The 2020-21 Co-Administration Committee, led by Chair Julio Omier, met this year to develop and support leadership in this unique administrative role.

“My goal of ACSA Co-Administration Committee chair is to build a system of trust by building positive relationships with each member of my team,” Omier said. “I value them as people and we all contribute for the greater good of the organization. In my opinion, trust starts with the people you lead. If you have integrity and people know what you stand for and believe in, trust increases collectively. Collectively, we are stronger than one individual.”

At the beginning of the year, Omier used a Google questionnaire to solicit input from each committee member about priority topics for 2020-21.

“I purposely ask them: ‘I need your input. I need to make sure your voice is being heard,’” he said.

The data results from the questionnaire focused on two major themes: mental wellness and career next steps. The committee welcomed two guest speakers to support these topics: Jesse Fuller of Thriving University spoke Nov. 4, 2020 on social-emotional intellegence; and David Olney, superintendent, Hesperia USD, spoke April 22, 2021 on advancing to the next career level.

The committee also participated in a book study of “Leadership and Self-Deception” by The Arbinger Institute, utilizing the Padlet platform to discuss key themes.

“It takes a team to move any organization forward — you have to listen to all different lenses, it’s not always one direction to get to the end point,” Omier said. “The book taught us in order to move forward you have to be a good listener and listen to all perspectives.”

The Co-Admin. Committee met “officially” on four separate dates. But they also established a support group that met the first Wednesday of each month to share best practices and support each other — especially through the COVID pandemic. The committee also supported the new ACSA Co-Administrators’ Academy, which debuted in the 2020-21 year.

For the second year in a row, the committee published a virtual newsletter, “Reflections” (www.smore.com/fs95v). A subcommittee of members divided the work of writing, design and editing, each member adding their own individuality to make the final product better than any one person could produce alone.

“When you put something on paper with a plan of action and the people take ownership of their pieces, it becomes something everyone gets excited about,” Omier said. “It wasn’t me doing it — it was us doing it.”