Over the last three-and-a-half years, the board of directors has been focused on OSTA-AECO’s organizational growth, longevity, and scalability in an ever-changing educational, political, and economic landscape.
Our pursuit of these outcomes has led us to develop our Target State Organization, an extensive organizational restructuring which includes, among other things:
- significant changes to the Chief Executive Officer role so that it can focus more closely on corporate strategy;
- the introduction of a Chief Operating Officer whose primary responsibility is to manage the day-to-day functioning of the organization; and
- the restructuring of the Executive Council to more directly facilitate the work of what some will have known as committees and others will have known as working groups—and to ensure that all of the people holding these roles can focus purely on advocacy.
In recent years, we have had many conversations about the Chief Executive Officer role and its conditions for success. In developing the Target State Organization, we consulted with past Chief Executive Officers about their experiences holding the position to ensure we were making informed decisions rooted in as many perspectives as possible. Our goal was to take a holistic approach.
The changes to the CEO role are a direct result of our consultations. I am confident these changes will drive forward momentum in our organization as well as have a positive impact on the individuals in the role.
Our primary objective on the board of directors has always been—and continues to be—to create the conditions under which student trustees can perform advocacy work and deliver the mandates on which they have been elected.
I look forward to sharing further updates about our Target State Organization in the coming months. Please reach out if you have any questions about what I’ve shared today. My contact information is below.
Yours in education,
Arjun Dhanjal
Chair of the Board
arjun.dhanjal@osta-aeco.org