In-person or Virtual Session Saturday, April 1^st

Check Out Our Speakers for the 2023 Convention

Speakers are listed alphabetically by last name

Representative Katherine Clark, Massachusetts Congresswoman

Since 2013, Katherine Clark has proudly represented Massachusetts’ vibrant Fifth District, which stretches from the coastal communities of Revere and Winthrop through the northern Boston suburbs to the thriving towns of MetroWest.

In the fall of 2022, Clark was elected by her colleagues to serve as Democratic Whip – the second most senior position in the House Democratic Caucus. She previously served as Assistant Speaker of the House, as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

One of only two women to ever serve as Whip, she currently has the distinction of being the highest-ranking woman in Congressional leadership.

From the school board to Capitol Hill, Clark’s public service has been fueled by a passion for lifting up women and families. She is a leading proponent for ending wage discrimination; safeguarding access to abortion; ending gun violence; improving access to affordable, accessible child care; and guaranteeing paid leave.

Before her election to Congress, Clark served her community in elected office as a state senator, state representative, and member of the Melrose School Committee. She also served as general counsel for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services and as policy chief for the Massachusetts Attorney General.

She lives in Revere with her husband and has three children.

Cecily Goulange, PTA State Field Ambassador

National PTA has selected Cecily to serve in this role for National PTA and is praised for being a “passionate communicator & community builder. Building relationships and helping people reach their potential is a hallmark of her career and personal life. She is the president of Farmington River Elementary where she has led YOY growth in membership, developed critical partnerships within the administration and staff, and championed programs that build community within the school district.”

Cecily will be part of a pilot group of volunteers to help us raise visibility of our PTA Connected programs and resources.

Kimberly Redlon, Every Child Can Achieve, Educational Consultation

Presenting on Saturday, April 1, 2023, Session ; Special Educations Programs

Kimberly is a certified Special Education teacher of severe disabilities, parent of 4 children (3 of whom received special education services through IEPs) for which her company is named after – Emily, Caleb, Collin, Ava- and a Special Education Administrator for a public school district. She has experience in all three areas of the special education arena – parent, teacher, and administrator.

Kimberly has overseen both substantially separate and inclusive programming, as well as reviewed and written Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for over 15 years. She has provided direct service to children and consultative training for parents and educators on disability awareness as well as how to teach students with disabilities.

Jasmin Rivas, Old Sturbridge Village Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access

Jasmin Rivas is a mother, Latina, community activist, and poet, who lives in Southbridge. She was a founding board member of Old Sturbridge

Academy Charter Public School before joining Old Sturbridge Village as its first director of diversity, equity, inclusion and access. She holds a

BA in English with a minor in communications from Worcester State University and an MFA in creative writing from Bay Path University. She

was inspired by her fifth grade teacher at Charlton Street School to become a writer so she could help people in her community by sharing their stories and giving them a voice. She’s done that throughout the years as a reporter, victim advocate, grant writer, health educator, family

liaison, after-school program administrator, yoga instructor and Town Councilor. She is passionate about developing spaces where people feel they belong and are valued. Ms. Rivas believes that by sharing our stories we can come together to learn about each other and understand how we each contribute to our community. In her various roles, Ms. Rivas works to bring people with different perspectives together to build trust and foster respect so that the world can heal from its collective wounds and we can all live in a better place.

REGISTER HERE TODAY!

Please check back or contact convention@masspta.org for more information about scheduled events.

Sponsors – 2022 MA PTA Convention

Dear Prospective Sponsors,

It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 113th 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 and in-person on April 1st, 2023. You can register to attend the convention here. Sponsorship registration can be found 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 113th 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!

Register to become a Sponsor!

Read more about MA PTA Sponsorship Opportunities here

Sincerely,

Karen DeRoche – MA PTA President

Kathresha Cureton – MA PTA President-Elect and Convention Chair

CURRENT CONVENTION SPONSORS

In-person or Virtual Session Saturday, April 1st, 2023

PTA has a long and proud history. Join us as we celebrate that history and look forward to the challenges and opportunities of the future. Keynote speaker Katherine Clark, Massachusetts State Representative.

We have an exciting schedule with opportunity to engage and learn how to support our children, families, and communities culminates in our Annual Meeting and Awards Celebration on Saturday April 1st, 2023.

MA PTA is proud to announce this years event is FREE for members, and $20.00 to all nonmembers who wish to attend the event. Award recipients will receive an email detailing how to register themselves.

REGISTER HERE TODAY!

Host Facility

Burt Wood School of Performing Arts is the official facility for the  2023 MA PTA Annual Meeting – “Show Your Voice!”

Address: 133 Center St, Middleborough, MA 02346

Please check back or contact info@masspta.org for more information about scheduled events.

ANNUAL MEETING, AWARDS & REFLECTIONS CELEBRATION

10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

• 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Registration Desk and MA PTA Welcome Table Burt Wood School of Performing Arts Foyer Light Breakfast/Break/ Vendors
• 9:10 AM – 9:55 AM Complimentary Lifetouch Portraits
  • Performance by Burt Wood School of Performing Arts, students
• 10:15 AM – 11:00 PM MA PTA Reflections Winners Recognition
  • Reflections Program Recognitions Awards presented by Nathan Pierce, Lifetouch, and Madison Estes, MA PTA
• 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Opening Remarks
  • Karen DeRoche, MA PTA President
  • Welcome Message – Katherine Clark, Massachusetts Congresswoman
• 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM Annual Meeting & General Session
  • Message from Anna King, National PTA President
• 11:30 AM – 12:30 AM Reflections Entertainment with Bren Bataclan, Artist
• 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM Awards Celebration
  • Local Unit and Volunteer Awards presented by Karen DeRoche, MA PTA, and Rophe Mason, Booster
  • Membership Awards presented by Barbara Bailey, MA PTA Membership Chair
• 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM Luncheon/Break/Vendors
• 1:45 PM – 3:00 PM PTA Connected Workshop & Closing Speaker
  • Presenter PTA Connected – Cecily Goulange, Massachusetts PTA State Field Ambassador, Julita Freeman & Carrie Neill, National PTA
  • Closing Speaker – Kimberly Redlon, Every Child Can Achieve, Educational Consultant, Special Education Teacher, and Pupil Personnel Services/Special Education Administrator for Middleboro School District
  • Raffle Giveaway: Yeti Cooler and Mitchell Guitar

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.