the law requires of the state. We might not know until it's likely settled in court. If the law does tie Morath's hands while expanding his reach, then the first issue that needs reform is the statute itself. Our rules shouldn't require a steamroll when a steady scalpel would suffice. But if FWISD satisfied the law's less invasive option by closing the school down, then Morath needs to exercise restraint. FWISD has problems, but we fear a trigger happy state leadership with a cure far worse than the disease. We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news — and to publish those views in the Opinion section. • Letters should be no more than 150 words. • Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days. • Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions. You can submit a letter to the editor two ways: • Email letters@ (preferred). • Fill out this online form. Please note: Letters will be edited for style and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed. The best letters are focused on one topic.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Nationwide sting: FBI arrests over 200 alleged child sex predators, including 3 in Utah
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Throughout a five-day nationwide operation, the FBI arrested 205 alleged child sex abuse offenders, including three in Utah. The crackdown, called Operation Restore Justice, was led as an FBI initiative to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators across the country. The three suspects arrested in Utah are below: Gustavo Uroza-Rodriguez : Charged on April 23, 2025, with attempted coercion and enticement, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. Melissa Goodrich : Charged on April 23, 2025, with the trafficking of a minor. Jared Buckley: Charged with Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material. In the third case, Buckley was the Leader Director of Leadership Academy, a local charter school, since 2014. According to court documents, he was involved with several youth groups and sports teams, with news of his arrest shocking parents. Buckley was accused of being in possession of over 10,000 images of child sex abuse material, as well as producing and manufacturing it. Court documents also show that Buckley had allegedly been distributing the material through multiple online platforms. He was placed on administrative leave and is currently being held without bail. 'A danger to every child in the community:' Charter school director accused of child porn production now facing federal charges FBI Salt Lake City Division shares findings FBI Agent Dustin Grant said local agents and task force officers participated in the operation, working to find offenders proactively. He said much of the efforts are spent trying to identify offenders using the internet to target children, whether in a trafficking or sexual exploration scenario, then working to bring justice for victims in Utah. When speaking on the three local arrests due to Operation Restore Justice, he said it prevents the further victimization of children in Utah. 'We can't put a number on how many kids likely are saved because somebody is stopped now,' he said. One trend that's been noticed in Utah, especially targeted at boys, is sextortion. Sextortion is a crime where an anonymous user online will often coerce someone into sending them nude photos, and threaten them to pay to avoid the photos being posted online. 'That's the bulk of what we handle lately,' Grant said. 'That's the scam that is widely known across the country, but I would say here in Utah, that's a trend that we're seeing upwards throughout the last few years.' In addition, other trends include the distribution of child sex abuse material and predators trying to contact children online. Grant said the FBI uses tools and resources to find these people who are acting anonymously online to undercover and identify them. He said it's important for parents to have conversations with their kids about these issues, so they can be aware of potential dangers ahead of time. 'The applications that are largely being used are the ones that are most popular to our kids … TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook. Whatever it is that the kids are most likely to be using, that's what they're going to be,' he said. 'Since gaming is really big with kids, there's a lot of social media influence that's happening within the gaming environment where a lot of our victims are being contacted by offenders in those arenas.' For parents, he said if your children have a phone, be involved in what they're doing online. 'It doesn't mean social media in itself is bad, it's just when you let a kid drive, there's inherent risks and dangers that are associated with that. So just like in a car, you'd probably want them to have seatbelts and you're going to have them maybe ride with somebody for a while, just to make sure that they're safe. That's the same as social media,' Grant said. He said parent involvement is important to ensure kids are staying safe online, and if they encounter anything suspicious, they should report it to law enforcement or an adult they trust. 'There are a lot of resources and efforts going into trying to do what we can to repair whatever damage has happened to these kids after they're identified,' he said. He said embarrassment or shame can sometimes stop victims from speaking up, especially if involved in a sextortion case. Grant said if you're a victim of these crimes, know it's okay to speak up. 'We don't want it to be to get worse for them. We do have a handful of suicides that have been that have happened as a result of sextortion and other types of familiar scenarios. We want to prevent that from happening that way,' Grant said. Other results of Operation Restore Justice In addition to the operation, during the month of April, the FBI and state and local law enforcement partners arrested more than 190 perpetrators on charges related to crimes against children. In a press release, the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office said that while the total number of nearly 400 is significant, the details are disturbing, revealing how prevalent the issue is. According to the FBI, among those arrested are those in public positions of trust, including law enforcement, members of the military, and teachers. The FBI said in Minneapolis, MN, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for producing sexual abuse material of a young child, while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal immigrant from Mexico was accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sexual activities, the FBI reported. The FBI also said in Washington D.C., a former MPD police officer who had been previously convicted of sex trafficking was arrested for doing the same thing, accused of trafficking additional young victims while on supervised release. In Louisville, KY, the FBI said that two teachers had been charged in separate incidents after alleged misconduct with students. The FBI said that the operation was the result of a dedicated and targeted effort, with countless hours of work conducted by hundreds of special agents, intelligence analysts, and other FBI personnel. 'It further emphasizes the FBI's unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Bureau works relentlessly to investigate these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention, community education and the FBI's never-ending pursuit of criminals who exploit our children,' the FBI said. MJ Jewkes contributed to this report. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Election updates: Fort Worth ISD school board incumbents win reelection
Voters upheld the status quo for the Fort Worth school board as a spotlight has intensified on the district through scrutiny of its academic performance and ensuing efforts to improve its stagnant test scores. Camille Rodriguez, Michael Ryan and Roxanne Martinez won their races, according to unofficial results from Tarrant County. In District 1, Rodriguez defeated Amanda Inay with 53.37% of the vote. In District 7, Ryan defeated Terry Roach with 75.63% of the vote. In District 9 Martinez defeated Robyne Kelly with 73.54% of the vote. Wallace Bridges and Anael Luebanos ran unopposed in their races. As there were only two candidates in the other district races, there will be no runoff election. Constituents weighed in at the conclusion of a hectic school year that was shaped by a public call-out by Mayor Mattie Parker for the district to turn around its test scores that have trailed behind other Texas urban districts for roughly a decade. Former Superintendent Angélica Ramsey's resignation was accepted by the school board about a month later in late September, and long-time district employee and administrator Karen Molinar took over the position in the interim and permanently. Over the course of the 2024-25 school year, which ends on May 22, the school board declared improving student literacy as its top priority and approved a strategic plan with specific goals for improving grade-level performance over the next five years. The board is also developing a budget that will invest more than $22.7 million into student literacy. A master facilities plan with proposals for school closures is also on the horizon and could be voted on as early as this school year. An additional challenge that incumbents might have to contend with is a potential state takeover by the Texas Education Agency. A-F accountability grades from 2023, recently released by the agency after it was barred from releasing the scores due to a lawsuit, revealed a failing grade for the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade for the fifth year in a row. It remains to be seen what action TEA might take, as that campus closed last year due to declining enrollment and its students were transferred to Forest Oak Middle School. The most competitive school board race was seen in District 1 between Rodriguez — a podiatrist who previously served on the board from 2004-2008 and rejoined the board in 2022 after the resignation of her predecessor — and newcomer Inay. Inay was Fort Worth ISD district teacher of the year in 2022-23 and now teaches at Rocketship Dennis Dunkins Elementary. Although Rodriguez held on to her seat, Inay spent almost eight times as much money on her campaign — $16,500 — compared to Rodriguez's $2,100 price tag. Inay received endorsements from former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and the United Educators Association, and Rodriguez was endorsed by Texas Rep. Ramon Romero, Jr., a Democrat from Fort Worth. Rodriguez had accused Inay of illegal campaign activity, which Inay has denied. The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office has not responded to multiple inquiries by the Star-Telegram asking whether officials had investigated or are investigating Rodriguez's claims. Staff writer Lillie Davidson contributed reporting.
