Prelude (please read this first)

You hold in your hands my severely modified Academic Plan, which has been built and torn apart and rebuilt A bridge between now and the future. Although the major components are

still there, the flow has changed significantly. One of the major criticisms of the original Academic Plan was that it was too much of a list and that sections jumped from one portion to another which complicated the flow. While have done my best to correct this, the !list" undercurrent continues to e#ist. choose to defend myself by saying that do, after all, thrive on

se$uential and perhaps compulsive tendencies. n order to understand the journey want to ta%e, you must first understand who am. And so, the first part of this Academic Plan centers around an essay on who am and where want to be as well as a discussion on the results of some of tests and assessments as they apply to my strengths in leadership. One cannot enter in to an Academic Plan for &eadership without first contemplating what leadership is and so have included thoughts on leadership as have come to understand it. t is by no means an e#haustive review but rather a beginning that am sure will add to later on. 'his brief discussion on leadership is a segue way in to discussing the bridge (my chosen theme) that hope to build over the ne#t few years* the projects, the competencies and the evidence that hope will provide support toward the crossing of the bridge to the completion of my doctoral program. And so, as is hopefully evident, this final attempt at a cohesive Academic Plan has been reflectively rethought. What you the reader are now holding is my journey* a bridge+past, present and future. -hlk

About Me

Who I am & Where I Want to Be

Part A: Who Am I as a Leader? I was given the Strengths inder 2!" a#o$t si% months #efore the first leadership &lass I ever took and was &hallenged to &omplete it on m' own! Strengths inder 2!" the () ,usiness Wee% and Wall -treet .ournal #estseller assessment tool whi&h provides a list of strengths* a planning g$ide and a&&ess to we#-#ased &omm$nit'! I was resistant to taking it as I felt that it &o$ld #e easil' manip$lated* depending on the mood I was in or whose voi&e I heard in m' head!

+ns$rprisingl'* I did not agree with the res$lts and wanted to re-take the test immediatel'! ,f &o$rse d$e to the nat$re of the on-line test* I &o$ld not retake it and* #e&a$se I was indignant* I pro&eeded to read thro$gh most of the -. /hemes to 0ot down what tho$ght m' top five themes were!

Sin&e then and after having time to m$ll over other tests we have taken and then reading the &omments friends* famil' and &oworkers have given me* I have no idea what I was so anno'ed at previo$sl'! S$rprise* s$rprise: I &ompletel' agree with the res$lts1

2efore taking that first leadership &lass* I did not see m'self as a leader! A leader to me meant someone who was &harismati&* d'nami&* in&redi#l' intelligent* infalli#le in tho$ght and pro&ed$re and error-free in &onfrontation and stressf$l sit$ations!

I wo$ld not $se an' of those &hara&teristi&s to des&ri#e m'self! 3' definition of leadership has &hanged signifi&antl' sin&e then I have #een a#le to in&l$de m'self in that -

definition! /he reader is invited to refer to the ne%t se&tion* 'houghts on &eadership! I have learned that I live in a &on&rete world where things m$st #e ordered! I am o$tspoken and &an #e reso$r&ef$l when new &hallenges arise! I do not like loss of se&$rit'* #eing wrong or the $nknown! I need personal proof and e%ternal validation! I get #ored #' doing the same things over and over again and am prone to move from one interest into another! I love to amass information to reg$rgitate later and get angr' with m'self if I &an4t remem#er some o#s&$re fa&t I read last month! I en0o' talking to other people who are e%perts in areas I am not and wo$ld like to think that I &an talk to an'one* even people I don4t appear to have an'thing in &ommon with! 3' s&hed$le keeps me ver' #$s' and there are times that I need to p$t m'self in time-o$t so that I &an re&harge!

I love to read #e&a$se of the knowledge it #rings me! 5$ant$m ph'si&s is not m' favo$rite s$#0e&t! (sorr'* 3argaret6) I am a&$tel' aware of others4 moods and insightf$l with others4 tho$ghts and feelings! I let m' &ons&ien&e g$ide me and am ver' $n&omforta#le if m' integrit' is in 7$estion! I tend to #e ver' hard on m'self if I fall short of the high standards I have set! I e%pe&t others to tr' as hard as I do!

I might #e seen as #eing opinionated* domineering* st$##orn* &ontrolling or &old! 3' tenden&' for straightforwardness ma' not #e re&eived well #' someone who needs gentle pers$asion or pleasantries #efore getting down to #$siness! I have #een a&&$sed of #eing deta&hed* arrogant* and a perfe&tionist* all of whi&h* I find h$rtf$l #$t worth &onsidering!

A&&ording to the Strengths inder 2!"* I wo$ld do well to partner with someone whose strengths are 8is&ipline and9or o&$s: to keep me on tra&k and to prevent m' #eing overloaded! I wo$ld also do well to partner with someone whose /heme is :ommand .

and9or A&tivator: to help me take a&tion even tho$gh others4 feelings ma' s$ffer! A person whose /heme is strongl' ;mpath' wo$ld help me to &ompare notes to make &ertain that m' worldview is a&&$rate!

Part 2: 3' strengths related to leadership /hro$gho$t the ,rientation to Leadership 'ear* o$r &lass was given a plethora of tests and assessments designed to reveal o$r strengths whi&h led to an e%ploration of who we are or &o$ld #e as leaders as well as how we &o$ld $se per&eived areas of weakness to &olla#orate with others whose strengths were not o$r own! <ere is a list of the tests and assessments and the res$lts as the' pertain to who I am! Gardners Multiple Intelligences /his test &onsists of m$ltiple statements that the reader is asked to rate from ) (3ostl' 8isagree) to . (3ostl' Agree)! =es$lts reveal personal potential and preferen&es! /he three highest s&ores are &onsidered for the res$lts! 3ine were: -. Intrapersonal >reportedl' ver' self-aware* $nderstand self as well as others -) Ling$isti& >en0o' words and lang$age: written and spoken 2? Spatial-@is$al9Interpersonal >en0o' and $nderstand images and meanings and spa&e9effe&t! (not too s$re I agree with this1) Strengths Finder A #ook with an online 7$estionnaire designed to give the reader an awareness of their top five strengths* a g$ide to the appli&ation of the strengths and e%amples of what the a&hievement of ea&h of the five strengths might look like! Inp$t: love to know more* and ar&hive an' and all sorts on information Learner: &onstant desire to learn more and to improve A

Intelle&tion: Bappre&iate intelle&t$al dis&$ssionC and am &onstantl' m$lling over new wa's to solve pro#lems! ;mpath': a#ilit' to sense other people4s emotional states! =esponsi#ilit': feel o#liged to do what I sa' I am going to do and strongl' adhere to moral prin&iples Myers-Briggs ;%traversion >slight p$ll toward ;%traversion rather than Introversion as prefer the e%ternal world and a&tion Int$ition >slight p$ll toward Int$ition vers$s Information and &onstantl' look for patterns and possi#ilities /hinking >moderate p$ll toward /hinking vers$s eeling and rel' on logi& and rational Per&eption >slight p$ll toward per&eption vers$s Implementation and prefer to take advantage of opport$nities and prefer to #e spontaneo$s Gregorc :on&rete-Se7$ential >m' interpretation: there is one wa' and onl' one wa' of doing something and an' other wa' is in&orre&t $ntil I have reviewed it and proven that it might #e &orre&t! Lists are e%&iting and ne&essar'! All the time! ;ver'thing has its pla&e and m$st #e pla&ed in order! /here is no room for &haos!

Putting them all together: /here were man' $nderl'ing themes from test to test and these in&l$ded m' tenden&' to #e introspe&tive and introverted >I know I need 7$iet time to think a#o$t dail' events and re&onne&t with self #efore I &an get immersed within a pro0e&t or a relationship and not #e &ompletel' e%ha$sted at the end! I am also empatheti& and (ironi&all') e%traverted and like to talk and learn a#o$t others! I am alwa's anal'Ding self m' environment and m' E

intera&tions with others and &an sometimes #e too intense! I am preo&&$pied with learning new things and sharing what has #een learned! I love lang$age* reading in parti&$lar* and wo$ld like nothing #etter than to spend most of m' time t$&ked awa' in a &omforta#le &orner at home* reading a#o$t the s$#0e&ts that interest m' the most! inall'* I have learned that apparentl' I pa&k s$it&ases in a Spatial-@is$al* :on&rete-Se7$ential* m'-wa'-or-the-highwa' sort of wa'!

I am #eginning to see m'self as someone who is a#le to lead others in to &hange! 3' strengths lean nat$rall' toward wanting to e%plore &hange >developing programs and inventing new* more effi&ient wa's of doing things and who #etter to fa&ilitate &hange than someone who wel&omes it* is enth$siasti& to share it with others and who &an imagine new wa's of &hanging!

8rawing from the &omments that friends* famil' and &o-workers have made in regards to leadership strengths* I appear to have the self motivation* determination and desire to learn how to make e%isting poli&ies and9or pro&ed$res #etter or invent new poli&ies and9 or pro&ed$res >to set a new dire&tion!

Part :: 3' Lega&' April )"* 2")2 Like it or not* m' lega&' is going to #e shaped #' a &ompilation of who has infl$en&ed me and what e%perien&es I have lived thro$gh over the 'ears!

:hildhood as a 2ridge to Lega&': I was ver' sh' and had a lot of an%iet'* parti&$larl' when it &ame to so&ial sit$ations! 3' F

father* re&ogniDing this wo$ld firml' dire&t me toward vario$s advent$res whether I wanted to go on them or not!

2eing ahead of his time* m' father took the role of heli&opter parenting ver' serio$sl' and was &onstantl' on the phone* &ommandeering favo$rs from his ever-widening network of friends! Looking #a&k* I sheepishl' am gratef$l that m' father made me do what I la&ked the g$ts to e%plore on m' own and I find m'self $sing some of his strategies when working with st$dents and m' own &hildren!

3' earl' and mid teenage 'ears were not m' #est work: I was angr' a good portion of the time for vario$s reasons and m' attit$de #e&ame so poor that I was event$all' shipped off to #oarding s&hool!

I wo$ld have also #een shipped off to the &ollege of m' parents4 &hoi&e to p$rs$e the &areer of their &hoosing had I not event$all' learned to provide them with an e%pansive narrative on wh' I &o$ld make m' own de&isions! /h$s* I arrived at $niversit'* after two ver' foolish 'ears of &ollege* to finall' #egin the rest of m' life!

;d$&ation as a 2ridge to Lega&': I failed m' driver4s test not on&e* #$t twi&e! /his is s$&h a small thing now #$t it was the first time I had ever tr$l' failed at something and it was devastating!

I onl' mention this here* #e&a$se of how the ad$lts in m' life rea&ted to the sit$ation! /hose aro$nd me set the tone for how I wo$ld handle f$t$re fail$res! I looked to them as a refle&tion of how I saw m'self! I have told this stor' man' times with freel' G

em#ellished details to the &ollege st$dents that I mentor in the hopes of providing them with some sort of &omfort!

I now have two degrees* two 0o#s and two kids! 3' hope for m' lega&' is not to do things in twos* #$t rather to not limit oneself to a single vent$re! I want others to see that I have lead #' e%ample #' #eing open to e%ploring new paths and never #eing satisfied with what 'esterda' had to offer! I wo$ld like m' &hildren and m' st$dents to remem#er that life is f$ll of s$rprise twists and t$rns and that while there is &omfort in doing the same thing for a lifetime* there is opport$nit' and wisdom that &omes with wandering down the road less traveled!

:areer as a 2ridge to Lega&': I #egan m' &areer m$&king aro$nd in the safet' of a medi&al &lini& that was d$m# eno$gh to hire me! Looking #a&k over those earl' 'ears* I am em#arrassed and mortified at the things I got awa' with! I was a little too &o&k' and a little to naHve! When m' h$s#and was invited to take part in a pro0e&t in :alifornia* I 0$mped at the &han&e to e%plore a new pla&e and talked him in to moving &lear a&ross the &o$ntr'* awa' from that medi&al &lini&* whi&h I had #e&ome #ored with! I am s$re the' were not terri#l' sad to see me go1

+pon arriving in :alifornia* I remem#er thinking that I wo$ld have no tro$#le finding a new 0o# and somehow got a &op' of the 'ellow pages in the area* whi&h someone had ripped o$t of the phone #ook! I &alled ever' A$diologist and :lini& and <ospital in the area! /he onl' person to ret$rn m' phone &all t$rned o$t to #e the onl' person that wo$ld hire me! <e also t$rned o$t to #e one of the most infl$ential people in helping me ?

develop m' philosoph' on serving others! <e provided me with a fresh perspe&tive on living life that has taken me 'ears to f$ll' $nderstand! <is da' to da' is the st$ff we read a#o$t and are inspired #' in leadership #ooks!

Ietting older has #ro$ght some manner of wisdom* whi&h I now get to freel' impart on hapless st$dents who refreshingl' don4t know an' #etter! I do take mentoring them ver' serio$sl' and altho$gh I feel that at times I have too man' fingers in too man' pots and &annot f$ll' share m' profo$nd intelligen&e* I &an at least provide them with a model of what J,/ to do! ;a&h 'ear a s$rve' is given o$t to the st$dents I am working with and ea&h 'ear I get feed#a&k on how I am doing as a leader! It is h$m#ling to read the &omments that st$dents write and I learn from ever'thing the' sa' whether good or #ad!

A final note on lega&'1 /hese da's m' father often tells me how glad he is that I have t$rned o$t the wa' I have! In a world where there is so m$&h press$re to s$&&eed* to look a &ertain wa' and to a&t a &ertain wa'* I wo$ld like to #e remem#ered for &hoosing m' own pathK #' #$ilding #ridges as I goK #' making mistakes and learning from them as well as &ele#rating successes and learning from them! If I have infl$en&ed an' one person is a positive wa'* then I will &onsider m' lega&' to have #een &omplete!

Part 8: :on&l$sion: So* Jow What? I4m s$re m' assessment of m'self as a leader will &hange over time* ma'#e even #' the end of this 'ear! I am fine with this! I wel&ome it6

=egardless of where I will find m'self in the ne%t few 'ears* I know that I will work #est )"

in an environment where e%ploring new opport$nities is readil' availa#le! I also know that I will need to s$rro$nd m'self with individ$als who are wiser and steadier than I am: people who &an take over pro0e&ts so that I &an move on to e%ploring other opport$nities and people who &an en&o$rage me to sti&k with one pro0e&t 0$st a #it longer to make it even #etter!

And so* I have learned that these are m' strengths: I en0o' e%ploring new aven$es and learning new informationK I am not afraid of &hange and am willing to tea&h others a#o$t &hange! In the f$t$re* I will look for opport$nities to tea&h others a#o$t the &hanges that are happening in m' profession! I will help develop new programs #e&a$se of these &hanges!

/he short answer to BSo* now what?C is: I don4t know6 Still too man' 7$estions left $nanswered and too man' aven$es to e%plore!

))

Thoughts on Leadership

)2

My Voice
What I #elieve! <ave 'o$ ever heard of the JP= series B/his I #elieveC? /here are some ver' inspiring messages and while there are man' opinions a#o$t leadership* this I #elieve: leadership is a#o$t teamwork!

I grew $p listening to all different t'pes of m$si& #$t dis&overed 2eethoven4s Fth s'mphon' in m' parents4 re&ord &a#inet! I $sed to t$rn the vol$me wa' $p and sit in front of the speakers! If I had #een pla'ing rap or ro&k* m' parents wo$ld have #een $pset #$t how &an 'o$ tell a thirteen-'ear-old to t$rn down the &lassi&al m$si&? Learning to pla' an' instr$ment is &hallenging* I am s$re some of it &omes nat$rall' #$t pra&ti&e is also important! While pla'ing solo is a &hallenge* pla'ing with other instr$ments and $nder the g$idan&e of a &ond$&tor is demanding!

Like =oger Jieren#erg* I wo$ld like to $se the or&hestra to ill$strate m' definition of leadership! What if 'o$ were to ta&kle the Fth S'mphon' #' 'o$rself! :o$ld 'o$ do it? What if the or&hestra was made $p of G* )"* 2"* A" violins? Imagine how this wo$ld so$nd! Jow there are &ertainl' #ea$tif$l pie&es of m$si& meant onl' for violins* #$t imagine an or&hestra of only violins! Imagine the &ond$&tor standing $p on his podi$m leading this gro$p of violins! <e is madl' involved in the moment* wildl' moving a#o$t* sweat dripping off his fa&e! 2$t there are onl' violins!

Wo$ld we the a$dien&e want more?

)-

/here wo$ld not #e the depth* the f$llness of so$nd that different instr$ments pla'ing together wo$ld #ring! /he fl$tes are needed* the &larinets are needed and 'es* as small as it is* even the triangle is needed! ;a&h provides &olo$r that the violins &annot provide #' themselves!

It is the same wa' with leadership! Leadership is a#o$t inspiring and motivating mem#ers of a team! Jot all the mem#ers &an #e the same! ;a&h team mem#er m$st #ring a $ni7$e perspe&tive to the gro$p* 0$st as ea&h instr$ment #rings a $ni7$e so$nd to the or&hestra! L$st as to $nderstand how to prod$&e a #ea$tif$l pie&e of m$si&* the &ond$&tor does not need to know how to pla' ea&h instr$mentK the leader of a team does not have to #e masterf$l at pla'ing all the roles within the team! A well-led or&hestra will prod$&e #ea$tif$l m$si&! A well-led team will prod$&e meaningf$l and s$&&essf$l work!

/his I #elieve!

=eferen&es thisi#elieve!org
Nierenberg, Roger. 2009. Maestro: A surprising story about leading by listening (Penguin)

).

The Bridge
past* present and f$t$re

)A

Building Bridges to Leadership Success

moving from what is now to what must be in the future. Introd$&tion: 2efore reading ahead* please allow me to e%plain the wa' I have organiDed m' pro0e&ts and m' &ompeten&ies! I have $sed a #ridge as an appropriate ill$stration for m' 0o$rne' thro$gh the do&toral program! At first I to'ed with the idea of $sing m$ltiple #ridges #$t have &on&l$ded that wo$ld #e &onf$sing and too repetitive! /he #ridge that now gra&es the &over of this A&ademi& Plan is patterned after the ,res$nd #ridge whi&h links Sweden and 8enmark! /he ,res$nd is )"!) miles in length and feat$res fo$r lanes of traffi& and 2 train tra&ks whi&h reportedl' move more than E" """ people dail'!

3' #ridge des&ri#es the road that I plan to take to get from where I am now to where I wo$ld like to #e in five to seven 'ears! ;a&h pro0e&t represents a post that holds $p the #ridge! ;ngineers do not t'pi&all' #$ild #ridges all at on&e! It is the same with this #ridge! ;a&h post represents pro0e&ts past* present and f$t$re! Along the wa'* pi&t$re the &ompeten&ies as represented #' the single &a#le that adds reinfor&ement to the #ridge! While I realiDe that some of the pro0e&ts that I wo$ld like to work on ma' not materialiDe* I have left spa&e for others that ma' develop! <ere are the posts as I know them now!

Post ! The "earing #onser$ation Progra% 2eing involved with this program was a total s$rprise to me! It #egan first with the <earing :onservation Program whi&h was taken over #' Spe&ial Servi&es after the &ontra&t agen&' working with the 8istri&t &o$ld no longer provide the servi&e! I am pro$d of this program #e&a$se it allows me to $se the A$diolog' part of m' professional life and #e&a$se even tho$gh I was relativel' new to the 8istri&t* the 8ire&tor of Spe&ial )E

Servi&es asked me to organiDe it and then left me alone to develop it! We are in o$r fo$rth 'ear* looking at o$r fifth 'ear! What makes this program $ni7$e is the &olla#oration that o&&$rs #etween Loma Linda +niversit'* =edlands +nified S&hool 8istri&t and the +niversit' of =edlands! In ret$rn for &lini&al &lo&k ho$rs towards their degree in spee&h and lang$age patholog'* the st$dents help #' providing Bman-powerC! So far* we have presented a poster session d$ring the Ameri&an Spee&h* Lang$age and <earing Asso&iation4s &onferen&e in Philadelphia and hope to develop the poster session into a &onferen&e session! /he program4s #asi& skeleton is a solid one #$t I wo$ld like to develop it f$rther thro$gho$t the ne%t several 'ears! or e%ample* there are times when we seem to r$n low

on +niversit' st$dents- either #e&a$se it is the end of the 'ear or #e&a$se the' have met all of their &lini&al re7$irements! I wo$ld like to e%plore different options to ens$re that we alwa's have the help we need thro$gho$t the s&hool 'ear! I wo$ld also like to ens$re that the +niversit' st$dents are a#le to get the #est e%perien&e o$t of their time with $s! We s&reen grades )* 2* A* G and )" and then the st$dents who do not pass have letters with the res$lts sent to their parents and an list of st$dents goes to the s&hool offi&e manager or se&retar' as well as the site4s spee&h and lang$age pathologist! /here is often no &omm$ni&ation to the tea&hers even after the s&hool site re&eives the master list! I wo$ld like to e%plore ed$&ating the ea&h site >whi&h wo$ld &arr'over in to the other fa&ets of the <ealth Program! or the past few 'ears* we have arrived on a &amp$s* spent 2-- ho$rs s&reening 2""-."" st$dents and then left whi&h is impressive time-wise #$t not reall' &ontri#$ting to &omm$nit' awareness! I wo$ld like to look at #ringing some sort of mo#ile ed$&ational tool with $s to either the middle s&hools or the high s&hools that wo$ld ed$&ate the st$dents a#o$t &onserving their hearing and provide them with information on what an )F

a$diologist is and what we do as well has the most &ommon wa's 'o$ng people develop hearing loss!

Post 2! The &ision Screening Progra% I was asked to take over this program ver' late in the 2")"-2")) s&hool 'ear and sin&e I had s$&&essf$ll' developed the <earing :onservation Program* I felt that this wo$ld #e a &hallenge that &o$ld also #e s$&&essf$ll' developed! I spent the ne%t 'ear organiDing the program and en0o'ed the e%perien&e that working with a new gro$p of professionals #ro$ght! In the pro&ess of developing the program* I had the opport$nit' to work with Loma Linda +niversit'4s S&hool of J$rsing (#oth fa&$lt' and st$dents)K a &ontra&t n$rsing organiDationK the S&hool 8istri&t4s spe&ial servi&es dire&tor as well as s$pport staff and fa&$lt' and staff at the vario$s s&hools a&ross the 8istri&t! I was a#le to $se this program to &ontri#$te to some of m' &ompeten&ies in&l$ding Poli&' 8evelopment and Strateg' #' taking an e%isting poli&' proto&ol and f$rther developing it >the State of :alifornia gives g$idelines to s&hool distri&ts on what information to gather and when and leaves it $p to the distri&ts to f$lfill their o#ligations in the #est manner possi#le! I was also a#le to &ontri#$te to Leading :hange #' taking a g$ideline and past pra&ti&es #' making improvements to e%isting pra&ti&es and &ompletel' re#$ilding other pra&ti&es! Along the wa'* I had to work with individ$als who either did not $nderstand the &hanges that were #eing made and who did not agree with them! I fo$nd m'self &ontri#$ting to :onfli&t =esol$tion on m$ltiple o&&asions and most of the time in front of +niversit' st$dents or even elementar' s&hool st$dents! ,rganiDing all these differing gro$ps and getting them to #e in one pla&e at on&e took a lot of planning and ;ffe&tive :omm$ni&ation! I needed to &onstantl' #e in &onta&t with LL+* the &ontra&t &ompan' and the s&hool sites to make s$re that the' knew the )G

s&hed$le* &o$ld #ring the appropriate materials >whether it #e the &olo$r #lind test or the &lass lists et&!* to the testing site! +nfort$natel' towards the end of the s&hool 'ear* &ontin$ing with the &ontra&t &ompan' that we had #een $sing was no longer #est-pra&ti&e! In addition and more on a personal level* &ontin$ing with the program was in&reasingl' taking me awa' from m' d$ties as a spee&h and lang$age pathologist (SLP)! /he 8istri&t had hired an SLP assistant #$t I was finding that I still did not know m' &aseload the wa' I wanted to and felt $n&omforta#le that m' SLP assistant was left to #e responsi#le for all therap' sessions! As a res$lt* the program was handed over to a &ontra&t &ompan' in April 2")2! /he good news is that while working with so man' different individ$als* I was a#le to lo&ate a new &ontra&t gro$p that &o$ld f$lfill not onl' the vision s&reening o#ligations #$t the s&oliosis s&reening o#ligations I will dis&$ss in the ne%t se&tion! As this new &ompan' is &ompletel' self-&ontained* m' involvement is no longer needed and so I have effe&tivel' talked m'self o$t a 0o#1 I have not &ompletel' erased this pro0e&t from m' a&ademi& plan as working with the people I was fort$nate eno$gh to work with and then event$all' letting it move on to more &apa#le hands were val$a#le e%perien&es for me! /he &ompeten&ies I have dis&$ssed in this se&tion wo$ld perhaps have #een made stronger had I &ontin$ed with the program* however* I feel that #' admitting that someone else was #etter-s$ited to take over* I have made Leading :hange all the more effe&tive!

Post '! The Scoliosis Screening Progra% /he s&oliosis s&reening program wo$ld have #een a nat$ral atta&hment to the other two programs had the agen&' we were $sing had the proper &redentials! At the #eginning of the 2"))-2")2 s&hool 'ear* I en&o$raged the s&hool distri&t to hire another &ontra&t agen&' that had the ne&essar' staff re7$irements* as o$tlined #' the State of :alifornia )?

and that was f$ll' self-s$ffi&ient! As a res$lt this program is no longer a part of m' 0o# des&ription! Like the vision s&reening program* I was a#le to &ontri#$te to the development of different &ompeten&ies in&l$ding Leading :hange >#' planning to a#andon the pro0e&t in favo$r of new strategies and innovation and #' ;ffe&tive :omm$ni&ation >I had to &onvin&e the 8ire&tor of Spe&ial Servi&es that this was a m$&hneeded and &ost-effe&tive &hange! Altho$gh I am no longer involved with the s&reening* I have &ontin$ed to in&l$de it here as I feel that I learned from the e%perien&e* as #rief as it was!

2' the end of m' do&toral program* I wo$ld have liked to have developed a <ealth Program that was &ost-effe&tive* effi&ient and &$tting-edge #' &olla#orating with vario$s professionals and organiDations as well as +niversit' st$dents! I feel that I have &ontri#$ted to ea&h of these goals even tho$gh I am no longer involved in 29- of the programs! While there have #een some &hanges in that I have given the reins over to another &ompan' to perform the vision and s&oliosis portions of the health s&reenings* I wo$ld like to &ontin$e to develop the <earing :onservation Program while #ringing awareness to the &omm$nit' and presenting o$r program to other s&hool distri&ts who might #enefit from o$r model!

Post (! The )arl* +nter$ention Progra% ;arl' intervention has #een &ited man' times #' the literat$re as #eing e%tremel' important for man' different &hildhood iss$es! Arti&$lation or how a &hild sa's his9her so$nds is one of these iss$es! 8$ring the 2""?-2")" s&hool 'ear* the distri&t and the +niversit' of =edlands $sed a p$#lished st$d' to develop an earl' intervention program! /he s&hool-#ased spee&h-lang$age pathologist4s &ase load is often well a#ove the 2"

ma%im$m AA st$dents and this pilot program attempted to red$&e the n$m#er of st$dents that wo$ld #e normall' re7$ired to enter in to Spe&ial Servi&es* th$s losing val$a#le general ed$&ation &lassroom time! /he pilot program fo&$sed on st$dents in grade one with )or 2 arti&$lation errors and was started d$ring the 2""?-2")" s&hool 'ear! /he 8istri&t and the +niversit' teamed $p to provide intervention to three different s&hools and $sed a st$d' performed in San 8iego as the #asis of the program! As previo$sl' indi&ated* d$e to time &onstraints* I had to pass this pro0e&t on to another individ$al within the s&hool distri&t! I wo$ld have liked to take another look at this program and develop it f$rther over the ne%t few 'ears* fo&$sing on &olla#oration #etween the +niversit' of =edlands* =edlands +nified S&hool 8istri&t and Loma Linda +niversit'! ;ven with the short time I was involved* I was a#le to &olla#orate with the two +niversities >fa&$lt' and st$dents as well as elementar' s&hool staff! I was a#le to &ontri#$te to Poli&' 8evelopment and Strateg' #' e%ploring resear&h and developing a poli&' and program #ased on that resear&h! I was a#le to &ontri#$te to ;ffe&tive :omm$ni&ation* as I needed to #e a#le to listen and &omm$ni&ate vario$s aspe&ts of the program as well as respond to an' &on&erns ea&h of the team mem#er had! I also was a#le to &ontri#$te to Leading :hange not onl' #' fa&ilitating some of the meetings we had #$t also #' making the de&ision to plan a#andoning the program! <ad I &ontin$ed #eing involved* I wo$ld have strengthened these &ompeten&ies and others #$t again* #e&a$se of time &onstraints* passing it along to someone #etter-s$ited to its s$&&ess was important and ne&essar'! As the 2"))-2")2 s&hool 'ear draws to a &lose* the program is still in the developing stage! /he person who has taken over for me is working with the 8ire&tor of Spe&ial Servi&es and it looks as tho$gh the dire&tion will &hange signifi&antl'! It is m' hope that 2)

the program will #e s$&&essf$l and I see that having a new set of e'es to g$ide the pro&ess has #een a good thing! I hope to again #e&ome an a&tive parti&ipant in developing this program at some point in the f$t$re as the potential impa&t it might have on red$&ing the SLP4s &aseload is ver' e%&iting! P,S/ A: LAJI+AI;* SP;;:< AJ8 <;A=IJI A/ /<; <II< S:<,,L L;@;L 3idwa' thro$gh the #eginning of the 2"))-2")2 s&hool 'ear* I re7$ested a move to a s&hool with a smaller &aseload than the site that I had #een serving sin&e #eing hired at =edlands +nified S&hool 8istri&t! I also had re7$ested a Spee&h Lang$age Patholog' Assistant (SLPa) who wo$ld #e responsi#le for helping me with ens$ring that m' &aseload re&eived appropriate servi&es! /his move was an attempt to lighten m' workload so that I &o$ld then fo&$s on other pro0e&ts* whi&h in&l$ded the <earing :onservation Program* @ision S&reening and S&oliosis S&reening as well as the Arti&$lation Program! I f$ll' e%pe&ted to #e a#le to perform all these d$ties on a threeda' work s&hed$le! /his proved to #e ver' &hallenging and after m$&h tho$ght* as previo$sl' stated* I handed over the @ision and S&oliosis programs to a &ontra&t agen&' and took a step #a&k from the Arti&$lation Program! I hoped to a&7$aint m'self with delivering spee&h and lang$age servi&es at the high s&hool level! I fa&ed a new st$dent pop$lation as well as a new and ver' different fa&$lt' and staff! Perhaps I stepped in to m' new role a little naivel'! I 7$i&kl' &ame to $nderstand that I was not working the wa' the previo$s spee&h therapist had worked and was &onstantl' #eing reminded that Bwhen she was here* she did this1C! +nfort$natel'* man' of the fa&$lt' and staff have #e&ome a&&$stomed to the previo$s wa' and either &o$ld not or 22

wo$ld not em#ra&e alternatives! /his was to$gh to #e in the middle of #$t also e%&iting in that there seemed to #e man' opport$nities that dire&tl' related to the var' nat$re of leadership! In the short time that I was at this new s&hool site* I had opport$nities to pra&ti&e m' &onfli&t resol$tion skills (whi&h I will &all developing)K o#serve how leading &hange &an sometimes #e ver' to$gh and re&eived a first hand glimpse of how diverse life within the s&hool distri&t &an #e!

While still working in the 8istri&t* I was a#le to work on S'stems /hinking #' e%ploring and resolving iss$es within the Spe&ial 8a' :lasses and was a#le to develop ;ffe&tive :omm$ni&ation and :onfli&t =esol$tion while meeting with private s&hool parents and Individ$aliDed ;d$&ation Plan mem#ers to work thro$gh &onfli&t! P,S/ E: P=;3I;= ;J/ M :,S3;/I:S and P=;3I;= <;A=IJI I left the s&hool distri&t in Septem#er 2")2 for work with an ear nose and throat ph'si&ian in her private pra&ti&e! At the time* the &hange was a m$&h-needed and wel&ome alternative to working in the S&hool 8istri&t! I have known Sharen Nn$dsen Leffries* 38 for man' 'ears and worked with her at 2eaver 3edi&al Iro$p when I first moved o$t here from 3i&higan! When she first moved her private pra&ti&e to its &$rrent lo&ation* I filled in as her a$diologist $ntil she was a#le to find someone more permanent! So* fast forward to A$g$st 2")2 when her then a$diologist &alled to ask if I wo$ld temporaril' fill in for him while the' sear&hed for a repla&ement as he was leaving the pra&ti&e to move with his famil' o$t of State! It was m' idea to make it a permanent &hange* whi&h 8r! Leffries gra&io$sl' agreed to! As of this writing* I have #een there for 0$st over a 'ear! I 0$st might have a&7$ired material for ea&h of m' &ompeten&ies in this relativel' short period of time and will dis&$ss them in greater detail #elow! I do not know how long I will remain in this position as we are in the midst of tr'ing to s$rvive a finan&ial &risis! =egardless* I am &ertain that however long I sta'* there will #e m$ltiple opport$nities to &onsider the &ompeten&ies! P,S/ F: <;A= <;LP: A J,/- or P=, I/ I have alwa's wanted to develop a not-for profit and have #een given the opport$nit' to do so with Sharen Nn$dsen Leffries* 38* the ;J/ that I &$rrentl' work with! We have grad$all' laid the gro$ndwork in preparation for this #' meeting with vario$s individ$als who alread' have #een thro$gh the pro&ess of starting a J P! We have also p$t together a short presentation that we &an show to potential investors and #oard mem#ers as well as vario$s gro$ps in the area who might #e interested in donating! 8r! Leffries was a#le to se&$re a law'er and we are &$rrentl' s&hed$led to host a dinner the night of Jovem#er 2.* 2")-! I will o$tline the finer points of this J P #elow1 2-

The #hallenges o, -o$ing .or/ard /here have #een man' &hanges over the past fo$r 'ears! As I move forward with ea&h of these pro0e&ts as well as other opport$nities that present themselves* there are several &hallenges that ma' present themselves along the wa' that I feel are appropriate to dis&$ss in an A&ademi& Plan! :oordinating: I will #e working with man' different organiDations and within those organiDations* man' differing personalities! 3ost get what we are tr'ing to a&&omplish #$t some &annot or will not see things the wa' I do! /he tri&k is alwa's to make the organiDation and the people within the organiDation feel that what the' are doing to help is important to how smoothl' ea&h program r$ns and how s$&&essf$l we are at a&&omplishing o$r task!

:olla#oration: All of the pro0e&ts were developed with +niversit' st$dents in mind! I wanted to think of new and &reative wa's to get them o$t in to the &omm$nit'* to #roaden their horiDons* to &olla#orate with professionals and to give them e%perien&es that the' wo$ld not otherwise have if the' had &hosen a different s&hool to attend! Witho$t the +niversit' st$dents* o$r programs do not e%ist!

:omm$ni&ation: I have #een &riti&iDed for not keeping &omm$ni&ation $p and r$nning and am still learning what too m$&h information looks like vers$s too little!

/ime: ;a&h pro0e&t takes time! /ime to prepare* time to e%e&$te and time to wrap $p! All of these pro0e&ts need to #e e%e&$ted within m' work s&hed$le while &ontin$ing to maintain all of the other aspe&ts that make $p wh' I am emplo'ed at =edlands +nified S&hool 8istri&t! 2.

:omm$nit' Servi&e: :reating a pro0e&t is one thing! <aving it #enefit a &ompan' as well as #enefiting the &omm$nit' is 7$ite another! ,ne of the m' main iss$es over this ne%t 'ear will #e how to #ring o$r <ealth Program to the &omm$nit'! or e%ample* we

arrive at a s&hool to s&reen st$dents4 hearing! So what! All we are doing is writing letters home to parents if a st$dent doesn4t pass and keeping data to report at the end of the 'ear to the state! /he st$dents reall' haven4t learned an'thing a#o$t their e%perien&e with $s! <ow to we rea&h o$t the them to ed$&ate them and their parents a#o$t hearing loss or hearing loss prevention or what servi&es are availa#le within the &omm$nit'?

3entoring: In o$r ,rientation to Leadership 'ear* we were asked to find someone to mentor! /his is something I wo$ld like to &ontin$e doing and something that I feel &hallenged to maintain!

8ata Inp$t: /he <earing :onservation Program re7$ires data a&7$isition* inp$t and data anal'sis! /his re7$ires the proper data entr' s'stem* the personnel to enter and anal'De the data as well the time to do it!

A&&essing /eam 3em#ers: /he mem#ers I have &hosen for m' team are all &lose geographi&all' #$t meeting fa&e-to-fa&e or even talking over the phone &an #e &hallenging! I s$spe&t I am going to rel' on &ertain mem#ers more than others for feed#a&k and dire&tion and will need to e%plore the #est wa's of maintaining &onta&t!

Tea% -e%bers I have alwa's relied on others for help when I am having diffi&$lt' &oming $p with new ideas or when I need to learn new information! I have had the opport$nit' to work with 2A

&oworkers and friends whose strengths in vario$s areas amaDe me! As I #egin to p$rs$e m' do&toral program* here are some of the people I wo$ld like to &olla#orate with along the wa': Advisor 8avid S Penner* Ph8 8ire&tor* 8o&toral Leadership Program Loma Linda +niversit' S&hool of P$#li& <ealth Supervisor /o 2e 8etermined Mentors :her'l r'* 3A* :oordinator* Spe&ial Servi&es =edlands +nified S&hool 8istri&t redri&k P La&o#s* Ph8* A$diologist La&o#s :lini&al 8iagnosti&s Paige Sha$ghness'* Ph8* 8epartment of :omm$ni&ation S&ien&es and 8isorders Loma Linda +niversit' S&hool of Allied Professions :her'l S0ostrom* Ph8* Professor* :hapman +niversit' and ormer 8ire&tor* Spe&ial Servi&es =edland +nified S&hool 8istri&t Patri&k Smith* Ph8* 8ire&tor* Spe&ial Servi&es* =edlands +nified S&hool 8istri&t Peer Group 8onna I$r$le Nim 3&Whorter S$san ,n$ma 8arrell Petersen Wor !Based Learning Group +niversit' of =edlands a&$lt' from the /r$esdail :enter for :omm$ni&ative 8isorder Neith Wolgem$th* Ph8 A$diologist Lanet =a#inowitD* 3S Spee&h Lang$age Pathologist Lisa Lasalle* Ph8 Spee&h Lang$age Pathologist L$lie S&h$ler* 3S Spee&h Lang$age Pathologist

2E

)$idence o, #o%pletion /he ne%t se&tion has #een in&l$ded in ta#le format and &ondensed in to two &ol$mns for simpli&it'! /he <ealth S&reening &ol$mn refle&ts the first three of the fo$r pro0e&ts (<earing* @ision and S&oliosis) and the se&ond &ol$mn refle&ts information on the fo$rth pro0e&t* the Arti&$lation ;arl' Intervention pro0e&t! /he &ontents are e%amples and ideas of how to present eviden&e of &ompletion and are not an e%ha$stive list and so #lank rows have #een left for information to #e added later!

0rti,acts
"earing #onser$ation S$mmar' sent to ea&h s&hool site Ann$al reports to the State Poster Session Seminar and9or P$#lished Arti&le S$rve' res$lts "igh School Individ$aliDed ;d$&ation Plans Progress Jotes /wo-'ear eval$ation (:her'l r')

1no/ledge Base
"earing #onser$ation =eview of e%isting literat$re =eview of state standards 2ooks e%: Lohn 3aeda4s =edesigning Leadership :ompletion of :lasswork "igh School =eview of literat$re :ons$lting with peers and individ$als who spe&ialiDe in this area

2F

Re,lection
"earing #onser$ation Lo$rnal "igh School Lo$rnal

)$aluation
"earing #onser$ation --min$te meetings: BWhat are we doing well and what &an we do #etter?C Ann$al State of the Program meetings S$rve' given to +niversit' St$dents 3entor eed#a&k "igh School --min$te meetings Invite S&hool a&$lt'9Staff to give feed#a&k 3entor eed#a&k

Please $isit! https:99preDi!&om9se&$re9aAF#?"f.EAAFa#F).&eF?)-&AG?#"&2dE#?a)G2e9? $tmOso$r&ePshareM$tmO&ampaignPsharepreDiM$tmOmedi$mPemail

and

www!wee#l'!&om

2G

2ou ha$e to be 2ou ha$e to be 2ou ha$e to be 0nd 2ou ha$e to be

honest ,air strong /ise -unroe Lea,

2?