Granite Falls School Board member Siobhan Sullivan has become the first school director in the state of Washington to earn a prestigious Boardsmanship Mastery Award from the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

Sullivan was presented the award this past week during WSSDA's annual conference in Seattle.

The Mastery Award is the culmination of WSSDA’s Life Cycle Training, a comprehensive board development program that transitions board members from basic skills to advanced expertise in school board governance. The program was inaugurated in 2003.

To earn the mastery award, board members must attend workshops and participate in training on a variety of topics related to the roles and responsibilities of school board service. The final level of the program requires participants to complete a series of online courses offered by WSSDA and Seattle Pacific University. The intensive courses cover topics such as board-superintendent relations, community engagement, and data-driven decision making.

Participants must also complete courses in a curriculum known as the Key Work of School Boards. The curriculum focuses on the school board’s role in promoting student achievement through eight key elements: vision, standards, assessment, accountability, alignment, climate, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Sullivan has been a member of the Granite Falls School Board since November of 2001, and has served as board president and legislative representative. She is a member of the Granite Falls Community Coalition, the North County Health and Safety Network, the Granite Falls Citizen’s Committee, the High School Design Committee and the local 4-H group. She has been a classroom volunteer in the district for the past ten years, and is a mentor at Monte Cristo Elementary School.

Sullivan holds a degree in biology with a masters degree in environmental science, is a wildlife artist and local business owner. She is married with one middle school student and one high school student in Granite Falls schools.