Bev Mortimer Wins 2011 MCJ Award
Bev Mortimer, Superintendent at USD 333 Concordia Public Schools, has been named a recipient of the 2011 M. Claradine Johnson Award! This award was presented to her at the Awards Luncheon of the AdvancED Kansas Fall Conference on October 4, 2011 at the Marriott Hotel in Wichita, Kansas.
This is the twelfth year this award has been given, with the first year recipient being the namesake of the award. Dr. M. Claradine Johnson served as the state director of Kansas NCA before the organization evolved to AdvancED Kansas. At that time, the organization moved from the model focused on inputs to the outcomes model that is far more focused on student performance and organizational effectiveness. Claradine provided leadership during those trying times when the state accreditation system (QPA) and NCA were first implementing the outcomes model, and she was instrumental in ensuring that quality was incorporated into every aspect.
The criteria used for selection included:
- History of work with AdvancED/NCA and AdvancED Kansas
- Leadership within the school, district, and/or state
- Educational excellence and/or innovation
- Service to school, district, and/or state
- Other/extra factors
Mrs. Mortimer has been an administrator at USD 333 Concordia Public Schools for 12 years and is currently the Superintendent. Their district recently hosted their District Accreditation Visit under her guidance, and Bev has taken a state lead and very strongly advocated for AdvancED.
During these challenging times of budget cuts and accountability, Mrs. Mortimer has displayed extraordinary leadership, guiding the district through difficult decisions, while advancing the knowledge of sound instructional practices with focus on students. Her yearly “Make A Difference” banquet honors staff and volunteers who have contributed over and above and this helps build staff morale.
Concordia students and staff have benefitted from her service in many ways both locally, in the state, and regionally. One of the reasons our community takes pride in our strong school system is because she understands the importance of communication through Chamber Coffees and Public Forums. She is actively involved in the “Year of Peace” through Nazareth Motherhouse forming a partnership with the community and schools. She spearheaded the North Central Kansas Honor Flight taking veterans and their sponsors to visit the Memorials in Washington DC. Mrs. Mortimer did the fund raising, and planning. Her comment for taking this additional responsibility was “When times are the toughest, it is important to do for others.” Mrs. Mortimer has served as a member of numerous visiting accreditation teams for other school districts, on the Kauffman Foundation for Superintendents, and the Kansas Association of School Administrators (KASA).
Bev has the work ethic and integrity needed by professionals in the field of education. She truly cares about each student and staff member. She has a close relationship with her family, husband Scott, who is often seen helping us behind the scenes, three sons, one who is following in her footsteps in education, and one grandchild. Mrs. Mortimer is extremely deserving of this prestigious honor, the M. Claradine Johnson Award!
