[StBernard] Voitier sets high standard for state school leaders

[Westley Annis]

>From the commentary on CityBuisness' website.

 
by Mark Singletary 
11/20/2006 	
 	
If you weren't at the Sheraton Hotel on Canal Street last Friday for lunch,
you missed a great time. 
 
The eighth annual CityBusiness Women of the Year celebration was the reason
for the scene and I'm proud to report 887 nice people helped us honor 50 of
the most accomplished women I have ever met. 
  
Three years ago we began selecting a Woman of the Year from the 50 honorees
chosen from several hundred nominees. Every woman in this year's group is
special. But each year, the overall Woman of the Year has turned out extra
special. 
  
Picking one overall winner isn't an easy task. I'd like to publicly thank
the private group of judges who make the selection for us each year. Their
service means so much to us and the CityBusiness Women of the Year. 
Missy Allain, the 2004 honoree, Laura Maloney, last year's Woman of the
Year, and Doris Voitier this year, all proved to be popular choices. 
  
Voitier's story was in the Women of the Year special section in the Nov. 13
edition of CityBusiness. If you missed it, please take the time to go back
and read up on her and the other 49 winners as well. Trust me, you will be
impressed. 
  
Voitier, superintendent of St. Bernard Parish Public Schools, set herself
apart by going forth and achieving one simple goal - ensuring the children
of St. Bernard Parish would have access to education after Hurricane
Katrina. And they would have teachers in spite of the devastation in their
parish, a necessary byproduct of her main goal. 
  
Under Voitier's leadership and in spite of government obstacles, the schools
in St. Bernard opened before Christmas last year. At first for a few hundred
children, then for 1,500 and now they are teaching and nurturing 3,000
students. Those St. Bernard students have clean classrooms with textbooks,
certified teachers and bathrooms that work. 
  
All this makes me wonder why Voitier isn't put in charge of the whole darn
school system for the whole darn state. 
  
I can't imagine her, especially after hearing her story, tolerating the
pitiful excuses we've heard for years about the failing Orleans Parish
school system as well as plenty of others around Louisiana. 
Maybe there ought to be a "What Would Doris Do?" movement throughout the
state school systems. 
  
The 2006 Women of the Year event was the single largest awards luncheon
CityBusiness has ever put on. But it's far from our only event. 
  
In less than two weeks on Dec. 8, the CityBusiness Best Places to Work
luncheon and awards ceremony will again fill a large room at the Sheraton on
Canal. Tickets are available for this worthwhile, fun and informative event
honoring top employers throughout the region. Call our office at 834-9292
for details about tickets. 
  
We will also honor attorneys with a Leadership in the Law luncheon in the
spring. 
  
In the summer, we honor the Innovator of the Year with an awards luncheon
that celebrates the achievement of new products and services developed by
Louisiana businesses. 
  
And in 2007 we will introduce a brand new event, too. Health Care Heroes
will honor workers who have set themselves apart in the high-stress,
high-risk business of medicine. 
  
We at CityBusiness believe it's important to honor special accomplishments.
In the normal course of our business reporting, we come across stories that
reflect heroic efforts in so many areas. We do our best to report on as many
achievements as we can and are always looking for ways to do more. 
  
Our events help spotlight these incredible achievements by reporting the
special circumstances and celebrating the people who make a difference in
our lives. 
  
Please join us at these celebrations. You'll have fun; I guarantee it..