News Release
For Immediate Release
November 17, 2025
Contact
Gina Patterson, Executive Director
434-295-8722 or gina@vsba.org
Annual Convention Brings Together Education Leaders from Across the Commonwealth
Charlottesville, VA – From November 19-21, 2025, the Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) will bring together over 800 education leaders—including school board members, superintendents, division administrators, and education officials—at the highly anticipated VSBA Annual Convention in Williamsburg, VA. This dynamic gathering offers school division leadership across the Commonwealth the chance to explore national and state educational trends, build connections with peers, and gather innovative best practices to strengthen their local school divisions.
Convention Highlights:
- Professional Development: Attendees will engage in 45 workshops, clinics, and sessions on critical topics such as artificial intelligence, attendance/chronic absenteeism, board governance, and school law.
- Exhibitors Scholarship: Funded by VSBA convention exhibitors, this scholarship is awarded to Spring 2026 graduating seniors who have served as student school board representatives. Scholarship recipients will be announced during the opening general session, spotlighting their achievements.
- High School Video Contest: This year’s video contest theme, “Champions for Impact in Public Education,” challenged high school students across Virginia to craft compelling 30-second videos. Contest winners will be celebrated at the convention’s opening general session, with their videos inspiring all attendees.
- Exhibition of School Architecture: Showcasing innovative school designs, this exhibition highlights the powerful impact of well-designed learning environments, from sustainable features to multi-functionality and security, underscoring how thoughtful architecture fosters effective learning.
- School Board Clerks Workshop: School board clerks will gather for specialized sessions on how clerks can strengthen governance, parliamentary procedures, tips for managing board dynamics, a legal overview, and artificial intelligence, led by experts like Jenny Nichols (VSBA President-Elect, Washington County School Board Member), Mark Henderson (Director of Digital Initiatives, Missouri School Boards Association), Donald Garrett (Professional Parliamentarian, Last Minute Meetings), Micah Schwartz (Attorney, Williams Mullen), and Tara French (Clerk, Smyth County Public Schools).
- Special Film Screening of Multiple Choice: The VSBA is excited to show a special screening of the film Multiple Choice to attendees on Wednesday night. Directly after the screening will be a discussion with participants from the film from Winchester City Public Schools.
Featured General Session Speakers:
Mickey Smith Jr.: Mickey Smith Jr. is a GRAMMY Music Educator Award-Recipient, motivational speaker, author, and musician. Mickey is a Premiere Professional Saxophonist performing for over 30 years. He helps corporations and other organizations engage, educate, & elevate their team members to excellence. For over a decade, as “A Significance & Resilience Strategist,” his KEEP ON GOING approach has benefited audiences from educators to executives.
Jean Becker: Jean Becker has been chief of staff to former President George H. W. Bush since 1994, supervising his office in both Houston and Kennebunkport, Maine, and overseeing the opening of the George Bush Presidential Library Center in 1997. She took a leave of absence in 1999 to edit and research “All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings.”
Dr. Jim Johnson: Dr. Jim Johnson is the William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of strategy and entrepreneurship and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. He has published more than 100 scholarly research articles and three research monographs and has co-edited four theme issues of scholarly journals on these and related topics.
About the Virginia School Boards Association
The Virginia School Boards Association, a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of Virginia school boards, promotes excellence in public education through advocacy, training, and services. The Association offers conferences, information, training, and counseling designed to meet the needs of the Commonwealth’s educational leaders.
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