As a young High School Math Department Chair in 1993, I was pointed in the direction of NCSM as a valuable resource to connect me with other Math Leaders across the country. In those initial years, I was soaking up as much as I possibly could about how to insure we were growing the next generation of strong mathematical students. NCSM truly provided me a vehicle to explore and expand my own leadership abilities. Over the last few decades, I have had the opportunity to serve in various leadership roles through NCSM that have contributed to my ability to be an effective leader in my school district. Now, serving as Superintendent of Schools in the south suburbs of Chicago and serving as the Vice-Chair of the Illinois School Board of Education, it is the consistency of role modeling of exemplary leadership in NCSM that has equipped me to be ready at any given time. Joining NCSM over 25 years ago was one of the single most impactful decisions in my professional life.