There are several firsts for the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) annual conference this year, starting with the call for presenters. A record 165 presentation proposals were submitted to fill approximately 70 time slots for breakout sessions. “It’s exciting to see so much interest in presenting,” said Dr. Heather Curl, WSSDA’s director of leadership development. “Our board-superintendent teams will have a rich selection of sessions to choose from.”
And that selection process begins in just a few days. School directors will receive a survey via email in which they can indicate which presentations they’re most interested in. That data, and work by the WSSDA Annual Conference Committee and staff, will pare down the submissions to match available time slots.
Another first for the WSSDA Annual Conference is that all attendees will be housed in one hotel, which is the venue for the event. Attendees can stay warm inside and enjoy a bit more time for networking.
The other conference first is the keynote address on day two of the event. Each year, WSSDA invites the Washington Teacher of the Year to speak at a general session. This year’s teacher, Kim Broomer, requested to present with her principal, Cathi Davis, who was awarded Elementary Principal of the Year by the Association of Washington School Principals. (See the announcement video.) Kim and Cathi hail from Ruby Bridges Elementary School in the Northshore School District, where Kim is a kindergarten teacher. (Peek inside Kim’s classroom with this video of her by the Washington Education Association.)
Rounding out the featured speakers list is pre-conference presenter Phil Boyte, founder of Living for Learning, and general session keynoter Dr. Mary Hemphill, CEO & Founder of The Limitless Leader LLC. Read more about all the speakers on the conference keynotes page.
Registration for the 2025 WSSDA Annual Conference opens today.