Jodi Smith-Payne Named Project GLAD® Administrator of the Year for 2016

Jodi Smith-Payne was named Administrator of the Year for 2016 at the OCDE (Orange County Department of Education) Project GLAD® 24rd Annual Conference in Garden Grove, California. The award recognizes Outstanding Leadership for one GLAD® administrator in the nation.  Jodi is Assistant Superintendent of Learning and Teaching in Wenatchee School District.

Project GLAD® is a model of professional development dedicated to building academic language and literacy for all students, especially English language learners.

Jodi was nominated by Cynthia Valdez, Assistant Director of Special Services, who was named Trainer of the Year for GLAD® by the OCDE one year ago.  The nomination spoke to Jodi’s advocacy for GLAD®, including increasing awareness among teachers and administrators. “ . . . letting them know GLAD® was not a drive-by training or fleeting moment, but rather a cornerstone for exemplary professional development,” wrote Cynthia in the nomination. “Jodi’s award is also a tribute to the hard work the teachers are doing with GLAD,” Cynthia said.

Jodi is administrator for a team of Project GLAD® trainers in the Wenatchee School District. Cynthia Valdez is the lead with trainers Kathryn Anderson, and Terri Goveia. They became certified as K-12 trainers in December 2014, and were honored together for their accomplishments at the national OCDE conference in 2014.