Deborah Bressoud Parker
2nd Vice President and Conference Chair 2011

As Second Vice President, my endeavors build toward the 2011 NAMLE Conference. I bring a variety of education and conference experiences to my roles at NAMLE. While working in Connecticut for Newsweek in the 1990s I was on the board for the Educational Sales Association of New England (ESANE), an organization coordinating conference logistics for local, state and regional education meetings. I also co-sponsored a series of annual education conferences with the Connecticut State Social Studies Coordinator. In 1996 I launched Newsweek’s Education Program Web site. After being promoted to be manager of Newsweek’s National Education Program in 1997, I oversaw logistics relating to having editorial speakers, education consultants and sales exhibit space at over 250 conferences each year. During that same time I oversaw the annual production of 13 education booklets and 8 wall maps, used by social studies, economics, English and ESL educators throughout the country. I was editor of the “Newsweek Guide to Participation in Government.” My first media literacy conference organization experience was in 2001, when Renee Hobbs and I co-coordinated the Media Literacy Conference at WNET Channel 13 in New York. At NMEC 2007 I was Chairperson for exhibits and advertising, as well as volunteer coordinator for the Media Hub and Academic Showcase. I was on the 2009 NAMLE Conference Committee, again coordinating exhibits and advertising.

I bring a variety of other skills and experiences to my work as a board member of NAMLE. In collaboration with the Maine Department of Education I assisted with an open-ended, cooperative assessment research project that became the basis for a chapter in the ASCD publication “Global Understandings: A Framework for Teaching and Learning.” At both Newsweek and BusinessWeek I created multi-dimensional marketing approaches, negotiated mutually beneficial partnerships, discovered strategic niche business opportunities and developed Web-based education resources. My fiscal responsibilities included overseeing multi-million dollar expense and revenue budgets.

Central to these endeavors is an entrepreneurial passion that continues to the present. In addition to being on the board of NAMLE, I also lead faith-based initiatives in southern Ohio and serve on the Volunteer Advisory Board for the Council for Older Adults in Delaware, Ohio. As a media literacy educator I work with older adults to develop lifelong skills to access, analyzed, evaluate and communicate using new technologies. Media literacy extends from school-aged through retirement-aged individuals, I am founder and managing director of my own consulting company, SLEM3. Through the work of SLEM3 I continue to be a partner with clients where I help translate their vision to reality—while ensuring a clear return on investment. As NAMLE Board Member and Second Vice President, I will keep a focus on the economics relating to conference management, even as I make use of my project management and leadership skills to broaden the role of media literacy education.