Our Mission:

1. To recognize and build upon the experiences of those who have been members of the Council for Exceptional Children for at least 20 years.
2. To support the goals of the Council for Exceptional Children and its members.

Current Officers:

• President - Leslie Kolodin This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• Vice President -Constance Fox-Little
• Secretary/Treasurer - Janis Floyd
• Past-President -

Recently the Pioneers (Les Kolodin, President, Constance Fox-Lyttle, Secretary, Jannis Floyd, Vice-President) met at the conference and had a great time discussing what we would be doing for next year's conference. To begin, we will be holding a round table discussion and or break out sessions that will allow future and current educators to meet and ask us "old timers" questions about the fields they are working in or plan to work in. We had a very nice woman who did not belong to our group but was certainly encouraged to join us suggest the title, "Been There, Done That, Ask Me About It", look for it in next year's conference Action Newsletter.

Since the Pioneers is being revived as a subdivision we are also checking with National about By-Laws and the Constitution in order for us to have a working document as we begin to grow. We welcome any Past-Presidents and members over twenty years who might be interested in sharing their experiences at our conference next year to please contact us.

Les Kolodin
PIONEERS

CIRCLE YOUR WAGONS !!!

ATTENTION all 20 year PACEC members, retired members, life members, and past presidents of CEC….. You have earned the privilege of eligibility for membership in the CEC Pioneers Division! The reorganization committee members (pictured above, from top left, clockwise) Constance Lyttle, Leslie Kolodin and Janis Floyd, met at our November PACEC convention to review our Division’s current status and goals. CEC’s brief overview of the Pioneer Division follows.

Purpose and Goals The CEC Pioneers (CEC-PD) is the official division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) that works to retain and benefit from the leadership and expertise of long-term CEC members. Goals include:

• Serving the general community by increasing awareness of the educational needs of children with disabilities and/or who are gifted, and the services available to them.
• Serving the professional community by organizing volunteers willing to donate time, effort, and expertise to activities that promote the education and welfare of exceptional children.
• Supporting the activities, policies, and procedures of CEC and the other CEC divisions.

CEC Pioneer Activities CEC-PD members engage in a variety of valuable volunteer activities to advance the field of special education.

Activities include:

• Public speaking on topics that heighten awareness of the needs of special students.
• Supporting CEC's programs and activities at all levels.
• Facilitating the CEC Children and Youth Action Network (CAN).
• Supporting agencies and organizations contributing to the welfare of exceptional children and youth.
• Coordinating the selection and presentation of The Romaine Mackie Leadership Award.
• Establishing a Pioneer Award program for recognizing CEC members of long standing who have made notable contributions.
• Assisting CEC members nearing retirement with information on activities and services such as group insurance programs, travel opportunities, investments, and leisure activities.
• Publishing the Division newsletter, the Pioneers Press, exclusively for CEC-PD members, which includes information about the division's activities, updates on CEC governance and political action issues, news about division members, plans for the division as part of the CEC Annual International Convention and Expo, and announcements of events and opportunities of interest to CEC-PD members.
• Each year at the CEC Annual Convention and Expo, the Pioneers renew acquaintances at the annual dinner as well as] sponsor a number of sessions and activities. The annual Showcase session highlights CEC-PD members who have made outstanding contributions to the field of special education and CEC.

http://www.cec.sped.org