2022 Candidates
The nominating committee shall nominate one candidate for each office to be filled at the next convention. Diversity, PTA knowledge, commitment, and professional expertise shall be guiding principles when making nominations and appointments. The committee shall send the report of the nominations to the state PTA office to be forwarded to each member of the board of directors, and to each council and local PTA president, at least thirty (30) days before Massachusetts PTA Annual Convention. The committee shall report to the convention at the first general session, at which time additional nominations may be made from the floor provided the consent of the nominee has been secured in writing.”
The 2022 Massachusetts PTA Nominating Committee is proud to announce the 2022 Slate of Candidates. Candidates are selected based on their competencies as demonstrated in their Letter of Interest application and interviews.
President-elect – Kathresha Cureton
Kathresha Cureton currently serves on the Massachusetts PTA Board of Directors, and as a member of the Health, Safety and Wellness Committee. Kathresha draws from experience with more than 15 years in Health and Human Services, and earlier in her career, management, public affairs and outreach. She studied Psychology from the School of Social Behavioral Sciences at Mercy College and Art and Design from the School of Design at Pratt Institute. Active in the community, she served at the local level as a member on both Elementary and Middle School Councils; as the Middle/High School Vice President, PTA and Reflections Chair. She is a PTA Art Coordinator for the Hopkinton Elementary Schools, has volunteered in several other committees and civic leadership positions at every level.
With over 8 years of leadership experience she has also been involved in working as a liaison with support for parents and students including school programs, education and advocating for children. She continues to advance her training by attending conferences, seminars and workshops on both health and educational topics; including her passion for the arts.
Her children attend Hopkinton School District. We are very pleased to have her join our Leadership Team at Massachusetts PTA. “Life is never so busy that there is no time to help others.”
Vice President of Leadership – Christine Blinn
Christine serves as an Advisory Comittee member and is the current President for Old Sturbridge Academy PTSA. She previously served as Vice President, and was a founding board member of OSA PTSA.
Christine is a proud wife and mother to 3 children who are the reason she became so active in the PTSA and the Advisory Committee at their school. While serving on the PTSA Christine has worked hard on increasing membership and growing her local unit each year. When stepping into the role of President she dived into the trainings and webinars offered by the Massachusetts PTA to learn as much as she could about the true mission and values of the PTA, and bring those back to her local unit. She has played a role in increasing knowledge on the true mission of the PTA in her local unit and has also been working on getting a DEIA comittee started.
Personally she has a passion for advocacy and is very excited to begin working with the Massachusetts PTA.
Secretary – Christopher Gusman
Christopher Gusmán has over 25 years of experience in education. In addition to classroom teaching, his experience includes administration of regular, special, and alternative education. His undergraduate studies focused on mathematics and education. He received his Master’s Degree from the University of Texas in the field of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and doctoral studies focus on special education and equity. As an educator, he served as a National Science Foundation Mentor Teacher, Massachusetts Teacher Association Board member, and is actively involved in equity leadership programs. His use of technology integration and communication, in and out of the classroom, provided students the ability to have equitable footing and an inclusive classroom where academic and social emotional learning occurred.
Treasurer – Open, taking nominations from the floor at Annual Meeting on April 9, 2022 at the John Carver Inn in Plymouth, MA.
2022 Annual Meeting and Convention – Sponsors
Sponsors – 2022 MA PTA Convention
Dear Prospective Sponsors,
It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 112th Annual Massachusetts PTA Convention. No matter who you are, a member, friend, sponsor, supporter or volunteer, you are guaranteed to find this event, and its topics so enlightening that you will want to not only get involved with, but most importantly, will want to share with others!
The Massachusetts Parent Teacher Association (Mass PTA) is truly excited about inviting you to partner with us on this event that will be held virtually from April 4th through 7th, 2022 and in-person or virtually April 9th, 2022. You can register to attend the convention here.
Massachusetts PTA represents hundreds of PTA Local units and members across this Commonwealth. We are dedicated to promoting effective health education programs and services in schools, families and communities in order to offer children, youth and families the skills, tools and abilities they need to make healthy choices.
We are welcoming you, your organization and/or your business to Sponsor this conference. This is a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate your encouragement and efforts to support the health and well-being of our children, families and communities not only in Massachusetts but also across the greater New England States.
Your sponsorship of our 112th Massachusetts PTA Convention, will provide the critical funding needed to sustain our advocacy efforts and programs which will help us continue to promote effective health education programs and services in schools, families and communities in order to offer children, youth and families the skills, tools and abilities they need to make healthy choices. Enclosed please find more information about Massachusetts PTA and our multiple Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertising opportunities that we have available. Please feel free to contact us convention@masspta.org if you have any further questions. We look forward to continuing or developing a partnership with your organization and welcoming you into the Massachusetts PTA family!
Read more about MA PTA Spring Sponsorship 2022 here
Sincerely,
Madison Estes- MA PTA President
Karen DeRoche- MA PTA President-Elect and Convention Chair
CURRENT CONVENTION SPONSORS
2022 Annual Meeting and Convention – Speakers
Virtual Events Run from Monday, April 4th to Thursday, April 7th
In-person or Virtual Session Saturday, April 9th
Check Out Our Speakers for the 2022 Convention
Speakers are listed alphabetically by last name
Shaton Berry, National PTA’s Healthy Minds Ambassador.
Presenting on Thursday, April 7, 2022 Session 3; Be Mental Health Champions in Your Community: How to Run PTA Healthy Minds Programming
Shaton Berry currently serves as a member on the National PTA board of directors, and as a member of the National PTA leadership committee. She has been a PTA volunteer for over 16 years, most notably serving as chair for the National PTA Nominating and Leadership Recruitment Committee from 2017-2018, and serving as president of Michigan PTA from 2011-2013. Berry is also a certified Training Capacity Building Initiative (TCBI) and grassroots advocacy trainer through National PTA.
Berry truly believes in the mission and purposes of PTA and wants to ensure its place as a world class association for families. Her passion stems from her personal experience with unique family structures. She does not have any biological children; she raised her two younger brothers, Anthony and Deontae.
Professionally, Berry has worked for the Federal government as a public servant for over 19 years. She also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Purposeful YOUth Detroit, a non-profit organization that focuses on the empowerment and mentoring of girls ages six to 18.
Thank you to National PTA for sponsoring this virtual event!
Christopher Gusman, Interventionist, Fall River Public Schools
Presenting on Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Session 2; Special Educations Programs
Experienced Solutions Director with a demonstrated history of working in special education administration and technology. Skilled in Special & Alternative Education, Equity in Educational settings, Nonprofit Organizations, English as a Second Language (ESL), Trauma Therapy, Classroom Management, and Program Evaluation.
Yvonne Johnson, Nation PTA President Elect
Keynote Speaker on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at Annual Meeting
Yvonne Johnson is the President-Elect of the National PTA. As the President-Elect, Yvonne serves to
support the work of PTA. Yvonne currently serves as the chair of The National PTA NCAAC. Yvonne is a member of the National PTA Finance Committee and a member of the National PTA Governance Policy Committee. Yvonne has previously served as the Vice President of Advocacy for National PTA (2019-21) and chair of the National PTA Legislation Committee(2019-21). Yvonne also served on the Government Policy Task Force and the special working group of the Strategic Planning Committee during the 2019-21 term. Additionally, she has served as a local, region and state leader in her state of Delaware including State President(2011-13), National PTA Board of Directors (2015-17), National PTA Resolutions Committees(2015-19). and National PTA Field Service Committee(2013-15).
Yvonne’s personal motto is, “Never underestimate the power of a parent’s voice!” She has been involved in PTA for nearly 30 years, serving Delaware PTA at the local, region and state level in many capacities. She has worked closely with elected officials and decision-makers for years, making a difference in the lives of all children. Advocacy is her passion.
During Johnson’s term as NPTA VP of Advocacy she was the directing arm of all advocacy issues and served as the voice for families around education issues. Johnson and her Legislation Committee hosted NPTA’s first ever virtual legislative conference and led the effort to form the Public Policy Platform for the 117th Congress. She has successfully assisted in passing many education bills in the state of Delaware and was proud to have received the National PTA 2014 Shirley Igo Award recipient for leading a grassroots advocacy campaign around inclusive classrooms in a local school district. She continues to work with local, state, and federal officials on behalf of all children. Yvonne is committed to the vision and mission of PTA and will serve to move PTA forward. Yvonne is committed to being intentional with PTAs efforts to be more inclusive, diverse, and equitable. Yvonne will be the President of NPTA in June 2023.
Yvonne is the recipient of many recognitions for her work with the Delaware General Assembly including resolutions and proclamations presented to her by the Governor and Lt Governor as well as the Senate and House of Representatives of Delaware for her advocacy work around education issues.
Professionally, Johnson is an independent consultant, working with local school districts on school board reform, family engagement, education funding, grant writing, and community outreach. She is married to John and has three children, Ross(Stephanie), Jessica, and Derrick(Melody), and a grandson, Crew.
Elizabeth O’Neil, Minding Your Mind Stories Over Stigma Speaker
Presenting on Monday, April 4, 2022 Session 1; Minding Your Mind
“I have a purpose, and it is not to be the smallest version of myself.” Today, that is one of Elizabeth’s favorite mantras. But this quote, from eating disorder survivor and self-acceptance advocate Simi Botic, didn’t always resonate with her.
Elizabeth always knew that she had a purpose. But from a very early age, she thought that purpose was to be perfect. In a house filled with chaos and chronic illness, Elizabeth felt she needed to appear happy, healthy, and high-achieving. But underneath, she was in pain. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin, terrified of disappointing the people around her, and ashamed of her inability to reach perfection and, thus, fulfill her purpose. This conviction that perfection was her purpose drove Elizabeth to seek control amidst the chaos of her surroundings through list-making, perseverating, self-harm, excessive exercise, and disordered eating. Eventually, it was too much and she attempted suicide to get away from her pain.
With the support of her loving parents, several hospitalizations, medication, and regular therapy, Elizabeth began to embrace mental health recovery, working toward balancing control with chaos and incorporating grounding techniques, yoga, and other skills she brought into her daily life.
When she got to college, Elizabeth experienced a traumatic assault that put her recovery on hold. This time, instead of trying to control the chaos she found herself experiencing once again, Elizabeth gave in to it. She began drinking heavily, and soon found her life governed by alcohol and substances, risky behaviors, and overwhelming depression. When Elizabeth woke up one early morning in handcuffs after an arrest she didn’t remember, she realized that if there was ever a time to give herself fully to recovery, this was it.
She started by abandoning the idea that her purpose was perfection. She started to live more in the “gray” of life instead of racing to occupy either the perfection or the chaos. She began to truly synthesize things she’d learned, and to put them into meaningful practice into her life. Most importantly, she committed to choosing recovery every day, because she knows now that she has a purpose, and that the things she was engaging in before – self-harm, disordered eating and excessive exercise, suicidal thoughts, substance use – were making her a smaller version of herself.
Today, Elizabeth thinks her purpose is to share her experience with others to help them recognize that they are not alone, that hope and healing are worth more than perfection, and that they, too, have an important purpose in this world.
Elizabeth is a speaker for Minding Your Mind’s Changing Minds: Stories Over Stigma program. She shares her experience with students, parents and caregivers, school personnel, and the community.
Please check back or contact convention@masspta.org for more information about scheduled events.
2022 Annual Meeting and Convention – Sessions
Virtual Events Run from Monday, April 4th to Thursday, April 7th
In-person or Virtual Session Saturday, April 9th
Join us for “I Will Change the World By…”
Whether you are looking for ways to diversify your PTA’s leadership, increase interest in local PTA events, find no-hassle fundraising ideas or increase and diversify your membership and volunteer leaders, the 2022 MA PTA Convention has opportunities for you to discover it all.
You will come to Convention knowing what you do at your school and PTA. But you will leave Convention thinking about the possibilities for your school and PTA, as well as your own leadership abilities.
Workshops will deliver proven ways to:
- Communicate effectively with all stakeholders
- Engage and empower parents to support student success and overall well-being
- Advocate for the needs of every child in your school, community or state
- Develop partnerships that support growth and mission implementation
Check out Sessions for the 2022 Convention
Monday, April 4, 2022 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Session 1 Minding Your Mind
Presented by: Elizabeth O’Neil- Licensed Social Worker and Acclaimed Speaker
We’re happy to welcome Minding Your Mind’s Stories Over Stigma Speaker, Elizabeth O’Neill. Elizabeth is a licensed clinical social worker and an acclaimed speaker. She speaks all over the country sharing her mental health story of resilience while carrying a message of hope to students, teachers, parents and caregivers.
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Session 2 Special Education Program
Presented by: Christopher Gusman- Interventionist, Fall River Public Schools
This session is designed to help parents navigate their roles and responsibilities in the face of an increasingly complex educational world. Providing better insight into children and various academic or behavioral challenges with the purpose of promoting student well-being, academic success and parental support.
Thursday, April 7, 2022 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Session 3 Be Mental Health Champions in Your Community: How to Run PTA Healthy Minds Programming
Presented by Shaton Berry- National PTA’s Healthy Minds Ambassador
Come learn about National PTA’s new PTA Healthy Minds programming. Your PTA is perfectly positioned to help families and communities make mental health a priority! You will learn about the program materials National PTA has to help your PTA understand the needs of families and share relevant resources with them, communicate with school administration, and facilitate PTA Healthy Minds sessions with families.
To View the Recording of this session Click Here
Saturday, April 9, 2022 ANNUAL MEETING DAY!
To View the Recording of this session Click Here
Registration 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Registration10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration
- Reflections Awards Recognition
- Local Unit Awards
- Committee Reports
- Elections (Slated Candidates)
- Installation of Officers
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Lunch with Keynote Speaker
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Networking/Round Tables
Please check back or contact convention@masspta.org for more information about scheduled events.