The Outstanding CEC Leadership Award
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is a professional association of educators dedicated to cultivating, supporting, and empowering education professionals who work with individuals with disabilities by:
- Advocating for education professionals and for individuals with disabilities, and/or gifts and talents
- Advancing professional practice and scholarly research
- Promoting diversity, equity, inclusivity, and accessibility
- Building networks, partnerships, and communities
Award Details:
The Outstanding CEC Leadership Award honors a CEC member who has provided exemplary leadership to the organization at the unit, division and/or national/international levels over an extended period. The nominee’s achievements and contributions have resulted in advancing CEC’s leadership in the field and the Council’s work to improve positive outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and/or gifts and talents.
The Outstanding CEC Leadership Award recipient must:
- be a current CEC member at the time of nomination and granting of the award;
- demonstrate CEC’s core values:
- Visionary Thinking: Demonstrated by forward-thinking and courageous decision-making dedicated to excellence and influence in an evolving environment.
- Integrity: Demonstrated by ethical, responsive behavior; transparency; and accountability.
- Inclusiveness: Demonstrated by a commitment to diversity, caring, and respect for the dignity and worth of all individuals.
- have provided exemplary leadership within CEC in various areas, including:
- governance
- unit and/or division leadership
- committee/workgroup leadership
- member engagement
- DEIA initiatives (related to practice, professional development, or membership)
- professional development/training
- policy and advocacy
- professional standards and/or accreditation
Nomination Instructions
- Nominations must be made by an individual who is currently, or has been, employed in the field of education/special education, or a CEC-affiliated organization (i.e., Unit, Local or Student Chapter, Division, or Subdivision) that has direct knowledge of the nominee’s work as described above.
- Self-nominations are not accepted.
- All nomination materials must be submitted online by 12:00 pm Eastern, September 23, 2024.
- The nomination form is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YKN8X2S
- Supporting materials can be uploaded into the online nomination form as PDF (strongly preferred), doc, docx files or video link. If you are unable to upload any documents, please email them to Sharon Rodriguez. Alternatively, responses can be typed into the online form.
- Please use file name(s) to clearly indicate reference to the nominee and award.
- (e.g., “Smith_CEC_Leadership_Award.docx” or “Smith_CEC_Leadership_Nomination.docx”).
- All materials become the property of CEC and will not be returned.
- Posthumous nominations are NOT accepted.
Required Materials
- Nominee’s Work
- List CEC leadership roles (including dates) the nominee has held at the unit, division, and/or international level. Describe the nominee’s contributions, and their impact on advancing CEC’s mission, in the following areas. Quantitative documentation should be provided where possible.
- governance
- unit and/or division leadership
- committee/workgroup leadership
- member engagement
- DEIA initiatives (related to practice, professional development, or membership)
- professional development/training
- policy and advocacy
- professional standards and/or accreditation
- Letter word limit: 1000 words
- Video time limit: 8 minutes
- List CEC leadership roles (including dates) the nominee has held at the unit, division, and/or international level. Describe the nominee’s contributions, and their impact on advancing CEC’s mission, in the following areas. Quantitative documentation should be provided where possible.
- Vita/Resume of Nominee
- Letters/Videos of Support
- Provide three letters of support (beyond the nomination) addressing the nominee’s efforts in meeting the award criteria.
- Letter word limit: 750 words
- Video time limit: 5 minutes
Selection Considerations
The CEC Honors Committee has the authority to give only one Outstanding CEC Leadership award or opt not to grant the award in any given year.
Recipient Recognition and Benefits
The award recipient(s) will be:
- provided with complimentary registration to attend the CEC 2025 Convention & Expo, March 12 – 15, 2025, in Baltimore, MD.
- recognized, and receive a commemorative plaque, at an Awards Luncheon Thursday, March 13, 2025, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm;
- given a $500 cash honorarium; and
- featured in a press release on the CEC website (https://exceptionalchildren.org)
Questions?
Please contact Sharon Rodriguez.
2023 | Mikki Garcia | View Press Release |
---|---|---|
2022 | Not awarded | |
2021 | Not awarded | |
2020 | Not awarded | |
2019 | Not awarded | |
2018 | Antonis Katsiyannis | |
2017 | Douglas Cheney | |
2016 | Lyndal M. Bullock | |
2015 | John Wills Lloyd | |
2014 | Susan K. Johnsen | |
2013 | Rosa (Amy) Milagros Santos | |
2012 | Howard S. Muscott | |
2011 | Gerald J. Reynaud | |
2010 | Margaret J. McLaughlin | |
2008 | Donna McNear | |
2007 | William K. Bogdan | |
2006 | H. William Heller | |
2004 | Philip H. Hatlen | |
2003 | Jean Hebeler | |
2001 | Gerald J. Hime | |
2000 | Beverly Johns | |
1999 | Anders Martin Berg, Jr. | |
1998 | Parthenia D. Cogdell | |
1997 | Jack R. Lamb Mary Jean Lambert |
|
1995 | Pamela K. Gillet | |
1994 | Eleanor Guetzloe William R. Littlejohn |
|
1993 | Jo Thomason | |
1992 | Frances P. Connor | |
1991 | June Peterson Robinson | |
1990 | Robert E. Abbott John W. Kidd |
|
1989 | June B. Jordan Kenneth E. Wyatt |