NAEA ED&I State Liaisons

In an effort to increase the impact of NAEA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) work more broadly, and to identify the specific needs of our membership, NAEA is initiating the pilot ED&I State Liaison Program.

NAEA State Liaisons

NAEA will work with state art education associations and state-level leaders to establish an NAEA ED&I Liaison role for each state—building a direct conduit between membership, state associations, and the ED&I work carried out by NAEA nationally. This work may align with ongoing commitments and efforts by individual state associations that have already begun, or it could be the start of related work for a state. The Liaison will provide insight into the specific ED&I needs and priorities that their respective state has, and they can work toward codeveloping professional learning and support that will best serve that community’s goals. The information and insight gained through this pilot year of the program will help determine how we can build upon this work for the future.

Who can be an NAEA ED&I State Liaison? How are they chosen?

  • Any member of NAEA who is also a member of their state’s art education association is eligible to be an NAEA ED&I State Liaison. Ideally, candidates should be thought leaders who are committed to initiating or continuing ED&I work within their state association and be prepared to commit 3–4 hours of work per month to this initiative. (Please see the list of duties and sample timeline below.)
  • State association presidents will appoint individual(s) for the role for this pilot year, considering the experience and interest of the candidate. (Each state will have the same number of NAEA ED&I Liaisons as NAEA Delegates—1 if membership is under 300, 2 if over 300.)
  • Are you interested in becoming an NAEA ED&I State Liaison? Contact your state association president via email before November 1, 2021, stating your interest in serving in this role.
  • Questions? Please contact Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Special Initiatives, Ray Yang, at ryang@arteducators.org.

NAEA ED&I State Liaison Duties

NAEA ED&I State Liaisons should be prepared to commit 3–4 hours of work per month to this initiative, and:

  • Serve as a communication conduit between NAEA leadership and their respective states regarding ED&I-related strategic goals, priorities, and organizational needs (this can include contributing to newsletter updates, online forums, and/or social media).
  • Actively participate in NAEA ED&I trainings (3–4 times per year).
  • Pilot the development of a state ED&I Team or Commission committed to supporting ED&I work at the state/local level.
  • Gather and share demographic data and information regarding the state’s particular needs and composition.
  • Coordinate and facilitate professional learning for state membership (online and/or in person) grounded in the curriculum created by the NAEA Cultural Competency Curriculum Development Team.
    • Two statewide ED&I training sessions/workshops:
      One in-person training at the state conference (fall)
      One virtual training during the school year (late winter/early spring)
  • Create an ED&I Plan for the state with measurable goals (this can be brief or detailed).
  • Participate in a Regional NAEA ED&I Cohort (online community via NAEA Collaborate).

NAEA ED&I State Liaison Timeline

Fall 2021: Building

  • November 8: State association leadership appoints NAEA ED&I Liaison/s
  • November 12: Deadline for appointed Liaisons to complete the agreement form
  • November 30: First NAEA ED&I Liaison gathering/training (online)

Winter 2021/22: Regional work

  • January/February: Online training, group check-in, and spring planning

Spring 2022: Group gathering at NAEA National Convention

  • March: Liaison Connection Hour (online and in-person)??

Summer 2022: Planning, preparation, and additional training

  • June/July: Wrap-up, debrief, and summer planning
  • August/September: Back-to-school gathering, Americans for the Arts’s Arts in Education Week kick-off event

Fall 2022: Training and Facilitation

  • October/November: In-person training at state conferences

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion