Courtesy of Alcorn State University
Mississippi’s largest professional organization for educators has selected an Alcorn State University faculty member to guide the organization for the upcoming academic year.
Dr. LaShundia Carson, acting associate dean for the School of Education and Psychology, was elected president of the Mississippi Professional Educators. Carson served as the faculty advisor for the organization’s student chapter on campus.
The organization is a statewide professional organization whose members come from all aspects of educational systems in the state. Its 13,000 members include teachers, administrators, and non-certified staff from kindergarten to graduate school.
Serving the organization is an honor for Carson. She looks forward to displaying her leadership skills in the new role.
“I am humbled to have this golden opportunity to serve in this leadership capacity,” said Carson. “Being selected for this position expresses the organization’s confidence in my leadership ability.”
Advocating for others in the education field and being a difference-maker in students’ lives inspired Carson to pursue the position.
“I have a love and passion for making a difference in students’ lives. This is an opportunity to help advocate and empower educators to ensure excellent and equitable education for every student in Mississippi. The president’s position also allows me to promote the achievements of all students while working with colleagues from the P-12 environment, college and university faculty, and policymakers to identify factors that impact the achievement gap. I hope that we implement the best practices using high-quality instructional materials and finding policies that would help close the gap. Educators are the backbone of society.”
Some of Carson’s goals are to expose the organization’s services to a broader audience while empowering educators.
“My goal is to increase the Mississippi Professional Educators’ presence in the Southwest Mississippi region. There are numerous challenges facing public education and educators.”
She continued, “My goal is to encourage educators to stay the course because the state needs them. My other goals include addressing teachers’ concerns, providing relevant professional development, and promoting safe and nurturing environments for students to flourish.”
Carson looks forward to leveraging her position to recruit students to Alcorn while promoting professional development.
“I’ll use my position as a recruitment opportunity to attract undergraduate and graduate candidates to our programs at Alcorn. In addition, I plan to expose our pre-service candidates to the organization’s scholarships and professional development opportunities. Promoting the University’s mission of providing service and outreach to local school districts through our student chapter of MPE is also important to me.”
