Dear ACSA Region 9 Members,

I am incredibly honored and humbled to step into the role of Region 9 President for the 2026-2027 school year. Having served alongside many of you as Secretary and President-Elect of Region 9, and through my work with our local Merced Charter as VP of Student Success and Programs, where my passion was certainly focused on the “Every Student Succeeding” Awards Breakfast, we have hosted that past five years, in addition to other local, region and state ACSA events and conferences, I have seen firsthand the profound impact of our collective leadership!

Over the past few years, Region 9 has captured something truly special: a renewed energy, an undeniable momentum, and a beautiful surge in participation from every corner of our four counties; Fresno, Madera, Mariposa and Merced! My goal for this term is simple: we keep that momentum moving forward.

We met our goal last year of increasing our charter ACSA membership by 10 each (on average) and exceeding 800 members in Region 9!  Congratulations and welcome to all of our new ACSA members!

For the 2026-2027 year, our goals are simple:
  1. Ten again!  Let’s strive to increase each charters membership by 10 to reach 850 members in Region 9!
  2. Increase Region 9 participation in ACSA professional development opportunities!  We will be having Sponsored Meet Ups at various ACSA conferences for Region 9 members and want to see you there.  Many times, we attend conferences but may not know who our Region 9 peers are.  We need to network and build our relationships to strengthen our impact and leadership in our Region.  We all need each other and can build our collective capacity as we learn and grow together.  We hope you will stay tuned for these opportunities and join us!
  3. Stay connected! Join our socials to keep up with Region 9 and the charter happenings.  You will receive regular updates via emailed minutes from our meetings, committee and council updates, and charter updates.  We hope this will hope you stay informed and able to participate in the local charter events and Region 9 events.
At our recent Leadership Retreat and Annual Planning, I am happy to report that our budget was approved to include the following:
  • We increased our budget to $5,000 to support charters with local events.  A form is available to request up to $1,000.
  • We confirmed up to $12,000 for professional development scholarships for our members.  A form is available to request a scholarship of $600 to support attendance at a conference or other professional development.
  • We ensured that our budget included $20,000 to provide rebates back to our charters to support local efforts in each county.  The first disbursement will be sent in September.

Please plan to join us at ACSA Leadership Summit November 4-7, 2026 and Mid-State Conference March 5-7, 2027!  We look forward to seeing you there!

Every single one of you brings a unique set of experiences, talents, and wisdom to Region 9. Whether your strength lies in student success, program development, member recruitment, or business operations, your voice is essential. We are here to support one another, to lift each other up, and to elevate the vital work we do every day for our students and school communities. As we embark on this new year, I encourage you to stay connected with your local charters and engage in our upcoming regional engagement opportunities! You are the heartbeat of Region 9, and I am excited to lead alongside you!

Thank you for your dedication, your passion, and your leadership. Let’s make this a phenomenal and productive year!

Very Truly Yours,

Audry M. Garza, Ed.D.
ACSA Region 9 President