Lisa McLaughlin
Director of TEPSA Student Leadership
Helping children find success has been my passion for my entire career. I recently retired after serving students and parents in a variety of roles for the past 37 years. I was a classroom teacher, lead teacher, department chair, student council advisor, assistant principal and principal. While I loved each and every role, working with student leaders was always a favorite of mine. Helping students identify their strengths as a leader is often just as rewarding as helping them learn to succeed in their academics. For the last two years, I have presented TEPSA student leadership workshops and loved every minute of the adventure! This year I will be serving as Director of Student Leadership for TEPSA and can’t wait to bring our Leaders ‘R’ Us workshops to schools across Texas.
Belinda Box
Assistant Director, TEPSA Student Leadership
I’m a Texas girl, born and raised like so many others to be tough and resilient. That was a good thing considering the path that was ahead for me. I was honored to be an educator for 40 years before retiring in 2018. My career was spent serving the students of Deer Park ISD, where I worked as a special education teacher, teacher for Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), educational diagnostician, assistant principal, and principal for five of the district’s elementary schools. As the years passed it became more and more obvious that societal challenges would call for strong leadership now and in the future. I often found myself drawn to working with student leaders who felt called upon to serve their schools and communities. Even though I’ve retired from public education, I feel very lucky to be able to continue that quest through my work as an advisor for the TEPSA Leaders ‘R’ Us Student Leadership program. I invite you to join us on this journey!
Cindy Cook
Student Presenter, TEPSA Student Leadership
I was in public education for 37 years, and I’ve had the chance to see the pendulum swing of educational trends over those years. One aspect that I believe has never wavered is the need to instill in children the basic skills needed to be a leader in their own life and for other leadership roles. I spent the last 21 years of my career as a counselor. My favorite part of this role was working with students to teach them about emotional intelligence to control their emotions and responses to everyday situations. The ability to communicate, listen and respond in a positive way is big step toward being a leader.
These abilities will serve the child in their future roles whatever path they decide to walk. I am excited to be a part of the Leaders “R” Us team and the chance to help these students gain the skills that will help them become the next leaders across Texas!
Joy Smartt
Advisor Presenter, TEPSA Student Leadership
As a girl from the south, I fell in love with Texas the day I entered Baylor University as a freshman. Helping develop thinking and a love of learning in students has been a passion of mine for most of my life. All students have strengths, and it is our responsibility as educators to build and guide those strengths. Combining my love of Texas and learning I became an educator and worked in the public schools for 36 years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, math director, elementary curriculum director and director of academics K-12. I was blessed to serve the students in Irving ISD, Coppell ISD and Highland Park ISD. What a great opportunity that TEPSA has to build the strengths of leaders through Leaders ‘R’ Us. For five years I have served as an advisor to develop leadership skills in Texas schools with TEPSA. The 2021-2022 school year is an excellent opportunity to continue building leadership skills in our students. We look forward to seeing you in our fall workshops.
