When Brandy Woodley found out recently that she had been selected to receive the Federal Executive Board’s (FEB) Public Employees Recognition Day Distinguished Community Service Award she had no idea she was even being considered for this honor.
Woodley with her award.
The Park Hill School District board member is also an editor at the Department of Military History at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Each year FEBs across the U.S. recognize federal employees who have made exceptional contributions in their community for the advancement of their agency’s mission.
“I found out during the Department of Military History Deputy Director, Dr. Mark Gerges’, comments at my department’s weekly morning meeting,” Woodley said. “It was almost comical to me — he was extremely excited, and I was kind of in shock. I usually anticipate things coming my way, but I had no idea, nor did I know what this award was or entailed.”
Gerges had submitted her name to Fort Leavenworth’s Combined Arms Center (CAC) to be considered along with other submissions from various organizations across the Fort Leavenworth agencies, and Woodley was selected for the many entities with which she is involved and serves, including her roles at Fort Leavenworth, Park Hill School District, Historic Banneker School Foundation, Suburban Balance and Lift Her Up, and Northwest Missouri State University.
“The announcement was sent from an FEB representative to Dr. Gerges and Gregg Thompson, U.S. Army CAC Deputy to the Commanding General,” Woodley said. “It said: ‘It is my pleasure to advise you that Brandy Woodley from your agency has been selected by the FEB Public Employees Recognition Day Awards Committee to receive the Community Service Award.’ So, after I understood the ‘who, what, how, and why,’ I was able to take in the gravity of it all — it was a huge deal. I tried to imagine what I had done that was so deserving of this big honor. I just do my job, help out with extra duties to advance the Department of Military History, my department, and the Command and General Staff College. Then, I discovered that my outside community and volunteer work was included in the submission. Overall, I was surprised and beyond honored.”
The FEB Public Employees Recognition Day Awards Committee reviews all agencies’ submissions and makes their selection.
For Woodley, who has served as treasurer, vice-president and president, her work on the Park Hill school board has been life-changing in many ways.
“I know that may sound dramatic, but it is true,” Woodley said. “I feel like I am working out a purpose in my life — the opportunity to serve in an influential capacity to support public education, students, staff, families, and my community. I am a very relational person with a heart to serve and help others reach their aspirations.”
While her mission is a blessing for Woodley, it also comes with some weight.
Her interaction with the community and learning the needs and concerns of community members is important to her in order for her to be more effective in her role.
“However, board members have to have boundaries and strong situational awareness because any comment or action can be subjective to diverse audiences,” Woodley said. “Another challenge is balancing time. Some people think that I work for the district and don’t realize that I have a full-time job and am a wife and mother to twin high school juniors and a U.S. Army Reservist/college student.”
Recently, after her re-election to the school board, she has had some parents ask her ‘how do you do it?’
“They see me at district events or my social media activity about attending various community events, along with my responsibilities and can’t imagine the time commitment.”
While she admits that overall it’s a ton of work, all she does is rewarding and she is grateful to be able to pursue her purpose and serve others.
One of the main issues the Park Hill Board of Education has been focusing on recently has been Park Hill 2034, the next 10-year long-range plan.
“I have attended two iterations of community meetings, during the fall and spring,” Woodley said. “The board has been presented with information and data from the community and Park Hill staff about their ideas, concerns, and what they feel needs to be done to improve facilities and learning environments. There has also been a focus on reading and math intervention, as well as mental and behavioral support for students and staff. Also, we have been monitoring Missouri legislation affecting public education. Much of the legislation being put forth can and will directly impact Park Hill’s budget and teacher pay.”
Woodley said the school board is staying vigilant and reaching out to legislators to inform them of impact and to respect local control to keep Park Hill School District strong and in the best interest of staff, students, and the community.
Increased support and assistance for staff and students is something she has been working for. She has been attending the School Health and Wellness Advisory Council meetings for the last two years, and these meetings encourage and empower her.
“The health services and nutrition services staff created, and keep enhancing the ‘Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model.’ This model and framework are very inclusive for all in the Park Hill community in that it seeks to truly support, scaffold, and provide via numerous facets to keep learning going daily. The presentations enlist a framework from which I do my work and make decisions as a board member. I would love to see more social workers in our buildings, as well as increased opportunities for focused staff development and the expertise of Park Hill’s awesome instructional coaches. One of Park Hill’s DEIB drivers is ‘Create Safe and Welcoming Spaces,’ and I am looking forward to its expansion throughout learning environments for all students and staff.”
Education has always been an important part of Woodley’s life and after her undergraduate years, she always had a desire to someday build programs or events that would empower young girls.
She considers herself blessed to have had a mentor, internships, and a professional development program that shaped and prepared her for post-secondary and professional experiences.
“Not every young person has that opportunity or the exposure,” Woodley said. “Education became a part of me when I was an adjunct instructor, and more so when I became a long-term substitute teacher. Becoming a board member never entered my mind, until a handful of Park Hill’s parents and teachers suggested it and asked me to do so. Being a school board member allows me to serve a greater number of young people than I ever imagined.”
Woodley believes that public education is the medium for producing successful adults and citizens, and if communities can get that right and provide expansive curriculum, programs, activities, and athletics in safe and facilitative learning environments, she wants to be a part of that work.
“I get to serve and work alongside Park Hill School District leaders and its community to achieve those objectives. It is fulfilling.”
The recent Public Employees Recognition Day Distinguished Community Service Award ceremony was held at Bartle Hall in Kansas City, Mo. and since the award winners came from city, county and federal categories, Woodley was very interested in learning about the other recipients and their achievements, plus gaining a deeper understanding of FEB and how she came to be recognized.
“Most of all, I looked forward to having family, coworkers, and friends share the moment with me, especially having my daughters present to see that hard work and service is impactful in so many ways,” Woodley said.
She is proud and grateful for all the staff and educators in the Park Hill community.
“Public education has been challenged and forever changed over the last few years and it has challenged district employees,” Woodley said. “So, I applaud them all for staying the course and working on the PHSD vision.”
Woodley was the first Black member of the Park Hill School District board and she is grateful for all the African American teachers and educators that have been a part of the Park Hill school system. Woodley said they have, and continue to pave the way to success, and especially within the district’s objective to increase representation to reflect the community and student populations.
“Being the first allows me to see and understand how they possibly feel, or have felt, daily, walking into, and working within their learning environments: not seen, passed over, monolithic, not as capable, the ‘only’ among peers or a building, working five or ten times harder just to be seen as an equal, and constantly maneuvering an education system that was initially set up to keep Blacks out, and from achieving. So, for any Park Hill employee that falls into that category, I am extraordinarily proud and grateful to them — they are representation to students and their peers, and their excellence and diligence have assisted Park Hill’s growth, which the community has sought and wants. I am also proud that the Park Hill leadership has made it a priority and incorporated the objective of increasing representation within its Comprehensive School Improvement Plan.