COLUMBUS — Christopher Widman, a staff member of the Vanguard-Sentinel Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Technology Centers in Fremont, has been named to a variety of committees at the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA).

The board is a policymaking body and members are the chief advisers to the superintendent on community attitudes. Board members do not manage the day-to-day operations of a school district; but rather see to it that the system is managed well by professional administrators.

Founded in 1955, the Ohio School Boards Association leads the way to educational excellence by serving Ohio’s public school board members and the diverse districts they represent through superior service, unwavering advocacy and creative solutions.

Widman’s appointments include:

• Board of Trustees — The Board of Trustees has general charge of the affairs, funds and property of the association. It has full power to carry out the purposes of the association according to the OSBA Constitution. The board is composed of the eight-member Executive Committee, representatives from Ohio’s six largest school districts and 18 representatives selected by OSBA’s five regions.
• Capital Conference Planning Task Force — The Capital Conference Planning Task Force helps plan the annual OSBA Capital Conference and Trade Show held each November in Columbus. Board members, superintendents, treasurers, Ohio Department of Education officials and other school officials attend the conference, which features learning sessions, general sessions and workshops on scores of topics.
• Rules Committee — The Rules Committee establishes and approves the association’s rules for its annual business meeting held in November.
• Student Achievement Leadership Team — The Student Achievement Leadership Team is charged with advising and directing OSBA staff in the development and implementation of programs to help school boards improve student achievement. It is part of the OSBA Student Achievement Initiative, an ongoing program focused on board members’ roles and responsibilities in public education and marshaling members’ support to increase student achievement.
• Northwest Regional Executive Committee — The Northwest Region Executive Committee provides governance and leadership to school board members in Ottawa County, as well as Allen, Auglaize, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Mercer, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Sandusky and Seneca counties.