HSLDA President Mike Smith Announces Retirement

HSLDA President Mike Smith Announces Retirement

HSLDA’s Vice President of Litigation, James R. Mason has been appointed to succeed Smith as president

Purcellville, April 04, 2022 (World NEWSWIRE) — Purcellville, VA – Right after serving in excess of 20 a long time as the leader of the most significant homeschool legal advocacy team in the United States, Mike Smith, president of House Faculty Authorized Defense Association (HSLDA), has announced his retirement. Smith mentioned he is also stepping down as president of HSLDA Motion (a sister group targeted on coverage advocacy).

“I will keep on serving on the HSLDA Board and assistance homeschooling,” Smith reported in an e-mail to member family members. “But I’m also on the lookout ahead to spending extra time with my wonderful wife, Elizabeth—and it’s possible acquiring in some golfing, way too.”

Under Smith’s leadership, HSLDA’s membership has topped 100,000 people throughout The united states, and HSLDA continues to assistance the growing homeschooling movement about the globe, endorsing homeschool freedom for hundreds of thousands.

“Serving as president of HSLDA has been a large privilege,” mentioned Smith. “As I replicate in excess of the previous a long time, I’m so grateful for the possibilities I’ve had to share the fantastic academic selection of homeschooling with many family members and motivate them on their journey. And acquiring to see the quantities of homeschoolers in the US increase from 20,000 homes in the early 1980s, to possibly 11 million homes today—what a impressive trajectory!”

Given that Mike Farris (now HSLDA’s board chairman) and Mike Smith co-founded HSLDA in 1983, the firm has been pivotal in legalizing homeschooling in all 50 states and fostering the homeschool movement. HSLDA’s lawful advocacy for homeschool households and active position in shaping legislative plan to aid educational alternative has manufactured it 1 of the most influential imagined leaders in homeschooling.

“Mike has faithfully led this corporation. He has beloved this crew at HSLDA in a superlative trend and has been instrumental due to the fact day 1. Mike has completed an totally terrific task, and we are so very pleased of his support to HSLDA,” mentioned Farris.

HSLDA’s Board of Directors has chosen Vice President of Litigation James R. Mason III to realize success Smith as president.

“Jim is a expensive buddy and colleague,” Smith wrote to HSLDA customers. “He has been HSLDA’s guide litigation counsel for around 20 several years, and has served as a vice president because 2015, so I am extremely confident in his means to guide HSLDA into the coming years although staying accurate to our founding mission.”

“I are unable to genuinely specific how much Mike Smith has intended to me around the a long time. We are heading to miss him enormously,” mentioned Jim Mason. “Searching ahead to the long term, I am psyched for equally the homeschooling motion and for us as an organization. The mantle that Mike Smith is passing on to me is that we stand for liberty, and we advance liberty for homeschooling.”

About HSLDA

Residence School Authorized Defense Association (HSLDA) is America’s greatest and oldest homeschool advocacy team. Established in 1983 with the mission to make homeschooling achievable for all households, the corporation has aided empower millions of homeschooling dad and mom and learners. As a membership corporation for people homeschooling their youngsters, HSLDA presents a myriad of means from lawful assistance to academic consultants to aid member households by every single step of their homeschool journey. Understand more about HSLDA at https://hslda.org/

Speak to:

Sandra Kim

703-608-4792
[email protected]

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Get hold of: Sandra Kim HSLDA 7036084792 [email protected]

‘Our future is built on our past’: Shepherd University Wellness Center dedicated in honor of former president | News, Sports, Jobs

‘Our future is built on our past’: Shepherd University Wellness Center dedicated in honor of former president | News, Sports, Jobs
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From suitable, SU President Mary J.C. Hendrix and Mayor Jim Auxer stand beside former SU president Suzanne Shipley, as she retains a plaque presented to her by Hendrix, in commemoration of the Wellness Center’s commitment in her honor on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — A team of 67 community associates, Shepherd University workers and honorees collected jointly in the Shepherd College Wellness Center’s arena on Saturday afternoon, to witness the dedication of the centre underneath a new name — the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Middle.

Renamed in honor of Shepherd University’s 15th president, who served from 2007-2015, the middle now bears signage pertaining to its identify modify, 1 signal of which was unveiled during the dedication ceremony.

“It is basically not feasible to element all of Dr. Shipley’s amazing achievements even though she was at Shepherd, but I would like to share some noteworthy highlights with you right now, because they are extraordinary,” stated Shipley’s successor, latest Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix. “During her tenure, Dr. Shipley introduced the university into the Council of Public Liberal Arts Schools, identified as COPLAC, a North American consortium of general public colleges and universities that drives awareness of the price of substantial-high quality, public liberal arts education at its member institutions — an group for which she also served as president. Dr. Shipley’s enduring legacy involves overseeing the accreditation of academic systems, laying the basis to grow Shepherd’s worldwide college student population.

“She also orchestrated the design of the underpass, uniting the east and west campuses, which she was informed could not be finished!” Hendrix reported. “Dr. Shipley was vital in serving to to raise $26 million by means of the university’s initially complete marketing campaign, referred to as Create the Potential. The marketing campaign exceeded its $20 million target intention and was accomplished a calendar year early.”

Shipley expressed her thanks for the commitment, and mentioned how her tenure would not have been as successful as it was, without the need of the assist of her spouse and children, mentors and fellow Shepherd University leaders.

A indicator prominently displays the Shepherd University Wellness Center’s new name on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“I’m grateful for the Shepherd College custom, of like educational leaders in its facilities’ names, and I’m humbled to take my area below beside President James Butcher, professor of physical training Dr. Sara Cree and the famous chair of new music Male Frank,” Shipley reported. “Here, . . . I was able to keep my own wellness, actual physical and psychological, by working out along with our school, staff and learners, and Shepherd supporters like Mayor Auxer. In simple fact, it’s a defining reason of the centre, in that it delivers all of these teams collectively to satisfy a number of demands in this area.

“All of us add to the Shepherd tale. Some epics of our 150-calendar year-outdated story are marked on names of buildings, but surely, not all. Universities like Shepherd, exactly where just about every person counts and every single name is recognized, are compendiums of particular person effort and hard work,” Shipley explained. “Every specific and every single work counts, and it is more vital currently than at any time that all those endeavours continue, mainly because today, more than at any time, a household liberal arts practical experience such as ours, generates the dynamic and very well-educated leaders that our area demands. Our future is crafted on our earlier, but our potential is normally remaining developed, like today, and by you.”

Mayor Jim Auxer closed out the ceremony with a couple feelings on the appropriateness of the determination, considering his private and experienced encounters as Shepherdstown’s mayor all through Shipley’s tenure.

“To have this facility, a community accumulating spot, now focused as the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Middle, feels far more than ideal. Suzanne and I would satisfy below to explore subjects of great importance to us both of those. But our key intention was caring about our exercise,” Auxer mentioned. “We talked about the want for preserving the city-gown marriage, which I imagine actually is wonderful (to this working day). You can not convey to exactly where a single commences and just one ends!”

The commitment conclusion was created by the Shepherd University Board of Governors, through its June 10, 2021 assembly, according to SU Communications Govt Director Dana Costa.

Shepherd College President Mary J.C. Hendrix, left, will help former president Suzanne Shipley unveil a signal, about Shipley’s tenure, in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Centre arena on Saturday. Tabitha Johnston

Community customers and Shepherd College workforce mingle alongside one another in the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Centre foyer, prior to Saturday’s commitment ceremony. Tabitha Johnston

Shepherd University President Mary J.C. Hendrix formally announces the devotion of the Suzanne Shipley Wellness Heart in the center’s arena on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

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