Dr. Gloria Niles
UH West Oʻahu Assistant Professor of Special Education Gloria Niles will be part of a new initiative by the Council for Exceptional Children to identify, cultivate, and recruit well-qualified and diverse candidates for the organization’s board of directors and committee positions.
Dr. Niles is one of 10 members of the CEC’s Leadership Development Committee, which will help bring greater diversity to the board of directors. CEC is a professional organization that strives to help expand the educational achievement of students with special needs and/or talents and gifts.
According to the organization, diversity is a key to understanding the changing environment from a broader perspective, helping develop creative new solutions and understanding client populations while providing stronger programs and services. The Arlington, Va.-based organization reached out to 60 members with diverse backgrounds, and an effort was made to match committee needs and requirements with potential member’s skills, knowledge, and abilities.
Niles said the creation of the committee represents a significant restructuring of the process for identifying and training leaders to serve on CEC’s board and committees. She was quoted in CEC’s announcement as saying the organization’s newly restructured model of leadership development has tremendous potential to recruit and engage new members while inspiring existing members to explore leadership opportunities.
Niles previously helped re-active the Hawaiʻi state unit of CEC that had been suspended because of low participation. She currently serves as Hawaiʻi CEC’s immediate past president.
Niles joined UH West Oʻahu’s Division of Education in 2015 to help establish a Special Education licensure pathway for Bachelor of Education Teacher candidates.