Fidelia Sturdivant
Candidate for President-Elect
What Are You Doing for Others?
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: “What are you doing for others?” This statement posed by Martin L. King, Jr. resonates in my mind as I reflect upon my desire to serve as President-elect of NAESP. I have devoted more than 25 years of my life to the educational profession as a teacher, supervisor, assistant principal, and principal. My focus has been, and continues to be, on providing quality education to all children through quality leadership. My challenge, if nominated for the position of President-elect of NAESP, is to inform parents, community stakeholders, and elected legislative lawmakers that NAESP has approximately 23,000 members who are committed to providing quality education leadership that lends itself to academically successful students who are college and career ready.
If I were President-elect, I would use my years of leadership training provided by NAESP and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association (NJPSA) to advocate for our educational profession. I have had the honor of serving on the NAESP Board of Directors, and among other duties, worked with other educational leaders to develop new goals and strategic plans that enhanced student performance and shaped the long-term impact of school improvement. As a national Association, we must work together to project a positive and professional image of dedicated elementary and middle-level principals. My voice would echo the call for additional and adequate funding to implement federal- and state-mandated programs that would ensure the safety of all school facilities so that the unconscionable slaughter of our children, our teachers, and our principals will never occur again. As President-Elect of NAESP, I would campaign for realistic timelines and funding to implement Common Core State Standards curriculum so that our students are college and career ready. I, along with other NAESP officers, would partner with representatives from the U.S. Department of Education to design strategies that would aid all school districts with a meaningful plan to develop the infrastructural needs to successfully implement the PARCC and Smarter Balanced assessments.
As President-Elect, I would use my passion, my commitment, my experience, and my leadership skills to elevate our association to greater heights and to serve as a mentor and a resource for new and aspiring principals, assuring them that NAESP and the state affiliates are here to strengthen and protect our profession as educational leaders. It is with both pride and commitment that I seek your vote for President-Elect of NAESP. My experiences gained through working on a variety of state and national committees, advisory councils, and the Board of Directors have provided a great understanding of the values of our Association.
If I am privileged to be elected as President-Elect of NAESP, I would be provided with a wider audience to spread the concept of “lead by example.”
Fidelia Sturdivant
Principal, Wahlstrom Early Childhood Academy
East Orange, New Jersey
Education: Doctoral student, Educational Leadership, California Coastal University, present — Advance Studies, Administration, Kean College, 1980 — M.A., Secondary Education, Seton Hall University, 1976 — B.S., Education, West Virginia University, 1971
Professional Experience: Principal, Wahlstrom Early Childhood Academy, 2000–present — New Jersey State Certified Principal Mentor, Leader to Leader – NJ EXCEL, 2007–present —Adjunct Professor, Education Department, Essex County College, 2004–2005 — Assistant Principal, Washington Academy of Music, 1999–2000 — Assistant Principal, John Howard, Jr. School of Excellence, 1996–1999 — Reading Resource Teacher 1985-1995 — Instructional Coach, 1996-1999 — Founder, First Day Care Academy, 1985–present
Professional Affiliations: NAESP, 1989–present (Board of Directors, Zone 2 Director, 2009–2011; New Jersey State Representative, 2011–present; National Leaders Committee, 2011–present; NAESP & NASSP National Evaluation Committee, 2011-2012; Federal Relations Network, 2011–present; NAESP and NASP National Evaluation Committee, 2011; Nominating Committee, 2008) — New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, 1989–present (President-Elect, 2014; Board Member, 2008–present; Essex County Regional Representative, 2007–present; Executive Director Search Committee, 2011) — East Orange Administrators Association, President, 2008–2012 — Member, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2009–present
Civic/Community Honors: Lifetime member, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 1985–present — Trustee, Bethel Baptist Church, Orange, New Jersey, 2012–present