WSCA has a long history of providing resources, advocacy, and opportunities for school counselors across the state. There is an impressive (and lengthy) list of professionals who have provided excellent leadership throughout those years by serving on the WSCA Board. As new school counselors join the profession, it’s exciting to look forward to the leadership of those who join the WSCA Board of Directors (WSCA Board) in the future!

Any member of WSCA who meets the following qualifications is eligible to be considered for the WSCA Board:

• Current WSCA member in good standing with three years of continuous WSCA membership at the time of the application.
• Hold a current school counselor license from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
• Three years of experience as a professional school counselor at the time of application.
• A personal email (non-school/employer) for WSCA Board communications.
• Employed as a school counselor, faculty in a school counselor education program, or a recently retired aforementioned position.
• Have demonstrated leadership experience.

If you meet this criteria we certainly encourage you to consider applying for a seat on the Board. Annually, the application opens by the WSCA conference in early November and closes in mid-December.

Those who have been part of WSCA for a while know that we moved from an “open” ballot, where anyone could be nominated and appear on the ballot to our current “slate” ballot where candidates whose applications have passed a screening process appear on the ballot. There were several reasons WSCA moved to the slated ballot:

• It was common for WSCA to hear from members that they did not know any of the candidates on the ballot, and therefore the voting process felt very random for them. This caused many members not to vote at all.
• WSCA adopted a specific governance approach called Policy Governance. This style of governing is very different from what most of our members have ever experienced. In fairness to anyone seeking a seat on the WSCA Board, as well as ensuring the integrity of the function of the WSCA Board, it became necessary to establish a screening process for those interested in being considered as a candidate. The WSCA Board has a Nominations and Elections Committee that reviews the submitted applications, ranks the potential candidates using a scoring rubric (see below), and makes a recommendation to the entire WSCA Board for the top 3 candidates to be considered for the voting slate along with a summary of all the applicants. After the WSCA Board reviews, discusses and approves the slate, it is presented to the membership at large for a vote of approval of the slate.
• Using the slate ballot approach gives all eligible WSCA members a fair opportunity to run for the WSCA Board. Many association boards are criticized for appearing to be a “clique”, in which the only way to get onto a board is if you know the right people. WSCA has eliminated that dynamic by creating a uniform process where all candidates complete the same application, which is scored by the same rubric. This eliminates the possibility that a less qualified candidate would be elected to the WSCA Board simply because they have connections to existing WSCA Board members.

“And what qualifications is the WSCA Board seeking for future board members?” you may be asking. Here are the primary attributes of leadership that appear on the rubric for scoring the candidate applications:

• Communication Skills
  • One of the primary roles of the WSCA Board is to be a communication link between the members and the association, making strong communication skills a necessity.
• Collaboration Skills
  • The WSCA Board makes decisions as a group, making collaboration critical.
• Perspective Taking
  • The Board recognizes that we are stronger when our members are able to understand multiple perspectives around issues.
• Flexibility
  • In order for the WSCA Board to make group decisions, it is important that the board members approach decisions from a flexible position.
• Thoughtful/Insightful
  • Since WSCA serves school counselors at all grade levels which have different needs, and all districts (rural to urban) which have different needs, WSCA Board members must be prepared to listen and learn in order to make impactful decisions.
• Ability to Have Tough Conversations
  • Not all decisions are easy and the WSCA Board works hard to create a respectful environment so ideas can be challenged in a healthy way.
• Advocacy for the School Counseling Profession
• Professionalism
  • The WSCA Board consists of 9 Directors who work for the entire membership. The WSCA Board has an expectation that board members will represent the profession at the highest level.
• Willingness to Learn
  • Taking a humble approach to leadership, with an understanding that there is always more to learn, especially about the professional experiences of WSCA members.
• Creative/Innovative
  • WSCA is an excellent school counseling association because its leaders have been courageous enough to act on creative and innovative ideas.
• Integrity/Honesty
  • WSCA is a proud association built on trustworthy leadership.
• Accountability
  • WSCA Board members know that they are accountable to the association members, and embrace that accountability.

If you are considering applying for candidacy to the WSCA Board of Directors, we hope that the information above gives you great insight into what it takes to be a great WSCA Board member. 

There will also be a sectional at the WSCA Conference specifically for members interested in learning more about WSCA leadership opportunities. 

Please join current WSCA Board members for a virtual information session on Monday, December 9th at 3:00 pm to learn more.  Log into the WSCA members-only page to access the Zoom meeting link.