On October 14, Leadership Albuquerque held a day focused on education at the Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) Board of Education Chambers. Jeremy Oswald, chair of Leadership Albuquerque and Albuquerque market president for Citizens Bank, opened the event by highlighting the importance of education in addressing poverty and shaping New Mexico’s economic future.
“I wish we had three days to cover education topics,” Oswald said. “There are so many dimensions of this issue that are worthy of our consideration. But, we’ll try to give a solid overview today and illuminate many of the key discussion areas that are happening in education right now in New Mexico and across the nation. And, at one point, we’re really going to challenge you to think about what the purpose of education is in our society.”
Participants heard from APS Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey, who discussed efforts aimed at academic improvement within APS. She expressed support for high-performing public charter schools as part of APS and described her willingness to make strategic decisions regarding school facilities.
Oswald stated: “One of the key beliefs of the Chamber, with respect to public education, is that we believe every child is capable of learning and improving every year. And that every child – regardless of their background – should have access to a quality school and education. Without a great education, a person’s opportunities in life are constrained. Education is a difference maker in individual lives. Education is capable of stopping the cycle of intergenerational poverty in a family. Education is key to developing a strong local workforce for our economy.”
The group also learned about New Mexico’s expanding charter school sector and its role within public education.
As part of the program, participants listened to Emily Hanford’s “Sold a Story Podcast,” which has influenced literacy instruction practices and policy debates nationwide.
Amanda Aragon, executive director of NewMexicoKidsCAN, spoke about her motivation for founding the organization in 2018 after working in the public sector affirmed her commitment to improving New Mexico’s education system.
Leean Kravitz, Federal Government Advocacy chair for the Chamber and vice-chair for Leadership Albuquerque, introduced APS School Board President Danielle Gonzales and Vice President Courtney Jackson for a moderated discussion on board responsibilities.
Aragon described the Education Changemakers Fellowship as an initiative equipping community leaders with skills needed to impact K-12 public education positively.
After lunch at Buca di Beppo, Scott Darnell from the N.M. Student Success Coalition led an exercise prompting participants to discuss priorities for education by allocating tokens among various educational purposes.
Kravitz then introduced Matt Pahl, executive director of Public Charter Schools of New Mexico, who spoke about understanding charter schools’ role.
Later panels included Kim Finke (Cibola High School principal), Trey Smith (East Mountain High School executive director), and Heather Mock (Sandia Preparatory School head) discussing school leadership and student success.
The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce thanked all guest speakers and this year’s Leadership Albuquerque class for prioritizing educational issues within community discussions.
